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Advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked in PPC or pay-per-click. Unlike non-paid organic traffic from SEO, PPC is a deliberate paid method to increase your law firm’s visibility. You can customize PPC campaigns based on specific keywords, geographic locations, and audience demographics.
This method benefits law firms that want to enhance their online presence. It helps them attract potential clients who are actively searching for legal services.
Several PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads exist, each designed to serve different purposes and engage users in various ways. Here are some common PPC ad types:
Search Ads: These ads appear at the top or bottom of search engine results pages (Advertisers queries). They are text-based and typic in PPC or pay-per-click, including a headline, description, and URL.
Display Ads: Visual banners or interactive ads that appear on websites in the Google Display Network. They can include images, graphics, and sometimes multimedia elements.
Video Ads: Platforms like YouTube display video ads, which can be either skippable or non-skippable. They allow law firms to showcase their services through video content.
Remarketing Ads: Also known as retargeting, these ads target users who have previously visited a law firm’s website. They aim to re-engage potential clients and encourage them to return.
Local Service Ads: Google’s Local Service Ads are specific to service-based businesses, including law firms. These ads appear at the top of local search results and include a firm’s contact information. Technically, marketers call these ads pay-per-lead but generally categorize them as PPC. For a complete guide to Local Service Ads for Lawyers, click here.
Different PPC ads have various benefits. Consider your goals, target audience, and legal services when choosing which ad to use.
Formerly known as Google AdWords, Google Ads takes the spotlight as the primary PPC advertising platform. They appear at the top or bottom of Google’s search results when users enter relevant queries.
Google Ads offers several benefits for lawyers looking to promote their services online:
Pay-Per-Click Advertising: Sprint
PPC advertising provides an immediate avenue for law firms to appear at the top of search engine results. Lawyers can ensure their ads appear when people search for relevant legal services by bidding on the right keywords. Quick to implement and offer measurable results, PPC is like the legal marketing sprinter, delivering swift visibility.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Marathon
SEO is the marathon strategy of optimizing a law firm’s online presence for long-term organic visibility. SEO aims to secure lasting visibility in search results through meticulous keyword research, content optimization, and other best practices. While it takes time to see the results, the organic traffic garnered through SEO becomes a reliable source of leads.
In essence, PPC and SEO are not competitors; they are collaborators. While PPC and SEO have distinct advantages, their true power emerges when employed together.
A pairing of both SEO and PPC ensures that you are noticed by potential clients immediately and in the long term.
Before we dive into the creation of your google ads , here are a few essential SEM terms you’ll need to know:
CPC (Cost Per Click): The amount you pay for each click on your PPC ad.
CTR (Click-Through Rate): The percentage of people who click on your ad after seeing it. Calculated by dividing clicks by impressions and multiplying by 100.
Cost per acquisition (CPA): The average cost to convert a client. You calculate it by dividing the total amount spent by the number of clients generated.
Quality Score: A metric used by search engines to assess the relevance and quality of your keywords, ads, and landing pages. A higher quality score can lead to lower costs and better ad positions.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of users who complete the desired action (e.g., filling out a form) after clicking on your ad.
Landing Page: Users are directed to the webpage after clicking on a PPC ad.
Call to action (CTA): An instruction to users in ad copy or on the landing page to perform a specific task. Examples include “call now,” “get a free consultation,” or “contact us.”
S.M.A.R.T. goals provide a framework for creating Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives. In other words, these goals ensure clarity, measurability, achievability, alignment with broader objectives, and timely completion.
Establishing S.M.A.R.T PPC campaign goals is crucial for success. These goals help shape your campaign strategy, whether you aim to generate leads or boost website traffic.
When you start your new campaign, you’ll be asked to choose a campaign goal. For law firm PPC campaigns, this is typically “Leads” :
Choose Campaign Type
If you aim to appear for specific keywords or phrases, Search Campaigns are the ideal choice.
Shown below, search campaigns are text ads displayed on search results pages.
This choice is a good way to get potential customers by focusing on people who are looking for your services.
For example, let’s say you are a personal injury attorney in Dallas who wants more car accident cases. You’d want to appear when someone searches for “Dallas car accident lawyer”, right?
With a search campaign, you’d bid on the keyword “Dallas car accident lawyer”, and your ad would appear for relevant searches.
Local Geographic Targeting for Law Firms
Utilizing local geographic targeting in Google Ads is crucial for law firms to precisely reach their target audience. By targeting cities or neighborhoods, you can customize your ads to connect with the local community.
This method improves relevance, boosts engagement, and maximizes ad effectiveness by targeting a specific audience based on location.
