5 Mistakes Law Firms Make When Advertising Online - Heying
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November 30, 2017

5 Mistakes Law Firms Make When Advertising Online

When it comes to Google Advertising, the competition is big and the pressure for results is high. Law firms can spend anywhere from $10 to over $500 per click so the key is to focus your marketing dollars in the areas closely aligned with your expertise and with the highest profits. Let’s go over the major mistakes most law firms are making with Google Advertising:

Unfocused Campaign and Keyword Strategy. Most law firms would say that their practice area covers a little bit of everything. However, trying to advertise that on Google when your marketing budget is limited won’t work. Clicks are too expensive and you will end up spreading your budget too thin to excel in any specific area. The first step to avoid this mistake is answering the question: What types of cases produce the most revenue for your firm? Or, what area of practice would you like to expand this year? Stick to effective advertising in one or two areas of practice before trying to expand too quickly. Furthermore, it is important to target keywords that show “buying” intent. The more general the keyword, the less buying intent you can assume.

Not Writing Effective Ad Copy. The biggest mistake law firms make when writing ads is not writing to be noticed. The worst ad is the one people skim right by while clicking on the competitor. Here are some tips to stand out:

  • Include parentheses and brackets in your headlines.
  • Include numbers.
  • Mention specific offers or discounts.
  • Add dollar signs or registered trademarks.
  • Include part of a testimonial or quotation.
  • Focus on a stronger call to action than your competitors.
  • Include the keyword in your ad Headline and in the Display URL to reinforce the message.
  • Keep your ads local and individualized to target specific cities.
  • Don’t focus on how great you are but tell the potential client how you will help them.

Not Having Consistent and Compelling Landing Pages. A compelling ad is what gets your potential client in the door. Then, the first thing the user sees after clicking an ad is your landing page, and it will be the first real impression they will have of your practice. Many law firms link their ads to their website homepages, but did the user search for everything you have to offer? No! They searched for a specific service they are looking for and they don’t want to waste time looking at all the other services. Here are some techniques for making sure your landing pages are designed to convert visitors into clients:

  • Focus on the benefits you provide clients.
  • Have a strong headline that demonstrates your value immediately.
  • Differentiate yourself from competitors and explain clearly why you are the best option.
  • Include social proof and let happy clients speak for you.
  • Make it easy to contact you and provide short and quick forms.

Not Tracking Leads Through to Actual Cases. Your law firm should know how many of your clients came from a Google ad click and how much revenue your Paid search accounted for. This information is absolutely critical to making optimizations that make a difference, but most law firms can’t answer those questions.

Not Testing for Viability and Optimizing for Profitability. Law firms often want to start by bidding on a wide range of keywords with low bids so they can learn which areas are profitable before committing more budget. However, this approach can actually ensure that no specific keywords get enough traffic to learn anything useful so firms conclude that advertising doesn’t work for them and give up. The best way is testing for viability and then optimizing for profitability. Focus on a very small core of keywords to begin with and bid for the top spot on the search results page. It will allow you to quickly test whether or not a keyword can actually produce the types of leads you want for your practice.

If your law firm doesn’t make those mistakes and follows this advice, your Google AdWords campaigns will likely produce more quality leads than your competition for less money!