Branded Search Protection for Law Firms Running TV

You’re paying for TV advertising. It’s working. People are seeing your commercials. But when they search for you, they find your competitors instead.

This is the search gap. It’s costing you cases. This guide explains why it happens and how to fix it.

The Problem

What Happens After Someone Sees Your Ad

The myth: Someone sees your TV ad, remembers your phone number, calls immediately.

The reality:

They See Your Ad

Someone watching streaming TV sees your commercial.

They Grab Their Phone

70-80% of TV viewers have a phone in hand while watching.

They Search Your Name

They type your firm name into Google.

They See Competitor Ads

Google results show competitor ads above your organic listing.

They Click a Competitor

You paid for the ad. They got the lead.

The Search Gap

Option A

Option B

The gap: You invested in creating awareness. Competitors invested in capturing it. They win.

The Economics

Example:

CTV spend: $30,000/month
Leads generated by CTV awareness: 80
Leads captured by your search: 50
Leads captured by competitors: 30

You’re paying $30K to generate 80 leads. But you’re only getting 50. The other 30 go to competitors who are bidding on your brand name and ranking for searches you triggered.

Cost per captured lead: $600

Cost per lead if you captured all: $375

The difference is $18,000/month in leaked value.

How Competitors Steal Your Leads

Brand Bidding

Competitors bid on your firm name in Google Ads.

When someone searches “Johnson Law Firm,” they see:

Competitor ad: “Injured? Call Smith & Associates”
Competitor ad: “Top-Rated Injury Attorneys”
Your organic listing (maybe)
Your ad (if you’re bidding on yourself)

If you’re not bidding on your own name, competitors’ ads appear first. Some people click them.

Why This Works

Confusion: Searcher isn’t sure which firm was in the ad. Multiple options look viable.

Convenience: Top result is easiest to click. If that’s a competitor, they get the call.

Mobile behavior: Small screens, fast scrolling. Ads blur together.

Timing: Searcher is ready to act NOW. They’ll call whoever appears first.

The Legal Reality

Is brand bidding legal? Yes, in most cases.

+ Bidding on a competitor's name as a keyword
+ Showing your ad when someone searches for them
+ Offering an alternative in your ad copy

− Using their trademarked name in your ad text
− Implying affiliation or endorsement
− Confusing consumers about who they're calling

Competitors can bid on “Johnson Law Firm” legally. They just can’t say “We are Johnson Law Firm” in the ad.

The Solution: Search Protection

What It Means

Search protection ensures that when someone searches for your firm (because they saw your ad), they find you, not competitors.

Three layers:

Own your brand terms: Bid on your firm name, attorney names, misspellings
Defend against competitors: Outbid them on your own terms
Extend to related terms: Capture adjacent searches

Layer 1: Own Your Brand Terms

Bid on:

Your firm name
Variations and misspellings
Individual attorney names
Taglines if used in ads
Phone number (people search numbers)

Why bid on yourself?

“We rank #1 organically, why pay for ads?”

+ Ads appear above organic results
+ Owning the whole page crowds out competitors
+ Branded clicks are cheap ($1-5 vs. $200+ generic)
+ Control your messaging completely

− Competitors' ads appear above YOUR organic listing
− You lose 20-40% of clicks to competitor ads
− Your TV investment leaks to competitors
− No control over what searchers see first

Layer 2: Defend Against Competitors

Monitor: See who’s bidding on your terms

Outbid: Ensure your ad appears above theirs

Quality score: High relevance = lower costs, better placement

Ad copy: Make it clear this is YOUR firm

Examples:

“Johnson Law Firm reviews”
“Johnson Law Firm phone number”
“Is Johnson Law Firm good”
“Johnson Law Firm [city]”

People search more than just your name. Cover the variations.

The CTV + Search Coordination

Timing Matters

When your CTV campaign is running, branded search volume increases. That’s the point.

CTV Flights Scheduled

Campaign dates and markets defined in advance.

Search Bids Increase

During CTV flights, branded search bids automatically increase.

Budgets Align

Search budget scales with CTV activity.

Unified System

Both channels work together as one integrated system.

Budget Alignment

Typical allocation for CTV + Search:

Channel	% of Combined Budget	Role
CTV	70-80%	Awareness, demand creation
Branded search	10-15%	Capture CTV-generated demand
Generic search	10-15%	Capture existing demand

Branded search is cheap relative to CTV. It’s insurance that your investment pays off.

Message Matching

Your search ads should match your CTV ads:

CTV Ad Says	Search Ad Should Say
”We fight for you"	"We Fight For You"
"Call 555-1234”	Phone extension: 555-1234
”Free consultation"	"Free Consultation”

Consistency reinforces recognition. They searched because they saw something. Show them that thing.

