Law Firm SEO vs. Pay-per-click (PPC): What’s Best for Your Budget?
Which is better, SEO or pay-per-click ads? There are advantages to both, and it’s ideal to use a combination of the two.
Here’s why your law firm should implement both SEO and PPC:
Advantages of SEO for law firms
SEO is a long-term asset. PPC is an ongoing cost.
When you buy SEO, you have an asset that will keep generating business long after you purchase it. When you buy ads, you are left with nothing once the ad is over, and you have to keep pumping more money into ads.
When done properly, SEO offers long term results which include a snowball effect as you rank for more keywords. Each piece of content is an asset that will drive traffic to your website, build your reputation, and convert readers to clients for as long you keep it on the internet. Pay-per-click ads do not offer these long-term benefits.
When you purchase SEO, you own the content. It continues working for you at little or no ongoing cost. Pay-per-click requires ongoing investment and is expensive to maintain.
SEO avoids high cost-per-click for legal search terms
The cost per click for legal search terms is the highest of any industry, and the most competitive search terms cost hundreds of dollars per click. Thus, a blog or practice area page that organically ranks for popular search terms without the need to pay for ads is worth a fortune.
For example, if you have a web page that organically ranks for a keyword which costs $100 per click, and the web page receives 40 clicks per month, that means the page is worth $4,000 a month in what you would spend on ads. If you have several web pages ranking organically, together they can be worth tens of thousands of dollars or more in monthly ad spend.
High cost per click is difficult to justify, especially for smaller firms. SEO increases the value of your law firm website and thus makes a better long-term investment.
SEO attracts readers. Ads distract readers.
With SEO, you are providing useful information that people want. You are giving them something helpful that they were already looking for. With ads, you are distracting them from something else.
SEO allows you to provide laser-focused answers to clients’ specific questions about their case. The better you are able to answer client’s exact questions, the more likely they will return to you the next time they have a question, and the more likely they will hire you over someone else.
Also, traffic coming from ads is not coming from a value-driven source. Blogs and SEO demonstrate your value to leads and earn their trust. The leads from ads may have just clicked on the first ad they saw without doing any research about your firm. Thus, the lead may have minimal attachment and be less invested in your firm than if they found you through a blog or value-driven source.
SEO attracts better quality leads
With an organic lead, the lead has either read your content, seen your website, seen you on video, or some combination thereof. Thus, they already have reason to know and like you before they call you. They have some connection to your firm other than just clicking on an ad. So, it’s an easier conversation and an easier conversion.
PPC leads don’t know you or have any particular reason to like or trust you. All they have seen is a short ad.
SEO is more trustworthy than PPC
Up to 80% of people ignore the ads at the top of Google and go straight to the organic results. Organic content ranks high because it is helpful, not because someone paid to be at the top of search results. Thus, organic content is more trustworthy than ad content. Accordingly, people often skip the paid ads and go directly to the organic search results.
SEO provides verifiable results
With SEO, you can go to your website, see the content, and use analytics to verify the data about how your content is doing. SEO provides powerful data through Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track how your content is performing.
Some people don’t like the black box nature of pay-per-click ads because they’re not sure they’re getting what they paid for. There is no way to verify whether someone really clicked on your expensive ad, or if you are just getting billed for nothing.
SEO allows you to target specific types of cases and clients
SEO allows you to target the types of cases and clients you wish to generate. You do this by publishing blogs about the types of cases you want more of. You attract your ideal client by answering their burning questions about their case.
SEO builds your brand
Your SEO builds your brand beyond the limitations of paid ads. SEO allows you demonstrate your expertise on a subject and establish yourself as a leader in that area. Thus, SEO builds your reputation and generates new business along the way.
Regularly publishing SEO allows you to stay up to date with the latest issues in law and marketing, ensuring that your content is always fresh and relevant.
Advantages of Pay-Per-Click for Law Firms
PPC gets fast results
PPC gets immediate visibility and can lead to results very quickly. Thus, if you want to start getting clients now, PPC may be a good option.
SEO takes three months to one year to start gaining traction. Thus, SEO has a slower start. However, SEO also has much greater potential for long-term gains because you own the content and the content continues working for you long after you create it.
PPC gets better page placement
Ads are Google’s primary source of revenue; thus, Google prioritizes ads over organic content. Ads take up more than half of the front page of Google. Pay-per-click ads are always at the top of the page, and organic SEO appears below the ads. Thus, ads always have premium position on Google’s first page.
Note that if two law firms bid the same amount for a pay-per-click ad, the firm with better organic SEO will appear first over the other firm. In other words, the site with the better construction and content value will achieve the higher placement. Thus, organic SEO is important for PPC because it can help achieve a better paid position.
PPC is highly targeted
Pay-per-click ads allow you to be extremely granular in your targeting options. You can configure the settings to target people who are already looking for a lawyer in your location and practice areas.
PPC allows you to target your ad campaign by keywords, job type, time of day, time of week, searcher’s age and demographics, search device, and other variables. PPC can also be turned on and off instantaneously. PPC lets you to tightly focus your campaign geographically at a neighborhood level.
PPC also lets you schedule the ads for the times of week when you are available to talk to incoming leads. Only run your ads during time periods when you are available to handle incoming leads. Otherwise, you are losing by money by purchasing ad leads you cannot convert.
