Are you looking to take your law firm to the next level and trying to decide between PPC and SEO for lawyers? You’ve come to the right place. At Vertz Marketing, we’ve been using SEO and PPC marketing for over 15 years to help grow law firms in southeastern Wisconsin and throughout the United States.
It’s important to note that both can be highly profitable in terms of ROI; however, it needs to be done by an agency or person who understands keyword bidding and scaling a law firm with SEO.
With over 90% of searches for law firms resulting in a Google search, appearing in the top three results has never been more important. In addition, paid search has expanded to profitable ad platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Let’s take a look at law firm SEO vs PPC and walk you through why working with an agency might be the best approach for your business.
Key Takeaways
- Both SEO and PPC are profitable marketing options for law firms.
- Paid search works faster but can get expensive bidding for law firm keywords.
- Combining organic SEO and paid ads is the best approach for law firms.
- The law industry is extremely competitive and it takes a law firm marketing agency to get results.
- Our team at Vertz Marketing understands how to grow your law firm using both paid search and Organic Search.
Law Firm SEO VS PPC Key Differences
For law firms looking to attract clients online, both SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising offer valuable but distinct advantages. SEO focuses on improving your website’s organic search rankings through content and technical optimization.
It takes time to build but can lead to long-lasting, cost-effective traffic with higher credibility. In contrast, PPC involves paying for ads that appear immediately on search engines and other platforms. It provides instant visibility and precise targeting but requires ongoing investment to maintain. Here’s a quick comparison:
- SEO: Long-term, usually cost-effective, builds credibility, and offers sustainable traffic.
- PPC: Immediate results and precise targeting require continuous spending, which can increase and provide clearperformance data.
At Vertz Marketing, we combine the two strategies to provide optimal results by performing keyword research for your target verticals and your location.
SEO For Law Firm Marketing
Search engine optimization for law firms is the long-term strategy that often yields more consistent results. It’s typically cost-effective and more sustainable as you’re not paying for your position on search engines.
In 2024, SEO is becoming quite expensive for law firms as it’s harder to rank, typically requiring agencies to spend more resources to give you desirable results. This is in building backlinks, producing content, and continuously updating older content to perform well.
Advantages
SEO typically has a much higher click percentage than paid ads, as many individuals are starting to notice the difference between ads and will purposely click on an organic result. In addition, SEO is a long-term play that doesn’t go away overnight.
- Cost-Effectiveness: SEO is generally cheaper long-term than paid search if managed well by an expert agency.
- Credibility: High organic rankings build trust more than paid ads, especially with strong reviews.
- Measurable Results: Track performance and leads through Google Analytics and Search Console to see what works best.
- Targeted Traffic: Effective SEO targets specific case types, not just broad terms, for better results.
- Sustainability: SEO provides lasting benefits and traffic even if efforts are paused, unlike PPC which stops when the budget runs out.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage is that good SEO is time-consuming and can get expensive. SEO used to be cheaper than PPC, but now, with the steep increase in competition, you have to spend more time getting results, which often results in higher SEO spending. While SEO is known for being stable and producing long-lasting growth, you are subject to a potential Google algorithm update if you’re not staying up to date with the latest trends.
- Competition: SEO for law firms is extremely competitive, making it crucial to choose a top SEO company. Even with expert help, ranking on the first page can be challenging.
- Time: SEO efforts take time to yield results, often requiring several months to over a year, especially for highly competitive keywords.
- Cost: High-quality SEO can be expensive, particularly in competitive regions. Although it can be a worthwhile investment, returns are not immediate.
- Google Algorithm Updates: Frequent changes to Google’s algorithm can impact rankings, necessitating constant adjustments and ongoing strategy refinement.
PPC For Law Firms
PPC provides you with instant visibility on major search engines, which allows your law firm to reach potential clients quickly. With PPC, you are able to tweak and target specific keywords that are most likely to bring you clients, and you also can set your budget.
While SEO is a powerful tool for your law firm’s online visibility, you shouldn’t overlook the immediate impact of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising.
Advantages
With PPC, you can often see quick results in which the ROI is measureable. From there, you can A/B test and develop a strategy that is the most cost-effective.
- Precise Targeting: Focus on specific demographics, locations, interests, and search phrases to attract high-quality leads.
- Instant Visibility: Gain immediate prominence on Google, Facebook, and other platforms with quick ad placement.
- Flexible Budgeting: Control your spending with adjustable daily or monthly budgets.
- Measurable ROI: Track performance metrics like cost per signed case to assess return on investment.
- Scalable: Easily adjust your ad spend to scale up or down based on campaign results.
- Immediate Traffic: Start driving traffic right away, with the ability to make real-time optimizations.
Disadvantages
Law firm PPC can get pricy as you are going to be competing against other law firms in your area. The results of PPC also stop when you stop spending money on campaigns.
- High Cost: Legal PPC can be very expensive, with a high Cost Per Click (CPC) for competitive keywords. A substantial budget is often needed.
- Short-Term Impact: Visibility stops immediately once you stop funding your ads.
- Complexity: Running effective paid ads requires deep expertise in ad platforms, targeting, and ad copy. Campaigns need constant monitoring and adjustments for best results.
- Dependency on Budget: Continuous funding is required to maintain visibility and drive traffic.
Our Approach & Which Is Best To Focus On
At Vertz Marketing, we have been helping law firms achieve results for nearly 20 years. While the game has changed heavily in the last few years, our strategy still uses a mix of paid search, organic search, and social media/Instagram marketing.
What works now to achieve results has changed drastically over the years, which requires more work from the agency side to achieve optimal results.
Our team understands the PPC and SEO side and has been deeply involved in the latest strategies for growing big and small law firms.
What Makes Law Firm Marketing More Challenging Than Other Industries?
The main thing that makes the law firm industry so challenging is that it’s highly competitive for both organic and PPC. The reasoning is that so many use search engines when it comes to performing searches such as “accident lawyer near me.”
If your law firm is able to secure rankings for hard-to-win keywords, you will find efficient and quick-performing results.
Areas Of Focus
At Vertz Marketing, we are highly efficient in growing both local and national law firms. We have worked with many over the last 15 years, and we specialize in the following areas of Wisconsin:
- Milwaukee
- Brookfield
- New Berlin
- Greenfield
- Sussex
- Wauwatosa
- Mequon
- Menomonee Falls
Vertz Marketing: Case Closed
Now that you understand SEO and PPC for law firms, it’s clear why Vertz Marketing is the ideal partner for your digital marketing needs. Our expertise in both areas ensures that your firm ranks higher in search results and reaches potential clients through targeted ads.
By choosing Vertz Marketing, you’re investing in a strategy that integrates these powerful tools to maximize your online presence and drive qualified leads. Contact us today to find out how Vertz Marketing can take your law firm to the next level.