In this short on Legal Marketing by Spearleaf, Joshua Albanese, founder of Spearleaf, answers a firm owner who can't name one case the firm's ads signed: four ways law firms advertise, from Google search ads and Local Services Ads to Facebook and lead sellers, and how to count which one signs. Narrated with an AI voice clone of Joshua Albanese. Other characters are AI-generated. Every answer is written and checked by the Spearleaf team.
Read the full guide: Law Firm Advertising: 4 Ways and How to Tell What Signs →
Video Transcript
Business owner: Which law firm advertising actually signs cases? We've spent about forty thousand in three years, and I can't name one.
Joshua: Here are four ways law firms advertise, and how to tell which one signs. One, Google search ads. They can run in a day or two. LocaliQ's 2026 average for a legal lead is about $132, all practice areas together. A lead isn't a signed client.
Business owner: My vendor says it's working because the phones ring more.
Joshua: Ringing isn't signing. Ask every caller how they heard about you, and mark signed or not. Most callers just say Google, so give each ad its own tracking number. And get the ad account in the firm's name, so you see the real spend. Calls from out of state are often a setting. Choose Presence so the ads reach only people in your area. Two, Local Services Ads, the ones with the Google Verified badge. You pay per lead. Google checks the bar license of each lawyer in that practice area. New accounts take about three to four weeks.
Business owner: I always took that badge as Google vouching for the better lawyers.
Joshua: It checks a license. It doesn't grade anyone's skill. Better reviews can help it rank you higher. And answer during ad hours. A missed call over 20 seconds can still be charged as a lead. Three, Facebook and Instagram. Better for a will or a petition than for the call from jail. Hide or moderate comments on sensitive posts.
Business owner: A lead seller calls me every week swearing his cases are exclusive.
Joshua: Four, directory placements and lead sellers. You can pay for leads, but not to a seller who claims to recommend you or to have judged the case. Bigger firms add TV and billboards. Those mostly show up later as searches for your name, so report them apart. Whatever you run, the ABA's model rule says the ad must name a responsible lawyer or firm with contact info. Some states add labels or filing rules, so check your state bar's rules.
Business owner: So I find the cheapest one and cancel everything else?
Joshua: Usually it's a mix. Divide what each one costs by the cases it signed, and weigh what those cases are worth. Want the Position Zero Ads Manual We Use to Lower Our Ad Cost? Comment "DRIVE" and I'll send it. And follow for more answers like this.