You can set the limit to a specific city or a more specific search radius:
Demographic Targeting for Specific Legal Services
Improving your PPC campaign involves more than just targeting location. It also includes targeting specific demographics in your chosen area. This advanced targeting allows you to precisely tailor your ads to individuals more likely to seek your services, therefore enhancing campaign relevance and impact.
For example, a family law practice can use demographic targeting to reach a specific age group or marital status. This allows them to focus on individuals who are more likely to require legal assistance with family matters.
Setting up a budget and bidding strategy for your law firm’s Google Ads campaign is a crucial step in maximizing your ROI.
Begin by determining how much you’re willing to spend on a daily or monthly basis. Consider factors like your practice area, geographic targeting, and competition, as these can impact costs.
You can use Google’s Keyword Planner to assist in determining your PPC budget. It provides insights on keyword trends, search volume, and estimated costs per click. By researching relevant keywords, you can determine the level of competition in your target market. This will help you estimate the cost of bidding on relevant keywords for your law firm.
Understanding Bid Strategies
After setting your budget, you’ll need to instruct Google on how to allocate your spending. Google Ads provides a range of bid strategies tailored to different campaign objectives.
We suggest manual bidding if you are new to PPC or prefer more control over your bids. With Manual CPC, you have control over how much you pay for each ad click. This helps prevent overspending your law firm’s PPC budget.
If your goal is to maximize conversions or achieve a specific CPA or ROAS, automated bidding strategies like Target CPA or Target ROAS may be more appropriate.
To find the best bidding strategy for your law firm’s PPC campaign, try different strategies and track their performance. This will help you achieve the desired results and match your goals effectively.
Keyword research forms the foundation of any successful law firm’s PPC campaign. It involves identifying potential clients’ specific words and phrases when searching for legal services online. By aligning your PPC ads with thoughtful target keywords, you increase the likelihood of reaching the right audience at the right time.
Start with Your Legal Services:
Identify the core legal services you provide, such as personal injury, criminal defense, family law, or estate planning. Consider the various subcategories within your specialization, as potential clients might use different keywords based on their specific needs.
For example, if your firm specializes in personal injury, keywords could include:
Leverage Location-Specific Keywords:
For law firms operating in specific geographic locations, keyword research enables you to focus on local keywords. Incorporate location-specific keywords to ensure your PPC ads reach potential clients in your target areas. Include the name of your city, state, or region in your keywords to enhance local visibility.
For instance, if your law firm is based in New York and specializes in family law, consider the following keywords:
Identify Long-Tail Keywords:
Besides targeting general keywords, finding specific long-tail keywords for your field helps generate better leads.
Bidding on long-tail keywords can also reduce your Google PPC costs. Long-tail keywords typically have lower search volumes compared to broad keywords, but lower search volume equals less competition.
This means fewer advertisers are focusing on these phrases, so your ads can rank higher without bidding too much. As a result, you may experience lower costs per click.
Broad: criminal defense attorney
Long-Tail: best criminal defense attorney for DUI in Los Angeles
Analyze Competitor Keywords:
Conducting competitor research can provide valuable insights into the keywords your peers are targeting. Identify successful competitors within your legal niche and analyze their chosen keywords. This is a great way to discover new keyword opportunities.
Utilize Keyword Research Tools:
Take advantage of online keyword research tools to streamline your efforts. They can provide data on search volume, competition, bid costs, and suggested keywords.
These tools empower you to make informed decisions when selecting the most effective keywords for your law firm PPC campaign.
Use Different Keyword Match Types:
In Google Ads, keyword match types determine how closely the search query must match your selected keywords for triggering your ad. Here are the main keyword match types:
Broad Match:
Your ad may appear for variations of your keyword, including synonyms, misspellings, related searches, and other relevant variations.
Format: injury lawyer
Your search term report shows the search queries that triggered your ads. It may look something like this:
Injure lawyer
Personal injury attorney
Cost of personal injury lawyer
Injury attorney near me
Phrase Match:
Ads display for searches that include the keyword as a phrase (with additional words before or after). Close variations are allowed.
Format: “injury lawyer”
Your search term report might look something like this:
Injury lawyer
Best Injury attorney near me
Personal injury lawyer
Car accident injury lawyer
Exact Match:
Ads appear only for searches that precisely match the keyword or close variations. Use Exact Match for high-priority keywords where precision is crucial.
Format: [new york personal injury attorney]
Your search term report might look something like this:
Personal injury attorney new york
New york personal injury attorney
New york personal injury lawyer
Negative Match:
Prevents ads from showing when a specific keyword is present in the search query.
