Google Ads helps lawyers generate qualified leads by targeting potential clients searching for relevant legal services. However, state and federal guidelines pose unique challenges. Our PPC experts offer tips for Google Ads success while staying compliant.

Marketing your law firm can be challenging.

Between strict advertising regulations, a saturated market, and a demanding investment of resources, standing out is no easy feat.

When done right, however, Google Ads allows lawyers to reach potential clients at the exact moment they’re searching for an attorney online, whether it be a personal injury lawyer or a divorce attorney.

This comprehensive guide explores the foundations of Google Ads for lawyers — from costs and campaign types to best practices.

What is Google Ads for lawyers?

Google Ads is an online advertising platform that lets you promote your legal firm across Google Search and selected partner sites.

Most commonly recognized as the sponsored results at the top of the search engine results page (SERP), advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad.

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How Google Ads works

Google Ads uses an auction system to determine which ads appear and where they are placed.

Advertisers set a bid for how much they would pay to appear for specific search queries. When someone uses those search terms, the advertiser enters the auction and has the opportunity to display their ad.

Google then ranks ads based on several factors, including:

Benefits of Google Ads for lawyers

While Google Ads are more expensive for lawyers than other sectors, they have a higher conversion rate.

In Google search, the average conversion rate for ads across all industries is under 4%, while the legal industry is close to 7%.

Other benefits of Google Ads for lawyers include:

  • Immediate visibility: Appear at the top of search results when potential clients are actively looking for legal help.
  • Targeted reach: Ads use target keywords, locations, and demographics to attract the right clients.
  • Flexibility: Control budget, bidding, and ad scheduling to maximize ROI.
  • Measurable results: Track clicks, calls, form fills, and cases generated directly from ads.
  • Competitive edge: Stand out in a crowded legal market where organic ranking alone can take months or years.

The different types of Google Ads for lawyers

Google offers various ad types to choose from, allowing you to customize your ad campaign to your goals and target audience, including:

Search ads

Google Search ads appear on the SERP when someone searches for a specific legal service.

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These ads often have a high click-through rate (CTR) because they target users actively looking for legal help — searches like “family law solicitors” or “family law advice” indicate a prospect near the bottom of the sales funnel and ready to hire.

Search ads can also be customized to reach specific demographics. For instance, a business law attorney might schedule ads to appear primarily during office hours to attract professional clients.

Local Services ads

Local Services ads are pay-per-lead ads that appear when people search for legal services in a specific geographic area.

These ad types show up above all other sponsored and organic results, and you are only charged when a client messages or calls you — not when they click the listing itself.

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A benefit of local service ads is that you can earn a Google badge, which inspires trust in new clients. For example, the “Google Screened” badge shows you have an active law license.

Display ads

Display ads are visual ads that appear on over two million websites and mobile apps across the Google Display Network.

These ads help improve brand awareness and remarket to potential clients who have shown an interest in your law firm already.

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The different types of bidding options

There are different ways to bid on your ads in the auction, including:

  • Manual bidding: Set your own bids for specific keywords or ad groups.
  • Automated bidding: Google automatically adjusts bids to meet your campaign goals, such as increasing website visits or ad visibility.
  • Smart bidding: A type of automated bidding focused on conversion-based goals, like generating new client leads or consultations.

Each strategy can support different objectives, whether your goal is maximizing clicks, impressions, or leads. Common bidding strategies include:

  • Manual CPC (cost-per-click)
  • Manual CPM (cost-per-thousand impressions)
  • Maximize clicks
  • Enhanced CPC
  • Target impression share
  • Automated CPM
  • Maximize conversions
  • Maximize conversion value
  • Target CPA (cost per acquisition)
  • Target ROAS (return on ad spend)
  • Portfolio bid strategies
  • Shared budgets

For law firms, smart bidding strategies like Maximize Conversions or Target CPA often make sense because the primary goal is acquiring high-quality leads rather than just clicks.

How much do Google Ads cost?

Google Ads can cost between $1,500 and $10,000 for lawyers who hire a PPC ad agency. Here’s how the costs break down:

Campaign costs: Legal services have some of the highest cost per click (CPC) rates, averaging over $6 compared to the $2.69 average across industries.

