Note: This case study is based on typical scenarios from our client work. Names and details have been changed.
By Cornelia Day, Senior Account Manager at OMmatic
It was a Thursday afternoon when I received the email from Dr. Thomas Schmidt. Subject line: "Urgently need help with Google Ads." Attached: a screenshot of his campaign overview. €14,200 budget over three months, a cost-per-lead of €122—and most of those inquiries were price shoppers who ended up going with the cheaper law firm.
I know this situation. After ten years in account management, I've seen it dozens of times. And I know: the problem almost never lies solely with Google Ads.
The Starting Point: High Budget, Low Impact
Dr. Schmidt runs a solo practice specializing in employment law in Hamburg. Good reputation, solid expertise, regular referrals. But online client acquisition? A bottomless pit.
The analysis in our first conversation revealed three core problems:
High click costs without quality:The CPL was over €120. The campaigns were running on broad match keywords like "employment lawyer"—a competitive environment where large law firms with six-figure budgets are bidding.
No qualified leads:Of the few inquiries that came in, most only wanted to know what an unfair dismissal lawsuit costs. No consultation, no mandate.
Website without persuasive power:The law firm's website was eight years old. No conversion tracking, no clear call-to-action, no mobile-optimized display. Anyone who came to the site via Google Ads found no reason to stay.
Honestly: I would have advised Dr. Schmidt to pause Google Ads immediately before we spent another cent. And that's exactly what we did.
Our Approach: Six Weeks, Four Building Blocks
Week 1: Briefing and Website Audit
Before we change anything in the campaigns, we always conduct a complete audit. This sounds obvious, but is surprisingly often skipped. For Dr. Schmidt, we systematically examined the existing website, the Google Ads account, the Analytics data, and the competitors in Hamburg.
The result was clear: the website wasn't converting because it wasn't built for that purpose. And the campaigns were bringing the wrong traffic because they were set up too broadly.
Weeks 2-3: New Landing Page
Our web design team created a dedicated landing page for the campaign. Two-column layout, CI-compliant with the law firm's colors and typography. At the top, a clear value proposition: "Unfair dismissal lawsuit? Free initial assessment within 24 hours." Below that, three trust elements: specialist lawyer seal, Google reviews, concrete process.
The crucial difference from before: a single, unambiguous call-to-action. Not three different phone numbers and a contact form asking for a postal address. Instead, a form with four fields—name, phone, concern, callback time. Done.
Weeks 3-4: Google Ads Restructuring
This is where the first major change came. We completely dissolved the existing broad match campaigns and replaced them with an exact match structure. Instead of "employment lawyer Hamburg," now: [unfair dismissal lawyer hamburg], [specialist employment lawyer dismissal hamburg], [severance negotiation lawyer].
Plus an extensive list of negative keywords: "free," "gratis," "template," "sample," "do it yourself." All the terms that attract price shoppers and burn through budget.
Weeks 4-6: PMax Campaign with AI-Powered Optimization
Once the search campaigns were running stably and we had reliable conversion data, we set up a Performance Max campaign. The key difference: We don't simply let Google's AI-powered bid optimization run—we feed it the right signals.
Our audience signals were based on Dr. Schmidt's actual clients: executives, works council members, employees at companies with 500+ staff. This taught the AI not just who clicks—but who actually retains the firm.
The results after six months
The numbers speak for themselves:
• Cost-per-lead: from €122 to €38 (−68%)
• Qualified inquiries/month: from 4-5 to 14-16 (approx. 3x)
• Retention rate (inquiry to mandate): from 12% to 31% (+158%)
• Revenue from online mandates: +180%
What pleases me most: It's not just more inquiries. It's the right inquiries. Executives who want to pursue wrongful dismissal claims. Works councils needing advice on restructuring. People for whom professional representation makes all the difference—and who are willing to invest appropriately.
What I learned from this
Every project teaches me something new. With Dr. Schmidt, it was this insight: Most law firms fail at Google Ads not due to insufficient budget, but insufficient groundwork. A landing page that converts. Keywords that qualify rather than just drive traffic. And AI optimization based on actual client data, not guesswork.
If I could give law firms one piece of advice, it would be this: Before you invest your next euro in Google Ads, check whether your website is worth the click.
Is your law firm facing similar challenges?
We'll analyze your current Google Ads performance and your website—free and without obligation. Not a sales pitch, but an honest assessment of whether and where potential exists.
