PPC Planning for Lawyers: Our Top Tips + Real Agency Results

Not everyone’s a planner. Some of us like to research the menu before we even agree to dinner. And some like to do it live—your prerogative, baby! But when it comes to your firm’s ad dollars, winging it won’t win you any battles. Search engine marketing (SEM) for lawyers requires a degree of high-level planning, especially when it comes to paid opportunities. Paid ads have consumed so much of the SERP over the last several years, and now Google has added interactive AI elements to the top spots. Note: never discount the impact and ongoing value of organic search marketing—ironically, in a pay-to-play legal marketing landscape, SEO remains a successful long-game strategy. Paid ads absolutely ensure that your firm is seen, but without a solid PPC plan, you’re handing clicks (and clients) over to your competitors.

Of course, any good ad campaign includes some ad-hoc optimization, but PPC marketing has never totally been a “set-it-and-forget” tactic. LSAs (local services ads) feel more hands-off but still require regular vigilance to tweak budgets and turn ads on and off as needed. But our own agency results show that even the best real-time tweaks can’t compensate for a weak foundation. Start your overall PPC ad strategy with a strong plan to perform your best.

Paid Search Marketing for Lawyers

The three main paid search options are search engine marketing (PPC via Google Ads), LSAs (also via Google Ads), and paid social posts (managed via Meta, LinkedIn, etc.). The outlier here are LSAs, which operate on a pay-per-lead basis. SEM and paid social, on the other hand, operate on a pay-per-click basis. PPC search ads are like buying prime real estate at the top of the search results, though they now compete with Google-owned, in-search AI results. 

Each channel plays a distinct role—LSAs deliver guaranteed leads, PPC promises local search visibility, and paid social posts ensure awareness. Each requires its own kind of planning and budgeting, too, all dependent on your specific market. Here’s a quick breakdown…

PPC for Lawyers: Real Agency Results

As a legal marketing agency, we’re in the PPC trenches with you. There’s been plenty of changes to adapt to and challenges to overcome throughout our decade-plus experience in the industry. Working with attorneys around the country to create successful advertising campaigns, we’ve learned that one size does not fit all.

We’ve got a battle-tested PPC playbook, but every campaign is built from the ground up around your firm’s practice areas, budget and local market. We’re pretty great at what we do—when we audited and overhauled Naqvi Injury Law’s Google Ads, we drove a 1,300% jump in signed online cases and a 1,900% surge in qualified leads.

Paid SEM Results

Paid SEM Results

Keyword Spotlight:

“Personal Injury Attorney LA”

Before PPC: Unranked → After 6 months: Local Pack at #26 → After budget cut: Drop to #36

When it comes to PPC, every click matters, especially when you’re competing in one of the most competitive markets on the web. Legal marketing is cutthroat, and many practice areas see astronomic CPLs (cost per lead). That’s why we approach search ads with the precision of a trial strategy—start with a full audit, assess intent, tighten targeting, and build smart campaigns around what actually drives leads.

Measurable Search Ad Outcomes

+1,900% qualified lead increase after Google Ads overhaul

+1,300% increase in signed cases from online leads (same campaign)

+85% increase in search-ad lead volume—without increasing budget

−51% decrease in search-ad CPL after campaign optimizations

+28% improvement in organic keyword rankings directly correlated with active PPC campaigns

Local Pack rankings achieved for high-value personal injury terms (from unranked to map pack in 6 months)

Budget Strategy Shift:

Facebook Ads reduced from $4,400/mo to $1,300/mo

Reallocated budget to Google Search Ads with high-intent keywords

Major lift in direct phone leads

Social PPC Results

Social PPC Results

Branded search share of total traffic:

Jan 2018: 8%

Jan 2019: 24%

People may need to see your name a few times before they’re ready to click. Paid social keeps your name in their feed and your brand in their consciousness until they are. When a firm needs to build awareness from scratch—launching a new practice, entering a new market, or facing off against entrenched competitors—we turn to social ads to cut through. Hyper-specific targeting and geofencing fuel our full-funnel strategy, turning scrolls into leads across channels. And smarter social PPC almost always gives organic visibility a lift, too.

Measurable Cross-Channel Results:

+550% increase in branded search volume (organic + paid)

Branded clicks: $1.71 CPC vs. $30+ for non-branded search terms

Social Ad Strategy Tactics:

Targeted workers’ comp audiences by job title, interest, and injury risk

Address-level geo-targeting to reach employees at known high-risk workplaces

Ran multiple creatives and split tests for behavior-based audiences

Used landing pages tailored to social campaigns, not generic firm pages

Launched retargeting campaigns for all ad, website, and social engagers

Top 5 PPC Planning Steps for Your Firm

PPC for law firms isn’t guesswork, it’s a process. Lock in with these 5 basic PPC planning tips.

1. Keyword Research

• Build hyper-targeted lists using “[City] + practice + intent” (e.g. “Miami medical malpractice PPC”), then layer in your firm’s unique service and brand terms.
• Identify high-intent negatives (e.g. “jobs,” “free”) up front to prevent wasted clicks.

2. Competitive Audit

• Dig into the brands bidding on your firm’s name and top practice keywords.
• Analyze competitor ad copy angles, and ad schedules to inform your custom strategy.

3. Budget Allocation

• Split spend across PPC search, LSAs, and paid social based on search volume, seasonality, and your growth goals.
• Establish geo-based min/max bids and set clear budgets for each channel.

4. Campaign Structure & Ad Copy Planning

• One ad group per core service with entirely custom headlines, descriptions, and creative angles.
• Plan and test ad extensions (call, location, links) alongside geo-specific landing pages for each service.

5. Ongoing Optimization & Reporting

• Define “quality” leads (calls, form fills, chats) and track CPL, CTR, and conversion rate.
• Conduct weekly bid reviews, monthly analysis, and figure out where you can boost ROI.

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Get the details on how we drive real results for lawyers working in some of the most competitive markets in the country with the below case studies. If you’d like to discuss how a solid PPC strategy for your law firm might look, drop us a line!

PPC Case Study 1
Social PPC – Case Study 2
Paid SEM PPC – Case Study 3

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