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Running PPC campaigns without calculating ROI is like driving without a destination — it’s expensive, aimless, and not likely to get you where you need to go.
But when you have a goal in mind, PPC campaigns can be a significant source of leads for law firms. They’re also a significant investment. Tracking the ROI of your ads is the key to making sure every dollar you spend works hard to bring in quality clients.
By tracking and optimizing your ad’s ROI, you can make smarter decisions about where to put your budget, focus on what’s working, and avoid throwing money at campaigns that don’t deliver.
In this article, you’ll learn:
Let’s get started with everything you need to know to make your PPC campaigns a measurable success.
Imagine a law firm that recently launched its first PPC campaign. They’ve chosen competitive keywords like “car accident lawyer” and are expecting a flood of new leads.
A month later, they’ve spent $20,000, but they don’t know if it was worth it. Leads have trickled in, but with no clear tracking of their ROI, they’re left asking themselves…
Was it money well spent, or just a very expensive experiment?
This uncertainty is amplified by the fact that legal keywords are the most expensive in Google Ads, with some costing over $300 per click. When CPCs are this high, even a small misstep in your campaign strategy can result in a substantial chunk of your budget wasted.
ROI, or Return on Investment, measures how much profit you make for every dollar spent. Understanding your ROI is the only way to measure how much revenue your campaigns generate compared to what you’ve spent.
And you don’t just find out if you’re profitable — your ROI tells you:
With this data, that same law firm could fine-tune their campaigns, focusing on keywords, audiences, and strategies that bring the highest returns. Later in this guide, we’ll show you how to calculate ROI step-by-step and the tools you can use to make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Diving into pay-per-click advertising without understanding the basics is a recipe for disaster. There are certain metrics you should understand, even if you’re outsourcing.
Focusing on the ones that truly matter — ROI, ROAS, and Lifetime Value (LTV) — will help you measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and know what campaigns to invest in.
Here’s a breakdown of ROI and ROAS, two of the most important metrics.
Formula: (Revenue – Total Costs) ÷ Total Costs × 100
Formula: Revenue ÷ Ad Spend
Now, let’s talk about the long game. Lifetime Value (LTV) measures the total revenue a client brings to your firm — not just the first time they hire you, but over the course of your relationship.
For instance, a client who generates $5,000 in retainer fees today might return in the future for additional legal services worth $10,000. In this case, their LTV is $15,000. Factoring LTV into your ROI calculations can turn what appears to be a “break-even” campaign into a long-term success.
Calculating ROI might sound intimidating, but it’s simple when you break it down into manageable steps.
Here’s how your law firm can turn campaign data into actionable insights.
First, establish a clear revenue goal.
Let’s say your law firm is running a PPC campaign to attract personal injury clients, and each client typically generates $15,000 in revenue through settlements or retainer fees. This goal provides the foundation for measuring your campaign’s success.
Next, identify your total campaign costs. Suppose you allocate $10,000 to your ad spend and another $2,000 for landing page development and management fees, bringing your total investment to $12,000.
With each client bringing in $15,000, your profit margin per client (before deducting campaign costs) is $15,000. Keep this figure in mind — it’s key for the final ROI calculation.
Now, track your campaign performance. Let’s say your ads generate 20 leads, and your team converts 3 of them into paying clients. This gives you a conversion rate of 15%.
From here, calculate your Cost Per Acquisition (CPA):
Formula: CPA = Total Ad Spend ÷ Number of New Clients Acquired.
In this example:
CPA = $10,000 ÷ 3 = $3,333 per client.
This shows that you’re spending $3,333 to acquire each client.
Now, it’s time to plug everything into the ROI formula.
ROI = (Revenue – Costs) ÷ Costs × 100.
Here’s the breakdown for our example:
ROI = ($45,000 – $12,000) ÷ $12,000 × 100 = 275%.
This means your campaign generated a 275% return on investment.
The final step is to use this ROI calculation to refine your campaigns. For example, if you notice that certain keywords or ad groups are driving most of your conversions, you can allocate more budget there.
Or, if your CPA feels too high, you might test landing page improvements or optimize ad copy to boost your conversion rate.
By consistently calculating ROI using this step-by-step approach, you can make smarter decisions, maximize profitability, and fine-tune your campaigns for even greater returns.
Tracking ROI for your PPC campaigns doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
With the right tools, you can connect the dots between ad spend, leads, and actual revenue, giving you clear insights into what’s working and where you need to adjust.
Let’s look at some of the best tools to help you track your performance and make smarter decisions.
Google Ads is what most of us think of when we mention PPC, and its Conversion Tracking system is where the magic happens.
It lets you see exactly how your ads are performing by:
Pro Tip: Set up conversion actions for different goals — like calls, live chat messages, or form fills — so you can see which type of interaction brings in the best leads.
Google Analytics takes things a step further by showing you what happens after someone clicks on your ad. It helps you understand how potential clients interact with your website and what ultimately drives them to convert.
With Analytics, you can:
Pro Tip: Set up custom goals in Analytics for specific actions, like booking a consultation or downloading a resource, so you can track exactly what matters most to your firm.
While tools like Google Ads and Analytics track clicks and conversions, a good CRM tracks what happens next—turning leads into paying clients.
A CRM can help you:
Pro Tip: Integrate your CRM with Google Ads or Analytics for a seamless way to track leads from the moment they click your ad to when they sign on as a client.
Marketing automation tools simplify tracking by pulling data from multiple sources and presenting it in one easy-to-digest dashboard.
They can:
Pro Tip: Set up weekly or monthly automated reports to stay on top of your ROI and see how your campaigns are trending over time.
