Are PPC Ads Still Worth it For Law Firm Marketing?

The cost of PPC advertising has skyrocketed for legal keywords. 

Just this year, some law firms paid a whopping $1,003 for a single click on “truck collision attorney” searches. Others paid $747 for “oil rig injury attorney” clicks. 

So if you’ve been running PPC ads for your law firm, you’ve probably noticed that your budget is getting stretched pretty thin. Your $5,000 monthly allocation that once felt substantial will only get you a handful of clicks now, and your competitors might be outbidding you on keywords that you used to dominate. 

With these trends, it’s natural to question whether PPC clicks are actually worth it anymore. 

I’ve been watching these costs rise over the years for my clients, especially for personal injury and other high-value practice areas. And while some firms have been burning through six-figure budgets with mediocre results, the ones who learned to adapt and change their strategy have thrived. Even with smaller budgets.

So let me be clear upfront. I’m not going to tell you to stop running PPC ads. Instead, I’m going to challenge how much you rely on them and whether you’re getting real value for your investment. 

The Problem With PPC Marketing For Lawyers

PPC ads have always been competitive. But the legal industry pays the highest costs. This is no exaggeration. Legal keywords are literally THE most expensive terms to bid on in Google Ads. 

The reason behind this is actually quite simple:

• You’re constantly in a bidding war with other firms competing for the same clients. 
• Bigger firms with deeper pockets can always outspend you.

Massive national personal injury firms with 20+ attorneys and a multi-million dollar marketing budget can afford to pay $600 per click because their average case value is $50,000. They’ll happily keep bidding up those costs, and you’re stuck either matching their bids or watching your ads disappear from page one.

It’s a vicious cycle that is really impossible to slow down. The machine keeps feeding itself, and costs just continue to rise.

And let’s be honest. Not every click converts. You’re paying for people who are shopping around and burning through your budget without even booking a consultation.

None of this means that PPC is dead or useless. It just means that the economics have shifted a bit. If your law firm hasn’t adjusted your strategy, then you’re probably overpaying for mediocre results. 

Read More: What is Pay Per Click? The Basics of PPC Marketing Explained

Average Costs of PPC Ads For Law Firms

Let’s look at some real numbers so you can see how your spending compares.

Here are some typical cost-per-click ranges by practice area:

Personal injury keywords are by far the most expensive in the legal category, and they’re the most expensive keywords to bid on in the entire PPC landscape across any industry. 

But beyond your practice specialty, you need to understand that your specific location is also going to impact the cost of your PPC ads.

For example, bidding on “accident attorney Fresno CA” can cost you upwards of $519 per click, whereas “car accident attorney Jacksonville” costs $150 per click. 

Both are personal injury keywords. Both are location-specific. But they’re on opposite ends of the country, and one is a bit more specific than the other (car accident vs. accident).

The point I’m trying to make is that you can’t just use broad national averages to set your budget. You need to factor in the costs of your specific area and your highest value keywords.

If you’re charging clients $1,200 for basic estate planning, you probably shouldn’t be spending $500 on those keywords. But if you’re getting legit leads for million-dollar mesothelioma settlements, you can pay $500 for clicks all day. 

They’re still expensive, no matter how you look at it. Though some can easily be justified. 

Why You Can’t Rely Solely on PPC Anymore

No matter how well you run your campaigns, you’ll never outspend the biggest players.

Large firms with aggressive budgets will always outbid you for the top ad slots. This will drive up CPCs for everyone else. Google’s auction system rewards higher bids and stronger quality scores, which means it’s not really a level playing field if you don’t have the deepest pockets.

But let’s put cost aside for a second. My biggest problem with PPC marketing for law firms is that you’re just renting visibility. The second you stop paying, your leads will disappear completely. 

You spent $250,000 on ads over the last two years? Great. But if you stop bidding tomorrow, you own nothing. 

There’s no residual value. Unlike SEO and content marketing for lawyers, you’re not building anything that lasts and continues to generate leads for the long haul.

Relying 100% on PPC can put your law firm in a dangerous position. Budget cuts, algorithm changes, or new competition can cause your lead pipeline to dry up overnight. 

How to Get More From Your PPC Budget

Just because PPC ads are expensive for lawyers, it doesn’t mean that your firm should abandon PPC altogether. Instead, you just need to be more strategic with your decisions. 

Here’s how I recommend maximizing your PPC budget, with my pro tips (that I’ve actually seen work) for each initiative: 

Set a Realistic Budget

• Make sure your budget is sustainable year-round.
• Consistency matters, so this should be something you can afford even during slow periods.
• If you’re not sure how much to spend on ads, set aside 30% of your total marketing budget for PPC campaigns as a starting point. 

Target Long-Tail Keywords and Low-Hanging Fruit

• Look for long-tail keywords that bigger firms consistently ignore. 
• Rather than bidding on “divorce attorney” try something like “high net worth divorce attorney Boston” instead.
• Not only does this lower your costs, highly-targeted long-tail keywords increase the chances that someone typing those keywords will actually convert. 

