If you’re an attorney who is currently using Google’s Local Services Ads (LSAs)—or you’re simply thinking about it—you may have noticed that these ads have a new look.
Google has been adding some new features and aesthetic improvements to enhance the user experience and make potential clients more likely to click on an ad and contact the featured law firm.
(If you’re unfamiliar with what LSAs are and how they work, click here to learn more about these ads. They are currently available for immigration and estate law attorneys in specific geographic markets.)
Here are two recent developments to take note of:
1. Legal LSAs now featuring attorney headshots
In September, we reported that Google was planning to add attorney headshots to legal LSAs to show potential clients who they would be working with if they selected a specific firm. The purpose of this move was to make the ads more eye-catching (helping them to stand out more in the search results), and to build a sense of transparency and trust by showing potential clients who they would be working with—all of which can help drive more ad conversions (more people reaching out to the firm).
Following Google’s announcement, the search engine has spent months collecting attorney photos for their LSAs, and we’re now finally seeing the headshots appear more frequently in search results. While the headshots do not appear with every LSA, users are now much more likely to see them than before.
Here’s what the LSAs look like with the newly added attorney headshots:
If you’re using LSAs to advertise your law firm, make sure you submit your headshot to Google, if you haven’t already. Otherwise, you may be missing out on opportunities to make a more powerful impression on potential clients and attract more leads.
2. The LSA profile page is more sleek and user-friendly
In addition to adding headshots to the LSAs, Google has also revamped the look of their LSA profile pages for law firms.
For starters, instead of having a simple drop-down menu with the firm’s legal services listed, the services are now featured prominently on the page with icons to help draw the viewer’s eye, and to help them quickly determine if a law firm is able to meet their needs. Additionally, each listed legal service includes a description to help the potential client better understand what the service entails.
Another important change is that messages can now be sent to the advertised firm directly from the profile page (see the contact form shown in the image above). This quick access makes it easier for potential clients to contact the firm right then and there. Before, viewers of the ads had to click on a button in order to access the form on another page.
While these changes may seem subtle, they’re important for improving the user experience when they’re engaging with attorneys’ LSA ads, which can potentially lead to more potential clients calling the firm. The impact of these changes have yet to be determined.
How Google’s Local Services Ads can help you attract more clients
Local Services Ads are a valuable advertising tool that can help you make your firm more visible in Google search results—especially considering that they appear right at the top of the page, even above the pay-per-click (PPC) ads.
LSAs are designed to reach prospective clients right in your immediate area, as well as to help build their trust, considering that the ads come with a “Google Screened” badge. (This badge indicates that your firm has been thoroughly vetted by Google.)
Right now, LSAs are available to immigration and estate law attorneys in San Diego, Houston, Austin, and Atlanta. However, there is always the possibility that the program could be expanded in the future.
If you’re interested in applying for the LSA program, or you just want to know more about how they work and how your firm could benefit, contact our team today.
Scorpion is an official LSA partner, which means we have direct access to Google as we help businesses through the LSA approval process and manage their campaigns.
