The Before and After Case of A Criminal Defense Law Firm

The Power of Digital Marketing Done Right

The legal sector is one of the most competitive industries, which is why many law firms invest time and money into digital efforts that boost traffic to their websites, increase leads and eventually boost their bottom line results. 

To survive and, most importantly, thrive, firms need to “fish where the fish are,” and today that is online. Statistics show that 96% of people looking for legal services and advice begin their search online. To fish where the fish are, firms are turning towards digital efforts like SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Digital Advertising services like PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and LSA (Local Services Ads). 

To showcase such efforts’ effects on a micro level, we’ll be covering the case of a law firm that partnered with us, Consultwebs, the go-to legal marketing agency for law firms. To protect the firm’s identity, we’ll refer to them as ‘the firm’ throughout this case study. Here’s a little backstory for the firm: 

The firm is based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and focuses on criminal defense. For over a decade, they’ve been helping residents and out-of-state visitors facing criminal charges in Las Vegas. This includes charges related but not limited to:

• Sex crimes 
• Domestic battery 
• DUI
• Weapon crimes
• Record sealing 
• Drug crimes 

The firm has handled a wide range of complex cases and continues to enjoy a successful track record. Like most, if not all, firms, they continuously venture into new ways to extend a helping hand to the prospects that need their legal services and advice. To paint the picture a little more clearly, we’ll consider the firm’s past, present, and future. 

How are they doing? Let’s find out.

The Firm’s Turning Point 

Before delving into the details of the firm’s current progress, it’s informative to take a step back. 

Initially, they had at least 3 websites that were up and running, which unfortunately were hacked. Soon after, they opted for Avvo, another online marketplace for legal services. During a one-to-one interview with the partners of the firm, they said, “We actually started to develop a website with Avvo, but they were not quite hands-on about the whole thing, and we were looking for more expertise and a company that we believe would be able to move quickly, so that we could be more hands-off with it [the digital marketing].” 

At this point, their website was down and had been down for a while, both partners were barely making ends meet, and in order to maintain their staff’s paychecks, they were even skipping their own salaries. 

Although they were in deep waters, with their prior experience in Internet advertising in mind, they said, “We did go in knowing, based on our prior success with Internet advertising, that it would be successful and knowing it takes the right company to get us the results, which is why we were fumbling around a little bit. We did know another attorney was using Consultwebs and had just switched over probably within a year of us signing up with Consultwebs. He is pretty savvy when it comes to that [digital advertising], so we were looking at what Consultwebs had already done for him. We knew the quality was there.“

Ultimately, they opted to partner with Consultwebs. As the partner says: 

On The Crest of The Digital Wave  

With that part of the story as background,  here’s a look at the firm’s current status. 

The firm is currently investing in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and two robust Digital Advertising services: PPC (Pay-Per-Click) and LSA (Local Services Ads). 

Growing traffic and users 

With the help of legal SEO, the firm’s website is gaining traction. Although one may argue that traffic doesn’t equal the bottom line, in a highly complex and interconnected service such as digital marketing, the collective attribution does propel the firm forward. 

When done right, SEO can pay off. However, firms opting to invest in it should arm themselves with patience and trust that the bottom line results will eventually reflect those efforts. Research shows that every industry has a different time to break even in SEO efforts, and as a rule of thumb, legal services need to nurture their investment a solid 14 months before breaking even:

The partner notes that the firm was well-prepared for this: “In that first year, we were told ‘you guys have to be patient, this takes time to develop, and there is a process here.’ So while the first year was uncomfortable, we did see some return within a short period of time once the website was up and running.“

In this case, the firm effectively gained traffic and users, which means more visibility. In a recent year-to-year comparison, the number of users increased by 61.98%. Check it out: 

In the most recent 2-year comparison, the firm’s organic growth is also apparent: 

Over time, more visibility and traffic means a higher likelihood of nurturing those users into leads and eventually turning them into cases. 

And that’s not all!

Securing The Top Keywords Based On Their Client’s Search Intent 

For a criminal defense firm, SEO efforts must be combined with the right keyword strategy. 

Think of keywords as the bridge between what users are searching for and the content you’re providing, and these words must match the user’s search intent. In this case, the firm is securing some of the top keywords related to their industry, including: 

• Nevada weed law
• Weed legal in las vegas
• Vegas recreational weed
• Open carry Nevada
• Gun laws in las vegas 

While these are just examples, the firm continues to secure a vast number of other top keywords related to their prospect’s search intent: 

Propelling Forward With The Help of Digital Advertising 

For this criminal defense firm, it doesn’t stop there! They’re also leveraging off profitable digital advertising efforts. 

When investing in PPC efforts, one of the essential aspects is decreasing the cost per conversion while maximizing the conversion rate. In this case, the firm has: 

• Reduced the cost per conversion by 31% when comparing the same month in year-to-year growth.
• Increased the conversion rate by 232% when comparing the same month in year-to-year growth.

They’re also investing in LSAs, and it’s also paying off. Recently, LSAs have become one of the most sought-after digital advertising services, especially for service-based businesses such as law. Here’s how it’s paying off for this criminal defense firm: 

1. Leads increase: 

• In the first year of investing with Consultwebs, the firm saw its leads increase by 74%

 

2. Cases Increase: 

• When comparing the initial firm’s caseload to the caseload growth by month 11, the firm saw an incredible increase of 800%

 

3. Cost per case decrease:

• When comparing the initial investment, by month 11, the firm saw a remarkable cost per case decrease of 87% 

The Firm’s Future Plans and Aspirations 

Believing that there is always room for improvement, this criminal defense firm isn’t stopping here! 

With a secure website, digital ads running, and SEO efforts in place, the firm is considering the possibility of expanding its reach by covering other locations and areas of law. As their legal marketing partner, Consultwebs is happy to be there every step of the way. 

As the partners originally stated, based on their Internet advertising experience, they did strongly believe that they could be profitable with the help of the right legal marketing company. The numbers speak for themselves; they’ve generated over $1 million in revenue, and now, they believe the best is yet to come. 

Although no two firms are alike, one thing is certain: you can have a solid and reliable team by your side. Find out how Consultwebs can help you get the results your firm has been looking for. 

 

 

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