Many DUI and criminal defense attorneys rely on online marketing to attract prospective clients, which has led to fierce competition for online visibility. Google search results are a vital component of any law firm marketing campaign, so it’s a good idea to understand exactly what your options are and how to leverage them for maximum effect.

If you’ve spent a lot of time perfecting your website, you’ll need to spend the same amount of time and effort getting prospects’ eyes on your site by using one of several methods.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising for Your Law Firm

Pay-per-click advertising is an effective way to produce immediate results. The most popular PPC service is Google Ads (previously Google AdWords), which works by placing your link at the top of a keyword search result. If someone clicks on the link, you pay Google an agreed-upon fee, regardless of whether that click leads to a converted lead or not.

A good PPC campaign can produce plenty of leads, but you must have the infrastructure in place to convert these leads into paying customers. This aspect is especially true in law, where competition for keywords has driven up the cost per click significantly. If you don’t have a web site that effectively converts leads, you’ll end up spending a lot of money for nothing.

PPC has several drawbacks, including the cost, the amount of work involved, and the lack of investment permanence. Still, it also represents an appealing option for the law firm that needs a quick boost in potential clients while setting up something more permanent.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of Your Law Practice’s Site

Unlike PPC, SEO is a long-term strategy that focuses on generating organic results by maximizing your site’s adherence to Google’s algorithm. Many people consider organic search results more trustworthy than ads, and SEO can produce a fantastic return on investment if implemented correctly.

Implementing a good SEO strategy takes time. Having a mobile-friendly website isn’t enough; the secret is also about proving your law firm’s authority and expertise, having the right information on all the aggregator sites, and continually making small adjustments to conform to the search engines’ requirements. This demands expertise.

While law firm SEO is a vital component of any marketing strategy, it does have several drawbacks. One is that it requires a large up-front commitment to a plan that will not produce results for several months. However, it is an affordable option that will continue to improve your website visibility for a long time after the campaign ends.

How to Maximize Your Marketing Budget

A law firm needs visibility to succeed. While organic search results are superior to paid search, there are still plenty of reasons to use SEO and PPC simultaneously.

Which one you choose will depend upon your particular circumstances. What has worked for other law firms may not work for you. At Clicks Geek, we will make sure that you’re getting the results you want. We use Google Analytics to evaluate site performance while letting you get on with the business of being an attorney. Give us a call at 917-310-1597 to find out how to increase your leads and generate revenue today!

Ed Stapleton Jr.