Top 10 PPC Tactics for Law Firms

PPC is incredibly complex – but it can offer tremendous benefits when used correctly. Unless your PPC is already in a sophisticated state, chances are there is more you can do to achieve PPC success. In this blog, I’ll go through 10 of my favorite tactics for improving pay-per-click for law firms. 

Pay-per-click for Law Firms

1. Layered Audience: Demographics + Affinity

A campaign will perform better when you are directing it toward a specific audience. You can use Google Ads and Analytics together to define the right audience. 

2. Layered Audience: “In Market”

Think of demographics and affinity as “who they are”, and in-market audiences as “what they’re doing”. This makes it possible to discover audiences who are actively “in the market” for services like yours. 

3. Layered Audience: Life Events

Reaching potential clients at key milestones in their lives can increase your chances of engaging with them. Google Ads allow you to target people at events like college graduation, marriage, or moving. 

4. Running a Single Responsive Search Ad (RSA) per Ad Group

You likely have a core audience and set of keywords you are targeting, but you may want to look outside of those core groups occasionally. When it comes to machine learning, remember that the “machine” has to “learn”. To get a good understanding, the platform needs a higher volume to read. Additionally, you still need to use high-quality headlines and descriptions on any ad, machine learning aside. 

5. Have Targets for CPA or ROAS

It’s important to have goals for cost per acquisition and return on ad spend figures. Now, digital platforms have the ability to automatically scale to certain targets – but you have to have them in place. Make sure to account for other marketing activities, your client lifetime value, and profit margins when settling on these figures. 

6. Try Smart Bidding Strategies

But first, see the point above. Once you have a foundational element established, you can let the system do more of the automated work on your campaigns. 

7. Give Microsoft Ads a Try

In the old days, people treated Bing ads like an afterthought and didn’t really allocate any budget to them. However, Microsoft has come a long way since then. They even offer a few features that Google doesn’t. It’s worth experimenting with a few campaigns to diversify and see how things go. 

8. Use Google Analytics Data to Remarket

You don’t want to market to everyone who visits your site equally. Some pages present higher-quality leads. For example, a visit to a specific case study page displays more interest than your home page. Use the information you have at your disposal from GA to create better remarketing campaigns. 

9. Consider Ad Extensions to Boost Click-through Rate

In legal matters, time is of the essence. You want prospective clients to take the next step as soon as possible. Try using Google ad extensions like call buttons, location information, or links to specific parts of your website. 

10. Take Time to Review and Revise Your Campaign Structure

PPC professionals often perform audits that result in restructuring overall campaigns. Think of your campaign structure like the foundation of a house – if you don’t get it right, not much else will matter. Furthermore, if you want to take advantage of automation, you have to be very strategic about how you structure the campaigns. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to structuring campaigns, but you’ll have to take geography, seasonality, core terms, budget ownership, and bandwidth to manage campaigns into account. Proper setup will require some heavy lifting, and in many cases, it makes sense to get input from a seasoned professional. 

Focus on Local PPC Campaigns

For law firms, geography is often a critical factor in attracting clients. That’s why local PPC campaigns can deliver exceptional results.

Here’s how to optimize for local PPC success:

• Use Precise Location Targeting: Focus your ads on specific cities, neighborhoods, or even a set radius around your office.
• Incorporate Local Keywords: Include terms like “Boston divorce attorney” or “Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer” in your ads and landing pages.
• Leverage Local Extensions: Display your address, contact details, and directions through Google My Business integration.
• Showcase Community Trust: Highlight local testimonials or involvement in community events to build credibility and trust with nearby clients.

Takeaway: 

These are a few of my favorite tips, but by no means a comprehensive strategy. If you’re looking for new ways to boost performance, try a few of these tactics. Remember: sometimes it’s worth going back to the ground level and rebuilding your strategy and campaigns from the foundation. If you need help doing so – or if you have any PPC questions at all – reach out to our paid advertising consultants. We’re happy to discuss how we can help you find success with pay-per-click for law firms with a free consultation. PPC is incredibly complex – but it can offer tremendous benefits when used correctly. Unless your PPC is already in a sophisticated state, chances are there is more you can do to achieve PPC success. Here are ten of our favorite tactics for improving pay-per-click for law firms.