5 Questions Every Law Firm Should Ask Their Ads and SEO Provider

Choosing the right digital marketing partner can make or break your online growth. The right team will help you attract qualified leads, build visibility, and track results that truly matter. The wrong one? They’ll show you surface-level metrics that look great on paper but do little for your bottom line

Whether you’re evaluating a new partner or auditing your current one, here are five key questions every law firm (or company) should ask their Digital Ads and SEO provider to ensure your marketing dollars are driving real results.

1. How are you measuring success—and can I see the metrics that actually matter?

It’s easy for agencies to show big numbers like impressions or clicks. But those metrics don’t always translate into new clients.

Ask your provider which KPIs they’re focusing on and how those tie back to real business outcomes. For law firms, 

• Qualified leads
• Cost-per-lead
• Call tracking and form submissions
• Local search rankings
• Retained cases tied to marketing sources

Pro tip: Ask for a monthly performance dashboard that connects marketing data directly to inquiries and signed cases. Because let’s face it—traffic is great, but clients are better.

2. What’s our ROI or cost-per-lead compared to industry benchmarks?

This question keeps your agency accountable for both spend efficiency and tracking accuracy.

Legal marketing is competitive—and expensive. With some of the highest cost-per-click (CPC) rates in digital advertising, it’s critical to know how your campaigns stack up.

Ask your provider to show how your cost-per-lead and ROI compares to other firms in similar practice areas. For example, personal injury firms will have very different benchmarks than family or immigration law practices.

If you’re spending thousands a month but can’t see how that compares to what’s typical in your space, something’s missing. The right partner will not only have that data—they’ll show how they’re improving it over time.

Ask for a monthly or quarterly report that includes benchmark comparisons and shows improvement over time.

3. What’s the breakdown between branded and non-branded search traffic?

Here’s an insider secret: many agencies pad their SEO and Ads results with branded traffic (people already searching your business by name).

That’s not growth—that’s maintenance.

Ask your provider for the split between branded (people who already know you) and non-branded (new potential customers discovering you). Growth happens in that non-branded zone, where new people find you through search terms like “personal injury lawyer near me” instead of “Smith & Partners Law.”

If they can’t give you that breakdown, they might be taking too much credit for traffic you already earned.

4. Can you show me what competitors are doing—and what we’re testing next?

A good agency should always be curious. A great one should be experimenting.

Ask to see competitor insights: which keywords others are ranking for, what ad copy is working for them, and where your brand has an opportunity to stand out.

Even more importantly, ask what you’re testing next. That could mean:

• A/B testing ad creative
• Trying new landing page layouts
• Experimenting with fresh SEO content

If there’s no clear testing roadmap, you might be stuck in “set it and forget it” territory—and your competitors will thank you for it.

5. How are you improving conversion rates—not just traffic volume?

Getting visitors to your website is only half the battle. Converting them into clients is where the real ROI (return-on-investment) happens.

Your provider should be actively running conversion rate optimization (CRO) efforts, such as:

• Adjusting landing page layouts and messaging
• Adding or refining call tracking and live chat integrations
• Simplifying intake forms
• Testing different contact options or calls-to-action

Ask for real examples of how their CRO work has reduced your cost per case or increased booked consultations.

The Bottom Line

The best law firm marketing partners don’t just deliver clicks—they deliver clients.

By asking these five questions, you’ll gain clarity on what’s driving results, hold your agency accountable, and ensure your marketing investment is tied to measurable business outcomes.

At Jelly, we love these kinds of conversations. We believe transparency builds trust—and that great marketing should always connect back to real business growth. 

Want to know where your law firm stands?

Get a free Digital Ads and SEO Audit from Jelly Marketing and see exactly how your campaigns are performing, where competitors are winning, and what opportunities you’re missing. Or, feel free to download the checklist below with a comprehensive list of questions you should be asking your marketing team.