Measuring the Gap

How to Track

Branded search volume: Track searches for your firm name over time. Correlate with CTV flights.

Auction insights: Google Ads shows who else is bidding on your terms and how often.

Search impression share: What percentage of branded searches show your ad?

Click share: When your ad shows, how often do you win the click?

What Good Looks Like

95%+ branded impression share target Source: Best Practice

$1-5 branded CPC (vs $150+ generic) Source: Industry Data

15-30% branded CTR target Source: Best Practice

Metric	Target
Branded impression share	95%+
Branded click share	80%+
Branded CPC	$1-5
Branded CTR	15-30%

If you’re below these on your own terms, you’re leaking leads.

Diagnosing Leaks

Low impression share: Not bidding enough, budget capped, or quality score issues

Low click share: Competitor ads more compelling, or you’re in position 2+

High CPC: Aggressive competitor bidding; may need to increase bids

Branded search volume not increasing: CTV awareness isn’t working, or message isn’t memorable

Second-Screen Behavior

The Phone Is Always There

70-80% of TV viewers have phone in hand Source: MNTN Research

0-5 min peak search window after ad exposure Source: Industry Data

65% of streamers use second screen Source: MNTN Research, 2025

Research shows:

70-80% of TV viewers have a phone in hand
Peak search activity occurs 0-5 minutes after ad exposure
35-45% of searches use exact brand name
Remainder use partial name, category, or related terms

Capturing Second-Screen

+ Landing pages mobile-first
+ Click-to-call button prominent
+ Fast load times (under 3 seconds)
+ Message consistency with TV ad

− Branded search campaigns always on
− Budgets uncapped for branded terms
− Bids high enough to always win
− Landing page matches both search and TV

The 5-Minute Window

The window after ad exposure is critical:

Attention is high
Intent is fresh
Competition is fierce

If you’re not capturing in that window, someone else is.

Competitor Strategy

Defensive: Protecting Your Brand

Own Your Terms Completely

Bid on all variations of your brand name with high impression share targets.

Monitor Competitors' Activity

Use auction insights to see who’s bidding on your terms and how often.

Respond to Aggressive Bidding

Increase bids, improve quality score, or escalate if necessary.

Offensive: Conquesting Competitors

Can you bid on their names? Yes, legally.

Should you? Depends:

If they’re attacking you, fair response
Can pull budget from where it’s more efficient
May escalate bidding war

If you do:

Don’t use their name in ad text
Offer clear alternative value
Track conversion rates (often lower than your own brand)

The Bidding War Question

Sometimes competitors engage in aggressive brand bidding wars.

Options:

Outbid them (can get expensive)
Accept some leakage (sacrifice some leads)
Escalate to their brand (retaliation)
Focus on quality score (win on relevance, not just bid)

There’s no perfect answer. It depends on your budget, their persistence, and the economics.

Implementation

Create Branded Campaigns

Campaign focused only on brand terms, high budget ceiling (don’t cap), target impression share bidding.

Build Keyword List

Firm name, variations/misspellings, attorney names, tagline, phone, and “[Firm] + reviews/phone/location” queries.

Write Ads That Claim Your Brand

Firm name in headlines, “Official” language if appropriate, and messaging that matches your CTV.

Monitor Auction Insights

Who else is showing? What’s your impression share? Are you losing clicks?

Adjust and Defend

Increase bids if competitors encroaching, improve quality score, add negative keywords if irrelevant traffic.

Ongoing Management

Weekly:

Check impression share
Review auction insights
Adjust bids if needed

Monthly:

Analyze branded search volume trends
Correlate with CTV activity
Review cost efficiency

Quarterly:

Comprehensive competitive analysis
Strategy adjustment
Coordination with CTV planning

The Taqtics Approach

We treat CTV and search as one integrated system:

CTV creates demand. We run the campaigns that make your phone ring.

Search captures demand. We ensure you capture what we create.

Exclusivity applies to both. Competitors can’t access our CTV audiences OR bid on our managed brand terms more effectively.

Unified reporting. You see CTV, branded search, and conversions in one view.

Running CTV without search protection is like advertising a sale without opening the store. We don’t do that.

Next Steps

References

Nielsen. “The Gauge: Streaming Peaks Again.” May 2025. https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/the-gauge-streaming-peaks-again-drawing-from-successful-multiplatform-strategies/
Nielsen. “The Gauge: TV Viewing in November.” December 2024. https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2024/tv-viewing-in-november-interval-reaches-highest-level-since-february-streaming-nabs-largest-share-of-tv-ever-in-the-gauge/
Nielsen. “The Gauge Data Center.” 2025. https://www.nielsen.com/data-center/the-gauge/
eMarketer. “Connected TV Continues to Redefine TV Advertising.” June 2025. https://www.emarketer.com/content/connected-tv-continues-redefine-tv-advertising