Every attorney wants their firm to show up first when a potential client searches online. And if you’ve looked yourself up recently, you’ve probably noticed Google’s Local Service Ads (LSAs) sitting right at the top of the results.
These ads are hard to miss; they carry the “Google Screened” badge, showcase your reviews, and come with clickable call buttons that drive immediate inquiries. It’s easy to see why so many law firms jump on board. In fact, 76% of people who search for local services on their smartphones visit a business within a day.
But here’s the part Google doesn’t emphasize: LSAs are temporary by design. They’re a shortcut, not a system. You can’t build a serious business on rented ads that disappear the moment you stop paying.
In this guide, we will cover: how Local Service Ads for lawyers actually work, what makes them different from traditional Google Ads, how the Google Screened badge impacts performance, LSA marketing tips to maximize results, and why LSAs work best when combined with a long-term system like the Law Firm Authority Engine™ for law firms.
If you’re tired of chasing leads and want to see how your firm can build sustainable visibility, Book a Free Audit.
Local Service Ads are pay-per-lead ads designed to connect searchers with verified local service providers, including attorneys. Unlike standard Google Ads, which charge per click, LSAs only charge when a potential client calls or messages your firm directly.
When your ad appears, potential clients see a Google Screened badge (verification mark), your star rating from Google reviews, listed practice areas, clickable call or message buttons, and the word “Sponsored” above your profile.
LSAs are positioned above all other search results, including the map pack and regular paid search ads. On the surface, they look like a fast track, but beneath that visibility are major risks we’ll cover below.
For a deeper breakdown of paid search options, consider the 10 law firm marketing mistakes you should avoid.
At first glance, Local Service Ads can look like just another flavor of Google Ads, but the way they work is very different, and both come with serious drawbacks.
Cost: LSAs charge per lead, while Google Ads charge per click, whether the click is qualified or not. On paper, “pay-per-lead” sounds safer, but many firms report paying so much for irrelevant calls or people who just don’t have solid cases. With Google Ads, you risk paying for empty clicks that never even reach your intake team.
Placement: LSAs appear at the very top of search results, above paid ads, the map pack, and organic listings. Google Ads sit just below LSAs. In both cases, your visibility disappears the second your budget runs out.
Format: LSAs lock you into a standardized profile with almost no customization. Google Ads let you write custom copy, but you’re still competing in an auction against firms with deeper pockets. Neither option helps you stand out in expertise or trust, only on spend.
Setup and Control: LSAs require screening, licensing checks, and verification, but once you’re in, you have little control over who actually sees your listing. Google Ads give you more flexibility with keywords and bidding, but you’re on the hook for constant monitoring, testing, and optimization. Both demand ongoing spend and management, or you disappear.
So yes, LSAs are simpler to set up and can get you quick visibility, while Google Ads offer more control. But the drawback is that neither is a sustainable growth strategy because they’re both gone the moment your budget runs out. In other words, they’re both rented attention, designed to keep you paying Google, not building authority for your firm.
To appear in LSAs, your firm must pass Google’s vetting process and earn the Google Screened badge. This step is crucial; without it, your ad won’t even show.
The requirements typically include:
Once approved, your ad can go live. But ranking and performance depend heavily on your location, budget, response time, and review quality.
Pro Tip: Lawyers with a higher response rate to inquiries consistently outrank competitors, even if the competitor has a bigger ad budget.
If your firm is going to test Local Service Ads, you need to understand the risks and how to minimize them. LSAs can deliver leads quickly, but they’re unpredictable, expensive, and easy to waste money on. Here are a few survival tips to help you manage them:
Google prioritizes firms that reply quickly. But the problem is that most firms don’t. According to Clio’s 2024 Legal Trends Report, only 33% of law firms respond to new client emails, and just 40% answer phone calls. Even when firms do respond, 73% of potential clients are left so unimpressed that they wouldn’t recommend them.
That means if your intake system isn’t airtight, your ad dollars are gone the second the phone stops ringing.
LSAs live and die by reviews. Without a steady flow of fresh 5-star reviews, your listing will sink, no matter how much you spend. That makes your reputation one bad review away from killing your ad performance.
LSAs don’t let you fine-tune keywords. If you pick broad practice areas, you’ll pay for junk leads, people calling about divorce when you only handle injury. Many firms report paying $100–$200 per irrelevant call.
Google charges “per lead,” but not every lead is real. If you don’t track and dispute irrelevant calls, you’ll bleed money on junk inquiries.
LSAs look like a shortcut, but costs rise as more firms compete. Without strict budget controls, it’s easy to get stuck in an auction where bigger firms outspend you daily.
The bottom line is, even with perfect management, LSAs are still rented visibility. They keep you hooked, competing in bidding wars, and spending to stay alive. That’s why the smarter investment is building a system that captures and converts leads long-term.
Here’s the truth most attorneys don’t hear upfront:
Lawyers already spend nearly $2 billion per year on marketing, but without a system to handle leads properly, much of that spend is wasted. LSAs don’t solve the responsiveness gap; they just funnel more leads into a broken intake process. And as adoption grows, lead costs keep climbing, making LSAs less sustainable for smaller firms.
Worse, all listings look nearly identical, which means it’s nearly impossible to stand out unless you’re spending aggressively. That’s why LSAs should be viewed for what they really are: a short-term boost, not a sustainable growth strategy.
Google makes money when you stay hooked on ads. SEO agencies make money when you chase rankings. But neither of those guarantees what actually matters: signed clients.
The smarter play is to invest in a growth system that helps you stop chasing and start attracting leads.
At Curious Fortune Media, we designed the Law Firm Authority Engine™ for attorneys because too many lawyers were frustrated with:
Instead of treating marketing as a series of disjointed tactics, the Law Firm Authority Engine™ connects everything into a single, unified growth system. One that doesn’t rely on an ongoing budget and compounds over time instead of resetting every month.
Here’s what it delivers:
Instead of chasing after clicks, you build a predictable system that consistently attracts clients who hire you.
Check out a recent case study for yourself by clicking here.
Want to see how the Law Firm Authority Engine™ could work for your firm? Book a Free Audit and we’ll review your current setup, show you exactly where leads are slipping through the cracks, and map out how to transform your website into a lead-generating asset that compounds over time.
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