PPC and LSA For Lawyers In 2024 – Paid Search Advertising Guide

In 2024, law firms are facing a more competitive digital landscape than ever before. With growing competition, it has become crucial to master Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and Local Services Ads (LSA) to stay ahead in attracting potential clients. Both PPC and LSA provide lawyers with targeted advertising opportunities, helping them generate high-quality leads and grow their client base. Understanding the differences, advantages, and strategies behind PPC and LSA will be key to a successful law firm marketing campaign.

Understanding Pay-Per-Click (PPC) for Law Firms in 2024

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is a well-established digital marketing strategy that allows law firms to bid on keywords related to legal services. These ads appear at the top of Google search results, driving visibility and engagement for specific legal queries.

In 2024, PPC is more sophisticated, allowing law firms to fine-tune campaigns based on geographic targeting, keyword specificity, and audience demographics. Tools like Google Ads make it easy to manage budgets, track campaign performance, and optimize for conversions.

Key Benefits of PPC for Law Firms in 2024

Immediate Visibility: PPC ads place your law firm at the top of search results, ensuring maximum visibility when potential clients search for legal services.
Budget Control: You only pay when a user clicks on your ad, ensuring your marketing budget is utilized effectively.
Targeting Precision: PPC allows law firms to target specific keywords, locations, and demographics, ensuring the right audience sees your ads.
Measurable Results: Law firms can track ROI, analyze traffic data, and refine their marketing efforts through data-driven insights.

PPC Ad Formats Available to Law Firms in 2024

Law firms looking to advertise online have multiple options through Google Ads. Here’s an updated breakdown of the key types of ads and strategies that can help law firms increase their visibility, generate leads, and grow their business:

Search Ads for Law Firms

Search Ads are the most basic type of Google PPC ad and remain a powerful tool for law firms. These are text-based responsive ads that appear at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs) when potential clients search for relevant terms (e.g., “criminal defense lawyer near me”). These ads consist of:

Headlines (up to fifteen, 30 characters each)
Display URL
Descriptions (up to four, 90 characters each)

You also have the ability to add assets (previously called ad extensions) to make your ad stand out. These include:

Sitelink: Links to specific pages on your website.
Call: Display your phone number directly in the ad.
Location: Show your office location.
Callout: Highlight key benefits or services.
Structured Snippets: Provide additional context about your services.
Image: (new in 2024), allowing visual content alongside text ads.
Business Name& Logo: (new in 2024), showing business name and logo with ad.
Lead Form: (new in 2024), generate leads by allowing people to submit their information directly in your ad.

These features allow your ad to take up more space on the page, increasing visibility, and improving Click-Through Rates (CTR). The effectiveness of Search Ads depends on targeting the right keywords, setting competitive bids, and achieving a high ad rank, which is influenced by the relevance and quality of your ad and landing page.

Call Ads for Lawyers

Call Ads, now enhanced with Google’s mobile-first focus, are designed specifically for mobile devices. These ads prominently display your law firm’s phone number, and users can click to call directly from the ad.

Given that most searches for legal services happen via mobile devices, Call Ads are essential for law firms wanting to convert leads quickly. When a potential client clicks on your Call Ad, they are immediately connected to your office. This direct approach increases the chances of getting immediate, qualified leads.

Display Ads for Law Firms

Display Ads offer more visual and creative flexibility compared to text-based ads. These ads can include images, video, and animations, and they appear across Google’s Display Network, which reaches millions of websites, apps, and videos.

For law firms, Display Ads are particularly useful for increasing brand awareness and reaching potential clients who might not be actively searching for legal services but could need them in the future.

Custom Intent Audiences: These allow you to target people who have recently searched for specific terms (e.g., “best divorce attorney”). This ensures that your ads are reaching people with a demonstrated interest in legal services.
Demographic Targeting: You can also refine your targeting based on age, gender, location, and other factors to ensure that your ads reach the most relevant audiences.

In 2024, Display Ads are more effective due to advancements in AI-powered targeting and responsive ad formats that adjust automatically to different screen sizes and platforms.

Retargeting Ads for Law Firms

Retargeting (also known as remarketing) is a strategy that involves displaying ads to users who have previously visited your website. It’s a way to re-engage people who showed interest in your services but didn’t take action immediately.

