Three part podcast series with John Darer on internet marketing abuses.

As any settlement professional with a computer and Google knows, if you type in the term "structured settlements" into the search engine box, what you will get back in 80% of your results is typically postings, web sites, splog pages and inducements from the factoring companies that have effectively hijacked the term structured settlements on the internet.g_john_photo.jpg

Rather then sit back and just let this tidal wave of misleading, and in many cases illegal advertising wash over our industry, John Darer, the blogger behind Structured Settlements 4 Real, has over the last 9 months decided to try and do something about this issue. If you don't subscribe to his blog you really should as he has written some of the most pointed and on point commentary on the issue of factoring, how it is marketed on the internet, the abuses that are occurring through key word manipulation, splogging and sloppy or misleading advertising. He has called out some of the more extreme offenders and no doubt will continue to do so.

This will be a three part series, with each podcast covering a different aspect of the issue, with part one, which you can listen to by clicking here, outlining just how severe the problem is that the structured settlement industry is facing on search engine manipulation. Essentially it is my opinion, which I know John agrees with, that we have until recently surrendered our trade and product name to an industry that very often runs exactly counter to the interests of protecting the financial safety of injured plaintiffs, and much of the "education" of the average consumer on the topic of structured settlements is being done by the very companies that wish to undo the structure. Listen in to this three part podcast, to be released over the next three days and join the discussion on John's page and here on The Settlement Channel as we talk about the ways to take back the initiative and start protecting our industry's identity on the internet.

Posted on July 24, 2006 .