For small law firms and solo practitioners competing in a crowded marketplace, word of mouth only goes so far. But for attorney James P. Dillion of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a little SEO (search engine optimization) has gone a long way in increasing his business.

Dillion, who is a solo practitioner, has landed a number of criminal defense cases and some estate planning work after implementing SEO best practices to his website. For readers who are unfamiliar, SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a Web page in a search engine's unpaid results, often referred to as “organic” results.

After finding success in helping small legal practices, solo or two person firms, Cotuit, Massachusetts-based Digital+ has launched a formal legal SEO division, focusing on strategies to assist small law firms generate new clients through better Internet ranking and visibility.