Agency costs: Many firms partner with a digital marketing agency to manage and optimize campaigns for stronger results. Agencies typically charge using one of three models:

  • Flat monthly fee – $1,500 to $10,000 depending on account size and campaign complexity
  • Percentage of ad spend – usually 10%–30% of your budget
  • Performance-based fee – pay per lead, though this can carry the risk of lower-quality leads

While Google Ads can be costly, the return can outweigh the investment.

“A few years back, a family approached us after seeing our Google Ad online,” shares Andy Gillin, attorney and managing partner at GJEL Accident Attorneys.

“They were seeking justice for their child, who was the victim of a school bus accident. It turned out to be one of the largest settlements in our firm’s history.”

This case highlights the potential of pay-per-click advertising for law firms — one click can lead to a life-changing case.

How to build a Google Ads campaign for law firms

Ready to get your law firm in front of potential clients? Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your first Google Search campaign:

  1. Set up your Google Ads account
    Go to ads.google.com and create an account.
  2. Choose your campaign type and goal

Start a new campaign and choose your main goal — we recommend Leads, Website Traffic, or Calls for law firms.

  1. Define your campaign settings
    Choose your target audience, set a budget, and select ad assets such as click-to-call buttons, location info, or lead forms. These features help prospective clients contact your firm directly from the ad.
  2. Create ad groups
    Organize ads around specific practice areas or services. For example, one ad group could be “Family Law” targeting “divorce attorney near me” or “child custody lawyer.”

Pro tip: Ad groups can be Standard (manual keywords and ads) or Dynamic (Google uses your website content to create targeted ads automatically).

  1. Create ads
    Use your keywords in the headlines and descriptions. Set your daily budget using Google’s recommendations or define your own custom budget.
  2. Launch and monitor
    Ads are typically approved within one business day and go live soon after. Keep an eye on performance metrics in Google Analytics or your Google Ads dashboard to optimize for clicks and leads.

Pro tip: For law firms, focus on calls and form submissions rather than just clicks, since your goal is converting searchers into clients.

Best practices for maximum return on investment

Building a successful Google Ads campaign is about more than an organized buildout. To stand out and earn a higher ROI, it’s important to follow these best practices:

  1. Set campaign goals
  2. Perform keyword research
  3. Use assets
  4. Optimize your landing pages
  5. Track, measure, and optimize

1. Set campaign goals

Before setting up your campaign, clearly define your goals to guide your decisions along the way and measure your success. Some specific examples include:

  • Generating leads: Focus on driving calls, form submissions, or consultations from prospective clients.
  • Increasing revenue: Target high-value practice areas or cases that produce a strong ROI.
  • Boosting brand awareness: Reach a wider audience to build recognition for your law firm, even among users not yet ready to hire.

Once your goals are defined, determine the key metrics you’ll track to measure success. For example:

  • Lead generation goals: phone calls or form fills
  • Revenue goals: Case value per lead
  • Brand awareness goals: Impressions or click-through rates.

2. Perform keyword research

Keyword research is the process of identifying the different keywords and phrases potential clients use when searching for legal services that match your firm’s practice areas.

These search terms become the keywords you target (and bid on) with your ads.

To get started, use a keyword research tool like Google Keyword Planner to discover relevant keywords, their monthly search volume, and average CPC. You can review your competitors’ websites for additional keyword ideas.

Further reading: How to Do Keyword Research: Tools to Use + Proven Tips

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Google Ads for lawyers are highly competitive, so it‘s often best to focus on long-tail keywords — longer, more specific keyword phrases that are 4-7 words long.

These phrases have less competition and tend to attract searchers closer to the bottom of the sales funnel.

For example:

  • Personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis
  • Spanish-speaking divorce attorney near me
  • Car accident lawyer with motorcycle experience
  • Contract dispute lawyer for small business

Pro tip: Make sure to include a negative keyword list in your campaign buildout as well. These prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. For instance, adding “cheap” or “affordable” as negative keywords filters out prospects looking for low-cost lawyers, ensuring you reach higher-quality leads.

3. Use assets

Assets (formerly known as ad extensions) are additional pieces of information you can attach to search ads. In the example below, the highlighted links are assets, directing the user to other sections of the law firm’s website.

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Assets give your ad more visibility since it takes up more space in the search engine results. This increases the chance of search engine users noticing your law firm and clicking your ad.

