EVOLUTION OF ATTORNEY PPC ADVERTISING
PPC Advertising for Lawyers Has Changed
Over the past five years, the landscape of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has significantly evolved. For lawyers, these changes present enhanced opportunities to strategically target potential clients and broaden their digital footprint.
Google has introduced innovative advertising solutions, including Local Services Ads (LSAs) specifically tailored for attorneys. Moreover, the range of ad formats available through Google Ads has expanded. The era of relying solely on basic banner ads or text search ads is over. Now, advertisers can benefit from:
- Responsive search and display ads
- Call-only ads
- Enhanced ad formats showcasing photographs, branding elements, and other visuals
- New bidding strategies
- Improved conversion tracking and data reporting.
Google has continuously enhanced the capabilities of Google Ads and LSAs. These advancements enable attorneys to connect with potential clients more effectively, often with better cost efficiency, and prominently position their firms on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
While Google is the ad behemoth for attorney marketing, advancements have also taken place on Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn and others. When you consider the array of PPC advertising opportunities for attorneys this marketing space has experienced tremendous innovation and advancement.
All these options mean it is increasingly complicated for attorneys to manage their own PPC advertising. In years past, a solo practitioner or small-firm lawyer could spend a couple of hours on a Saturday morning between his/her workout and the kids’ soccer game to set up a new search ad and pat themselves on the back. Today’s PPC advertising requires a smarter methodology to maximize return – today’s PPC advertising requires a Gladiator.
ATTORNEY PPC ADVERTISING: BUILT TO FAIL
How to Avoid Common Attorney PPC Pitfalls
Over the recent years, Google Ads has introduced numerous changes, many of which revolve around automated features and opaque algorithms. It is in Google Ads’ interests for you to spend more. It is in your interests to get more but spend less. Can you spot the disparity?
A major concern with Google Ads’ newer automated features is their generic approach. Especially for attorney PPC campaigns, this broad-brush approach is misguided and could endanger your entire advertising budget. Consider these scenarios…
- Scenario #1: Meet Attorney Jared Weiss, a 28-year-old energetic criminal defense attorney in a mid-sized market, eager to make a mark. Enthusiastic and ambitious, Jared aims to cater to a wide range of cases, from minor traffic offenses to serious criminal charges. He’s the go-to for any defense needs.
- Scenario #2: Attorney Steven Wright, 55, is at the pinnacle of his career. He has built a small yet renowned defense practice over 25 years. With plans to retire in the next five years, Steven now wishes to handle cases that resonate with his expertise, such as prison mistreatment, police misconduct, and social justice issues.
The two situations seem clearly dissimilar, right? Yet, the automation in Google Ads can’t differentiate between Jared’s and Steven’s unique needs and aspirations. Its systems often prioritize volume over value, making sweeping assumptions based on raw data rather than understanding the nuances of individual practices. Gladiator Law Marketing makes PPC advertising decisions based on what is actually happening in your office and on your goals.
While AI and automation can empower our decision-making and make us faster at routine tasks, they are not a replacement for human creativity, understanding and ingenuity.
Another red flag: Such automated features not only align with Google Ads’ profit-driven agenda — they also cater to lackadaisical ad agencies. Agencies that deploy these automated tools to set up multiple ad campaigns in minutes might overlook the importance of truly understanding their clients. There’s no genuine client engagement, no routine check-ins, and certainly no personalized strategy. It’s just “set it and forget it.”
By now, you’ve probably identified three potential threats to successful attorney PPC advertising:
- Google Ads’ own model
- Inattentive ad agencies
- Over-reliance on AI and automation.
Wondering what’s next for attorneys in this complex maze? Keep reading to discover your next move, then reach out to a Gladiator to navigate forward.
LAWYER PPC ADVERTISING: A STRATEGIC APPROACH
Gladiator Law Marketing’s PPC Approach
Gladiator Law Marketing has decades of PPC experience and data that inform our customized approach to managing your law firm’s PPC advertising. For instance, our data analysis reveals that Site Link ad extensions in Google Ads are great at attracting clicks but poor at generating conversions. Such features might align with Google Ads’ revenue-driven objectives but may not necessarily resonate with your firm’s goals. We possess a deep understanding of how to harness PPC platforms to your advantage rather than to your detriment.
At Gladiator Law Marketing, we don’t just offer services — we forge long-term partnerships. We believe that truly understanding your firm is paramount. That means talking to you about its history, your aspirations, preferred cases, clientele, and the driving forces behind your decisions. This deep insight equips us to deliver superior results. Our GLM PPC Team is dedicated to tailoring your PPC advertising specifically to your firm’s unique vision and goals. We sidestep one-size-fits-all solutions, ensuring that your marketing strategy is precise, targeted, and perfectly aligned with your objectives.
With us, it’s always personal and always about your success.
You might ask, “Is deep expertise and a tailored approach all you offer?” Certainly not. While these elements are essential, they’re merely the foundational pillars of our comprehensive strategy for attorney PPC advertising.
