We’ve audited hundreds of law firm Google Ads accounts over 15 years. The same mistakes appear repeatedly, mistakes that at $100+ CPCs translate to thousands in monthly waste. For the full economics, see our Google Ads guide for lawyers. Here’s what to look for and how to fix it.
Mistake #1: Broad Match Without Negative Keywords
The problem: Broad match keywords trigger your ads for searches Google considers “related,” often very loosely related.
Bidding on “car accident lawyer” with broad match can show your ad for:
- “car accident statistics”
- “what to do after car accident” (might be okay)
- “car accident lawyer jobs” (not your client)
- “free car accident lawyers” (tire-kickers)
- “how to become an accident lawyer”
The cost: At $100+ per click, every irrelevant search that triggers your ad is money burned.
The fix: Either use phrase/exact match for more control, or build extensive negative keyword lists if using broad match. Review search terms reports weekly and add negatives aggressively.
Mistake #2: Geographic Targeting Too Wide
The problem: Your ads show to people outside your actual service area.
Common errors:
- Targeting “people interested in” a location (not just people IN the location)
- Including suburbs or regions you don’t actually serve
- Not excluding areas where you can’t take cases
- Targeting by state when you only serve one metro
The cost: Someone in Miami clicking your ad when you only serve Tampa is a wasted $100+ click.
The fix: Target only locations you actually serve. Use “presence” targeting (people IN the location), not “presence or interest.” Add negative location targeting for areas you don’t serve.
Mistake #3: Sending Traffic to Your Homepage
The problem: PPC traffic goes to your generic homepage instead of dedicated landing pages.
Homepages have:
- Navigation that lets people wander off
- Multiple practice areas competing for attention
- General firm information, not specific case-type focus
- Lower conversion rates than dedicated landing pages
The cost: Conversion rates can be 2-3x lower than optimized landing pages. You’re paying $100 per click to get a 3% conversion instead of 10%. Our analysis of why only 35% of law firm websites convert covers the design fundamentals that make landing pages work.
The fix: Build dedicated landing pages for each major case type and keyword theme. Match the page content to the search intent. Remove navigation and distractions.
Mistake #4: No Call Tracking
The problem: You don’t know which campaigns, keywords, or ads drive phone calls.
Without call tracking:
- All calls look like “direct” or “organic” traffic
- You can’t optimize toward what’s actually producing leads
- You can’t calculate true cost per lead or cost per case
- You’re flying blind with expensive campaigns
The cost: You can’t optimize what you can’t measure. Without call tracking, you’re guessing which campaigns work, and probably guessing wrong.
The fix: Implement dynamic number insertion (DNI) that swaps phone numbers based on traffic source. Integrate call tracking with Google Ads so phone conversions feed back into optimization. Services like CallRail make this straightforward.
Mistake #5: “Maximize Clicks” Bid Strategy
The problem: Google’s “Maximize Clicks” strategy optimizes for clicks, not conversions. It finds the cheapest clicks possible, often low-quality traffic that doesn’t convert.
In PI, you don’t want cheap clicks. You want clicks that become cases. “Maximize Clicks” can fill your account with $40 clicks that never convert, while your competitor pays $120 for clicks that sign.
The cost: Higher click volume but lower lead and case volume. Worse cost per case even if cost per click looks good.
The fix: Use “Maximize Conversions” or “Target CPA” bid strategies once you have enough conversion data (typically 15-30 conversions per month minimum). These strategies optimize toward leads, not clicks.
Mistake #6: Not Tracking Cost Per Signed Case
The problem: You measure cost per click or cost per lead, but not what actually matters: cost per signed, qualified case.
A lead isn’t a case. Many leads don’t qualify. Many qualified leads don’t sign. If you’re optimizing for leads without tracking which leads become cases, you’re optimizing for the wrong thing.
The cost: You might be driving high lead volume from low-quality sources while underinvesting in channels that produce fewer but better cases.
The fix: Connect Google Ads to your case management system. Import offline conversions when leads become signed cases. Optimize toward cost per case, not cost per lead.
Mistake #7: Ignoring Mobile Experience
The problem: 60%+ of PI searches are mobile, but your landing pages don’t work well on phones.
Mobile problems:
- Slow load times (3+ seconds kills conversions)
- Text too small to read
- Buttons too small to tap
- Forms that are hard to complete on mobile
- Phone number not click-to-call
The cost: You’re losing the majority of your traffic to poor mobile experience.
The fix: Test your landing pages on actual mobile devices. Ensure load times under 3 seconds. Make click-to-call prominent. Keep forms short and easy to complete with thumbs.
Mistake #8: Set-It-and-Forget-It Campaigns
The problem: Campaign launched, then ignored. No ongoing optimization.
What happens:
- Search terms drift toward irrelevant queries
- Competitors adjust, you don’t
- Costs creep up without performance improvements
- Seasonal patterns aren’t accounted for
- New negative keywords aren’t added
The cost: Gradual performance degradation and waste accumulation over time.
The fix: Weekly search term reviews. Monthly performance analysis. Quarterly strategy reviews. PPC is not a “set it and forget it” channel.
The Compound Effect
These mistakes compound. Broad match without negatives AND poor geo-targeting AND homepage traffic AND no call tracking can mean 50%+ of budget wasted.
At $30,000/month spend, that’s $15,000 in waste, enough to fund additional marketing channels that could actually grow your practice.
The Bigger Mistake
All of these mistakes assume you’re competing on generic keywords against every other firm. That’s the default game, and it’s expensive even when played perfectly.
The bigger opportunity isn’t optimizing your “car accident lawyer” campaigns. It’s building awareness that creates searches for YOUR firm name specifically, searches where you’re not competing, conversion rates are higher, and CPCs are a fraction of generic terms. That’s the core argument in our law firm marketing guide: awareness-driven inbound beats the keyword bidding war.
Fix the tactical mistakes. Then ask whether the strategy itself is optimal.