COMMUNICATING THE ASBESTOS MESSAGE: Search Engine Optimization

Asbestos related lawsuits in the United States make it difficult and expensive to effectively use social media to communicate about asbestos related issues, such as my recent thesis on the failure of the Space Shuttle Challenger’s asbestos containing putty. If you haven’t yet read my thesis, you can find it at https://theasbestosblog.com/?p=9723.

This disconnect with social media all stems from one cause: the extremely high value of asbestos related lawsuits to the attorneys chasing those 3000 or so per year potential clients in the United States who are sick with Mesothelioma. I am not making any claim as to whether this is good or bad but, rather, that it just “is,” with the affect of limiting the effectiveness of non-lawsuit related messages.

Let’s start of with the fees for a click. Note that of the top 10 most expensive Google search keywords, all 10 between 2014 and 2018 contained the word Mesothelioma. Yes, all 10. And each click costed the attorneys making these advertisements between $226 for the most per click to $148 per click for the tenth place. That makes it uneconomical for others who want to spread an asbestos related message to pay per click.

Why are the click fees per high? Because the typical Mesothelioma lawsuit is worth between $1 million and $1.5 million per case, with the attorney typically getting 1/3rd after expenses. That can cover a lot of clicks. It also means that if you are a Mesowarrior, you should seek out an experienced attorney to at least discuss your options.

Next, the Google searches for “asbestos” typically bring up more attorney related advertisements (or websites that feed cases to attorneys) than anything else. Not completely and it can vary, but it is still tough to cut through the clutter.

When it comes to the Challenger, however, I have been lucky. I have worked hard on my social media communication using this blog and, I am happy to report, that my placement for “challenger asbestos” is now in second place on the first page out of 2,120,000 results. That is amazing.

If I change it to “challenger and asbestos”, then I come in first on the first page. Change it to “asbestos and challenger”, and I am back to the second on the first page.

Most importantly for my budget, I haven’t paid anything for search engine optimization. I can’t afford to; after all, I am but a Master’s in History Student trying to educate those around me. I am glad to have found a way to do this, both to correct the record and to educate those who need to know in the future. As I proceed with my next project concerning asbestos issues faced in ship breaking, I will need to do the same.

I would love to hear your comments, either in the comments section or by an email to me at TheAsbestosBlog@gmail.com. Thank you. Marty