Another defining characteristic of the GLM approach is our commitment to old-fashioned hard work. We don’t want Google Ads to do our homework for us. Instead of depending on their automated keyword suggestions, which may garner clicks but not always the right cases, we diligently craft keyword lists that deliver. We want to laser-target your geographic area(s) using several methods, not simply keying in a city’s name. The GLM PPC Team is hands-on, meticulously managing negative keyword lists and bidding strategies for optimal results. We’re not interested in shortcuts or tools that encourage complacency. Our data-backed experience has shown that active, customized strategies consistently outshine generic, automated ones… every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
It’s our hope that by now you recognize the distinctiveness of the GLM approach to attorney PPC advertising and understand why we excel in leveraging PPC opportunities within your market. There are a few additional principles that set GLM apart from other law firm agencies:
- We talk on the phone. Sounds old-fashioned these days, but we like to talk with you. Direct feedback from your team is invaluable, allowing us to celebrate shared victories and collaboratively address challenges. Our commitment? You’ll never find it difficult to get us on the line because, at the end of the day, we’re here to serve you.
- We share data. It’s startling how some agencies withhold data, even crucial aspects like a firm’s ad spend. At GLM, transparency is a cornerstone. You’ll have unrestricted access to your PPC accounts. We present comprehensive performance data, industry benchmarks, and other vital metrics to jointly gauge success.
- We report consistently. You can expect regular, ongoing reporting that keeps you updated regarding your PPC advertising performance. Rather than providing generic statistics, we analyze and tailor our reports based on crucial data points and discussions that align with our collaborative goals. True to our ethos, Gladiator Law Marketing molds its approach to cater to your specific needs.
If you’re tired of spending on underperforming PPC advertising, invite the GLM PPC Team to assess your current approach and explain what we would do differently. Are your current PPC campaigns outpacing industry standards? Do you know? We can tell you and offer suggestions. If you are interested in investing in a long-term partnership with a team committed to active, engaged, strategic management of your attorney PPC advertising, contact us to discuss how we can work together.
HAVE A PPC QUESTION? LET US HELP.
PPC For Attorneys FAQs
For many law firms, the most effective strategy for long-term return on investment (ROI) combines both PPC and SEO. Typically, this balance leans more toward SEO, as it often engages potential clients during their active decision-making phase, rather than broadly advertising to them. However, it’s essential to understand that neither approach is universally superior. Instead, PPC and SEO cater to potential clients at varied stages in their decision-making journey, utilizing different sections of the search engine results page (SERP). In essence, the optimal ROI emerges from a tailored strategy that harnesses the unique advantages of both PPC and SEO, ensuring precise engagement with the intended audience.
It’s a valid question, but the answer isn’t simple. Your ideal budget hinges on several factors, including your specific practice areas, the competitiveness of your market, and whether you’re targeting a local, regional, or statewide audience, among other factors. While we understand that budget considerations are crucial, it’s essential to view PPC spending in the context of your broader marketing objectives. For some smaller practices, a modest, brand-focused campaign costing a few hundred dollars a month might suffice. For others aiming to establish dominance in a regional market, the budget could run into tens of thousands per month. In any scenario, the best way to determine your optimal PPC expenditure is through a conversation with Gladiator Law Marketing. Together, we’ll tailor a budget that aligns with your goals.
The perception is often that PPC yields immediate results. However, the definition of ‘immediate’ varies. While it’s possible to set up an ad campaign rapidly, crafting a thorough and effective PPC campaign is more time consuming. A holistic PPC strategy, encompassing multiple campaigns and ad types, alongside meticulously researched keyword lists, specific geographic targeting, and custom settings, can take several weeks to implement. Moreover, the approval process for ads on platforms like Google Ads increases the wait time. Additionally, collaboration with third-party agencies, such as chat or call providers, is essential to establish conversion tracking. It’s crucial to have integrated tracking and reporting from the outset.
In the subsequent days, weeks, and even months after the campaign’s launch, significant time will be invested in fine-tuning bidding and budgets in response to ad positioning and competitor actions. Live search data will be used to refine negative keyword lists, and ongoing evaluations will be required to optimize budget allocations and targeting for better cost efficiency and potential returns.
PPC often delivers results faster than strategies like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or other digital and traditional marketing methods. However, for a well-crafted PPC campaign, it takes some time for the best outcomes to unfold.
A straightforward measure is to assess whether your PPC efforts are generating new business and providing a satisfactory return on investment. However, to delve deeper, you can refer to standard legal industry benchmarks which can highlight potential areas of concern. For instance, the click-through-rate (CTR) for Search Network text ad campaigns should typically exceed 3.8% (note that this benchmark doesn’t apply to Display/Banner advertisements). Additionally, a healthy conversion rate for such campaigns would be upwards of 11.5%. It’s essential to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) like CTR, conversion rate, and the ROI from secured business, as they offer valuable insights into your PPC advertising performance.