Format: -workplace
Use negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches and focus on the most relevant audience.
For example, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney uses broad matches to target “injury attorney”.
After a few weeks, they notice a surplus of workers compensation calls. Upon checking their search term report, they realize they have spent quite a bit on clicks for “workplace injury attorney”. By making “workplace” a negative term, their ads will no longer show for searches that include the term “workplace”.
Adjust your match types based on performance data and campaign goals.
Crafting compelling ad copy is crucial for the success of your legal advertising campaign. In this section, we will explore effective methods for creating attention-grabbing ads. These techniques will not only improve your Google Quality Score but also enhance your ad performance.
Google Quality Score
Google Quality Score is a vital metric that influences the effectiveness and cost of your ads. It takes into account factors such as relevance, click-through rate (CTR), and landing page experience. A higher Quality Score can lead to better ad positions and lower costs per click.
Google Best Practices for Law Firm Ad Copy
In the competitive legal field, creating precise ad copies that effectively highlight your firm’s unique selling points is essential.
Here are some effective ad writing techniques with real-life examples to powerfully connect with your desired audience:
Incorporate Keywords Naturally
Include relevant keywords in your ad headline and description, but ensure that it reads naturally. Google values titles that accurately reflect the content on the landing page. Here’s how you can optimize your ad copy with keywords:
Keywords in Meta, Title Tag, and H1
Balancing Keyword Usage
Relevance to User Intent
Avoiding Keyword Stuffing
Highlight Unique Selling Proposition
Clearly communicate what sets your law firm apart from others. Whether it’s years of experience, successful case results, personalized service, or free consultations, emphasize your unique strengths.
Invoke Trust and Credibility
Showcase any awards, recognitions, or credentials your law firm has received. Highlight positive client testimonials or reviews to build trust and credibility.
Tailor Messaging to Practice Areas
Create specific ad copy for different practice areas. Tailor your messaging to address the unique needs and concerns of clients seeking assistance in specific legal areas.
Include Call-to-Action With Urgency
Encourage action by including clear and specific calls to action. Examples include “Contact Us Today,” “Free Consultation,” or “Get Legal Help Now.” Make it easy for users to understand what steps to take next.
Address Client Pain Points
Understand the common challenges or concerns your potential clients may have. Address these pain points in your ad copy to demonstrate empathy and position your law firm as a solution.
Test & Iterate
Conduct A/B testing with different ad variations to understand what resonates best with your audience. Test headlines, descriptions, and CTAs to refine and optimize your ad copy over time.
In law firm PPC campaigns, the journey doesn’t conclude with users clicking on your ad—it extends to the landing page.
A landing page is the specific web page users arrive at after clicking on your legal advertisement. Its purpose is to encourage a particular action. This could be filling out a form, calling for a consultation, or asking for more information about legal services. The landing page is crucial to your PPC strategy, converting ad clicks into clients.
When creating a compelling law firm landing page, consider the following key elements:
Design:
Craft a clean and professional design that reflects your law firm’s identity and values.
Colors:
Choose colors that evoke trust and professionalism. Consistent color schemes enhance brand recognition.
Reviews:
Testimonials from satisfied clients build trust and credibility through social proof. Potential clients are more likely to trust the opinions and experiences of others who have already worked with your law firm.
72% of consumers say positive testimonials and reviews increase their trust in a business.
88% of consumers trust online testimonials and reviews as much as recommendations from friends or family.
72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review. (Search Engine Watch)
Personal testimonials humanize your law firm. They showcase the real impact your services have had on individuals. By showcasing positive client reviews, you can:
Credibility:
CTAs (Call to Action):
For best results, incorporate multiple CTAs throughout the page. Your CTAs should stand out. Use contrasting colors that grab attention. Make sure buttons are visually distinct from the background and surrounding elements.
Images/Video Assets:
Using video and images on a law firm PPC landing page can enhance user engagement and convey information more effectively. Visual elements like videos and images can:
Capture Attention:
Eye-catching visuals can immediately grab the attention of visitors, increasing the likelihood of them staying on the page and exploring further.
Enhance Understanding:
Visually explain complex legal concepts or showcase your firm’s services in a way that text alone cannot.
Build Trust:
Showcase the people behind the service. High-quality images and professional videos can enhance the credibility and professionalism of your law firm, instilling trust in potential clients.
Increase Conversions:
Compelling visuals can evoke emotions and create a memorable experience for visitors, increasing the likelihood of them converting into leads or clients.
Research shows that incorporating videos on landing pages can result in up to 80% increase in conversion rates.