Different types of assets you should use include:

  • Callout assets: Add extra descriptive text to your ad. For example, showing your benefits, like “available 24/7,” “free consultations,” or “Se Habla Español.”
  • Call assets: Add your phone number to your search ad, so customers can call you directly if they’re searching on mobile.
  • Image assets: Add images to your ad to make it stand out.
  • Lead form assets: Add a lead form so prospective clients can click a button and request more information directly from your ad.
  • Location assets: Link to a physical address, so when a customer clicks, they see your location in Google Maps.
  • Sellers rating assets: Show a rating for your law firm to show your credibility. Google Ads pulls this data from your Google Business Profile and review sites like Trustpilot.
  • Sitelink assets: Add additional web links to your ad to highlight the services you offer, promote your testimonials, and showcase your qualifications.

4. Optimize your landing pages

The landing pages you drive prospective clients to from your PPC campaigns must be fast-loading, easy to read, and have a clear call-to-action.

Our top landing page optimization tips include:

  • Create a clear headline
  • Use one CTA throughout
  • Opt for real photos over stock images
  • Ensure the design is intuitive
  • Make your forms simple
  • Ensure your ads and landing pages match
  • Include social proof
  • Highlight your contact information
  • Include social buttons
  • Use PageSpeed Insights to check your page load time
  • Check your page’s mobile responsiveness
  • Conduct regular optimization testing

Here’s a great example of a Google search ad for a law firm and the corresponding landing page.

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The ad has clear copy and uses assets to provide additional information. The landing page demonstrates a strong value proposition, is mobile-responsive, and offers trust signals from media mentions.

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Further reading: How to Do Landing Page Optimization Like a Pro: 15 Tips

  1. Refine your match types

Legal services have some of the highest cost per click (CPC) rates, averaging over $6 compared to the $2.69 average across industries.

One way to lower these costs is to refine your match types.

Using exact match and phrase match keywords instead of broad match targets more specific search queries and reduces wasted clicks.

Further reading: Keyword Match Types Explained: What They Are + How They Work

6. Track, measure, and optimize

The key to Google Ads success is to track your campaign results and optimize accordingly.

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Here’s what we recommend to get the most out of your PPC campaigns:

  • Set up conversion tracking on your law firm’s website to see which ad campaigns are most successful.
  • Add the Google tag to your website to create retargeting ad campaigns.
  • Check your Google Ads account regularly to see how your ad campaigns are performing and to prevent going over budget (especially with automated bidding strategies).
  • A/B test your ad copy and assets to see which elements drive the most clicks and conversions.

“Tracking is an essential part of any PPC campaign, especially for law firms,” says Sam Yadegar, co-founder and CEO of HawkSEM.

“We use ConversionIQ (CIQ) to track every step of the buyer journey on Google Ads. This shows which aspects of the campaign work best, allowing us to optimize towards a higher return on ad spend (ROAS).”

Common challenges: Legal advertising compliance and ethics

Attorneys face unique challenges when using PPC advertising.

Not only do their campaigns need to be compelling, stand out from the competition, and bring qualified leads, but they must also comply with state and federal guidelines.

The American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct advises lawyers to avoid:

  • Making false or misleading claims about services
  • Compensating people for reviews or referrals
  • Claiming to be a “specialist” without proper certification
  • Soliciting specific individuals, such as accident victims, in ways considered unethical

On top of the ABA’s guidelines, states often have additional requirements.

For example, the Florida Bar Association states that if an ad quotes a fee, the ad must also advise if the client will be responsible for additional costs and expenses.

Failing to follow the rules can lead to reprimand, suspension, and even disbarment in serious cases.

The best course of action is to check advertising regulations in your practice area and ensure your ads are honest, transparent, and not misleading.

Google Ads may disapprove your ad if it’s not compliant; it’s not a substitute for your own due diligence.

The takeaway

Google Ads is a powerful platform for lawyers to reach the right clients — made even more effective when used alongside a strong SEO strategy.

Although costs are higher for legal services compared to other industries, the ROI makes Google Ads a cost-effective strategy overall.

Need help incorporating Google Ads into your marketing strategy? See why HawkSEM is a top Google Ads agency for lawyers — reach out.

This article has been updated and was originally published in April 2024.

Kate Ingham-Smith

Kate Ingham-Smith

is a freelance writer and founder of Keep it Simple Copywriting. Kate has over 15 years of experience as a digital marketer, specializing in SEO, paid advertising, CRO, and UX.