Web Visits vs Phone Calls in Legal Advertising

The old model: TV ad runs, phone number flashes, viewers call.

The new reality: TV ad runs, viewer grabs phone, Googles your name, visits your website, maybe calls later.

This shift changes everything about how you measure and optimize legal advertising. Firms still expecting phone-first response from CTV are measuring the wrong thing, and missing most of their conversions.

The Second Screen Reality

When your commercial airs, the phone is already in their hand. They’re not reaching for the landline to dial your number. They’re typing your name into Google.

By Age Group

Age Group	Second Screen Usage	Source
Adults 18-34	83%	MNTN 2025
Adults 35-54	85%	MNTN 2025
Adults 55+	66%	MNTN 2025

Even 55+, the most phone-friendly demographic, still has two-thirds using second screens.

The Generational Divide

Response behavior splits sharply by age:

Under 40: Search First, Maybe Call

• Default behavior: See ad → Search name → Visit website → Form or chat
• Phone calls: Secondary, often after website research
• Expectation: Digital-first experience, instant information

40-55: Mixed Behavior

• See ad → Either search OR call, depending on context
• More likely to call during business hours
• Still comfortable with forms and chat

55+: More Likely to Call

• Traditional response pattern more common
• Still 66% use second screens (not zero)
• Phone calls remain significant conversion path
• But even this demo is shifting toward digital

Bottom line: If your practice serves primarily adults under 55, phone-first measurement dramatically undercounts your CTV response.

How CTV Response Actually Works

The Old Broadcast Model

Attribution was simple: calls during/after ad flights = TV response.

The Modern CTV Model

The conversion path is longer, multi-touch, and primarily digital. Phone calls still happen, but they’re one of several paths, not the only one.

Where CTV Conversions Actually Show Up

Conversion Path	Share of Response
Branded search (Google your name)	30-40%
Direct website visit (type URL)	20-30%
LSAs / Google Ads (search → click)	15-25%
Phone calls	15-25%
Retargeting → conversion	10-15%

70%+ of trackable conversions after CTV exposure occur on mobile web, search, LSAs, or subsequent touchpoints, not direct phone calls from the TV spot.

Measuring the Shift

What to Track

Traditional metrics (still valid, incomplete):

• Call volume during/after flights
• Calls mentioning TV

Modern metrics (essential):

• Branded search volume (Google Search Console)
• Direct traffic (Google Analytics)
• Website visits during ad flights
• Form submissions
• Chat conversations
• LSA lead volume
• Search conversion lift (exposed vs control)

The Measurement Stack

Tool	What It Measures
Google Analytics	Direct traffic, site visits, forms
Google Search Console	Branded search impressions/clicks
CallRail / call tracking	Call volume, source attribution
CTV platform reporting	Impressions, completion, households reached
CRM	Lead source, conversion path

Baseline-Lift Methodology

The most reliable CTV measurement approach:

1. Establish baseline. Branded search volume before CTV
2. Run CTV flight. Track during campaign
3. Measure lift. Compare search volume during vs before
4. Calculate attribution. Incremental searches × conversion rate = CTV-attributed leads

Case studies using this method show 82% lifts in search conversions and 4x increases in branded search when CTV is added.

Why the Shift Happened

1. Second Screens Are Universal

The phone is always within reach. Searching is faster than calling and gives the viewer control over the interaction.

2. Information Before Commitment

Calling feels like commitment. Visiting a website lets viewers research first: read reviews, check case results, understand the firm, decide if they want to engage.

3. Generational Comfort

Adults under 50 are more comfortable with digital interactions. Calling a stranger is higher friction than filling out a form.

4. Time Flexibility

Calls require someone to answer (business hours, intake capacity). Web visits work 24/7. Late-night CTV viewers research at midnight and convert later.

5. CTV Enables Search

CTV ads are non-skippable. Viewers watch the full message. That includes the firm name. Traditional broadcast often had viewers tuning out before the phone number registered.

