How To Set-Up Google Local Service Ads For Attorneys

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Background on GLSA For Law Firms

Google Local Service Ads were originally branded as Home Services Ads. Google rebranded to Local Services Ads in 2019 as it started making the platform available for more types of businesses, including law firms. Below are all of the eligible types of law firms for Google Local Service Ads:

  • Bankruptcy Lawyer
  • Business Lawyer
  • Contract Lawyer
  • Criminal Lawyer
  • Disability Lawyer
  • DUI Lawyer
  • Estate Lawyer
  • Family Lawyer
  • Immigration Lawyer
  • IP Lawyer
  • Labor Lawyer
  • Litigation Lawyer
  • Malpractice Lawyer
  • Personal Injury Lawyer
  • Real Estate Lawyer
  • Tax Lawyer
  • Traffic Lawyer

Related Blog: How To Better Optimize Google Local Service Ads 

The Prominence of Google Local Service Ads

  • Google Local Service Ads are extremely prominent since they appear at the top of Google.
  • The advertisements stand out as there is an attorney photo, reviews and ratings, years in business, hours of operation, location area, and phone number.
  • The prospective client can either call or send a message.
  • The law firm will only be charged if someone calls or sends a message. This pay-per-lead model is what’s so popular amongst attorneys.
  • The ads show up with the “Google Screened” badge adding another layer of trust with potential consumers.

Related Blog: SEO Strategy for Personal Injury Lawyers

How To Apply For Google Local Service Ads For Attorneys

The application process is quite extensive. The purpose of this blog is to prepare you for what’s needed when applying for legal local service ads so you have the best chance of getting approved. You will need your license number, active bar membership, and more. When dealing with multiple attorneys within a firm, there is a lot of coordination that’s needed. Let’s walk through what’s needed when setting-up Google Local Service Ads.

  • Step 1 – Sign-Up:

    You’ll need to have a Gmail account and a Google Ads account. Without a Gmail account, you won’t be able to access the application to sign up and create your profile. Without a Google Ads account, you won’t be able to add a payment method and sync your Google Ads with your Google Local Service Ads. You can CLICK HERE to access the page where you will sign up and create your profile.

    • Enter your Country, State, Zip, and Job Category (Law).
      • After selecting “Lawyer,” you will choose all of your practice areas and then click “Check Eligibility.”
  • Step 2 – Create Profile:

    • Fill in all of your business information. This information is pretty self explanatory. The one important note is that you will exclude yourself as a lawyer in the firm, which makes sense as you get to step 8.
  • Step 3: Select Service Area

    • Select the service area based on the area you serve.
      • Note: Don’t get greedy. We see a lot of PI attorneys trying to expand their radius. We recommend focusing on your home market. If you have more than one location, you’ll have to create different local service ad accounts.
  • Step 4: Set-up your service type

    • Select all of the practice areas you focus on. You will also need to select the checkbox to confirm you, your employees and your business carry the necessary and relevant licenses.
  • Step 5 – Select the business hours and days your law firm operates

    • Don’t fudge the hours to try and get more calls. The more legitimate your information is, the better you’ll be in the long run
  • Step 6 – Preview Your Advertisement

You are about to get into the Google Screened section of the application which provides a lot of detail on the business and each attorney.  

What is the Google Screened Badge?

The Google Screened Badge is a badge that is earned by completing Google’s necessary verification steps.  To earn the Google Screened Badge law firms must provide a copy of their applicable licenses to practice law, provide proof of insurance, prepare a headshot for ads, ensure a Google review score of 3+, and complete a background check.  Earning the Google Screened Badge adds another layer of trust with consumers and is evidence that the firm meets Google’s high standards in order to run ads. 

After previewing your advertisement, you will proceed and click “next.”

  • Step 7: Headshot for your ad

    • You’ll want to create a headshot for your advertisement. Make sure the image size is 500×500 and should be a good representation of your firm.
  • Step 8: License

    • List the License/Registration Type, First Name, Last Name and License Number of the Owner of your firm.
      • The owner will not be listed as an attorney in the steps shown below, they will just be entered under the license section, which can be confusing.
  • Step 9: Background Check

    • You will have to go through a background check from Pinkerton. You will select “Add business details on Pinkerton.”
      • Note: Don’t worry about owners and consumer facing employees as it’s not necessary for attorneys.
      • Note: If you are not the business owner, you should have the owner present with you when going through this so they can answer confidential information, such as social security number, EIN and more.
  • Step 10: Customer Reviews

    • A link will be generated and you can simply send this link off to customers to get a review. Google requires at least 1 review from the link that’s generated to get approved for Google Local Service Ads
  • Step 11: Budget and Leads

    • Set your budget. You will see “Only pay for leads. No leads, no charge.” Pretty nice, right?
      • Google will provide you with a recommended budget based on the average of similar-sized businesses in your industry. You also have the option to customize the budget if they are recommending too much money per week or not enough.
  • Step 12: Billing Information

    • This is pulled from your Google Ads account. If you want to adjust the credit card on file, you’ll have to do so within Google Ads. This is the reason we said at the very beginning you need to have a Google Ads account.

  • Step 13: Lawyers

    • You will enter the number of lawyers at your firm and you will enter the details below for each attorney:
      • First Name, Last Name
      • Active bar membership with the state
      • License number
      • Expiration Date
      • Add a Headshot
      • Add More Details (optional)
        • We recommend adding the college (undergrad) along with the title of the partner. Once you enter this preliminary information, on your actual profile, you can further edit this.

In Closing

Although there are many steps to follow and it can be confusing, completing the Google Verification process to run Local Service is well worth it. Local Service ads provide another layer of trust to consumers, allow you to pay per lead, and are located at the top of Google’s search results.  If you are having issues, you can call Google Support at (650) 260-5700. Google also has email support.

If you need a helping hand getting approved for Google Local Service Ads, our firm, The Media Captain, can help you based on our past experience!

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