In an ever-changing landscape of online visibility, Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) remain an increasingly valuable digital marketing tool for lawyers and law firms. These top-of-page ads have the potential to connect with a wide audience of potential clients in the most visible positions of the Google search engine results page (SERP). By leveraging LSAs, law firms also earn the Google-screened designation, providing consumers with an extra layer of confidence in the firm’s abilities.

To fully harness the growth opportunities LSAs provide, lawyers, law firms, and legal marketers need to stay informed about ongoing LSA developments. At Justia, our team of legal marketers keeps an eye on these for you! We’ve examined the latest Google Partner newsletter and pinpointed the key updates that may impact the legal marketing space.

FYI: Changes to LSA Display and Provider Limits

As Google continues to refine its LSA product, it also continues to tweak the rules regarding how LSAs are served in search results. Now, the maximum number of providers (LSA listings) shown for any search result on the “more” page will be capped at 20.

In addition, Google is tweaking how ads display on the SERP for desktop devices. While three side-by-side ads have been historically shown in the LSA placement position for desktop Google Search results, Google now may only show two LSAs in the desktop view, similar to how results are displayed on mobile devices.

New: Service Area Expansion Suggestions

In recent years, Google has increasingly introduced suggestions intended to help advertisers further optimize their ads to reach new leads. Now, if Google predicts that having a broader reach may help your local services ad perform better, your LSA dashboard may include suggestions for expanding your ad to new service areas.

Alert: Manual Cover Photo Selection No Longer Available

In the past, lawyers and law firms advertising with LSAs could manually choose a cover photo. Google recently announced that it is removing previously selected default cover photos. The platform will automatically select and display whichever image it deems most relevant and engaging to users. Previously added cover photos will be moved to the “others” photo album for listings.

New: Request Call Back Feature

LSAs offer a unique pay-per-lead model, as opposed to the more traditional pay-per-click advertising model. One option for receiving leads via a law firm’s LSAs is a message lead. Now, Google is expanding on this feature by allowing potential clients to request a call back from an LSA if the advertiser has enabled messaging.

If a law firm participates in message leads and a user requests a call back, then the firm will receive a default text letting staff know how to contact the potential client. The default text sample is below:

“This consumer has requested a callback on XXX-XXX-XXXX”.

The message will also include any additional information shared by the potential client.

Final Thoughts: Why Do You Care?

Well-tailored digital marketing solutions help lawyers like you thrive and achieve their practice growth goals. Google Local Services Ads, in particular, are a strong tool, complementing your existing marketing efforts with enhanced online visibility. Staying informed about the most recent Google updates for LSAs can help ensure your ads perform to their full potential.

If you are ready to harness the full power of Google Local Services Ads, or simply want to explore additional search engine marketing tools, our Justia Amplify team is here to assist you every step of the way! Contact us to schedule a free consultation today.