Google Ads for Criminal Defence Attorneys

Last Updated on: 12th September 2025, 11:06 am

As a criminal defence attorney, you’re often the only connection between an accused person and the full weight of the criminal justice system. 

When someone is charged with a crime, they don’t have time to flip through directories or ask for recommendations. They need immediate help and reassurance that they won’t face this alone.

Google Ads can help you show up as a criminal defence attorney at the exact moment your clients need you, making sure you’re the name that feels like a lifeline when everything is on the line.

Before Anything Else, Get Your Budget Right

Before you start building campaigns or writing headlines, you need to be realistic about your budget. 

Criminal defence clicks are some of the most expensive in legal advertising, often running $15 up to $100 (!) per click depending on your area and competition.

However, when your Google Ads for criminal defence attorneys are set up correctly, you’ll be reaching the best possible leads with the highest chances of hiring your law firm as their representative, making the click costs meagre in comparison to your earnings from the case. 

Ground your budgeting decisions in a few clear principles:

• Know your numbers. What’s your realistic caseload? Additionally, look at your typical revenue per case to weigh spend against likely return.
• Work backwards. Say you’d like to sign 10 clients monthly. If you close 1 in 5 qualified enquiries, you’re aiming for about 50 solid leads.
• Estimate cost per click. In most areas, expect $20-$50 per click for high-intent searches like “criminal charge defence attorney” Multiply that by the volume you’ll need. 300 clicks could mean $6,000 to $15,000 in monthly spend, depending on your region and competition.

Of course, you can reach out to me and my team for an estimation of the costs based on real-life examples from the criminal defence attorneys we work with every day at my PPC agency for lawyers. 

Claire was a complete lifesaver for my law firm. She and her team came in, made the right adjustments, and suddenly we were getting a boatload of quality leads.

Joanna Boyd, Boyd Law

Mind Your Campaign Structure (and Focus on Search Campaigns if You Run Google Ads for Criminal Defence Attorneys)

For most criminal defence attorneys and lawyers, Search campaigns are ideal.

If someone searches for “legal help after arrest”, your firm can show up immediately with an ad offering clear next steps. Unlike social or display ads, which rely on catching attention while people browse, Search ads connect you with prospects at the exact point they’re ready to make a decision.

Search Campaign Best Practices

• Separate campaigns for high-stakes keywords like “police station representation,” “legal advice before interview,” “criminal defence lawyer drug charges”. Group similar intents together so your ads and landing pages speak directly to the urgency of the situation.
• P.S. Even if you’re a big firm that covers multiple practice areas like personal injury, bankruptcy, divorce, family law, and more, your criminal defence ads should only be for criminal defence (with the exception of overlap in cases where your traffic attorneys need to get involved, too – but even then, make sure you separate campaigns targeting those situations). The same goes for your landing pages. 
  
• Use location targeting aggressively. There’s no point paying for clicks 300 kilometres away. Tighten your radius to your county or city, especially if you know how far clients are willing to travel or where police stations are concentrated.
  
• Schedule ads properly. If you take emergency calls, run them 24/7. Plenty of arrests happen after midnight, and you don’t want to be invisible when someone’s desperate. If you only take enquiries during office hours, concentrate budget from 8 am to 6 pm.
  
• Use remarketing campaigns. If someone visits your site but doesn’t call, you can stay visible with Display remarketing banners on other sites they browse. Just be mindful: avoid heavy-handed messages like “Facing criminal charges?” and use a neutral, professional tone.

How to Use Keywords to Understand Your Ideal Clients

Keywords are clues into what’s happening in your potential client’s mind at the time of the search.

Someone typing “legal advice after arrest for assault” is in a very different state from someone searching “criminal lawyer free consultation”. 

Your keyword strategy should reflect that urgency and intent. Start with data:

• Use tools like SpyFu and SEMrush to see what competitors who run Google Ads for criminal defence attorneys bid on and which searches drive clicks for them.
• Balance broad themes (“criminal defence attorney”) with specific intent (“help with driving ban appeal”).
• Regularly update negative keywords (like “free legal aid” or “law courses”) to avoid paying for clicks that will never convert.

People often search in truncated key terms with a lack of punctuation because Google will fill in the gaps for them. This often looks like:

• been charged with theft what to do
• solicitor police interview now
  criminal defence solicitor near me

The role of keywords is to help you match what people are searching for, not to plaster their exact wording everywhere. In fact, Google’s algorithm is designed to understand the meaning behind a search.

This means you can (and should!) write naturally persuasive ad copy and landing pages. (More on that below.)

Organise Your Ad Groups

Ad groups are the foundation of a well-run Google Ads account. Each one holds a cluster of closely related keywords, ads, and landing page messaging.

Why Should You Care about Ad Groups in Google Ads for Criminal Defence Attorneys?

• Google rewards ads that tightly match the keywords triggering them. Good structure means better Quality Scores, lower costs, and higher positions.
  
• You decide how much to bid, what to say, and when to show for each topic.
  
• It helps you spot which practice areas drain budget or deliver the strongest cases.

When you separate your ad groups by clear themes (like police station representation, assault charges, or driving offences), you can:

• Write ads that speak directly to that situation.
  
• Send people to landing pages based on their problem and preferred solution.
  
• Adjust bids based on the urgency or value of each case type.

This clarity is what keeps your account manageable and effective, instead of turning into an unprofitable tangle.

Bidding for Balancing Automation and Control

Bidding isn’t something we take lightly – not in this house! That’s particularly true in criminal defence, where each click can cost as much as a restaurant bill.