Improving the ROI of your PPC campaigns is more about refining your strategy every step of the way. From choosing the right keywords to managing your budget, these tactics can help your law firm turn clicks into real, paying clients.
The success of your PPC campaign starts with your keywords. They’re the bridge between your services and the clients who need them most. Focus on high-intent phrases that reflect what you offer and target people ready to take action.
Here are a couple of keyword categories we prioritize for our clients:
Geo-targeted keywords are a powerhouse for law firms because most clients search within their area. These phrases make sure your ads show up for the people most likely to pick up the phone or schedule a consultation.
Negative keywords are just as critical for protecting your budget and boosting lead quality. For example, one of our clients — a family law attorney in Dallas — was frustrated with high click costs and unqualified leads. Their ads were showing up for irrelevant searches like “criminal defense attorney” and “pro bono legal help.”
Once we added these as negative keywords, their ads stopped wasting money on irrelevant clicks. They saw an immediate improvement in click-through rates and, best of all, started connecting with the right clients.
Your ads can do an amazing job of attracting clicks, but if your landing page doesn’t deliver, those clicks won’t turn into clients.
A great landing page is like the handshake that seals the deal — it has to be welcoming, professional, and to the point.
Here’s what every high-performing landing page should include:
One of our clients, a criminal defense law firm, saw a significant boost in conversions after revamping their landing page. Their original page had too much text, a cluttered design, and no clear next step. We streamlined it with a bold headline, a prominent “Get a Free Consultation” button, and a few standout testimonials right at the top.
The result? A 340% ROI on their Google Ads.
Landing pages are where potential clients decide if they want to trust you with their case. Keep it simple, make the next step obvious, and show visitors why your firm is the best choice.
Sometimes, it’s the smallest changes that make the biggest difference. A/B testing is like a friendly competition between two versions of your ad to see which one wins.
Not sure if “Call Now” or “Book Your Free Consultation” is the better call-to-action? Test both. Wondering if a headline like “Get Legal Help Today” outshines “Expert Personal Injury Lawyers Near You”? Run the test and let the data decide.
Here’s an example of an A/B test for the same ad.
For display ads, don’t be afraid to mix things up. Try experimenting with different colors, images, or even layouts to see what catches your audience’s attention. Sometimes, swapping out a generic stock photo for a professional image of your team can make a world of difference.
Just remember: patience is key. Run your tests long enough to gather solid results.
Managing your PPC budget is about more than just setting limits — it’s about making every dollar count. And with JurisPage by your side, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
At JurisPage, we specialize in ensuring your ad spend delivers real results. We’ll focus your budget on keywords that consistently bring in leads and prioritize high-converting locations, devices, and even specific times of day.
Our team continuously monitors your campaigns to identify and eliminate wasted spend, reallocating your budget to the areas driving the best returns. By setting daily and monthly limits, we’ll keep your ads visible without exceeding your budget.
With JurisPage handling your PPC campaigns, you can rest easy knowing your budget is in expert hands. We’ll take care of the strategy so you can focus on what you do best: serving your clients.
“My website continues to dominate all the top website searches in my industry and my business has grown 10-fold as a result.”
Oykhman Criminal Defence
PPC success isn’t set-it-and-forget-it — it’s all about keeping a close eye on your campaigns and making adjustments based on real-time performance.
Let’s look at a few examples of how monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) like CTR, CPA, and conversion rates can drive results.
Example 1: Tracking Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Imagine a personal injury law firm notices their ad impressions are high, but they’re not getting many clicks.
By monitoring their Click-Through Rate (CTR), they realize their ad copy isn’t resonating with potential clients. After testing a new headline highlighting their “No Win, No Fee” policy, their CTR improves by 25%, driving more qualified traffic to their landing page.
Example 2: Reducing Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
A divorce attorney sees their Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) climbing higher than their budget can sustain. By reviewing their keyword performance, they identify a few underperforming terms eating up a significant portion of their ad spend. Pausing those keywords and shifting the budget to higher-converting terms lowers their CPA by 30% within a few weeks.
Example 3: Improving Conversion Rate Trends
A criminal defense lawyer’s campaign has a solid CTR, but conversions on their landing page remain low.
By analyzing user behavior, they discover visitors are leaving the page before filling out the contact form. Adding a phone number prominently at the top of the page for immediate calls results in a 40% boost in conversions.
Picture this: a PPC campaign brings in a $10,000 personal injury client. That’s great, right?
But what if that client comes back for additional legal services or refers three friends over the next few years? Suddenly, that $10,000 case has snowballed into $30,000 or more — and that’s the kind of ripple effect you want to capture when evaluating ROI.
Here’s why thinking beyond the initial conversion is so important:
Long-term ROI is about more than just tracking revenue from a single campaign. It’s about seeing how your efforts contribute to bigger goals —like building client loyalty and increasing your firm’s visibility over time.
When you evaluate campaigns with these broader goals in mind, you’ll uncover opportunities that go far beyond the first click.
PPC campaigns are one of the most effective ways to grow your law firm, but they work best when every piece — your keywords, landing pages, budget, and long-term strategy — comes together. When you measure ROI, test and tweak your campaigns, and think beyond immediate results, you’re setting yourself up for both short-term wins and long-term success.
At JurisPage, we’re here to make sure your PPC campaigns don’t just run — they thrive. From managing your budget to fine-tuning every detail, we’ll help you get the most out of every click, lead, and client.
Ready to maximize your marketing budget? Fill out the contact form or call us today for a complimentary consultation. We will listen to your story, work to define your business objectives, and recommend an approach to deliver maximum ROI for your firm.
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