The Power of PPC for Law Firms: How Paid Ads Can Fuel Your Growth

The right digital marketing strategies can help prospective clients find your services online, whether they’re just starting their search or ready to file a claim. Conversely, the wrong strategies will push your name toward the bottom, so searchers have to dig for your information (assuming they can find it all). Here, we’ll look at how paid ads can work as a shortcut for growth and the steps you can take to get started. 

What is PPC? 

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a type of paid advertising that pushes a website to the top of a search list as a promoted listing, based on the bidding of certain keywords. The advertisers then pay each time a user clicks on that promoted listing. For instance, if someone searches for ‘lawyers for dog bites in St. Paul’, they might see the paid ad of a liability firm in the area.  

Unsurprisingly, the reason why some firms avoid paid search ads is because they can be pricey depending on how many other companies are paying for those keywords. If you’re offering basic services, like divorce or DUIs, in a heavily populated city, you might pay up to $8 for each click—even for clicks that are by mistake or by people with no intent to hire.

Is PPC worth it? 

Despite the cost, PPC is popular because they’re a handy shortcut to driving traffic to a website and generating leads or sales. Ideally, you’d rely solely on organic SEO. With organic SEO, you would consistently create trustworthy, fascinating content on a user-friendly website and all that value translates to a top slot on Google. In reality, organic SEO often takes an inordinate amount of time and effort, and there’s no guarantee that Google’s search algorithms — which change up to 600 times a year — will take all your hard work into account. 

With paid ads, you get: 

• Flexibility: Paid ad platforms are remarkably versatile. End campaigns early, switch them up halfway through, or extend them as needed. 

• Immediacy: Offering a new service? Ready to expand into different territories? Win a high-profile case? Capitalize on the momentum with a paid ad and boost straight to the top. 

• Insights: See how people respond to every ad, from the click-throughs to the conversions. Use every data point to better measure your ROI before you design your next campaign. 

Google Ads 

Google Ads are PPC ads serviced by Google and through their networks. They’re popular because roughly 90% of searches are on Google compared to other search engines like Bing or Yahoo. These ads are also featured on YouTube, Gmail, etc. Google Ads offers a massive reach, and their platform provides robust analytics, so you know what campaigns work and when to scale back. However, you can run ads on other search engines as well.  You need to consider where your law firm is, what keywords you’re targeting, and how you want clients to interact with your site. While most people do use Google as their primary search engine, you might live in an area where people predominantly use Bing. 

Setting up your PPC ads 

While PPC advertising may provide great results, it’s still a significant investment that demands a thoughtful approach for success. If you’ve ever had an irrelevant listing pop up when searching for a specific item or service, you likely already know that PPC strategies take some finesse to get right. Below are some PPC strategies that can help your law firm achieve both short-term and long-term marketing goals.

1. Identify your target audience

You work with your clients day in and day out, so you likely already have an idea of what motivates your target audience. A person searching for revenge will have different search and selection strategies than someone who’s responding to an accusation. 

When you’re trying to stand out on a crowded digital landscape, the more you understand your audience, the easier it is to group people into categories for different ad campaigns. For example: geographic location, age, interests, or purchasing behavior. Categorizing will help you deliver more tailored messaging that will resonate with your ideal clients.

2. Know your competitors

If you’re losing business to lawyers running PPC ads in your area, you should study their tactics to see what’s working. For some clients, it’s as simple as convenience — they click on the first link that pops up. However, true PPC success is not as simple as being the first choice on a page. Anything from slow websites to confusing legal jargon can cause people to jump off your page and onto a different firm’s. If their website is user-friendly across the board, you may want to look at fine-tuning your own site.

3. Choose the right keywords

When everyone has their own searching style, tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you see the search volume of your most popular services and how people are likely to search for them. 

Keep in mind: 

• Broad terms, like custody or wrongful termination, may attract plenty of traffic, but it can also lead to irrelevant traffic, too. More specific terms, such as ‘wrongful termination statute limits in Idaho’, may help you avoid errant clicks. 

• Using negative keywords, or keywords for services you don’t provide, will exclude searchers from your ads. This way, they’re not frustrated at ending up on the wrong page, and you don’t have to pay for it. 

• Getting several quotes on PPC ads can help you keep your budget in check. Just remember that even the most specific keywords may cost you more than you’re anticipating. 

4. Create compelling ad copy

Your ad copy should be compelling, as opposed to sensational. Now is the time to speak directly to your customer’s needs. If you want to attract victims of medical malpractice, you might start with your excellent success rates facing off against the biggest providers in your area. Clean descriptions, persuasive tones, and clear call-to-actions can all inspire people to take the next step toward hiring your firm.

5. Try A/B testing

A/B testing is popular in marketing because it allows for side-by-side comparisons. For example, you might run the same promotion in a nearby suburb, but use different keywords to see which campaign receives more clicks. A/B testing provides instant feedback about what’s working, but with paid ads, it’s also an easy way to lose money if you’re not careful. If you want to effectively use A/B testing, you’ll still need to do plenty of preliminary research on your target market.

6. Set a realistic budget

While PPC can get expensive, the main thing is that you control the budget. Whether you’re working with $500 a month or $5,000, paid advertising can be adjusted to fit your firm’s goals and resources. 

For law firms just starting out with PPC, it’s smart to focus on high-intent and local keywords like “divorce lawyer near me” or “estate planning attorney [city]”. This increases the chances of conversion. Platforms like Google Ads let you set daily or monthly limits, so there’s no risk of overspending. As you begin to see what works, you can scale your investment accordingly.

7. Implement Remarketing campaigns

Most people don’t hire a lawyer the moment they land on your website. That’s where remarketing comes in. Remarketing allows you to show targeted ads to people who previously visited your site—whether they browsed your practice areas, read a blog post, or clicked your contact page. 

For law firms, this is powerful. When someone is researching their options, they’re likely comparing multiple firms. Remarketing ensures that your name stays in front of them during that decision-making process. Through strategic ad messaging, such as highlighting case wins, client testimonials, or free consultations, you can gently nudge prospects back to your website and closer to conversion.   

Turn Clicks into Clients with TitleTap 

PPC ads take far less effort than organic SEO, and they pay off far more quickly. However, you’ll need to do more than just pick out a few common search terms and bid for space. At TitleTap, we understand how your industry works, more importantly, how a searcher’s behavior translates to a conversion. With cost-effective services, built-in security, ongoing support, and a money-back guarantee, we can help you navigate the world of PPC ads, so you get most from every ad dollar. We can keep an eye on your marketing, so you can focus on helping your clients through a confusing legal landscape.