Google Ads for lawyers
Profitable campaigns despite $20-200/click keywords. Daily optimization that saves thousands.
The challenge
The most expensive keywords in Google Ads
Personal injury: $150-200/click. Criminal defense: $40-80/click. Family law: $20-40/click. Estate planning: $15-30/click. One bad day of wasted clicks can cost thousands.
Most clicks aren't potential clients
People searching "lawyer salary," "law school requirements," "free legal aid," "pro bono lawyers," and "how to become a lawyer" all trigger your ads. Without aggressive negative keywords, 30-40% of your budget goes to people who will never hire you.
Each practice area needs its own campaign
A personal injury campaign and a family law campaign need completely different keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and bid strategies. Running them in one campaign guarantees poor results.
State bar advertising rules add complexity
Every state bar has specific advertising rules. Some prohibit guarantees, some require disclaimers. You need to review and approve every ad before it goes live.
How Fullrun helps
Legal keywords are the most expensive in Google Ads. At $100/click and 5% conversion rate, you're paying $2,000/lead. If your average case value is $10,000+, that's still profitable. But every wasted click at these prices hurts.
Fullrun creates separate campaigns per practice area, each with its own keywords, ad copy, and bid strategy. The AI aggressively blocks irrelevant searches: lawyer salary, law school, free legal aid, pro bono, how to become a lawyer. It adjusts bids daily based on which keywords actually convert to consultations.
A 10% efficiency gain on $50 keywords saves hundreds per month. Fullrun makes those adjustments every day. You review and approve all ad copy to stay compliant with your state bar's rules.
Frequently asked questions
- How much should a law firm spend on Google Ads?
- $2,000-10,000/mo depending on practice area. Personal injury firms need $5,000+ because of $150-200 CPCs. Family law and estate planning can start at $1,500-2,000. The key is budget per practice area — don't spread $2,000 across five practice areas.
- What is the cost per new client from Google Ads?
- At $100/click and 5% conversion rate, you're paying $2,000 per lead. If your average case value is $10,000+, that's still a 5:1 return. Personal injury has the highest acquisition cost ($1,500-3,000/lead) but also the highest case values. Family law runs $200-500/lead.
- How does Fullrun handle multiple practice areas?
- Separate campaigns per practice area with their own keywords, ad copy, and bid strategies. Personal injury gets a different budget and keyword strategy than estate planning. The AI optimizes each campaign independently based on its own performance data.
- How does Fullrun handle legal advertising compliance?
- You review and approve all ad copy before it goes live. Fullrun drafts ads based on your input, but nothing runs without your sign-off. This keeps you in control of compliance with your state bar's advertising rules.
- How long until I see results?
- Leads typically start within the first week. But at these CPCs, optimization matters more than speed. The AI needs 3-4 weeks to identify which keywords convert, build a negative keyword list, and dial in bids. Expect cost per lead to drop 20-30% between month one and month two.