Display ads for law firms: what’s the best strategy for success?

Is it worth exploring display ads for law firms? Or is your marketing budget better spent elsewhere? Let’s explore the whys and wherefores.

Mention pay per click advertising and most people envision the ads at the top of Google Search.

Or the ads that you see in your social media feed.

But the pay per click advertising landscape also includes YouTube ads, ads in mobile apps and the ads that are scattered across millions of websites.

Much of this landscape is controlled by the Google Display Network, part of Google Ads.

The question is: are display ads effective for law firm lead generation?

Let’s explore.

Derisk your ad spend

You are here because you want to spend your ad budget judiciously. Pay per click advertising can be expensive for law firms – and you want to be sure that your spend wins new clients and generates revenue.

We are an award-winning performance marketing agency focused on helping our clients generate transformative returns through pay per click. In fact we are so driven by results that we tie our fee to the number of high-quality leads we generate for you. We only win when you do.

Find out how we work. Or set up a quick discovery call to see what you can expect within three months of working with us.

“We get a consistent stream of enquiries on the back of Adbetter’s strategies. Their in-depth and analytical knowledge of lead generation is something that would take us millennia to master.”

– Des O’Hara, Prime Wills

What are display ads?

Display advertising is a type of digital advertising that encompasses visual elements (either static or moving) to promote your brand.

While pay per click search ads are designed to capture demand at the point people are expressing a need for your services, display ads are typically used to generate demand for your services.

The Google Display Network puts a vast display advertising landscape at your fingertips – including placements across YouTube and more than 2 million websites and apps.

You can choose where you want your ads to be placed and specify that they are seen only by people who meet certain criteria. Alternatively you can zero in on specific people and make sure they see your ads in the places they typically frequent online.

Display ads for law firms: the opportunity

There are many reasons why Google display ads for lead generation may be suited to driving new business for your law firm.

But here are two of the most important.

Reach a lot of people

The Google Display Network reaches over 90% of internet users worldwide across more than 2 million websites and apps, plus YouTube. It’s an easy, fast and affordable way to get your brand in front of a lot of people quickly – if scale is what you’re looking for.

Reach the right people

Of course, it’s not all about scale. The Google Display Network gives you the same powerful audience targeting options that you get with search advertising.

Target audiences based on their hobbies, interests, education level, occupation, browsing activity, marital status and an awful lot more.

You can even set your display ads to be served only to people who have previously searched for certain keywords. That makes it easy to find people who are likely to be interested in your products or services.

Setting up a display ad campaign for your law firm

Assuming you already have a Google Ads account, you can launch a new display ad campaign in six simple steps.

(One thing to know: Google is moving display campaigns into Demand Gen. A migration tool has been rolling out since June 2026, and new display campaigns will eventually only be created within Demand Gen. The steps below reflect the standalone display workflow while it’s still available; the principles carry over.)

1. Getting started

Hit the campaigns icon and select ‘New campaign’. Choose a goal – such as leads, sales, website traffic or something else. Select ‘Display’ as the campaign type and ‘Standard display campaign’ as the campaign subtype. Provide a URL for the campaign to direct to (i.e. a landing page) and enter a name for your campaign.

2. Choose your campaign settings

Next, select the locations and languages in which you want your ads to appear. You can also select how often your ads will display to the same customer, opt out of showing your ads on content that doesn’t fit your brand, set start and end dates for your campaign and more. You’re in control.

3. Set your budget and bidding strategy

Your budget influences how frequently your ads are displayed, while your bidding strategy determines the way that your budget is spent.

Your bidding strategy will be preselected based on your campaign goal – but you can amend it if you wish.

4. Choose your targeting strategy

With display campaigns you can choose the extent to which you control audience targeting.

You can:

• Let Google Ads choose audience segments for you with optimised targeting.
• Add your own additional criteria to Google’s optimised targeting.
• Turn off optimised targeting and choose targeting signals that you think make the most sense for your campaign.

5. Add your assets

This is the point at which you upload your assets: the actual images/animations/videos and text overlays that will be shown across the Google Display Network.

