Client success story: Strange Law — how a 50-year Sioux Falls law firm built a digital presence worthy of its courtroom record

Nobody shops for a lawyer the way they shop for a sofa. There's no browsing, no wish list, no waiting for a sale. Something happens — a marriage ends, a parent dies, an officer knocks, a diagnosis comes back, a crash on I-229 changes everything — and suddenly a Sioux Falls family is on a phone at 11 p.m. typing four words into Google and deciding, in about ninety seconds, who they're going to trust with the worst month of their life.

That's the moment **Strange, Farrell, Johnson & Brewers, P.C.** needed to own. Not because they had anything to prove — the firm has been trying cases in South Dakota courtrooms since **1970** and is **one of only two AAML member firms in the state** — but because a reputation built over five decades in front of judges doesn't automatically translate to page one of a search result. That's the gap Complete Media was brought in to close.

> "Clients don't hire a website. But in 2026, a lot of them will never meet you if they can't find one they trust."

About Strange, Farrell, Johnson & Brewers, P.C.

Founded in **1970**, the firm is a Sioux Falls law practice serving clients **throughout South Dakota** from **4420 S Technology Dr, Sioux Falls, SD 57106**. Three practicing attorneys, cases accepted statewide, and a standard of preparation the firm describes simply: every case is prepared as though it will go to trial.

The practice areas cover the matters that shape families and futures:

• **Family law** — high-asset divorce, custody, and support handled with discretion and rigor
• **Criminal defense** — aggressive protection of your rights from arrest through resolution, led by former public defenders who know how prosecutors build cases
• **Estate planning** — wills, trusts, and directives that protect a legacy and honor a client's wishes
• **Probate** — guiding personal representatives through estate administration with care
• **Personal injury** — advocacy for individuals and families harmed by someone else's negligence

What genuinely separates them in this market is the complex work: the firm routinely **values and divides ranches, farms, closely held businesses, and medical practices** in sophisticated divorce cases — the kind of matter a general-practice firm refers out. The credential wall backs it up: **American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML)**, **Best Law Firms — U.S. News & World Report**, **Super Lawyers**, **State Bar of South Dakota**, **South Dakota Association for Justice**, and the **American Bar Association**.

The challenge

The firm had the record. What it didn't have was a marketing presence that carried the record to the people who needed it.

• **National legal directories and out-of-state lead brokers** owned page one for "divorce attorney Sioux Falls," "criminal defense lawyer Sioux Falls," and "estate planning attorney South Dakota" — then sold South Dakota leads back to South Dakota firms
• **Fifty years of credentials lived mostly offline** — in courtrooms, referrals, and the memory of past clients, not in search results
• **Legal searches happen on a phone, in a hurry, often at night** — and a slow or hard-to-navigate site loses that visitor in seconds
• **Five distinct practice areas** meant five very different visitors arriving with five very different emergencies, all landing in the same place
• **A Google Business Profile** that didn't reflect the full range of practice areas or the firm's recognitions
• **No structured presence in AI search** — where a growing share of people now ask "who's the best family law attorney in Sioux Falls?" and take the answer at face value
• **Attorney time belongs on cases**, not on keyword research, citation cleanup, and review requests

The strategy

We built the program around the one thing no directory listing and no national ad spend can manufacture: **a Sioux Falls firm that has been standing in South Dakota courtrooms since 1970, with lawyers a client can actually reach.** Every channel repeats the same idea — *steady counsel when the stakes are highest.*

That meant four things. **Understanding the market:** legal decisions are short, high-anxiety windows measured in hours, not months, and trust is the entire purchase. **Identifying growth opportunities:** the highest-value matters — high-asset divorce, business and ranch valuation, comprehensive estate plans — are exactly where the firm's AAML credential is a genuine moat. **Competitive positioning:** against ad-heavy volume firms and faceless directories, we lead with credentials, trial readiness, and direct access to an experienced attorney. **Long-term planning:** legal marketing compounds. Rankings, reviews, and citations built this year are the reason a family finds them in three.

> **The Strange Law playbook:** One consistent brand from letterhead to search result. One website organized around real client emergencies. One coordinated push across local SEO, AI search, reviews, print, and content — so the attorneys can stay focused on cases.

The work completed

Branding & identity

A law firm's brand is its credibility, and credibility erodes the moment things look inconsistent. We locked in consistent **logo usage, typography, and color** so the mark reads identically on letterhead, engagement letters, business cards, office signage, a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook post, and a Google result. We sharpened the messaging around **preparation, integrity, and advocacy** — the firm's own three values — and made sure the AAML, Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers recognitions appear as proof, not decoration.

