Law Firms Can Now Sign Up For And Manage Google’s Local Services Ads Directly Within Clio Grow

Google’s Local Services Ads can be both effective and economical for generating leads for certain types of law practices. Unlike pay-per-click ads, local services ads appear at the top of Google’s results for relevant searches, and you pay only if the potential client calls or messages you through the ad.

Now the law practice management company Clio has announced an integration with Google’s Local Services Ads that allows firms to sign up for and manage accounts from directly within Clio Grow, the company’s client intake and client relationship management software.

With the integration, a law firm can sign up for a Local Services Ads account, manage its account, set up and run ad campaigns, capture new leads, and measure campaign performance, all from within Clio Grow.

Clio says this makes it the only law practice management software with built-in digital advertising.

What is Clio Grow? Learn more about it at the LawNext Legal Technology Directory.

Because of Google’s own limitations for the service, it is available only for law firms located within the U.S. and only for specific practice areas: bankruptcy, business, contracts, criminal, disability, DUI, estates, family, immigration, IP, labor, litigation, personal injury, real estate, tax, and traffic.

Also, before a firm can set up Local Services Ads, it must have a Google Business Profile and at least one review for its practice area (five reviews for PI firms).

Features of Local Services Ads within Clio Grow include:

• Only pay for leads generated, making it a lower-risk marketing solution than PPC ads. (Google has a tool to estimate the cost.)
• Set an ad spending limit and track your budget.
• Have your firm show up at the top of Google’s results for searches that match your profile.
• Convert leads into prospective clients automatically in Clio Grow, so no leads fall between the cracks.
• Manage ad campaigns directly in a Clio Grow dashboard.
• Apply for the free Google Screened Badge, indicating to potential clients that they are booking with a law firm that is properly licensed.

“Our research indicates that more than half of clients find a lawyer by navigating online channels—meaning that a law firm’s reviews, website, and digital presence are increasingly critical to law firm growth,” said Jack Newton, Clio’s founder and CEO. “Working with Google to embed the management of Local Services Ads into Clio is a significant help to lawyers, allowing them to navigate a competitive advertising strategy that’s simple, affordable, and effective.”