Pay Per Click (PPC) Best Practices for Lawyers

Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising is an effective way to generate more traffic and leads for your law firm. From Google Ads to Meta Ads, YouTube Ads to LinkedIn Ads, there are many digital ad platforms you can use to attract more legal clients!

But the success of your online ads starts with the fundamentals — the keywords you target, the content in your ads, and your conversion strategy. So, before you get all fancy with PPC “hacks”, make sure you master these fundamentals.

How to Make Your Lawyer Ads More Effective

Whether you’re running ads on Google, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, or the like, you’ll want to make sure your ads are driving tangible results for your business. We don’t just mean Likes and Comments, but website Clicks, phone calls, and Conversions!

For your ads to be worth the spend, they have to be EFFECTIVE. That means your digital ads should:

• Appeal to the real interests of your ideal clients (their legal challenges, questions, pain points, etc.)
• Target the *right* keywords (i.e. search terms that pertain to your practice and the services you offer)
• Be locally relevant, meaning they target the geographic area (city, county, state, etc.) you serve
• Contain engaging ad copy (i.e. content) that resonates with users and entices them to click on your ad
• Include a clear Call to Action (CTA), like “Call Now” or “Book a Free Consultation”, compelling users to contact you
• Be unique. Your ad should showcase your law firm’s values, unique branding, and “personality”, helping you stand out from other firms

Next, we’ll cover the absolutely essential PPC Best Practices you should follow to ensure your ads are well-written, well-optimized, and effective.

1. Choose the *Right* Ad Platform

The first mistake many legal professionals make when getting started with PPC is choosing the wrong advertising platform for their business. As stated, there are many advertising platforms available (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.), and where you advertise should be based on your niche and where your prospects spend their time online.

As a best practice, choose a PPC advertising platform that best captures where the majority of your new clients are coming from. For example, if most clients search you up on Google, Google Ads is the place to be; if most clients discover you on LinkedIn, you might want to start with LinkedIn Ads.

This isn’t to say you can’t advertise on multiple platforms at once, but before you start throwing money at any advertising platform, make sure it’s one that’s most likely to capture the attention of your particular audience.

2. Think Through Your Targeting Strategy

The next PPC best practice is to develop your ad targeting strategy before you start running ads. This means defining your audience demographics (age, interests, etc.), location, and focus keywords.

Different ad platforms handle targeting a bit differently, so be sure to research the parameters available to you. For instance, Google Ads allows for keyword targeting and location targeting, whereas Facebook Ads are more focused on audience demographics and interests.

When it comes to search ads (Google Ads or Bing Ads), consider the search terms your potential clients are likely searching for to find legal professionals like you. These might include terms like “[ focus ] attorney in [ location ]”, “[ location ] [ type ] legal services”, [ type ] lawyer near me”, etc.

For social ads (LinkedIn, TikTok, Meta, etc.), consider your audience characteristics and interests. Do your clients typically fall within a certain age range? Gender? Are they interested in certain topics, like Business, Education, or Social Justice?

Develop your ad targeting strategy before you start planning your ad groups or writing individual ads. This information will help you write/create the appropriate ad content based on the target audience and focus keywords.

3. Plan Your Ads / Ad Groups

With Google and Microsoft Ads (Bing), you are able to create Ad Groups that contain individual ads. These Groups align with certain categories; for example, you might have separate Ad Groups for Divorce Law, Child Support Law, Adoption Law, and so forth.

Consider your budget when deciding how many ads/ad groups you need. You might want to start with one focus at a time, based on the service that drives the most revenue for your firm. Then, you can expand these ad groups or add others over time.

For example, say you own a Personal Injury law firm and are planning your Google Ads. Your ad sets might look something like this:

• Ad Set 1: Auto Accidents
  • Headline 1: “Injured in a Car Accident? We Can Help!”
  • Headline 2: “Get Maximum Compensation for Your Auto Accident”
• Ad Set 2: Slip and Fall Injuries
  • Headline 1: “Hurt on Someone Else’s Property?”
  • Headline 2: “Slip & Fall Lawyers Ready to Fight for You”
• Ad Set 3: Workplace Injuries
  • Headline 1: “Injured at Work? We Can Help.”
  • Headline 2: “Experienced Work Injury Attorneys”

Once you plan your ad groups, you can determine how many ads you need to create and what content/assets are needed for each.

4. Create Engaging Ad Copy and Assets

Now it’s time for the “meat” of your ad strategy — the content.

“Content” here refers to the text (headings, descriptions, CTAs), images, and/or videos in your ads. This is what people read/see when they encounter your ad online.

The type of content you include in your ads(s) will depend on the platform. For example, Google Ads tend to be text-based, YouTube Ads are video-based ads, and Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Ads can be text-, image-, or video-based.

Here are a few PPC best practices to consider when creating your ad content:

• For search ads (Google or Bing), include the target keyword for your ad set within the headline and/or description of your ad. For example, if your target keyword is “LA DUI Attorney”, your headline might be “LA’s Best DUI Attorney – Free Consult”.
• For image-based ads, include an eye-catching visual, whether that’s a custom graphic, a photo of your firm, a headshot, etc. Make sure the image is relevant to your ad focus and written content.
• For video ads, consider working with a videographer and video editor to create high-quality videos. These will look more professional and eye-catching, improving the results of your ads.
• Consider testing different text, image, and video options. Your ad content doesn’t have to be set in stone. Run your ads, monitor the results, test performance, and use what works.

