As an attorney, competition is steep both on and off the web. Your only way to fight back is through a strong marketing strategy. Your digital marketing efforts will make all the difference when it comes to outshining your competitors. If you’re not utilizing pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to compliment your other marketing initiatives, you’re missing a big piece of the online marketing puzzle.
Not so long ago, having just a website may have been enough to produce new business. Then the internet became more intelligent, and search engine optimization (SEO) changed everything. With the right SEO, your website competed for placement at the top of search engine results through organic searches. Unfortunately, this too is no longer enough.
Great SEO can still help your digital marketing; however, utilizing only SEO means your website is often displayed below the well-known local Map Listings and is pushed even further down the page to make room for the paid advertising (PPC) that typically dominates the top of the page. This means a well-rounded digital marketing strategy utilizing both organic and paid listings is critical to any successful online marketing program.
What is PPC advertising?
Pay-per-click ads are just that; you pay for these ads per click rather than by how many times they are shown. In order to understand how PPC ads work, you need to understand keywords.
Keywords are the specific terms your audience uses to search for you. When terms such as ‘attorney’ are typed into a search engine like Google, the internet presents the user with relevant links to their query that include paid ads, local maps, and organic listings respectively.
Visibility is Key
Paid advertising allows you to bid on specific keywords so that your firm appears on the top of someone’s search results. Search engine result placement is important when it comes to your firm’s visibility and digital presence. Think about it, how often do you go to the second page of your search results? Almost never!
Appearing front and center is the only way for clients to find you. As the online “attorney” market becomes even more competitive, PPC advertising enhances the visibility you need to grow your practice.
Immediate Results
SEO can often take many months to get your site listed on the first page of search engine results, whereas PPC advertising gets you instant visibility. Additionally, PPC ad visibility lasts for as long as your paid campaign is up and running. This is particularly important for boosting your search engine presence in response to timely events. For example, a family law attorney can launch an ad campaign focused on a recent change in the law regarding child support payments and obtain immediate exposure.
Multiple Targeting Strategies
Your targeting strategy plays an essential role in reaching the audience most likely to become new clients. Utilizing keywords is an excellent method for PPC ads, but there are additional strategies to help you avoid spending money on irrelevant clicks. For example, your ads can utilize location to target clients in the geographic areas you serve or target users by the device they are conducting searches from.
There are many benefits to incorporating PPC ads into your digital marketing strategy. If your law firm is looking to increase visibility quickly and target a specific audience, PPC ads are often your best investment.
