Best Keywords for Personal Injury Lawyer Google Ads

Personal injury is the most expensive legal category in Google Ads — CPCs routinely hit $200–$400 in competitive metros. At those prices, choosing the wrong keywords isn't a minor mistake. It's a five-figure monthly loss. After managing PI campaigns with over $1.8M in annual spend, I've learned that keyword selection is where most firms either win big or bleed out slowly.

This guide breaks down the keyword categories that actually convert for PPC for lawyers campaigns, with real examples and the strategic logic behind each tier.

The Keyword Intent Hierarchy

Not all keywords are created equal. Understanding the intent hierarchy helps you allocate budget where it matters.

Tier 1: High-Intent Case Type + Action Keywords

These are your money keywords. The searcher has a specific case type and is looking to take action.

Examples:

• "car accident lawyer near me"
• "hire truck accident attorney"
• "motorcycle accident lawyer free consultation"
• "slip and fall attorney [city]"
• "wrongful death lawyer consultation"

Why they convert: The searcher has already identified their situation AND is looking for legal help. They're not researching — they're shopping. These keywords have the highest CPCs but also the highest conversion rates (8–15% to qualified lead in well-optimized accounts).

Bid strategy: Max aggression. These keywords should get your highest bids and dedicated landing pages for each case type.

Tier 2: Case Type + Location Keywords

Geographic modifiers signal local intent, which is critical for legal services.

Examples:

• "personal injury lawyer Houston"
• "car accident attorney Los Angeles"
• "truck accident lawyer Dallas Fort Worth"
• "brain injury attorney Chicago"

Why they convert: Location-specific searches indicate the person is looking for a local firm, not just general information. Conversion rates typically run 5–10%.

Bid strategy: Strong bids, but segment by city/region in separate campaigns to control budget allocation across your service area.

Tier 3: Specific Injury Keywords

These target people searching for legal help with a specific injury type.

Examples:

• "spinal cord injury lawyer"
• "traumatic brain injury attorney"
• "broken bone car accident lawyer"
• "whiplash injury settlement attorney"

Why they convert: Injury-specific searches often indicate more serious cases with higher potential value. Someone searching "traumatic brain injury lawyer" likely has a significant case.

Bid strategy: Moderate-to-high bids. Create dedicated ad groups and landing pages for each major injury type.

Tier 4: Defendant/At-Fault Party Keywords

Searchers identifying who caused their injury.

Examples:

• "lawyer for accident caused by drunk driver"
• "sue Uber for accident"
• "commercial truck company lawsuit attorney"
• "sue city for sidewalk injury"

Why they convert: These searchers have already identified fault, which often means cleaner liability and higher case values. Conversion rates: 4–8%.

Bid strategy: Moderate bids. These are lower volume but often high quality.

Ready to audit your keyword strategy? Book a free PPC consultation and we'll analyze which keywords are driving cases vs. draining budget.

Keywords to Avoid (Budget Killers)

Just as important as knowing what to bid on is knowing what to block.

Informational Keywords

• "what to do after a car accident"
• "how long do I have to file a lawsuit"
• "average settlement for car accident"
• "is it worth getting a lawyer for a car accident"

Why they fail: These searchers are in research mode, not hiring mode. CPCs are lower, but conversion rates are under 1%. Even if they convert, they're often not ready to sign.

What to do: Add as negative keywords or put in a separate, low-budget campaign for remarketing list building only.

DIY/Settlement Keywords

• "how to negotiate with insurance company"
• "car accident settlement without lawyer"
• "handle injury claim myself"

Why they fail: These people are actively trying to avoid hiring you. Block them.

Career/Education Keywords

• "how to become a personal injury lawyer"
• "personal injury lawyer salary"
• "law school personal injury"

Why they fail: Zero commercial intent. Should be negative keywords in every PI campaign.

Competitor Brand Keywords

• "[Competitor Firm Name] reviews"
• "[Competitor Firm Name] phone number"

Why they're risky: Bidding on competitor names can work, but CPCs are high and conversion rates are low because the searcher wanted that specific firm. Test carefully with a separate campaign and strict ROAS targets.

