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Google Ads for Lawyers: 8 Mistakes to Avoid

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Does your current Google ad marketing strategy feel obsolete?

Google reports that its advertising platform delivers up to 8:1 return on investment and an average conversion rate of 4.40%.

M2-4-Google-ads-conversion-rate-benchmarks.png

(Source: Wordstream)

Since using Google PPC for lawyers to promote your law firm and drive conversions can be very rewarding, many marketers and lawyers are prone to making Google Ads mistakes.

We aim to show you 8 Google Ads mistakes you are likely to make while using Google Ads for lawyers and the best ways to avoid them.

We’ll cover:

  • #1: Keyword Stuffing
  • #2: Ignoring Negative Keywords
  • #3: Underestimating Quality Scores
  • #4: Flawed Ad Groups
  • #5: Wrong Audience Targeting
  • #6: Mismanaged Account Settings
  • #7: Landing Page Errors
  • #8: Hiring A Novice Advertising Agency

Let’s get started!

#1: Keyword Stuffing

Google defines keyword stuffing as “the act of loading a website with keywords or figures in an attempt to affect a site’s ranking in Google’s search results.”

Google search engines have become more aware of what is generally referred to as “keyword stuffing.” Nowadays, proving the worth of your law firm’s advertising content is far more vital than repeating the same terms repeatedly.

M2-4-Keyword-Stuffing-Examples-1536x1024.png

(Source: Content Writers)

Depart from These Google Keyword Dangers

Here are things you should avoid because if Google’s algorithm suspects you of keyword stuffing, it will penalize you.

1. Do Not Use Ambiguous Headers or Titles that Contain Multiple Keywords

A vague-sounding headline will not entice visitors to click on your Google Ads for lawyers; instead, it will just mislead search engines and people.

The same is applicable when every webpage has a title or header that is relatively similar. Therefore, it’s better to be direct, specifically with headers content, and differentiate each ad’s title based on the material on that page.

2. Don’t Use the Same Term More than Once in a Paragraph or on a Webpage

If every paragraph on your law firm advertising site includes the term “best criminal lawyers in Orange County,” for example, your readers will find it difficult to read. It degrades the client’s experience, which is a crucial aspect of SEO, and makes it difficult for visitors to access information or answers to their questions.

3. Avoid Using “Invisible” Keywords

Some firms will make their keyword stuffing invisible to avoid the problem of poor user experience. For example, they may put phrases into the page’s alt tags or metadata; however, the keywords metadata on a law firm advertising webpage has little value to Google in the first place.

Some even go so far as to repeat phrases in the article while altering the text color to match the site’s background color so that users will notice.

In either case, Google will be aware of your intentions, and your ads will most likely slide further down the ranks.

#2: Ignoring Negative Keywords

Negative keywords are phrases or words that allow you to control who sees your advertisements. 

M2-4-negative-keywords.jpg

(Source: SEJ)

When Should I Start Using Negative Keywords?

If you are looking at achieving the following for your Google Ads for lawyers:

  • Save your business money
  • Attract more relevant users to your site
  • Increase conversion rate
  • Improve Return On Ad Spend
  • Improve the relevance of your ad groups
  • Improve Click Through Rate (CTR)

Then it is time to use negative keywords.

#3: Underestimating Quality Scores

A Quality Score is a ranking given by Google to websites. It represents the relevance and quality of the site concerning its PPC services for lawyers’ adverts and keywords. Google employs Quality Scores to calculate a domain’s  CPC (cost-per-click) rates, which are then multiplied by the firm’s maximum bid to determine ad rank.

M2-4-Google-Quality-Score-CPC-benefits.png

(Source: 2Stallions)

Any law firm advertising agency that uses Google PPC for lawyers must have a high Google Quality Score. Advertisers care about Quality Score because it directly impacts how much advertisers pay for CPC. The better the Quality Score, the less probable they will have to pay for CPC.

The Importance of Quality Scores

M2-4-Google-ads-quality-score.png

(Source: Kparser)

The other reasons why Quality Score is significant are as follows:

1. It Determines How Much a CPC Advertiser Must Spend

Advertisers with better Quality Scores often pay less to keep their ad rankings in the ad auction over the next ad. Conversely, a lower Quality Score frequently means that the firm owner must pay more to keep their ad’s position or even rank at all.

2. It Has an Impact on Where Your Advert Will be Ranked

Quality Scores have a direct effect on how an advert ranks as well. Higher Quality Score often translates to a better ad rank, which typically receives more clicks than lower-ranked ads.

