What does a click cost by practice area?
| Search | Searches a month (UK) | Suggested cost per click |
|---|---|---|
| Personal injury searches | about 2,400 | about £66 |
| No win no fee solicitors | about 12,100 | about £61 |
| Housing disrepair solicitors | about 880 | about £34 |
| Family solicitors | about 5,400 | about £24 |
| Conveyancing searches | about 9,900 | about £23 |
| Family law solicitors | about 6,600 | about £21 |
| Solicitors legal aid | about 3,600 | about £5 |
| Free legal advice | about 6,600 | about £5 |
Suggested bids are Google's estimate of what advertisers pay to appear near the top. Real costs can be lower with good ads and landing pages, or higher in very competitive areas.
What does that mean for cost per enquiry?
Cost per enquiry = cost per click divided by the share of visitors who enquire.
| If a click costs | And this % of visitors enquire | Cost per enquiry |
|---|---|---|
| £24 | 5% | £480 |
| £24 | 10% | £240 |
| £66 | 5% | £1,320 |
| £66 | 10% | £660 |
These are worked examples, not benchmarks. The point: doubling how many visitors enquire halves what each enquiry costs. That is why the landing page matters as much as the ad.
What do agencies charge to manage it?
Based on UK pricing research published in 2026 (Whito, Advertizingly):
Model Typical UK range
Flat monthly fee
about £500 to £1,500 for small and mid-size accounts
Percentage of spend
about 10 to 20%
Setup fee
about £250 to £2,500
Our fees:
Scale
£1,497 management fee per month
Growth
£997 management fee per month
Local
£497 management fee per month
One-off setup: £495 (account audit or build, conversion tracking, first landing page brief). Ad spend is paid directly to Google from your own account, never marked up. Rolling monthly, 30 days' notice.
How can a law firm lower its cost per enquiry?
Lever What it does
A landing page per campaign
Visitors see exactly what they searched for, so more enquire
Call tracking
Google learns which clicks lead to calls and bids accordingly
Negative keywords
Filters out job seekers, students and "free" searches
Local targeting
Shows ads only where you can genuinely serve clients
Ad scheduling
Spends more when your team can answer, less when it cannot
Specific keywords
"Unfair dismissal solicitor Croydon" usually converts better than "solicitor"
Most of these cost nothing extra. They are the difference between a campaign that pays for itself and one that does not.
What should a law firm never do with Google Ads?
- Bid on a competitor firm's name in a way that suggests you are them
- Use claims you cannot back up, such as "number one" or "guaranteed compensation"
- Send ads to a page that does not mention what the ad promised
- Run ads with no conversion tracking
The first two can create regulatory problems as well as wasting money. Your COLP should approve ad wording.
When do ads beat SEO for a law firm?
Situation Ads or SEO?
Urgent practice area (criminal, employment, immigration)
Ads, plus SEO over time
New office or new practice area
Ads first, while SEO builds
Price-driven work (conveyancing)
Both; ads for volume, SEO for lower cost per enquiry
Very competitive national terms
Usually neither for a small firm; go more specific
Steady, high-value private client work
SEO and referrals
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Google Ads click cost for a solicitor?
In our October 2026 research, Google's suggested UK cost per click ranged from around £5 for legal aid and free advice searches to around £66 for personal injury. Your real cost depends on your bids, location, ad quality and competition.
What budget does a law firm need for Google Ads?
We suggest at least £1,000 a month in ad spend for one practice area in one location. Less than that gives too little data to improve.
How much do agencies charge to manage Google Ads?
UK agencies commonly charge a flat £500 to £1,500 a month, or 10 to 20% of ad spend, plus a setup fee, according to 2026 UK pricing research from Whito and Advertizingly. Ours is £497 to £1,497 a month plus a £495 setup.
Is SEO cheaper than Google Ads?
Over time, usually. Ads stop the moment you stop paying. SEO is slower but keeps working. Many firms run ads for urgent practice areas while SEO builds for the rest.
Why are personal injury clicks so expensive?
Because national claims firms compete for them, and a successful claim can be worth a lot to the firm. A local firm usually does better on specific claim types and places than on the main term.
Related: Google Ads for law firms · SEO for law firms · Law firm marketing strategy