PPC Isn’t Just About Spending — It’s About Spending Smart
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be one of the most powerful tools in a law firm’s marketing strategy. But it’s also one of the easiest ways to burn through your budget with little to show for it. If you’re not tracking performance or adjusting your campaigns regularly, you could be pouring thousands of dollars into clicks that never convert into clients. So how do you know if your PPC campaign is broken? Here are seven clear warning signs your Google Ads account needs a serious overhaul — before it costs your firm another dollar.
1. You’re Getting Clicks, But No Calls
You’re spending money and traffic is coming in, but your phone isn’t ringing. That’s one of the clearest signs your campaign isn’t working. Clicks without conversions usually mean there’s a disconnect somewhere. Maybe your ads are targeting the wrong audience. Maybe your landing page is slow, confusing, or not mobile-friendly. If potential clients are clicking and bouncing, something is broken between the ad and the intake process.
2. You Don’t Know Your Cost Per Lead
If you don’t know how much it costs to generate a single lead, you’re flying blind. Every law firm’s ideal cost per lead is different, but you need to know what you’re paying to evaluate ROI. Are you spending $75 to get a phone call from a qualified lead? Or $400 for someone who bounces after one ring? If your PPC agency or in-house team can’t give you this number, your campaign isn’t being tracked effectively — and that usually means wasted spend.
3. Your Ads Are Showing for the Wrong Keywords
Too many legal PPC campaigns are built on broad, expensive keywords that attract the wrong searchers. If your personal injury firm’s ads are showing up for “cheap car insurance” or your criminal defense campaign is targeting “free legal aid,” you’re paying for irrelevant traffic. Bad keyword targeting drains your budget fast. You need tightly controlled keyword lists and negative keywords to keep your ads in front of the right prospects — not just anyone searching “lawyer.”
4. You’re Not Using a Landing Page
Sending paid traffic to your homepage is one of the biggest PPC mistakes law firms make. Your homepage might look great, but it’s built for general browsing — not conversions. A custom landing page designed specifically for your ad campaign can double or triple your lead conversion rate. If you’re not using targeted landing pages with focused messaging, strong calls to action, and click-to-call buttons, you’re not giving potential clients a clear path to contact you. Our pay-per-click advertising team builds high-converting landing pages tailored to your specific practice areas — because every click counts.
5. You Haven’t Touched Your Ads in Months
Google Ads is not a set-it-and-forget-it platform. Your competitors are constantly updating their campaigns, testing new copy, adjusting bids, and refining their targeting. If your ads haven’t been changed in weeks or months, you’re losing ground. Ad fatigue, outdated offers, and seasonal shifts in search behavior can all tank your performance over time. Campaigns need active management, regular optimization, and fresh creative to stay competitive.
6. Your Quality Score Is Killing Your Budget
Google assigns every keyword in your account a Quality Score — a number from 1 to 10 that measures ad relevance, landing page experience, and click-through rate. A low Quality Score means Google sees your ads as poor quality and they’ll charge you more for each click as a result. If your firm has low scores across the board, your cost per click can skyrocket without any improvement in lead quality. A well-structured PPC campaign with strong ad relevance and optimized landing pages can cut your cost per lead in half.
7. You’re Not Getting Clear Reports from Your Marketing Team
If your PPC agency sends you vague reports filled with buzzwords and no real data, that’s a red flag. You should know exactly how many leads came from your ads, what each one cost, and how performance compares month over month. Transparency is key. You need to see what’s working, what’s not, and where every dollar is going. Without that clarity, you’re not running a campaign — you’re writing a blank check.
Call Epic Web Results for Help on Your Next PPC Campaign
If any of these signs sound familiar, it’s time for a serious PPC audit. Contact us to stop wasting money and start generating real results for your law firm.