However, in the legal field, remarketing campaigns can face restrictions due to the sensitive nature of legal services, especially in areas like personal injury or criminal defense. Google Ads has strict guidelines around remarketing for law firms, often making it challenging to get campaigns approved. Consider using Performance Max (PMax) campaigns, which integrate remarketing and display ads within their advertising network. These PMax campaigns aim to maximize your reach by delivering ads across all available Google channels, such as Google Search, YouTube, Google Display Network (GDN), Gmail, Google Discover, Google Maps, and Google Shopping.

Retargeting Workaround for Law Firms

To bypass these restrictions, law firms can use Facebook retargeting. By installing the Facebook Pixel on your website, you can build an audience of people who visited your site and then create remarketing campaigns on Facebook. This approach allows law firms to reach potential clients with display ads on Facebook and Instagram, without worrying about Google’s approval process.

Optimizing Local Service Ads for Law Firms in 2024

Local Service Ads (LSAs) have rapidly evolved into a powerful marketing tool for law firms, despite being relatively newer compared to Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. LSAs help lawyers connect directly with potential clients by featuring ads at the top of Google search results, complete with a “Google Screened” badge, which boosts trust and credibility.

In 2024, LSAs have become a key part of law firm marketing strategies, offering a distinct advantage over traditional PPC. Unlike PPC, where businesses pay for clicks, LSAs charge law firms only when a potential client contacts them through the ad, making it a cost-effective option.

New Changes to Local Service Ads in 2024

In 2024, significant changes are impacting Local Service Ads (LSAs) for law firms. Google has introduced an automated lead credit system, replacing manual disputes for unqualified leads, though refunds for certain lead categories, like “job type not serviced,” are no longer offered. Law firms must fine-tune their LSA settings to avoid irrelevant leads. Additionally, new identity verification rules require lawyers to complete identity checks through Google’s partner, Evident, by November 15, 2024, to avoid ad suspensions. Each lawyer must also have a unique email for case generation. Lastly, by November 21, 2024, all firms must have a verified Google Business Profile (GBP) to run LSAs, with accurate information to prevent ad pauses. Reviews will be consolidated across LSAs and GBPs by early 2025.

Automated Lead Credits and Dispute Removal

As of July 2024, Google has introduced major updates to its LSA platform, particularly affecting the lead dispute process. Previously, law firms could manually dispute unqualified leads, such as irrelevant service requests or out-of-area inquiries. However, Google has now eliminated manual disputes in favor of an automated lead credit system. This AI-driven process automatically refunds firms for unqualified leads, which is designed to improve efficiency by removing the need for manual submissions.

While the automated system speeds up the process, it no longer refunds leads categorized as “job type not serviced” or “location not serviced,” issues that were frequently disputed in the past. As a result, many law firms are concerned about paying for leads that are outside their target areas or service types. To mitigate this risk, it’s more important than ever for firms to carefully refine their LSA settings—especially job types and service areas—to avoid receiving irrelevant leads. Continuous monitoring and optimization of these campaigns are essential to ensure their success.

New Verification Requirements for Lawyers Using Local Service Ads

Google has also implemented new identity verification rules for law firms using LSAs, aimed at improving security and preventing fraud. Effective November 15, 2024, all law firms must meet these updated requirements to maintain their ads.

Key LSA Verification Changes for 2024:

Identity Verification: Law firm owners, senior partners, and listed attorneys must complete identity verification through Google’s partner, Evident. Beginning September 16, 2024, firms will receive verification emails, and each lawyer will have 30 days to verify their identity, which includes cross-checking their professional licenses.
Unique Email Addresses: Each lawyer must now use a unique email address for case generation, ensuring secure and streamlined communication.
Compliance Deadline: Lawyers must complete their verification by November 15, 2024, or face ad suspensions, which could reduce their visibility and impact lead generation.

By adhering to these guidelines, law firms can ensure compliance and maintain their presence on Google Local Services Ads, avoiding disruptions to their advertising campaigns.

Mandatory Google Business Profile Integration for Local Service Ads in 2024

Another significant update in 2024 is the requirement for law firms to have a verified Google Business Profile (GBP) to continue running Local Service Ads. Any profile that is unverified or has information mismatches will cause the ads to be paused.