Use Geographic Specificity to Reduce Costs

• Don’t just target your entire metro area (Boston, Miami, Los Angeles).
• Focus on specific neighborhoods (Brighton, South Beach, Santa Monica).
• Not only will your cost-per-click be lower, but your leads will often be more qualified.

Actively Manage Your Campaigns

• Don’t just “set and forget” your PPC bids.
• If you notice that clicks on weekends rarely convert, turn them off.
• If evening clicks are cheaper but convert just as well, shift more budget there.

Optimize Your Landing Pages for Conversions

• Stop wasting money on people who click ads but don’t convert.
• Ensure your landing pages load fast, are mobile friendly, and have clear CTAs that are impossible to miss.
• Forms should only ask for the basics, and your site needs to feel professional and trustworthy. 

The Smarter Long-Term Marketing Play for Lawyers

PPC campaigns are designed to generate instant results. You spend money today for leads tomorrow. But your current PPC ads aren’t built to drive new leads into your funnel for years to come. So you need to invest in other marketing assets that you actually own.

SEO and content marketing set the foundation for long-term success. When you create quality content that ranks in organic search results and AI overviews, you own that forever. 

A single blog post published today can continue bringing traffic and leads for years. And you’re not paying for each click. The visibility is yours until a competitor outranks you (and even then, you’re still visible).

Local SEO gets you in the map pack without paying for ads. That’s prime real estate that can lead to inbound calls and leads without spending any money on clicks.

Video content, social media marketing, podcasting, email marketing to nurture your leads. All of this has a huge impact over the long haul for your law firm. What makes this approach so powerful is that it compounds on itself. Every piece of content and every tweak adds up over time. 

Yes, SEO can take 6-12+ months before you start to see meaningful results. And that timeline scares some lawyers away because they can’t directly see what they’re buying the same way as PPC ads. 

But this is by far the best way to invest in the future of your firm. Once you have a stronger organic visibility for your practice in the search results, you’ll also benefit from an influx of higher quality leads. That’s because people trust organic results more than they trust ads. 

Finding the Right Balance

Look, I’m not telling you to abandon PPC completely. That would be stupid advice for most modern law firms.

Just don’t put all of your eggs into the PPC basket.

The best approach for most law firms is to set up PPC strategically while also investing heavily in SEO and content marketing.

Use PPC for:

• High-intent, high-value keywords where immediate visibility matters.
• Testing new practice areas or messaging to get fast data.
• Filling gaps while your SEO efforts progress over time.
• Campaigns and keywords you can afford to win over your competitors.

But you also need to set aside your budget for long-term marketing assets:

• 60-70% on SEO, content marketing, and website optimization
• 30-40% on PPC (or whatever you can sustainably afford).

Whether you have a $10,000 or $100,000 monthly budget, you can take this same approach. It creates sustainability and ensures you’re not relying on a single traffic source.

If you need to cut PPC spend during slow periods, your organic leads keep flowing. If Google changes its algorithm and your rankings temporarily drop, your PPC campaigns keep the phones ringing while you adjust. 

The firms that I’ve seen succeed over the long term are the ones that have the most diverse marketing engines. If any single channel has a problem, the others pick up the slack. 

So, is PPC Still Worth It for Lawyers?

The short answer: Yes, PPC is still worth it for law firm marketing. But it shouldn’t be your primary strategy.

PPC ads should just be one tool in your toolbox. 

Trying to keep pace with larger firms with deeper pockets will be a losing race. You’ll end up burning through your budget faster and still losing leads.

Instead, invest in assets you own, like your website authority, your content library, organic rankings, and your reputation. PPC ads can supplement those efforts and they definitely belong in the mix. 

Just don’t assume that spending more money on ads is the answer. 

PPC Advertising for Law Firms FAQs

How much should a law firm spend on PPC?

Budgets vary by practice, but to be competitive, law firms typically need to spend at least $5,000 to $10,000 per month on PPC ads. Larger practices in high-value spaces, like personal injury, spend upwards of $50,000+ per month on paid ads. 

What is the average cost per click for lawyer keywords?

Legal keywords are the most expensive on Google ads, with personal injury keywords typically ranging from $150 to $500 per click. Workers’ comp keywords average $80 to $250 per click, DUI and criminal defense average $50 to $150, and family law keywords average about $100 per click.

Is SEO better than PPC for law firms?

Neither SEO nor PPC is definitely “better” than the other for law firm marketing, and they both have a place in your law firm marketing playbook. SEO is better for long-term law firm marketing success, while PPC is better for generating short-term leads for lawyers. 

Which legal keywords are the most expensive?

Personal injury lawyer, car accident lawyer, truck accident attorney, motorcycle accident lawyer, and mesothelioma lawyer keywords are among the most expensive cost-per-click ads to run on Google.  

How long should PPC campaigns run to see results?

Law firms can see results from PPC campaigns within a few days, but meaningful optimization typically takes 60-90 days of consistent data to get more accurate results. 

How can I reduce PPC costs for my law firm?

The most effective way to lower costs on PPC ads is by identifying long-tail keywords that larger firms often ignore. These are often less expensive, so you can get more clicks from your budget. Pairing this strategy with landing page optimization can dramatically increase your ROI, as you’re not wasting money on clicks that don’t convert.