Here are the main options and when each makes sense:

Manual CPC when Running Google Ads for Criminal Defence Attorneys

Manual CPC gives you tight control in your Google Ads for criminal defence attorneys, but demands regular attention. You set the maximum you’re willing to pay for each click, keyword by keyword. 

This is ideal if you want to prioritise certain terms (“urgent legal help” over generic searches) and stop Google from overbidding. However, be prepared to check and adjust bids every week.

Enhanced CPC

Enhanced CPC allows Google to adjust your bids within limits. You still set a base bid, but Google can raise it slightly if it predicts a higher chance of a conversion. 

It’s a middle ground between manual control and automation. Just watch your averages as costs can creep up if you’re not careful.

Smart Bidding (Maximise Conversions or Target CPA)

Smart Bidding is powerful with enough conversion data, but risky without clear boundaries. 

Google will automatically adjust bids to get you as many conversions as possible (or to hit your target cost per acquisition). 

Always combine these strategies with a strong negative keyword list and tight location filters. Also, make sure you’ve logged at least 30-50 conversions first, or the algorithm will be working without any precision.

Crafting Ad Copy and Landing Pages for Google Ads for Criminal Defence Attorneys

Ad Copy

Take a look at the ad example below from Attorney Daniel N. Pawuk. 

Notice how the ad doesn’t simply repeat keywords like criminal defence lawyer over and over. 

Instead, it uses related terms like “attorney” and expands on services in natural language by listing the types of charges (DUI, felony, domestic violence), mentioning 20 years of experience, and reinforcing trust with We Know The System.

Here’s a cheat sheet for your copywriting:

• Speak plainly. Instead of vague claims, call out exactly who you help: Facing DUI or felony charges? Call now.
  
• Emphasise speed. Lines like 24/7 support or Immediate advice available tell people you won’t make them wait.
  
• Show trust signals. Highlight specific proof: Over 20 years in Florida courts or Hundreds of cases defended.
  
• Use as many relevant assets as you can. The ad above links directly to pages like Reviews, Felony Defence, and Why Choose Us, letting prospects self-select the information they care about most.

Landing Page Essentials

Now, what happens when we click on the ad above? 

…And here’s why it only makes people more eager to get in touch: 

• The contact buttons come even before the headline, so they’re also the first thing a potential client might click. 
• Their ad promises experience and swift help, and the landing page repeats Over 20 years of experience right at the top. No disconnect from the message in the ad!
• The heading image combines a professional portrait with a serious stance, reinforcing authority.
• Notice the bright red contact box on the right with phone, email, and a form all in one place. Frictionless for someone who’s already overwhelmed.
• The text calls out free, no-obligation consultations and explains what happens next, so visitors aren’t left wondering if a call will pressure them into commitment.

Want your landing pages to glide towards the Contact button? Then get inspired by these 7 landing page examples.

Monitor and Optimise your Google Ads for Criminal Defence Attorneys Relentlessly

You can’t use Google Ads for criminal defence attorneys with a “set it and forget it” mindset. You and an experienced Google Ads management consultancy need to keep checking the essentials to ensure your campaigns are performing: 

• Conversion tracking: Is your Google Tag firing correctly? Use Google Tag Assistant to test and verify that all tags are working. If you see warnings or errors, reinstall the tag or have your developer fix the implementation straight away. Import offline conversions, too!
• Call tracking: Check the call recordings. If most calls are hang-ups or wrong numbers, refine your ad copy to clarify who you help and add negative keywords to filter out time-wasters.
• Keyword reports: What’s leaking your budget? Look for broad-match terms that spend heavily without conversions. For instance, if “criminal solicitor advice” is eating up hundreds with no leads, reduce bids or add it to your negative keyword list.
• Landing page performance: Are people leaving your site without getting in touch? Check your bounce rates and average time on page in Google Analytics. If visitors leave in under 10 seconds, it often means your page doesn’t match their expectations. Tighten your headlines, improve load times, or make calls to action more visible.

Bonus! More Ad Examples to Inspire You for Your Criminal Defence Attorney Campaigns on Google Ads

Example 1: Gregg & Associates

This ad does a lot right without shouting.

If you’re panicking at 2 am, the URL get.criminal-lawyer-now.com sounds like exactly the kind of help you need. 

The copy keeps a tight focus on criminal defence, rather than listing every legal service under the sun. Notice how they highlight Hablamos Español, which is critical for trust in many communities. 

Plus, the image asset adds a human face. Again, this is crisis marketing, and a face can be calming. Finally, the call asset (Call us) eliminates friction – one tap, and you’re talking to someone who can help.

Example 2: High-Profile Lawyer, Executive Defenders

This one leans into emotional triggers effectively. Phrases like Protect Your Reputation and Say No to Jail speak directly to the fears of someone facing serious charges. 

The sitelink assets are smart: Lawyer for Serious Charges and White Collar Defence both convey credibility and specialisation, while Practice Areas provides easy navigation. 

Most importantly, there’s no clutter about other practice types; this is all criminal defence, which builds confidence that you’re in the right place. And mentioning Financing Available reduces the barrier to picking up the phone.

Level Up Your Criminal Defence Firm with Google Ads

For criminal defence attorneys, Google Ads is less about marketing and more about being present when someone’s freedom and reputation are at risk.

If you want help crafting campaigns that bring in the right clients without wasting thousands of dollars, grab a copy of Rapid Google Ads Success for Lawyers. It’s packed with the strategies I’ve refined over nearly two decades managing campaigns.

And if you’d rather skip the learning curve altogether, book your strategy call!