Hi there,
Thanks for getting in touch. I'm happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance on your Google Ads Customer Match for better lead gen for the lawyer.
We'll need to look at the quality of your Customer Match list...
First thing, 58 is a really small list, to be honest. Customer Match *can* help Google's algorithm, but with a list that size, the impact will be minimal at best, and possibly even detrimental like you said, if it's full of rubbish leads. Basically, if half the list is naff, you're potentially training Google on the wrong type of lead. It sounds counter-intuitive, but smaller, cleaner data sets are often more effective. A common problem I often see is people that book a consultation or demo, but actually are no qualified. They waste time, and money.
If you were working with thousands, it may be okay, but I would definetly avoid uploading the entire list if you know a chunk of them weren't a good fit for the lawyer in question. You're right to be cautious about feeding the algorithm bad data - I've seen it skew things before. It's better to err on the side of caution here.
I'd say you need to carefully filter your list...
If you can filter, err on the side of caution and only upload the 12 leads that you know have become clients. It's a small sample size, I know, but at least you know they're properly qualified. What you could also do is try to remember some other consults which may have been high quality but didn't proceed for whatever reason, and add those to the list.
I had a similar situation with a SaaS client, although to be fair it was with bigger numbers. We had thousands of email addresses, but a significant portion were from users who signed up for a free trial and then never upgraded to a paid plan. In the end, we ended up segmenting the list and only uploading those who had converted to paid plans, and the results were noticeably better. It's better to be narrow and target the right people - you're paying for it at the end of the day. I'm not sure on your legal process and software, but can you automatically tag a user as unqualified based on their actions, or what they do on the website? That could be a better way of filtering.
You probably should focus on the right keywords for your Search campaign...
As well as Customer Match, also think about your campaign targeting. A good place to start for lead generation is to target search terms that suggest the searcher is actively looking to hire a lawyer, like "hire lawyer", "best lawyers in [city]", "[city] lawyer" etc. These types of keywords show the searcher is in the research/consideration stage and is more likely to be a high-quality lead.
Also, consider the location targeting for the ads. It makes sense to target a specific geographic area near the lawyer's office, for example the city or region they operate in. This ensures the leads you generate are actually local to them, which is obviously essential. If they're only licensed to work in a certain state, make sure to only target this. No point getting people from a neighbouring state that they can't actually help, it'll just waste time and money.
You'll need to test out different keywords and bid strategies...
I'd also recommend testing out different match types for your keywords. Broad match can help you reach a wider audience, but it can also lead to wasted spend on irrelevant search terms. Phrase match and exact match are more targeted, but they might limit your reach. It's all about finding the right balance for your specific needs, so it's key to test everything.
You could also look into Google's automated bidding strategies. Target CPA or Maximize Conversions could help you optimize your bids to generate as many leads as possible within your budget. However, these bidding strategies require conversion tracking to be set up properly, and for the Google algorithm to have gathered enough data. Given that you're working with low numbers of leads, manual bidding can be a good way to start, and then you can switch to automated bidding once you've gathered sufficient data.
This is the main advice I have for you:
| Recommendation | Action |
|---|---|
| Filter Customer Match List | Upload only confirmed "good" leads. Avoid uploading unqualified leads. |
| Refine Keyword Targeting | Target keywords that suggest the searcher is actively looking to hire a lawyer. |
| Optimize Location Targeting | Target a specific geographic area near the lawyer's office. |
| Test Keyword Match Types | Experiment with broad match, phrase match, and exact match. |
| Test Automated Bidding | Consider Target CPA or Maximize Conversions, but start with manual bidding. |
Getting lead generation right with Google Ads for lawyers can be quite tricky. It needs a good balance between targetting the right people, having a strong offer that converts, and optimising the campaign based on the results.
You might want to consider some expert help to get the most out of your ad spend - we work with a few legal clients on their Google Ads campaigns, and help them optimise their funnel to generate high quality leads at the lowest cost. We're happy to book you in for a free consultation if that's of interest and run you through a few other tips on how to get things working for you.
Regards, Team @ Lukas Holschuh
