The SEO Garden vs. the SEM Billboard: How Law Firms Can Win at Digital Marketing with Peter Kalanda

This episode features Peter Kalanda, a 20-year digital marketing veteran and the co-founder of Three Horizons Interactive. Peter shares his unique journey from managing hotels and consulting at Ernst & Young to mastering the digital marketing landscape for law firms. He breaks down the complex world of SEO and SEM with a simple analogy: SEO is like planting a garden that grows over time, while SEM is like renting a billboard for immediate visibility. Peter provides a masterclass on the immense, often-overlooked power of local search, explaining how optimizing a Google Business Profile can be a game-changer for attracting clients. He reveals the most common technical mistakes that make websites invisible to Google, how to find high-impact keywords, and the three simple fixes any lawyer can make this week to improve their online presence. This is a practical, no-nonsense guide to building a powerful digital foundation without a massive budget.

Show Notes:

(0:27) Peter Kalanda’s journey from Slovakian immigrant to digital marketing expert.
(0:56) The unconventional path from hospitality management to mastering SEO.
(3:15) The validation: Taking a company’s sales from $100k to $3 million.
(5:30) How digital marketing has evolved over the last 20 years.
(8:50) Why law firms are the perfect clients: The untapped power of local search.
(12:27) Digital Marketing 101: SEO is a garden, SEM is a billboard.
(14:42) The critical error that can make your website completely invisible to Google.
(16:30) How to find the right keywords: High volume, low competition, and long-tail phrases.
(20:47) Defining Local SEO: How to target clients searching within a 20-mile radius.
(24:49) A content strategy that cuts through the noise: Answering questions with authenticity.
(30:23) The Top 3 SEO mistakes law firms make and how to fix them today.
(32:50) AI vs. SEO: Why fundamentals like structured data are more important than ever.
(34:36) How to realistically budget for digital marketing (Hint: You don’t need a giant war chest).
(36:58) The key metrics lawyers should track to know if their marketing is actually working.
(40:40) Case Study: How a simple contact form redesign increased qualified leads by 45%.
(42:59) The first 3 things every lawyer should do this week to improve their marketing.
(45:49) Hiring an Agency: How to spot red flags, understand pricing, and why you always need three quotes.
(51:18) Where to find and contact Peter Kalanda.

Contact Peter: https://www.3h-i.com/

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Music: lofi type beat "flower market" by snoozy beats.