6. Review and publish

On the ‘Review’ page, you’ll have the opportunity to review your setting selections and uploaded assets. Once you’re happy, hit publish and your campaign will be sent for review.

Display ads for law firms: 7 tips for best practice

There are lots of variables to consider when creating an effective, revenue-generating display ad campaign. But here are seven of the key things to have on your radar.

1. Target existing prospects first

One of the most effective uses of display ads is to nurture existing prospects or people you know are interested in your expertise.

For instance, you could create a campaign that targets people who have recently visited your website – helping to keep your brand top of mind while your prospect moves around online.

Seeking legal advice or proceeding with legal action usually requires careful consideration. Display advertising can help you nurture your leads towards conversion.

2. Utilise lookalike audiences

Beyond the audience targeting options we’ve discussed, you can use data on your previous clients to help Google find your next cohort of prospects.

Upload your first-party customer data through Customer Match and Google can use it as a signal for optimised targeting, reaching people who share key characteristics with your past clients. Demand Gen campaigns also now support lookalike segments built from that same data.

3. Consider placement carefully

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

One of the most important skills with display advertising is recognising where you don’t want your ads to be seen.

For example, you probably shouldn’t be advertising serious legal services in some mind-numbing gaming app.

It’s all about protecting brand image and integrity.

4. Remember your reader

When it comes to advertising, too many brands focus on themselves, when they should focus on their audience.

With display ads you have seconds, sometimes milliseconds, to capture the attention of your target and inspire them to click.

Think about the problem your reader has and how you can solve it. Think about the doubts or fears they have and how you can overcome them. Think about the benefits and outcomes they receive when utilising your expertise.

Put yourself in your ideal client’s position. What would make you click?

5. Make sure your creative is the right fit

When uploading your creative – i.e. your visual elements and copy overlays – you have two options.

1. Work up a load of ad variants yourself to fit the different ad resolutions used across the Google Display Network.
2. Use responsive display ads to upload a selection of assets and let Google create ad combinations for you that work across the entire display network.

If you want total control over how your ads are displayed, go for option one. But beware you will be limited to placements for which you have ads at the correct size/resolution.

If you want breadth of access to the display network, go for option two. But beware that you will lose agency over how your ads are presented.

Another thing to consider is whether or not to pin key aspects of your ad creative.

For example, if there’s certain wording that must be included with your ad for regulatory purposes, you’ll need to pin that wording option when creating your ad. Otherwise Google will experiment with your wording variants and preferentially serve whatever gets the most conversion.

We’ve written more about advertising regulations for law firms in the article below.

>> PPC for lawyers: a guide to getting big results

6. Avoid no-intent clicks

Click fraud and bot traffic are real threats to the effective use of pay per click budget. Getting the right tracking in place can help you monitor click activity and cut off poor traffic sources before they become an issue.

7. Monitor performance and optimise

Your pay per click account will give you lots of data on how your campaigns are performing. And it’s a good idea to pay close attention.

That way you can identify trends in what’s working, then double down your efforts to optimise ad spend and campaign performance.

You don’t have to be a data analyst. But you do need to invest the time in monitoring trends.

Too busy? Let us take care of everything for you.

Getting to grips with the nuances of the display network isn’t easy when you’re busy running a law firm.

Here at Adbetter we work day in, day out to optimise brands’ performance across the display network.

We also stay on top of how the display advertising landscape is evolving – and make sure our clients are in a position to capitalise.

For instance, Google is folding standalone display campaigns into Demand Gen, with a phased migration that started in June 2026 and is expected to complete in 2027.

In short: we are here to take care of everything for you – from creating regulatory compliant campaigns to optimising them to drive as much revenue as possible for your business.

And we’re good at it. That’s why we tie our fees to the number of high-quality leads we generate for your business. You derisk your ad spend. And we only win when you do.

Find out how we work. Take a look at the results we get for our clients. Or book a short discovery call to get an idea of what you can expect within three months of working with us.

You may also be interested in:

>> What’s the best form of advertising for lawyers?
>> Law firm lead generation: 9 tips for success
>> PPC for lawyers: a guide to getting big results
>> Google Ads for lawyers: a complete guide to success
>> Facebook advertising for law firms: 7 tips for success