Campaign Adjustments

Creative Adjustments

Tracking Adjustments

Old approach:

• Unique phone number = TV attribution
• Call volume = success metric

Modern approach:

• Multi-touch attribution model
• Branded search lift as primary KPI
• Website traffic during flights
• Blended conversion metrics
• Call tracking as ONE input, not the only input

Website Adjustments

If most response flows through web, your website becomes critical:

• Fast load time. Mobile users are impatient
• Clear conversion paths. Click-to-call, form, chat all visible
• Mobile optimized. 70%+ of CTV response is mobile
• Brand consistency. Match TV creative look/feel
• Trust signals. Reviews, results, credentials above fold

See our CRO for CTV traffic guide for detailed optimization.

The Beck & Beck Case Study

Real data from a CTV campaign:

Metric	Result
Commercial airs	300,000+
Web visits	120+
Phone calls	0

Zero. Not one.

The CTV drove traffic. The website didn’t convert it to calls.

Diagnosis: The campaign successfully built awareness and drove web visits (working as designed). The failure was conversion. The website wasn’t optimized for the CTV-driven traffic pattern.

The lesson: Measuring only phone calls would have declared this campaign a failure. Measuring web visits revealed the real picture: CTV worked, web conversion didn’t.

When Phone Calls Still Matter

Phone-first response hasn’t disappeared. It’s still significant in certain contexts:

Demographics

• Adults 55+ still call at higher rates
• Rural markets may have stronger call behavior
• Certain practice areas (nursing home, elder law) skew older

Timing

• Business hours: Higher call propensity
• Urgent injuries: More likely to call immediately
• Weekends/nights: More likely to research first, call later

Creative

• “Call now” messaging increases calls (at potential cost of web visits)
• Phone number prominence affects behavior
• Urgent tone prompts immediate action

Market

• Smaller markets may have stronger call culture
• Markets with older demographics
• Areas with less digital adoption

Optimizing for Both Paths

Don’t abandon phone tracking. Optimize for the full funnel:

For Phone Response

• Maintain visible phone number in creative
• Use tracked numbers for attribution
• Ensure 24/7 intake (or clear voicemail)
• Train intake on “saw your TV ad” mentions

For Web Response

• Prominent, searchable firm name in creative
• Website URL visible
• Landing pages for CTV traffic
• Mobile-optimized experience
• Multiple conversion options (form, chat, click-to-call)
• Retargeting on website visitors

Attribution Model

Source	Weight
Direct call during flight	High confidence TV
Branded search during flight	High confidence TV
Direct traffic during flight	High confidence TV
Form submission during flight	Medium confidence TV
Retargeting conversion	TV-assisted
LSA lead during flight	TV-assisted

Use lift methodology (during flight vs baseline) to estimate TV contribution to each channel.

The Future Direction

The shift toward web response will continue:

• Younger demographics entering peak injury-risk years are digital-native
• Voice search (“Hey Google, car accident lawyer”) growing
• QR codes enabling direct-to-landing-page response
• Interactive CTV allowing on-screen response (click remote → info sent to phone)
• Second-screen integration where CTV platforms push notifications to mobile

Firms building for phone-only response are building for a shrinking audience. The future is multi-path: phone AND web AND chat AND form AND search.

Action Items

The Bottom Line

88% of TV viewers have a phone in hand. When your commercial airs, they’re not calling. They’re searching.

Firms that measure only phone calls from CTV are:

• Missing 70%+ of their actual response
• Undervaluing their CTV investment
• Failing to optimize the primary conversion path
• Losing leads to competitors with better web experiences

The shift from “call now” to “search first” isn’t a problem. It’s an opportunity. Web-driven response is measurable, attributable, and optimizable in ways phone calls never were.

Build for how people actually respond, not how they responded 10 years ago.

References

1. Nielsen. “Second-Screen Behavior Study.” 2024.

2. MNTN Research. “An Exploration of Second-Screen Use by TV Viewers.” 2025. https://research.mountain.com/insights/an-exploration-of-second-screen-use-by-tv-viewers/

3. SoundDimension. “Second-Screen Behavior by Generation.” 2024.

4. Google. “Multi-Touch Attribution in Connected TV.” 2024.

5. Taqtics Market Intelligence. Proprietary analysis, 2025-2026.