Building Your Keyword Structure

Here's how we structure PI campaigns for maximum control and optimization:

Campaign Structure Example

Campaign: Personal Injury - Car Accidents
├── Ad Group: Car Accident Lawyer [City]
├── Ad Group: Auto Accident Attorney Near Me
├── Ad Group: Hire Car Accident Lawyer
└── Ad Group: Car Accident Free Consultation

Campaign: Personal Injury - Truck Accidents
├── Ad Group: Truck Accident Lawyer [City]
├── Ad Group: 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney
├── Ad Group: Commercial Truck Accident Lawyer
└── Ad Group: Semi Truck Crash Attorney

Campaign: Personal Injury - Motorcycle
├── Ad Group: Motorcycle Accident Lawyer [City]
├── Ad Group: Motorcycle Crash Attorney
└── Ad Group: Bike Accident Injury Lawyer

Match Type Strategy

Exact match for your highest-intent, highest-CPC keywords. This gives you maximum control over when your ads show.

Phrase match for longer-tail variations and location-based searches. Captures useful variations while maintaining relevance.

Broad match should be limited to discovery campaigns with tight CPA targets and aggressive negative keyword management. Google's broad match has improved, but it still finds creative ways to spend your budget on irrelevant searches.

Local Keyword Modifiers That Work

For multi-location firms or those serving a metro area, local modifiers are essential.

High-Value Modifiers

• [City name]
• "near me"
• [Neighborhood/district]
• [County name]
• "local"

Examples by Market Size

Large Metro (Houston, LA, Chicago):

• Bid on city + neighborhoods separately
• "car accident lawyer Midtown Houston"
• "personal injury attorney downtown LA"

Mid-Size Metro:

• City name + "near me" variants
• Include surrounding suburbs as separate ad groups

Small Market:

• County-level targeting
• Include "near me" + city variants
• May need to expand radius to get volume

Negative Keyword Foundation

Start every PI campaign with these negative keywords:

Career/Education:

• jobs, hiring, salary, career, school, degree, how to become, exam, bar

DIY/Free:

• free, pro bono, without lawyer, by myself, DIY, template, form

Informational:

• definition, what is, how does, wikipedia, examples, statistics

Unrelated Practice Areas:

• criminal, divorce, bankruptcy, immigration, estate (unless you handle these)

Geographic Exclusions:

• States/cities you don't serve

Build on this foundation weekly by reviewing your Search Terms report.

Advanced: Long-Tail Keyword Opportunities

Long-tail keywords have lower volume but often higher intent and lower CPCs.

Scenario-Based Keywords

• "lawyer for hit and run accident"
• "attorney for accident with uninsured driver"
• "lawyer for accident during Uber ride"
• "attorney for accident in parking lot"

Time-Sensitive Keywords

• "lawyer after car accident yesterday"
• "need attorney for recent accident"
• "just got in accident need lawyer"

Settlement/Compensation Keywords

• "lawyer to maximize accident settlement"
• "attorney for accident injury compensation"
• "best lawyer for accident case payout"

These convert well because the searcher has a specific situation and clear intent.

Want us to build your keyword strategy? Schedule a call and we'll map out the exact keyword structure for your market and practice areas.

Measuring Keyword Performance

Don't just track clicks and conversions. Track quality metrics:

Key Metrics by Keyword

• Conversion rate: Clicks to qualified lead
• Cost per qualified lead: Not cost per form fill
• Phone call duration: Filter calls under 60 seconds
• Lead-to-consultation rate: Which keywords produce leads that book?
• Signed case rate: Which keywords produce cases that sign?

The Attribution Gap

Most firms stop measuring at the lead. The real question is: which keywords produce signed cases?

Set up offline conversion tracking to feed signed case data back to Google. This lets the algorithm optimize toward actual revenue, not just form fills.

Conclusion

Keyword strategy for personal injury Google Ads is about precision, not volume. The firms winning in this space aren't bidding on everything — they're bidding aggressively on high-intent keywords, blocking waste ruthlessly, and measuring all the way through to signed cases.

Your keyword list should be a living document, refined weekly based on search term data and conversion performance. The firms that treat it as "set and forget" are the ones subsidizing your clicks with their wasted spend.

Not sure if your keywords are working? Get a free keyword audit — we'll show you exactly which keywords are driving cases and which are burning budget.