Search vs Local Service Ads for Lawyers: Which Actually Brings Cases?

Search vs Local Service Ads for Lawyers: Which Actually Brings Cases?

Every week, we hear the same question from law firm partners: "Should we be on Google Search Ads or Local Service Ads?"

The frustration is real. Google offers two seemingly similar ways to reach potential clients, but they work nothing alike. Worse, most firms chase leads when what they actually need are cases.

This guide cuts through the confusion. You'll learn exactly how each platform works, when to use them, and—most importantly—how to tell which one converts leads into actual billable hours.

Section 1: How Search Ads Work for Law Firms

Search Ads (what most people call "Google Ads") let you bid on keywords people actively search. A potential personal injury client searches "car accident lawyer near me," and your ad appears at the top.

Why lawyers love Search Ads:

Keyword control. You target hyper-specific intent. Someone searching "DUI attorney + city name" is already primed to call. You're not fishing in a generic stream—you're casting into a specific river.

Practice area flexibility. Running a multi-practice firm? Search Ads scale across practice areas. Family law, bankruptcy, criminal defense—same platform, different keyword sets. Local Service Ads don't offer this flexibility.

Budget scalability. You control exactly what you spend daily. Slow month? Lower your daily budget. Case overflowing your intake? Scale up immediately.

The trade-off: Search Ads are pay-per-click, not pay-per-lead. You're charged the moment someone clicks your ad—whether they call or not. In competitive practice areas (personal injury, DUI, family law in major metros), cost-per-click can reach $15–$50+, and many clicks go nowhere.

You also need a strong landing page and intake process. A poorly designed page or overwhelmed intake team turns expensive clicks into wasted budget.

Section 2: How Local Service Ads Work

Local Service Ads (LSAs) are Google's answer to Angie's List and Thumbtack for lawyers. You appear in a yellow "Google Guaranteed" box at the very top of search results. Potential clients see your reviews, response time, and service area.

Here's the critical difference: You pay per lead, not per click.

When someone requests your information through the LSA interface, you're charged a flat fee—typically $10–$25 per lead depending on practice area and location. No clicks, no "junk traffic."

Why lawyers use LSAs:

Lead quality filters. Only serious prospects submit info. No accidental clicks, no "just researching" browsers.

Response-time advantage. Google shows your average response time. Firms that respond within minutes dominate impressions.

Screening built-in. LSAs require you to review and either accept or dispute leads. You control quality immediately.

The limitations:

Pay-per-lead overhead. That $15 lead might not convert to a consultation, much less a case. You're paying for inquiries, not outcomes.

Geographic boundaries. LSAs work primarily in metropolitan areas and established service territories. Rural or underserved regions? You won't see LSA inventory.

Practice area restrictions. Not all practice areas are available. Personal injury, family law, and bankruptcy are well-supported. Niche areas? LSAs may not be an option.

Dispute burden. Unqualified leads or no-shows can be disputed, but disputing takes time and goodwill. High dispute rates hurt your LSA standing.

Section 3: When LSAs Win

You're a solo or small firm with a limited budget.

LSAs minimize wasted spend. If you can't afford $50–$100/day on Search Ads (which often don't convert), LSAs' pay-per-lead model gives you tighter cost control. You're paying for actual inquiries, not theoretical traffic.

Your practice area has excellent LSA coverage.

Personal injury, DUI, family law, bankruptcy in major metros? LSAs often dominate here. If your practice area is available and competitive, LSAs can deliver qualified leads faster than Search Ads.

Your intake process is efficient.

Fast, friendly responses to LSA inquiries are critical. If your team can turn around responses in 15–30 minutes and your consultation-to-case rate is strong, LSAs reward you with more impressions and lower cost-per-lead.

You serve a tight geographic area.

LSAs excel for firms serving a single city or county. If you don't have multi-state ambitions, LSAs simplify your advertising footprint.

Section 4: When Search Ads Win

You're growing and need to scale acquisition.

Search Ads let you gradually increase spend and impressions. As your intake capacity grows, you can bid higher and capture more volume. LSAs, by contrast, are capped by available inventory in your area.

You serve multiple practice areas or multiple locations.

A search ad campaign can target "personal injury lawyer" + state variations simultaneously across five practice areas. LSAs require separate profiles for each combination, creating management headaches.

Your case value justifies higher cost-per-lead.

If your average case settlement is $50K+, a $20 click and a 10% consultation-to-case conversion rate makes sense. You're paying $200 per case acquisition, which is a rounding error on a $50K+ matter. LSAs' fixed cost-per-lead model doesn't reward high-value practices.

You want to own your data and messaging.

Search Ads are your landing pages, your copy, your tracking. LSAs funnel prospects through Google's interface, which means you have less control over how your firm is presented and harder integration with your CRM.

Section 5: Using Both Without Wasting Budget

The best law firms don't choose—they use both strategically.

Budget split logic:

Start with LSAs if you're new to PPC for lawyers. They're lower risk, faster to launch, and require less landing page optimization. Allocate 60% of budget here while you learn.

As you scale intake and optimize your process, shift 40% to Search Ads. Why? Search Ads let you target longer-tail keywords (e.g., "personal injury lawyer for motorcycle accident") that LSAs can't granularly control.

In mature programs, many firms run 50/50 splits or even 70% Search Ads / 30% LSAs, depending on their case value and intake capacity.

Lead quality filtering:

LSA leads are pre-filtered by Google, but Search Ads leads aren't. Create a simple intake qualification form on your landing page:

• Practice area match
• Geographic fit
• Timeline urgency
• Conflict check

This keeps your team focused on convertible inquiries.

Call intake alignment:

Your intake team is the bottleneck. Before scaling either channel:

• Train intake on qualifying questions
• Document case acceptance criteria
• Set response-time targets (aim for under 30 minutes)
• Use CRM integrations to track lead source (LSA vs. Search Ads) and conversion rates

This data tells you which channel actually converts to cases, not just leads.

Conclusion

Search Ads and Local Service Ads both work for law firms—but they work in different ways.

Local Service Ads are the smarter choice if you're a solo or small firm, serving a tight geography, with a streamlined intake process. They minimize wasted clicks and charge only for real leads.

Search Ads win when you're scaling, managing multiple practice areas, or have high case values that justify bigger acquisition costs.

The real win? Use both. Split your budget, track conversions by channel, and let data—not hype—guide your decisions.

Your goal isn't leads. It's cases. Make sure every dollar you spend moves you closer to one.

Ready to maximize your law firm's Google Ads performance? Our team audits both Search and LSA campaigns to identify which channel works best for your practice area and case value. Schedule your free consultation today.