If you are an attorney or own a law firm, you know that finding and sourcing clients can be pretty challenging. You most likely have many competitors looking out for the same clients you have. With the limitations of strict rules and guidelines, your reach in advertising your services is also minimal.
Therefore, what do you do to get ahead of your competitors? It would help if you started marketing your law firm. One way to do it is through Google Advertising for lawyers like you.
Here are some basic things you need to know about Google Advertising to help you decide whether this is a good strategy for your practice.
What Is Google Advertising?
Google Advertising or Google Ads uses a Pay-per-Click (PPC) system.
When utilizing PPC to market your law firm, you can reach more people to know your services when your ads appear in the search results. What’s great about PPC is you never have to pay for impressions, and there would be no recurring charges monthly.
Google Ads Offer Qualified and Targeted Prospects
Through PPC for search engines, you get what you pay for by targeting specific prospects.
Here’s how it works. When a person looks for a particular keyword relevant to your law firm, they will see your advertisement in the search results. If they click your ad (which directs them to your website), you know that your site visitor would most likely avail of your services.
Google gets paid a fee when a person clicks on your ad and visits your website. That potential customer, who interacted with your ad, discovers your law firm and the various services you can offer. As a result, you get a highly qualified and targeted customer interested in booking your services or has the potential to avail of them in the future.
Using Google Ads for Law Firms
If you are only a beginner in employing Google Ads, you may find the platform a bit confusing and challenging, not to say expensive, especially when targeting specific customers.
Although you’ll only pay per click, collectively, those clicks may cost you hundreds of dollars. Before you start considering Google Ads and possibly throw your money away, hand it over to a professional who can manage all your ad campaigns without wasting your time and money.
According to a 2016 study, out of the top twenty-five search terms, twenty were related to the legal industry, and the top five most expensive search keywords were all related to finding a lawyer.
Based on this data, Google Ads are very viable for the legal industry.
Choose the Right Keyword to Reduce Costs
It’s very tempting to use all the possible keywords so that your potential customers may find you easily. But Google Ads is all about the right keyword strategy. Remember that legal keywords are associated with high costs. That’s why you must first find the right keywords.
Avoid using generic keywords like attorney or lawyer. You need to be specific, as common ones may target non-potential customers.
Instead, apply long-tail keywords to reduce Google Ads costs. For instance, you can add “near me,” “best,” and “free consultation.”
You can even include a specific location or your area of law. For example, if you’re are specializing in employment cases, you can opt for long-tail keywords like:
- Employment lawyer near me
- Best workplace dispute lawyer in Toronto
- Employment lawyer free consultation
In addition, use a Google Keyword Planner to help you find keyword ideas. It can also show you the average cost per click and the estimated search volume.
Types of Keywords You Can Use
There are different types of keywords you can use in Google Ads. Through these types, you can tell Google when your ads should appear and when they shouldn’t.
They will also determine the conversion rate and the costs you have to pay.
Some types of keywords from Google include:
1. Broad Match Keywords
Broad match keywords are similar to your keywords. When a potential customer types the keywords on Google, an ad will show in the results.
For instance, if you have a broad match term, “corporate lawyer,” a person who searches for “lawyer” will still see your ad.
2. Broad Match Modifier Keywords
Broad match modifier keywords use exact match and broad match keywords. These keywords will allow you to solve the issue of having a close but not exact match while still restricting the erroneous clicks and impressions.
You can choose specific keywords required in the search query without being strict with the order of the terms. For instance, you could use keywords such as “+employment +lawyer +Dallas (+ indicates broad match modifier words). These can trigger your ad to appear in search results, so long as they include the three words.
For instance, “employment lawyer in Dallas Texas” and “Dallas employment lawyer” will show your ad successfully.
3. Exact Match Keywords
Exact match keywords are precisely the same as the keywords you used in your ad campaign. For instance, you have an exact match keyword, “divorce lawyer in Toronto,” and an individual type, “divorce lawyer in Toronto.” As a result, you have an exact match.
4. Phrase Match Keywords
Phrase match keywords work like an exact match. You need to use the same phrase from the search query to match it with the keywords you have in your campaign, and the rest of the term can be any word.
For instance, your phrase keyword is “employment lawyer Dallas.” Your ad will still appear when people search for “best employment lawyer Dallas” because this matches your phrase keyword.
5. Negative Keywords
Negative keywords will prevent your ad from appearing every time a negative keyword is included in the search. That way, you avoid wasting your money on non-essential keywords.
Developing Google Ads That Work
When you already have a list of keywords you would like to use, you can now create ads.
Develop ads with different types of content. In this way, you get to test what kind of ad and language resonates best with your audience. To start creating your ad, you need to consider a few things:
- Grab your audience’s attention by making a captivating headline that answers the search query.
- Respond to the search query by including many of the same keywords within your ad campaign. You should target the exact keywords as your potential customer typed, improving your chances that they will click on your ad more.
- Use words and phrases that can help build your customer’s trust, such as “free consultation” or “confidential case evaluation.”
Invest in Ads for Your Law Firm
Maybe you’re still having second thoughts about Google Ads, thinking if this is really something you need in your law firm. But it all boils down to who your clients are and what type of firm you have.
If you’re specializing in securities law, international law, business litigation, real estate, and more, your law firm is likely more relationship-based and word-of-mouth or referrals.
But if you specialize in personal injury, bankruptcy, employment law, criminal charges, or DUI/DWI, you can turn to Google Ads so more people can find you and your services.
Conclusion
Google Ads is a great way to promote your law firm and rise above your competitors. It helps you target your potential clients by adding specific keywords that can tell Google when to show your ad or not in the search results.
New Digital Marketing Agency is a Google Ads agency in Toronto that offers our expertise to bring potential targeted customers to your law firm. Learn more about PPC and how we can help execute and manage targeted campaigns while reducing your ad expenses. Get in touch with us today!