3. It Affects Which Ads are Qualified to Participate in an Ad Auction

Ads on Google are displayed using an auction mechanism. Google does not typically want to show Google Ads for lawyers that aren’t relevant to a user; therefore, if an ad isn’t appropriate, it may not be recognized during the advert auction without paying excessive money.

In addition, ad relevance directly impacts Quality Quality Score; therefore, the greater the Quality Score, the more relevant your site’s Google PPC for lawyers are in Google’s view.

#4: Flawed Ad Groups

Ad group flaws come in different forms, and can result in an unsuccessful ad campaign.

Ad Groups Mistake to Overcome

Here are the most typical ad group flaws to overcome as a lawyer:

Using Incorrect Language

Marketing communication is rapidly eclipsing interruption marketing.  Your advertising legal services will fail if they feel too corporate, alienating, or generic.

To overcome this, visualize your marketing initiatives as stories and uncover the emotional hook in your narrative. (Empathy is essential.) Next, consider the words you’re employing. Finally, speak to their level of knowledge and in your natural voice.

Prioritizing Quantity Over Quality

You may believe that creating more material would bring you more clients, but the quality of all your content is the magnet that will bring them to you. Therefore, it’s better to invest your money in good, evergreen content that you can utilize for numerous law firm advertising ideas rather than squander your efforts on a bunch of fluff that doesn’t have much of an impact.

The Incorrect Metrics

Metrics allow you to monitor your success by altering and improving your law firm advertising ideas to better your outcomes. Your metrics may be in place, but if they’re not giving the insights you require, they aren’t working for you.

You can overcome this by defining your metrics and ensuring consistency with your marketing objectives.

The Content is Not Optimized

While you may focus your advertising legal services effort on a single channel, individuals might find your content in various ways. Organic search is essential, but you’ll lose out on valuable visitors if your website content isn’t SEO-optimized.

You can overcome this by utilizing the appropriate keywords and optimizing from your infographics down to your blog. Also, ensure that your sharing buttons are operational and that your CTAs are effective.

There is No Branding

Brand-centric content should not be the foundation of Google Ads management campaigns. However, prospective clients should be aware that you provide the content.

The key to growing brand awareness and creating a relationship is to tell your business’s narrative consistently and cohesively. You’re harming yourself if you’re providing excellent material, but no one knows it’s from you.

You may combat this by ensuring that your advertising legal services marketing initiatives reflect your visual brand, voice, and personality accurately. Create clear and simple brand rules that all content creators can use. It guarantees that the message is consistent across all channels.

You’re Not Trying New Things

We’re all afraid of taking risks, but keeping it safe doesn’t always work in digital marketing. Marketing efforts are frequently watered down or sterilized because stakeholders are too scared to veer too far. However, if you want better outcomes for your law firm advertising ideas, you must be willing to take risks.

You can overcome this by attempting a new format or varying the structure in other ways. Again, if you start small, the stakes are lower—but you might discover something that will catapult your Google Ads management campaign to the next level.

#5: Wrong Audience Targeting

Your perception of your target audience may differ from the truth of who they are.

Audience Targeting: Risks to Avoid

Here are some dangers to watch out for when targeting clients:

There is No Internal Alignment

Individual departments within your firm may establish their plans without feedback from other departments resulting in inefficiency, confusion, and, most likely, the failure to meet the firm’s Google Ads goals.

The Audience is Correct,But the Analysis is Not

Even if you understand your target consumers, your firm may be out of sync with their requirements and how to best reach them. As a result, your PPC services for lawyers can be a waste of time and resources, and it might alienate an audience in the worst-case situation.

If you feel your law firm marketing is not working jointly to focus on the correct target audiences, use the Risk Audit Checklist to see if audience preconceptions add to reputational risk.

Not Identifying the Right Audience

Audiences aren’t merely individuals who will come to your firm with a slew of cases. It is critical to identify all stakeholders vital to meeting your business objectives. Depending on the type of law practiced, lawyers frequently have their own top three target audiences in mind.

Without devoting sufficient time to identifying all potential audiences and articulating why they are or are not a key audience, you risk overlooking a critical audience who could have a significant impact on your business.

Not Determining Which Audience is Most Important

Another prevalent scenario when firms are requested for a list of target audiences for their PPC services for lawyers is the response “everyone.”

Prioritization is frequently one of the most challenging tasks in the strategic planning process. Solid competition analysis can help you understand your target audiences and the other audiences that your competitors are addressing.

#6: Wrong Account Settings

A mismanaged Google Ads account can cost you more money than it brings in, instead of driving lots of traffic to your website.

