PPC for Lawyers: Your Guide to the Most Profitable Strategies

If you want to intercept your leads when they’re actively looking for your services, you need pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. However, if you dive in unaware, you risk wasting your budget. Fortunately, I’ve spent the past 15+ years in the PPC trenches, and today, I’ll show you the most profitable PPC strategies for law firms.

Let’s dive in!

#1 Revenue, First: Set Viable PPC Goals

Before launching your PPC campaign, define clear and SMART goals. This will be your roadmap for success – plus, you’ll be able to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.

For example, instead of simply aiming to “get more clients,” set a specific goal such as “generate 50 more leads per month through PPC. If I convert 25% of leads, I’ll have 12.5 more clients per month. I’ll reach this goal in three months.”

Then, make sure you’re clear on your Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC). The numbers should add up. For example, you may not advertise to pro bono or clients who bring lower revenue. Instead, you may choose to advertise for only a few of your expertise areas.

#2 Conduct Thorough Keyword Research for Legal PPC Campaigns

In addition to vetting all the ad copy and keywords your PPC specialist recommends targeting, you’ll also want to take a look at your intake forms or any other sources of client-first information. Which verbiage do they use to search for your services? This will give you a great starting point.

Then…

Start with Seed Keywords

Seed keywords are the broad terms directly related to your law firm’s services. For example, if you specialise in personal injury law, your seed keywords could be “personal injury lawyer” or “personal injury attorney.”

From there, you’ll…

Use Keyword Research Tools to Identify Long-Tail Queries

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SpyFu, SEMrush, and LowFruits to get more detailed keywords from your seed keywords, as well as information on keyword search volume, competition, gaps in the law firm PPC market, and the average Cost Per Click (CPC).

Consider long-tail keywords. While they may not drive as much traffic as broad keywords, they often have higher conversion rates.

For example, instead of targeting the keyword “divorce lawyer,” you could target “divorce lawyer in [city name].”

an example of a ppc google ad for law firms

A highly-specific query like this one won’t get you a lot of visibility, but the prospects you get will be likelier to convert.

Consider the User Intent and Keyword Journey

When choosing keywords for your PPC campaigns, consider the intent behind the search. Are users looking for general information, comparing different law firms, or ready to hire a lawyer?

For example, a generic query like “What is personal injury law?” may not deliver profitable leads. However, a search such as “Auto accident personal injury settlements average” shows an intent to sue.

#3 Consider PPC Retargeting for Your Law Firm

The first touchpoint between your firm and a potential client through PPC is going to be the most expensive. However, once they’ve visited your website, you can set up a retargeting campaign to reach back out to them.

This is one of my favourite strategies because it comes at a significantly lower cost and typically sees higher conversion rates.

Additionally, you can also use your website analytics and CRM data to display ads to people who have visited your website through SEO, social media marketing, or any other channel in your toolkit.

#4 Create Compelling PPC Ad Copy

What sets your law firm apart from the competition? Identify your unique selling points (USPs) and showcase them in your ad copy. Whether it’s your years of experience, successful case results, or personalised approach to client service, highlight what makes your law firm special.

Similarly, instead of simply listing your services, emphasise the benefits that potential clients will gain by choosing your law firm. Will you provide them with expert legal advice, personalised attention, or a quick resolution to their legal issue?

Source: Rankings.io

On the technical side of things, make sure you emphasise the keywords you’re targeting in your ad copy, as well. This increases your relevancy and, if working with platforms like Google Ads, your ad Quality Score – delivering more clicks at a more affordable rate.

Use ad extensions to add phone numbers, site links, or location information to your PPC ads. This increases your ad’s chances of converting a lead – especially if you offer multiple options, such as lead gen forms, phone calls, and appointment scheduling.

#5 Set up Your PPC Ads Properly

With so many moving parts, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget the basics:

Only target your location if you don’t plan to service clients in other areas.
Separate different practice areas into different ad groups. For example, don’t target personal injury and family law leads with the same ad.
Ensure you have someone to answer the phone while your ad is running or consider only running it during your work hours.
Don’t auto-apply the ad platform’s recommendations. Often, they’re best practices in general – not necessarily the best way for your firm to increase its ROI.

This is a great ad, but it shouldn’t target the generic “personal injury lawyer” query. Instead, they should focus on “maritime injury lawyers.” Plus, their location targeting is way off – I’m not in Anchorage.

#6 Align Your Law Firm PPC Landing Pages with Your Ads

If your ad promises a free consultation, make sure your law firm’s PPC landing page prominently displays the offer and provides a clear way for users to schedule the consultation.

Similarly, avoid cluttering your landing page with too much information or multiple offers. Keep it simple and focus on the main message and call to action. Make sure your landing pages load quickly, have a responsive design and are easy to navigate on a mobile device.

Explain how you can help, and offer highly-visible calls to action.

No one wants to get stuck in a court battle that drags on for ages. Include trust signals, such as client testimonials, case results, or industry awards, to reassure the clients that they’re choosing the best law firm for their case.

Qualify Your Clientele with Your Landing Page

Unless you’re extremely careful with your keyword targeting and have a robust negative keywords list, you’ll see some chaff in the wheat. Your landing page is here to separate it: make sure it’s clear enough which types of clients you work with and what the leads can contact you for.

For example, perhaps you specialise in divorce law but not guardianship. Your landing page should clearly tell the leads whether you can help them.

Should Your Landing Page Be the Same as Your Service Page?

I’d recommend against it. Your service pages go into more detail for broader audiences, but your landing page needs to speak exclusively to the people you’re targeting with your ads.

For example, if you have separate ads for age discrimination and disability discrimination, create distinct landing pages to increase your ad relevancy.

#7 Keep an Eye on Your Metrics and Refine Your Campaigns

Finally, keep an eye on your key performance indicators, such as:

Impression share
Click-through rate (CTR)
Conversions
CPC
Cost per Conversion

Then, adjust your bids and your plan. For example, you might increase the bids for keywords that send the most profitable clients your way. On the other hand, you might decrease the bids for keywords that result in low-quality leads.

Test different ad copy variations, keywords, and landing page designs to identify the best-performing combinations. And always remember to create distinct campaigns for distinct audiences!

The Best Way to See High ROI with PPC for Law Firms

With my advice, you’re on your way to setting up a great PPC campaign on your own. However, if you want to see results faster without the guesswork, I recommend taking a look at my best-selling Google Ads book that shows you how to set up profitable campaigns in 7 rapid steps.

Or, if you’re ready to scale your law firm to the next level, contact me for expert PPC help.

Fill your book of business with top-quality prospects – embrace the power of PPC!