Trends in Paid Ads | Local Service Ads for Lawyers
Google LSAs (local service ads) for lawyers provide an opportunity for law firms to rank at the top of a search engine results page. Many of these advertisements even reside above pay-per-click (PPC) ads and Google My Business packs. This advertising trend can increase the number of and quality of leads.
It is important to understand the basics of local service ads for lawyers before spending a marketing budget on this relatively new but effective marketing method. This is why GOA-TECH is breaking down some of the essential information that can help law firms develop their advertising.
What is a Local Service Ad?
If you have researched anything from stores to restaurants to attorneys, you may have noticed a green check in a box containing a “Google Guaranteed” notice featuring service providers at the very top of the SERP (search engine results page).
If you chose to click on one of these ads, you know that Google offers a seamless process that helps users to find the right company for their queries. Google local service ads provide a similar experience to help legal consumers.
LSAs present opportunities for law firms to quickly and effectively increase their quality lead volume while establishing themselves as a screened or “Google Guaranteed: law firm. Most importantly, these ads can help a firm sign more clients.
Obtaining the Green Check | Google Screening
Local service ads for lawyers appear marked with a green check. This indicates resources that have been screened by the Google search engine.
Google screening represents a professional version of “Google Guaranteed”, giving customers additional confidence when vetting service providers. However, Google does require several steps before an attorney can run a local service ad on a law firm’s website:
- Business Background Check and Owner Information
- Licensure for Law Practice
- A Copy of Legal Malpractice Insurance Policy
Lawyers must additionally have at least one Google My Business review with an average rating of at least three stars.
What to Know Before Getting Started
Reviews from freely between local service ads for lawyers and Google My Business Listings. However, the Google Screened check will not appear next to a Google My Business listing.
LSAs additionally benefit from proximity to a user, as well as reviews. The closer your form resides to a prospective searcher, the better chance Google will provide your firm as the resource in response to a user’s query.
Selecting the right practice areas when making a local service ad account is a crucial component because job types are what Google utilizes as the key terms for user searches. These job types weren’t written by lawyers so it is important to think like a potential client.
What job types might a client search for when looking at the kind of services your firm offers? Don’t be too narrow or you could miss some leads. Additionally, you can’t be too broad or this could dilute the power of your form’s more accurate specialties.
The most important part of winning a marketing campaign with Google LSAs remains responding to leads and reviews in a timely fashion. This is one of the main rain ranking factors Google uses in addition to user proximity.
Local Service Ads for Lawyers | A Tried and True Method of Law Firm Advertising with Google
When successfully implementing local service ads for lawyers, Google will place the big green checkmark by your form’s ads with the text “Google Screened”. Your ad with that big beautiful check will be listed at the top of the search engine results page.
Nevertheless, with anything online marketing-related, LSAs operate best when complemented by a solid pay-per-click, SEO, and content strategy. Google continues to learn and think more like potential clients, this means there is no one size fits all strategy for quick results in online advertising. Quality and consistency remain critical.
Regardless, if your form misses out on local service ads for lawyers, this means you’re already behind. Seeing your law form in organic search results and paid advertisements increases the likelihood that clients click the link and reach out to your form.
GOA-TECH is a comprehensive marketing and IT firm located in the South Florida community. To learn more about how we can help your legal firm and advertising initiatives, reach out to us today!