Key Details:

Deadline: By November 21, 2024, law firms must have a Google Business Profile in place to run Local Service Ads.
Verified Information: The business name and address on the GBP must match the LSA information exactly. If there is any discrepancy, or if the profile is unverified or suspended, ads will be paused.
Review Management: Starting in early 2025, all customer reviews for LSAs will be consolidated and displayed both on the LSA and the associated GBP.

By ensuring a verified and accurate Google Business Profile, law firms can maintain their online visibility and continue to leverage Local Service Ads effectively in 2024.

Advantages of Local Service Ads (LSA) for Lawyers

Client Trust: The “Google Screened” badge adds an extra layer of trust and authenticity, which is critical for law firms seeking to build client relationships.
Higher Placement: LSAs appear at the very top of Google search results, ensuring the best visibility.
Lead-Driven Cost Model: Law firms only pay when contacted by a potential client, providing more accurate control over advertising spend.
Easy Access to Leads: Clients can call or message directly from the ad, improving conversion rates.

Optimizing LSA & PPC Campaigns for Law Firms in 2024

In order to maximize the effectiveness of PPC and LSA campaigns, law firms need to focus on several key optimization strategies:

Keyword Research

Keyword research is foundational to both PPC and LSA success. In 2024, the focus should be on long-tail keywords that reflect specific legal services and client needs. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush or Ahrefs to discover valuable keywords with high search volume but lower competition.

Geographic Targeting

Law firms should ensure their ads are tailored to the geographic locations where they operate. Geo-targeting is crucial for attracting local clients searching for legal help in their area.

Ad Copy & Landing Pages

For PPC ads, compelling ad copy and relevant landing pages are essential to converting clicks into clients. Highlight your unique selling points, and ensure your landing pages provide clear information on the legal services offered and an easy way for potential clients to contact your firm.

Tracking & Analytics

Leveraging analytics tools to track ad performance, measure cost-per-click (CPC), and analyze client behavior is critical in 2024. By understanding how users interact with your ads, law firms can refine campaigns for maximum ROI.

Reputation Management

For LSAs, maintaining a strong online reputation via Google Business Profile is vital. Client reviews impact your LSA ranking, so encouraging satisfied clients to leave positive reviews can greatly enhance your visibility and trustworthiness.

PPC vs. LSA: Paid Advertising Strategies for Your Law Firm

While both PPC and LSA offer unique benefits for law firms, the choice between them often depends on your firm’s specific goals and budget.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is ideal for law firms looking for immediate visibility and precise control over who sees their ads. It’s best suited for firms with a well-defined audience and the ability to manage ongoing campaigns. PPC ads are placed at the top and bottom of search engine results pages (SERPs) and across the Google Display Network. With PPC ads, you can control who sees your ad by using demographic targeting and super-specific long-tail keywords (e.g., “Houston defense lawyer for DUI cases” instead of just “criminal defense lawyer”). While Pay-Per-Click ads can display useful information like reviews, star ratings, and extensions (assets), they do not inherently signal any extra verification by Google. Clicks on PPC ads do not guarantee lead quality, as conversion largely depends on ad copy, landing page relevance, and the user’s intent.
Local Service Ads (LSA), on the other hand, is perfect for lawyers focusing on lead generation with a pay-per-lead model. It’s especially effective for firms looking to establish trust quickly through the Google Screened badge. LSAs appear at the top of the page above all PPC ads on SERPs, featuring the “Google Screened” badge for enhanced visibility and trust. The “Google Screened” badge is a prominent trust signal, showcasing that the business has been thoroughly vetted by Google. LSAs tend to generate higher-quality leads due to the Google verification process, as users often perceive businesses with the “Google Screened” badge as more reliable. LSAs focus on location-based targeting and predefined service categories, offering less granular control compared to PPC but more focused on reaching local clients seeking immediate legal assistance.

For most law firms, a combination of both PPC & LSA along with Technical SEO, Semantic SEO, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Google AI Overview Optimization, Schema Markup, and Local SEO is the best strategy for maximizing reach and conversion rates in 2024.

Conclusion

In the evolving digital marketing landscape, law firms must take advantage of both PPC and LSA to remain competitive. By employing strategic keyword targeting, effective ad copy, and continuous optimization, lawyers can grow their client base through powerful paid search advertising.

For those ready to take the next step, partnering with an experienced digital marketing agency can make all the difference in optimizing your PPC and LSA campaigns for success in 2024.