Why PI Lawyer CPCs Keep Rising

PI CPCs hit $200-500+ and keep rising. More advertisers, high case values, limited inventory. CTV creates demand you capture at $10-20 branded CPC.

If you’re running Google Ads for PI, you’ve felt it. CPCs that were $150 three years ago are $300+ now. Some keywords exceed $500 per click. Here’s why it’s happening and what to do about it.

The CPC Reality

Current PI Keyword Costs

KeywordTypical CPC Range
”car accident lawyer”$200-500
”personal injury attorney”$150-400
”truck accident lawyer”$300-600+
“motorcycle accident attorney”$250-500
”slip and fall lawyer”$150-350
”wrongful death attorney”$200-450

These are competitive markets. Less competitive markets may be lower, but the trend is universal.

The Escalation Trend

CPCs have increased substantially over 5 years:

  • More firms advertising
  • Agency proliferation
  • Bid automation raising floors
  • Limited inventory, growing demand

Why CPCs Keep Rising

Factor 1: More Advertisers

More PI firms are advertising on Google:

  • Barrier to entry is low
  • Agencies make it easy
  • Everyone’s doing it
  • Competition intensifies

Factor 2: Case Values Justify Higher Bids

PI case values are substantial:

  • Average case: $15,000-50,000
  • High-value cases: $100,000+
  • Firms can afford high CPCs
  • Willingness to pay increases

Factor 3: Limited Inventory

Search volume is finite:

  • Only so many people search per month
  • Can’t create more searches
  • Demand outpaces supply
  • Prices rise

Factor 4: Automation Arms Race

Smart bidding escalates bids:

  • Algorithms optimize for conversions
  • Competitors use same tools
  • Bids ratchet upward
  • Manual bidding loses

Factor 5: Quality Score Battles

Everyone optimizes quality scores:

  • When everyone optimizes, advantages disappear
  • Competition shifts to bid
  • Higher quality scores across the board = higher CPCs

The Math Problem

At a certain point, search economics break:

Scenario:

  • CPC: $400
  • Conversion rate: 5%
  • Cost per lead: $8,000
  • Lead-to-case conversion: 20%
  • Cost per case: $40,000

If your average case value is $40,000, you’re at breakeven. Before overhead, staff, and office costs. This isn’t a marketing problem anymore. It’s an economics problem.

Response Strategies

Strategy 1: Diversify to CTV

Create demand instead of fighting for it:

CTV economics:

  • CPM: $40 (cost per thousand impressions)
  • Completion rate: 94-96%
  • Creates branded searches
  • Capture at $10-20 CPC (branded terms)

CTV + branded search often beats generic search alone.

62% of consumers discover new brands through TV. Create demand, capture it cheaply.

Strategy 2: Protect Branded Terms

Your cheapest leads are branded searches:

  • CPCs: $5-20 (your firm name)
  • High conversion rates
  • High intent

Invest in awareness (CTV) that generates branded searches. Protect those terms aggressively.

Strategy 3: Long-Tail Keywords

Escape the most competitive terms:

  • Specific injury types
  • Geographic modifiers
  • Symptom-based queries
  • Less competition, lower CPCs

Strategy 4: Improve Conversion Rates

If you can’t lower CPCs, improve conversion:

  • Better landing pages
  • Faster response times
  • Phone answering optimization
  • Form optimization

10% → 15% conversion rate = 33% lower cost per lead.

Strategy 5: Quality Over Quantity

Focus on lead quality, not volume:

  • Some keywords produce better cases
  • Track to signed cases, not just leads
  • Optimize for case value, not lead count

Strategy 6: SEO Investment

Organic traffic doesn’t have CPC:

  • Long-term investment
  • Lower marginal cost per lead
  • Compounds over time
  • Reduces search dependence

Strategy 7: LSA Participation

Google Local Services Ads:

  • Pay per lead (not click)
  • Google Guaranteed badge
  • Different competitive dynamics
  • CPL often better than search

The Integrated Solution

Don’t abandon search. Integrate it differently:

ChannelRole% of Budget
CTVCreate demand35-45%
Branded searchCapture CTV-generated10-15%
Generic searchCapture market demand15-20%
SEOLong-term foundation15-20%
LSAAlternative capture5-10%

This reduces dependence on high-CPC generic terms.

The Brand Solution

The ultimate CPC solution is brand:

  • Strong brands get searched by name
  • Branded CPCs are stable and low
  • Brand reduces competitive pressure
  • Long-term investment, permanent payoff

Firms with household name status pay lower effective CPLs because so much demand comes through branded channels.

See Become a Household Name Law Firm.

Track your CPC trajectory:

Weekly

  • Average CPC by campaign
  • CPC by keyword
  • Auction insights (competitive pressure)

Monthly

  • CPC trend direction
  • Cost per lead trend
  • Branded vs. generic split

Quarterly

  • Strategic CPC assessment
  • Budget reallocation decisions
  • Alternative channel performance

What Not to Do

Don’t Just Spend More

Outspending competitors on the same keywords is a losing game. They can match or exceed.

Don’t Ignore the Trend

Hoping CPCs stabilize isn’t a strategy. They won’t.

Don’t Abandon Search Entirely

Search still captures active demand. Just don’t depend on it exclusively.

Don’t Under-Invest in Alternatives

Adding $5K to CTV while spending $50K on search won’t shift the equation. Meaningful investment required.

Expect continued pressure:

  • More advertisers, not fewer
  • Case values support high bids
  • Limited search inventory
  • AI bidding escalation

Firms that build alternatives now will be better positioned. Those depending solely on generic search will face increasing pressure.

For complete channel strategy, see the PI marketing guide.

References