Print marketing

Letterhead and envelope systems, business cards for each attorney, consultation folders and intake packets, practice-area one-sheets for family law and estate planning, office and building signage, referral cards for the accountants and financial advisors who send work their way, and materials for bar association and community events. All tied to a single recognizable identity.

Website development

A fast, **mobile-first strangelaw.com** organized around how a real client actually arrives — by **practice area** (family law, criminal defense, estate planning, probate, personal injury), by **trust signal** (founded 1970, AAML membership, former public defenders, direct attorney access), by **service area** (Sioux Falls and all of South Dakota), and by **next step** (a request-a-consultation form and the **605.339.4500** line one tap away on every page). We added a two-minute **case assessment** for visitors who aren't sure which practice area fits their situation — a low-pressure entry point that turns anxious browsers into qualified consultations.

SEO

On-page SEO and technical work tuned for the searches that actually produce consultations: *divorce attorney Sioux Falls*, *family law attorney Sioux Falls*, *high asset divorce South Dakota*, *criminal defense lawyer Sioux Falls*, *estate planning attorney Sioux Falls*, *probate attorney South Dakota*, and *personal injury lawyer Sioux Falls* — with dedicated, genuinely useful pages behind each practice area rather than a single thin services page.

Local visibility

We optimized the **Google Business Profile** to reflect every practice area, hours, location, and recognitions; built and cleaned **local citations and legal directory listings** so the firm's name, address, and phone are identical everywhere; and put a steady, ethics-conscious **review process** behind a firm that was already earning client gratitude in person.

AI visibility optimization

More South Dakotans are skipping search engines entirely and asking an assistant who to hire. We restructured on-site content, **schema markup**, and external citations so the firm is recognized and cited by **ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity** as a trusted South Dakota answer for family law, criminal defense, and estate planning — the same AI visibility playbook we run for growth-minded local businesses across the region.

Ongoing marketing support

A steady cadence of practice-area content, plain-English explainers that answer the questions people are too embarrassed to ask a lawyer, social support, review generation, and campaigns timed to when legal needs actually spike — January divorce filings, year-end estate planning, and spring probate season.

The results

The advocacy was never the issue. Once the marketing caught up to it:

• **A 50-year firm finally reflected online** — website, search results, and AI answers now tell the same trial-ready, credentialed, locally accountable story clients already tell each other
• **Improved local search and map pack visibility** across Sioux Falls and statewide practice-area searches
• **More consultation requests from better-fit clients** — complex family law and estate matters rather than calls the firm has to refer out
• **Stronger brand recognition** across every touchpoint, from letterhead to a Google result on a phone at midnight
• **Improved client engagement**, with the case assessment giving uncertain visitors a way in that doesn't require picking up the phone first
• **A long-term marketing partnership** that lets three attorneys spend their hours on cases instead of on marketing

Why it matters

When a family's future is on the line, the difference between the right lawyer and the first lawyer is enormous — and increasingly it's decided by a search result. A community is genuinely better off when the firm with fifty years of courtroom preparation and a national matrimonial law credential is the easiest one to find, not the hardest. Good marketing doesn't invent a reputation. It removes the friction between an excellent local firm and the neighbors who need it. And every case that stays with a Sioux Falls firm instead of an out-of-state lead broker keeps the expertise, the accountability, and the economics right here in South Dakota.

About Complete Media

Complete Media is a **Sioux Falls marketing agency** that has partnered with 250+ local businesses since 2002 — attorneys and professional services, financial services, insurance, construction, home services, real estate, property management, retail, restaurants, non-profits, and a long list of family-run operations across the West and Midwest. Strategy, branding, websites, print, SEO, AI visibility, digital advertising, and ongoing marketing support — one local partner, one phone number, one team that already understands how South Dakota buyers actually buy.

FAQs

**Do you only work with law firms?** No. Strange Law is one of many professional-service clients we support, alongside dozens of other local industries. If you run a local business and want marketing that moves the needle, we can help.

**How long does it take to see results?** Brand and website changes are visible immediately. Local SEO and Google Business Profile gains typically compound over 60–120 days. Legal search is competitive, so the biggest wins come from consistency over quarters, not weeks.

**Do you require long-term contracts?** No. Our most popular engagement starts at $495/month, all-inclusive, no long-term contract.

**Do you work with clients outside Sioux Falls?** Yes. We're based at 927 E 8th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57103, and partner with businesses across the region.

Want results like Strange Law?

If you run a Sioux Falls professional-services firm with a strong reputation and a digital presence that doesn't match it, this is exactly the kind of work we love. One conversation, no pressure, and an honest read on whether we can help. [Reach out through our contact page](/contact), explore [what we do](/what-we-do), or call **605.360.2259** — and if you need an attorney in South Dakota, call Strange, Farrell, Johnson & Brewers at **605.339.4500** or visit [strangelaw.com](https://strangelaw.com).