According to data recently released by law firm marketing consultants Alyn-Weiss & Associates, the number of transactional, corporate, and defense law firms that employ Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to generate new business has nearly tripled over the last two years. For the better part of the last decade, the plaintiffs’ bar remained a full Internet generation ahead of the defense when it came to Web savvy. Now, it seems that the competition – at least in part – is finally starting to catch up.

According to the survey, 59 percent of transactional, corporate, and defense firms used SEO tactics to boost their marketing efforts during the last 24 months – almost three times the number that did in the previous two year period. Furthermore, there is evidence that SEO is working, as 20 percent of firms responded that their new approach has resulted in new cases – more than double the number that did in the two years prior.

These are staggering statistics to be certain; but if 59 percent of law firms are utilizing SEO, that means 41 percent of law firms have still yet to fully embrace the digital technologies at the heart of this legal marketing sea change – and that statistic is downright startling. Given the fact that the Web is not only an effective sales tool, but a marquee venue for trying cases in the Court of Public Opinion as well, it’s becoming clear that those who continue to ignore the power of the Internet do so at their own peril.

With new research conducted by IDC (a global leader in tracking technology trends) showing that Internet-connected Americans spend an average of 32.7 hours a week on the Web – nearly twice the hours spent watching television and more than eight times the hours spent reading magazines or newspapers – it’s hard to understand why a law firm wouldn’t be working tirelessly to ensure that its messages are ranked above the competition when users search Google, Yahoo, or MSN for litigation-related information.

Whether it’s through landing pages, a frequently-updated blog, well-placed keywords, web video, or strategically-inserted links, the more than four out of ten law firms that remain behind the curve should be taking a more proactive approach when it comes to SEO. The Internet is no longer “new media.” It’s simply “media” – and those that fail to evolve with the times may soon find clients, cases, and winning judgments harder to come by as a result.

Of course, marketing is just Step One. The plaintiffs bar remains far ahead in trolling the Internet for clients. But that is a story for another blog.