Google has announced the launch of lead form extensions for Search and Video ads. As the name implies, this simply means that a potential client can submit a form directly from the paid advertisement without going to your law firm's website.
Practice areas such as estate planning, special needs planning, bankruptcy, family law and corporate law will probably...
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Your firm can be listed in search results for a broader range of queries if you establish your reputation with Google in a specific topic area. A Search Advocate explains how in a recent hangout.
When asked whether it is good practice to cover related topics in order to rank well for a specific topic, Search Advocate John Mueller responded that it is “always useful” to add content to your website that covers contextually relevant topics....
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How to Do a Content Gap Analysis for SEO (Search Engine Journal)
The ultimate goal for your law firm's website is to draw the attention of your potential client to have them contact you for your services. Potential clients looking to work with a law firm may be at different stages on their search. Some clients have will have a problem, but will be unsure of a solution and need more guidance. Other clients...
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Lawyers have to produce a lot of content to compete for organic rankings. Content of course is not just text. There are videos, presentations, ebooks, podcasts, blogs, web stories, and the list goes on. Since videos take a lot of time to produce, it's understandable that law firms would want to get the most mileage out of that content.
But some law firms are concerned that publishing text as a blog entry, that matches the audio of a...
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Perhaps she’s grouchy because she hasn’t had any trips to Custom Legal Marketing’s office this year. Or maybe it’s because she hasn’t been able to enjoy the unchaperoned freedom of barking at every person that drives by, walks by, or looks at her house. Whatever the reason, this year's candid photo of Maple, our 13-year-old dingo and 2017 Bigger Law Firm Magazine Covergirl encapsulates how many of us feel about this year.
As we usher in a...
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Earlier this year, we talked about the benefits of Google Web Stories and how law firms should be adopting this mobile media format. Before we share some examples, let us do a quick recap.
Think of it as a mobile-optimized presentation with videos, animations and slides. It is like a PowerPoint presentation on your website that users can discover in search.
Web Stories have been used by news media and magazines but...
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Google Confirms It Doesn’t Index Passages Separately (Search Engine Land)
Recently Google shared how individual passages of a webpage will soon be identified to better understand how relevancy between a page and a particular search. If you're worried that this meant you have to index passages separately, Google clarified in a Tweet that this will not be the case.
6 Ways To Improve Your Remote...
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If your firm is investing the time necessary to produce quality content, you will want to make sure this content is being read by more people than just your team members. Well-developed content is a key part of a comprehensive marketing plan. However, it only works for your firm if it is seen by as many potential clients as possible.
Firms, brands, marketers and individuals produce volumes of content every hour. Much of it is run-of-the-mill, but some of...
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Google Local Service Ads are now available for law firms. This is exciting news as there has been a lot of anticipation around this offering. With Google Local Service Ads, the advertiser (your law firm) pays per lead instead of paying per click like you would in a PPC campaign.
What are Google Local Service Ads?
A Local Service Ad (or LSA) is an advertisement that appears above the sponsored search results on Google. Someone can select a service provider and book them directly through the LSA page. Unlike pay-per-click, you the advertiser are charged per-lead and not every time someone clicks on your ad.
2. Click on the ad. Out of respect for the advertiser, I would normally not click on an ad while writing a blog. But in this case, who cares? The advertiser isn't paying per click, they're paying per lead. When clicking on the LSA ad, you're taken to the LSA landing page, not the advertiser's website.
You will notice that there is no other way to contact this advertiser except for the phone number (which we crossed out). Some advertisers may allow you to make an appointment directly from their LSA page. Whenever the advertiser is contacted through this page, that's when they're charged. When I clicked on the ad, this electrician wasn't charged anything.
1. Google has a cost estimator at https://ads.google.com/local-services-ads/cost/
2. Type in your zip code, the number of leads you want each month, and select your law firm's area of practice and then click on "Estimate Budget".
3. If you're like most law firms in most cities you will either:
a) Not see your practice area listed.
or
b) You will see this message: "We're not available in your area yet."
What we found for most industry categories was a cost per lead of $15-$40. If Google LSA can deliver leads for $15-$40 to lawyers, this will be an awesome addition to your law firm marketing efforts! Realistically, you can expect higher rates in competitive markets for competitive practice areas. Since lawyers are a new addition to the offering, there isn't a lot of data to work with.
Once it's available in your market, Google Local Service Ads will be a great compliment to your existing pay-per-click campaign. Plus, you will get a Google Guaranteed badge for $50/month after Google verifies your license, insurance, and legal status. That Google Guaranteed badge doesn't just apply to your Local Service Ads, that badge will get associated with your Google My Business listing which could help you earn more clicks from your organic map placement.
Give us a few details about your law firm, location, and practice areas and we will contact you when LSA's are available in your market.
Google Web Stories is a framework for building immersive, user-and mobile-friendly pages. A Web Story functions similarly to an Instagram story, in which a user swipes through a series of slides to learn about a topic.
Web Stories are part of the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) framework and are aimed at mobile users. The idea is to make the mobile reading experience more like the experience of using an app. This gives content producers control over their branding and narrative...
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