How to Best Manage Account Settings

To manage your Google account settings, open Google Settings, go to Account and click on Manage your Google Account. Select any tab you want to manage, then customize it to your preferred settings.

#7: Landing Page Errors

According to a Portent study, landing pages with a loading time of not more than 2 seconds converted better than slower ones.

You’re directing thousands of leads to your web pages, but there’s one issue. Customers arrive at your page, browse around, and then depart. As more clients land on your site and bounce, your marketing ROI decreases.

M2-4-The-benefits-of-an-effective-landing-page.jpg

(Source: Xirosoft)

Biggest Landing Page Errors to Fix

Here are the most common landing page mistakes and how to solve them:

Expired Links

Broken connections are the fastest way of losing potential clients. Clients will most likely click the back arrow in this case,  unlikely to return, and you will lose a possible sale.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider can assist you in checking your website for problems, technical flaws, and broken links. In addition, you can use Google Search Console as a free alternative.

Ensure that CTA works, every form submission is proper, and every download results in the desired outcome.

You Aren’t Tracking Your Landing Webpage

You can’t optimize your landing webpage unless you know how well it currently performs. Unfortunately, a critical mistake that many business owners make is failing to monitor and measure the results of their landing pages.

Spend time reviewing your traffic analytics and tracing user website behavior and clicks with Google Virtual Pageviews and Analytics Event Tracking.   This data is essential for optimizing and reviewing the results of each homepage.

It is Not Mobile-Optimized

Did you know that clients use their mobile devices to access the internet more than they do their desktop computers? Statista reports that smartphone users will reach 6,567 million this year and over 7 million by 2024. Meanwhile, the global website traffic from mobile devices was 54.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021.

M2-4-Smartphone-Usage-Statistics.jpg

(Source: Finances Online)

How does your site look on mobile devices? The Google Mobile-Friendly Test is a simple way to see.

Here are four essential mobile design tips:

  • First, limit headlines to no more than 5 words.
  • Second, remember to include your corporate logo.
  • Third, use whitespace and simplicity in your design.
  • Finally, maintain a basic form with a solid call to action button.

Your Landing Page Isn’t Being Tested

You should test multiple versions of your site’s landing page because you won’t know what works or how well it works unless you do.

A/B testing provides a wealth of information about your customers’ behavior and wants. Use the data from A/B testing to optimize your sites and make the best marketing decisions. You can quickly run A/B testing using Google’s Website Optimizer.

Loading Times Are Slow

Slow load speeds are at the top of the list of landing page errors for a reason. A site that takes more than three seconds to open will lose 53 percent of its visitors. A slow website can also be a lousy ranking factor on SERPs, making it more difficult for clients to locate you online.

How can you speed up the landing page of your Google ads? Images could be the most common cause of slow webpage load time. Resizing and compressing photos to fit the structure of any landing page is always a viable option. Compressor.io is a top image compressing tool you can use.

Format Cluttered

A cluttered interface with too many boxes, different navigation patterns, and bold writing results in a lousy viewing experience.

Things to keep in mind when creating a clutter-free landing page:

  • Use creative imagery (but not too many)
  • Limit your links/options
  • Remember the adage “less is more.”

#8: Hiring A Novice Advertising Agency

We’ve discovered that some blunders often derail well-intentioned law firms when they try to engage a competent law firm advertising agency for your ad campaign.

Avoid this Blunder Before You Hire an Advertising Agency

  • Working on Google Ads management campaigns without having a marketing budget;
  • Approaching the best lawyer Google Ads agency without having a specific marketing objective;
  • Choosing the most affordable law firm advertising agency without keeping quality in mind;
  • Failure to obtain a plan from the best lawyer Google Ads digital agency

Run a Successful Google Ads Campaign

It is possible to run a successful Google Ads management campaign, even though it will take some time, lots of patience, and testing. However, if you are new at using Google Ads for your law firm, you may find it difficult to avoid the Google Ads mistakes we discussed in this article.

And that’s where FlyingVGroup comes in. We have the experience and expertise to run a successful Google PPC for lawyers campaign for your law firm without making costly mistakes. Contact us.

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Written by Robb Fahrion

Robb Fahrion is a Co-Founder and Partner of Flying V Group. Robb has helped over 350+ companies build their businesses online and is responsible for building Flying V Group into one of the premier marketing agencies in the United States. Robb and his team have managed over $10M in marketing budget and continue to accelerate the growth of clients' businesses. A love for business and competition is what fuels Robb to create dynamic marketing plans to help his clients grow exponentially.

April 4, 2022

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