PPC gives you measurable ROI
Paid search provides analytics and monitoring tools that provide clear metrics. With appropriate reporting mechanisms in place, you can tell exactly what your cost per signed case is.
It’s important to have systems in place to track which source your lead came from. This data allows you to know which sources are performing well, and which need to be adjusted.
The best way to track your lead sources is to set up different landing pages for each ad source. Doing so allows you track which source the lead came through. Tracking the source of the lead allows to calculate your customer acquisition cost and cost per conversion of each lead source. These are important data to track. Other important data to track include: website traffic, leads from ad spend, traffic visits to calls, intake calls to clients signed, ad spend per client, cost per lead, cost per signed case.
Ask every incoming lead how they found and record the answer as part of your standard intake procedure. Put the question on the intake form you use to field incoming phone calls.
PPC gets you exposure
Pay per click gets you impressions. Even when people don’t click your ad, they are still seeing your name and your business at the top of Google search results. The exposure helps build awareness of your brand and enhance your SEO.
Advantages of Law Firm SEO and PPC Together
The best approach is to do both organic SEO and paid ads. Doing both at the same time compounds the benefits and gives you the best of both worlds. SEO is a long-term, cost-effective approach while PPC delivers immediate results. Diversifying your inbound lead sources increases your chances of success.
Good SEO enhances your PPC in three major ways:
1. Improves your Google Quality Score
Your Google Quality Score compares the quality of your ad to that of other advertisers on a 1-10 scale. A higher score means that your ad and landing page are more relevant and useful to someone searching for your keyword. A high Google Quality Score leads to better ad positions and lower costs per click.
2. Gets better ad positioning
If two law firms placed bids on the exact same keywords in the exact same amounts, the site with the better overall construction and content value will achieve the higher placement.
3. Gets better pay-per-click rates
Google gives better pay-per-click rates to websites with good SEO and good construction.
Thus, it is important to optimize your SEO before you begin PPC. Good SEO maximizes your ROI on ad spend – thus, we recommend auditing and updating your SEO before you start running ads.
If your SEO is poor, you risk losing PPC leads when they visit your website. Great SEO increases your conversion rate. No matter how much you bid on a PPC ad, your ability to convert is only as strong as the content on your landing page and website.
If your website and your landing page are not done properly, you will lose leads that you paid for, so ensure that those are set up properly.
Continuously Optimize your Ads and PPC
SEO and PPC need to be continuously optimized. Even when you are ranking high, there is always someone coming to take your spot. Continuous optimization and adaptation are the keys to maintaining your SEO and PPC in optimal form.
Use Google Ads, Google Search Console, Google Analytics and other data tracking tools to continuously monitor how your SEO and PPC are performing.
A Combined Law Firm Marketing Approach Works Best
Pairing SEO and PPC ensures that you are noticed by potential clients immediately and in the long term. However, you can further enhance your SEO and PPC by sharing your SEO content on social media and in email newsletters.
We suggest sharing your SEO content on LinkedIn and in your email newsletter to maximize its reach and value. Engaging SEO, PPC, LinkedIn, and newsletters together creates synergy and gives you four different lines in the water.
Professional Law firm SEO and PPC Management
If you want to do SEO and PPC, but don’t have time, you can hire an expert. However, be careful who you hire because you may waste your money.
How to Select a Law Firm SEO and PPC Provider
The person you hire must be able to:
- Collect data about your website using keyword research tools
- Provide a comprehensive website audit
- Research competitors, gather data, and conduct analysis to determine the best strategies
- Craft compelling content based on keyword data
- Create and optimize your campaigns
- Track your campaign’s performance
- Make data-driven updates to enhance the campaign’s performance
You want someone who specializes in law firm SEO and PPC and has specific knowledge about your practice area. Hire someone who has:
Elite writing skills: The skill level of your writer should reflect the professional abilities of your law firm.
Expertise in law: Must be able to read and understand blackletter law and all of its nuances and details.
Expertise in legal marketing: Must understand the nuances of legal marketing, such as compliance regulations.
Client testimonials and case studies: Be weary of people who have not done what they say they can do.
Customized strategies and services: SEO is not one size fits all. It must be customized based on your practice areas, location, budget and preferences.
Excellent communication skills: Must respond promptly to calls and emails. Must communicate clearly and transparently.
Specialize in law firm content: Law firm SEO is a specialized niche. The competition is fierce and the quality of the work must be A+. Hire someone who has experience working with law firms and operating in that space.
Experience practicing law: You want someone who has the knowledge that comes from practicing law and the ability to speak from first-hand experience.
Transparent billing and reporting: Billing should be clear and transparent. Monthly retainers are common for ongoing SEO services covering keyword research, on-page optimization, content creation, and performance monitoring. There should be regular reporting of results, strategy, goals and achievements.
Hire a Top Law Firm SEO and PPC Provider Today
Signaigo Legal Content helps top-tier law firms get high-quality clients from the internet. We create a lead funnel that implements SEO, PPC, social media, and email newsletters. It is a complete digital marketing solution.
We offer a complimentary consultation where we ask questions about your firm and create a detailed content plan based on your answers. There is no fee, no commitment, and the content plan is yours to keep.
Book your consultation today as we have limited space available.