To make effective videos, keep them short and engaging. Grab your audience’s attention in the first 10 seconds and ensure the video is no longer than one minute.
The Importance of Mobile Optimization
Given the increasing use of mobile devices, optimizing landing pages for mobile users is imperative. Users prefer websites that are easy to navigate on their mobile devices. For this reason, mobile-friendly pages tend to have lower bounce rates.
Lower bounce rates mean higher engagement and a better likelihood of conversion.
Just a one second delay in load time can decrease conversions by 7%.
Here are key steps to optimize your law firm’s landing page for mobile users:
Ad extensions are additional information that makes your ad more noticeable to users. They expand your ad with extra details like location, site links, and call buttons, making it more informative and engaging for users. Here are a few common ad extensions and how to use them:
Site Link Enhancements
Sitelinks in Google Ads ads provide direct links to specific pages on your website. Positioned beneath the ad text, they enable users to easily navigate to relevant content with a single click. This could include links to practice areas, testimonials, or contact pages.
By integrating site links, you paint a fuller picture of your firm’s capabilities and achievements within the ad.
You can include sitelinks when setting up your Google Ads campaign, allowing you to customize link text and URLs.
Callout Extensions
Callout assets are visually similar to sitelinks but do not link to anything. Instead, they highlight key benefits or features of your law firm’s services. Examples include “Free Consultations,” “24/7 Support,” or “Experienced Attorneys.”
Structured Snippet Assets
Structured snippet assets, or structured snippet enhancements, highlight specific aspects of your legal services. This could include areas of expertise, types of cases handled, or locations served.
Call Extensions
Call extensions, also called click to call extensions, encourage calls to your business by showing a phone number with your ad. Including a click to call button increases accessibility and allows users to make immediate calls. This is especially important for users on mobile devices.
Address Enhancements
Incorporating location assets (formerly called “address enhancements”) into your ads can significantly strengthen your firm’s local appeal. By prominently displaying your location, you instantly communicate relevance and accessibility.
Dive deep into your competitors’ PPC strategies to uncover valuable insights that can revolutionize your campaigns. Understand their keyword choices and ad copy, and offer structures to identify gaps and opportunities in your strategy.
Here are the key areas to focus on when reverse-engineering your competition:
Tracking and measuring the success of your law firm’s PPC campaigns is crucial for refining strategies and improving outcomes.
Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) offer valuable insights into your advertising efforts. They can help reveal which strategies drive results and where adjustments may be necessary. Track KPIs to ensure your ads effectively reach your target audience while maximizing your advertising budget.
Common PPC KPIs to track:
Additionally, tracking KPIs enables you to gauge the return on investment (ROI) of your Google Ads campaigns. This helps you to make informed decisions regarding resource allocation and campaign optimization.
Integration of Google Analytics
In addition to monitoring performance metrics, leveraging tools like Google Analytics enhances insights into user behavior and campaign effectiveness. Having Google Analytics set up for your website is essential as it is a fundamental tool for more than just PPC.
In addition to the KPIs mentioned above, you can use Google Analytics to track:
Bounce rate
Average Engagement Time
By leveraging Google Analytics alongside Google Ads, you can make informed decisions, refine advertising strategies, and maximize ROI.
Working with a law firm PPC expert offers several advantages over implementing PPC campaigns as a busy attorney.
Expertise and Experience
Law firm PPC experts have specialized knowledge and experience in creating and managing PPC campaigns specifically for law firms. They understand the nuances of legal marketing, including compliance regulations, competitive landscape, and effective targeting strategies.
Maximized ROI
PPC experts have a deep understanding of how to maximize return on investment (ROI) from advertising budgets. They can optimize campaigns to generate high-quality leads and conversions while minimizing costs, ultimately driving better results for your law firm.
Time-Saving
Managing PPC campaigns require ongoing monitoring, optimization, and analysis. Outsourcing PPC management to an expert frees up valuable time to focus on your legal practice. This allows you to devote energy to serving clients and growing your firm.
Advanced Tools and Technology
Experts in PPC for law firms can access advanced tools and technology for keyword research, campaign optimization, and performance tracking. They leverage these tools to implement data-driven strategies and stay ahead of industry trends. This ensures your campaigns are effective and competitive.
Continuous Optimization
PPC experts continuously monitor and optimize campaigns based on performance data and industry trends. They proactively adjust targeting, messaging, and bidding strategies to maximize results and adapt to changes in the competitive landscape.
If you’re seeking a PPC expert to elevate your law firm’s advertising strategy, look no further – we’ve got you covered.
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-Mike Rafi
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