Need Creative Services for your PPC campaigns? Work with Hennessey Digital for better ad graphics, copy, and videos!

5. Set Your Advertising Budget

How much should you spend on ads? Good question! The answer to this will vary depending on the size of your market, the keywords you are bidding on, how competitive your niche is, and a range of other factors.

The better question (to start), is how much can you afford to spend on ads? This will help you set boundaries about what keywords you are able to bid on, how many ads you can afford to run, etc.

First, determine your total marketing budget (across all channels). Then, decide what portion will go toward PPC advertising specifically. Since ad costs fluctuate, it’s wise to keep some flexibility in your PPC budget to adjust spending throughout the year as needed.

Next, determine the average cost per click (CPC) on your target keywords for search ads. You can find this information by using Google’s Keyword Planner tool. Certain practice areas have particularly high CPC rates. Personal injury law, for instance, is one of the most competitive and costly sectors in PPC advertising. This will influence your ad spend.

Last (but not least), monitor performance. Given the competitive nature of legal marketing, it’s important to monitor your ad performance closely. That way, you can adjust your spending based on campaign results and updated budget limits.

6. Optimize Your Ad Landing Pages

A “landing page” is typically a web page on your website where users “land” after they click on your ad. This is where the bulk of your sales copy will live, and it plays a critical role in converting website visitors into prospective clients.

The content on your landing page should directly relate to the content in your ad.

So, if your Google Ad says “LA’s Best DUI Attorneys – Call Today”, the headline on your landing page should be something like “Best DUI Attorneys in Los Angeles – XY Firm”, with a CTA to “Call us at ###-####”, or similar.

Your landing page is a great opportunity to highlight your law firm’s values, describe the services you offer, and appeal to users’ interests in more detail. You can add graphics, videos, and even client testimonials to improve the chances of visitors converting into leads.

Make sure your ads include the correct link to your ad landing page. Don’t forget to have at least one CTA on the page telling users where and how to get in touch with you!

7. Use Remarketing to Target Past Visitors

People may see and even click on your ad, but this might not necessarily result in a new client right away. Sometimes someone has to encounter your law firm multiple times before they decide to work with you.

This is where retargeting comes in.

Retargeting refers to the practice of running ads to users who have already interacted with an ad and/or visited your site but haven’t yet made contact with your firm.

Nearly 45% of firms use retargeting as a way to stay top-of-mind with prospective clients. These users are already familiar with your firm, so retargeting can remind them that they intended to hire you!

There are a few ways to use retargeting in your PPC ads:

• With Google Display Ads, you can retarget visitors who’ve been to your website but didn’t convert. This displays your image or video ad to previous website visitors, even as they browse other websites (those within Google’s ad network).
• Facebook Ads offer an array of retargeting options. You can create Custom Audiences for retargeting based on specific interactions, such as people who visited certain pages on your website, engaged with a post, or clicked on an ad. Facebook retargeting can also help personalize your messaging based on their interests and engagement history, which can improve conversions.
• Owned by Meta, Instagram Ads use the same retargeting capabilities as Facebook, allowing you to reach people who previously visited your website, interacted with your Instagram profile, or engaged with your content.
• LinkedIn Ads offer a retargeting option called Matched Audiences, where you can retarget individuals who wisited your website, engaged with your previous LinkedIn ad, opened or submitted your lead generation form, clicked on your ad’s CTA button, or a variety of other actions.

Retargeting is a great way to re-engage “cold” prospects who need a little extra nudge to finally ring up your business!

8. Monitor, Review and Adjust Your Ads

PPC should never be a “set it and forget it” strategy; it requires active management and optimization to ensure the best results. User behaviors change, search engine algorithms change, and there are a variety of other factors at play that can influence the performance of your ads. So make sure to keep an eye on them!

Each PPC advertising platform has its own native analytics features. Review the respective analytics dashboards for your Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. ads on a regular basis. Use this data to adjust your ad strategy — whether that’s your ad copy, budget, targeting, or all of the above.

The most important metrics to monitor on your PPC campaigns include:

For instance, if your CTR is low, you might need to tweak your ad copy to encourage more people to click on your ad. If your Impressions are low, you might need to expand your keyword sets and/or widen your targeting parameters to get more eyes on your ads. Utilize this information to optimize your ads and drive more conversions!

9. Work with a PPC Expert

If all of the above feels a bit overwhelming, we get it — PPC advertising can be complicated, especially if you’re running ads for the first time. Though we certainly recommend learning the basics for your own benefit, often the best way to generate a high ROI is to work with a professional PPC agency.

A professional PPC agency will have experience planning campaigns, creating ad copy and assets, optimizing a bidding strategy, monitoring the results, and ultimately configuring ads to drive as many conversions as possible. Though you will need to pay a management fee for PPC services, you cut down on the risk of blowing your ad budget on ineffective ads if you do it yourself.

Working with a PPC agency is not required but it’s certainly recommended. If you’re looking for a great one, we would love to help!