How To Combine SEO And PPC For Lawyer Marketing

July 18 , 2023 | BY Matthew Stark

law firm marketing

SEO and PPC will usually enter the conversation when digital marketers discuss the most potent digital marketing tools. There is little doubt that search engine optimization and pay-per-click marketing both have a place in legal marketing. While some lawyer marketing agencies may argue for one or the other, we at Forward Lawyer Marketing think that the best approach is often to combine SEO and PPC for optimal results. Learn about SEO and PPC in this article, and if you want to get started, Forward Lawyer Marketing can help you.

SEO Overview

SEO is a vital component of modern online marketing. Search engine marketing is powerful because it optimizes website pages so Google and others can find, understand and rank them effectively. SEO allows your site to rank higher in search engine results when done correctly. SEO comprises many activities, including optimizing titles, keywords, descriptions, photos, and other web page parts. There are several SEO marketing methods to know, including:

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is all the activities involved in increasing your site’s Google rank. These include headings, page titles, content, and site links.

Off-Page SEO

This type of SEO means activities off of the website that can increase the site’s position in Google’s research. Social media engagement and link building are the most common off-page SEO methods.

Keyword Research

Keyword research focuses on discovering, selecting, and using relevant words and phrases related to your legal practice and services. SEO staff will research relevant and popular keywords, see what competitors or doing, and thoroughly grasp how Google ranks legal web pages.

Technical

Technical search engine optimization ensures that all of your legal website’s aspects are optimized for Google. For instance, Forward Lawyer Marketing’s SEO team will ensure your website is friendly for mobile browsing. We also will add meta tags, improve and optimize images, and reduce page load times. Our team also will enhance the structure of your law firm website. This makes it easier for it to be crawled and indexed by search engines.

PPC Overview

Pay-per-click advertising is essential for law firms because it can help you to grow relatively quickly. At its core, PPC means buying online ads where you pay every time a user clicks it. Google Ads is one of the most popular PPC marketing platforms worldwide. It allows legal marketers to show ads to potential clients looking for specific legal keywords.

There are four types of bidding in a Google Ads auction, but cost-per-click is the most often used bidding strategy. Google Ads uses an algorithm featuring an online auction system that determines the ads viewed based on the consumer’s query. With CPC bidding, when the prospect clicks an ad your firm placed, you pay a fee to Google.

There are so many benefits to PPC for law firms it is challenging to create a comprehensive list in just one blog post. But there are many apparent reasons that law firms should try to use PPC as part of their legal marketing:

  • Pay-per-click offers fast entry into the marketplace with plenty of visibility, depending on budget
  • It is easy to track and measure results, if you have familiarity with Google Ads
  • PPC can be effective with a small budget if the proper controls are in place
  • Google Ads offers many ways to target your ads
  • PPC also works effectively with other types of digital marketing, such as SEO

Many marketers say that law firms are missing out if they do not invest in PPC ads. Most growing law firms in your area probably invest in Google Ads. Some research shows that pay-per-click creates double the number of visitors of only SEO. At least 50% of online consumers from PPC advertisements are more likely to buy.

If your law firm invests in PPC ads, you invest wisely in your business. With enough education and research, you will understand how Google Ads operates. You also will understand how using PPC ads will expand your law firm without draining your marketing budget. Forward Lawyer Marketing can help run your PPC campaign if you like.

Be Careful With Your PPC Budget

PPC is effective, but it can be expensive for some saturated legal markets. But depending on your marketing budget, you and your marketing team can create a realistic goal for your law firm.

Suppose your PPC budget is $1,000 per month. A PPC strategy that is most focused on short-tail keywords for niche cases is more logical than a broad search that tries to capture all legal leads for your area.

For example, you can assume that ‘auto accident lawyer’ costs more per click for your city than ‘bus accident attorney.’ In a large city, ‘bus accident attorney’ would be more expensive than ‘pick up truck rollover lawyer.’ But this could be different in a smaller area, such as bedroom communities outside of major US cities. Personal vehicles are more likely to be seen in these areas than buses.

Next, Google Ads allows you to use many targeting techniques that play a vital role in the effectiveness of your campaign. One effective method is geotargeting, which lets you target a specific geographic location, such as a particular region or neighborhood.

For instance, some attorneys focus on estate planning for people with six-figure salaries. In this situation, an attorney may want to focus on communities with an average income higher than others. For example, if you are a San Antonio estate planning attorney, you might geotarget Alamo Heights or Stone Oak (areas with higher incomes) rather than Schertz or the South Side.

You also can target Google ads according to the type of device used to search. This can be especially helpful for law firms; many people looking for lawyers tend to use their smartphones for searches. When your firm’s Google ads target mobile devices, you know your ad is optimized for mobile users. This provides an enhanced user experience and better conversion rates.

Why Combine SEO And PPC?

SEO and PPC are effective legal marketing strategies that can reap serious benefits for your law firm. While using one or the other can work well, using an integrated strategy with both SEO and PPC ads is often beneficial for ideal results. With these two digital marketing tools working together seamlessly, your law firm can draw more potential clients and bring in more leads. Some benefits of combining your SEO and PPC strategies are:

Enhanced SERP Page Command

When a law firm uses PPC ads and excellent SEO together, you can command a more significant part of the Google results page. For example, you could have a PPC ad for car accident injury law at the top of the page and a listing in the GMB local pack. Also, your website ranks well in organic Google results. All these factors working together give your law firm added visibility that is fantastic for legal marketing results.

For some clients, paid Google ads may increase their organic search results; they can raise the chances of clicks on organic page results. A better click-through rate in organic search results is a known ranking factor.

Insights On Keywords

When you run PPC ads and monitor SEO, you enjoy double the keyword data to analyze for your marketing. This is a more robust dataset that will help you identify keywords that offer more leads and improved conversion rates. Also, you will see where your law firm’s website and ads might need to perform better. Going forward, you can choose keywords that reach more prospects.

Finetune Copy And Messaging

You also can use the additional marketing data to optimize your copy and messaging on your site and in future ad campaigns. It can take a few months before you can fully analyze your SEO performance for new site content and messaging. However, PPC ads offer a faster turnaround. In days, you will know if a particular headline, keyword, or copy are compelling. This information can be used to tweak your SEO practices and strategy.

Reputation Management

A vital aspect of reputation management online is controlling your namespace. This means controlling what consumers see when they search for you and your firm. With PPC ads, you can manage the marketing message searchers receive. It helps your marketing if you fully control how consumers see your firm online.

Branding

A combined SEO and PPC approach also benefits your law firm branding. SEO can be used to optimize the unchanging aspects of your brand over the long term. You also can use PPC to build your brand in the short term. For example, you can use ads to spread the news about a recent class-action settlement your firm participated in.

Contact Forward Lawyer Marketing For Help With Law Firm SEO And PPC

We are only successful at Forward Marketing if your digital marketing is successful. Everything we do is designed to enhance your online visibility. We drive our clients’ results with many marketing techniques, but combining SEO and PPC is one of the most potent in our toolbox. Our legal marketing team can help improve your marketing and firm ROI with SEO and PPC, so contact Forward Lawyer Marketing today at (888) 590-9687.