Important Information For Law Firms On Getting Started With Google Screened

Has your law practice considered using Google Screened and running local service ads? You’ll definitely want to seek expert guidance before you do, as not all firms will see the same results from the program. In a recent episode of our “Everything Except The Law” podcast, we welcomed Andrew Nasrinpay, a partner at MeanPug Digital. He offered thoughts on what types of law firms should be looking to use Google Screened and local service ads, and why hiring a third party call center may be necessary for maximizing ad results.

Check out the clip below to learn more info about getting started with Google Screened.

You can also check out a transcript of the conversation below:

Host Nick Werker:

So what would you say are some of the most important things that lawyers need to know about using Google Screened or the local services ads program before they really dive into it?

Andrew Nasrinpay:

So one, it's not for everyone. First you have to look at what your main practice areas are. So let's say you're doing mass torts or you're doing class actions or something like that. Those are practice areas that don't lend themselves well for that particular case type, one because they're not an option when you're selecting the practice areas within Google. They don't break out the legal services vertical the same way that attorneys do. So it's not really an option.

And two, typically they will be looking for plaintiffs nationally, and for local service ads you're typically tying it very close to the geographic venue of the office. But if you are let's say a solo, and your main case type is personal entry, and you want car accident cases, I would say that it makes a lot of sense.

And for things you need to keep in mind is that it's a pretty level playing field, whether you're a big firm or a small firm, where the reviews for your business are going to be one of the largest factors of how the ad rank plays out.

One thing I would recommend is getting an overflow service or a third-party call center to take after hours calls, because just having that window open of being open beyond nine to five in your market is a big deal, because the after hours is actually a cheaper time to advertise, because half the folks on there stop advertising after five. There are a lot of intakes between 5 p.m. and let's call it eight or nine at night, so I would say an after hour service makes a lot of sense.

I would say an overflow service makes sense, because if you are paying for phone calls and you are already on a call, and let's say you're a solo you cannot pick up that second call, so you could definitely set a rule within your telephony platform to have those calls roll over to a third party call center who will be able to pick up that call and make sure you're not wasting money on advertising because you are unable to service it.

The couple other areas you might want to think about is that it's going to be very, very location driven, where your ad is far more likely to show up if it is very close to your geographic venue of your office.

So that is something that actually lends well to small firms, because the people that are closest to their office are most likely to see that ad served in a very, very high position.