In October 2026 I looked at the Google Ads setups of criminal defense firms across 30 U.S. cities. I wanted to answer one question: if a defense firm is paying for Google Ads, can it actually see which clicks turn into calls and signed cases?
For a lot of firms, the answer is no. Here’s what I found, what it costs, and how to check your own account in about 10 minutes.
How I did this
- I searched Google for “criminal defense attorney [city]” in 30 cities and collected about 220 defense firms.
- I checked every firm in Google’s public Ads Transparency Center. 82 firms had run Google ads in the last 30 days.
- For the 63 of those whose websites I could scan, I checked the homepage for a Google Ads conversion tag (including inside Google Tag Manager), Google Analytics 4, call tracking, leftover old Universal Analytics code, and what practice areas the site talks about.
I’m not naming any firms. The point isn’t to embarrass anyone. These are common problems, and most firm owners don’t know they have them.
The findings
| What I checked | Firms | Share |
|---|---|---|
| No Google Ads tag found on the site | 31 of 63 | 49% |
| No Google Ads tag and no GA4, so no visible way to measure conversions | 16 of 63 | 25% |
| No call tracking (CallRail or similar) | 33 of 63 | 52% |
| Only 1–3 ads running in the last 30 days | 25 of 63 | 40% |
| Criminal defense ads, but the site leans heavily on personal injury | 14 of 63 | 22% |
| Old Universal Analytics code still on the site (shut down in 2024) | 11 of 63 | 17% |
| Ads run through a directory or web-vendor account instead of the firm’s own | 6 of 82 | 7% |
Why this matters for a defense firm
Criminal defense clicks are expensive. A click on “DUI lawyer” can cost anywhere from $15 to over $130 depending on the market (see my cost breakdown). At those prices, every untracked click is a guess.
- No conversion tag: Google’s smart bidding has nothing to learn from. It optimizes for clicks, not clients, and spends money on whoever clicks most.
- No call tracking: most defense clients call. They don’t fill out forms. Without call tracking you can’t tell which keywords, ads, or cities produced the calls that became cases.
- Only 1–3 ads: no testing. The firm never learns which message gets someone who just got arrested to pick up the phone.
- Defense ads sending people to a personal injury site: someone searching at 2 a.m. after an arrest wants a criminal defense lawyer. A homepage about car accidents makes them hit the back button.
- Ads run through a vendor’s account: the firm often can’t see the search terms, the real cost per click, or what the vendor’s markup is. And if the firm leaves, the account history usually stays with the vendor.
Check your own account in 10 minutes
- Google Ads → Goals → Conversions → Summary. Is there at least one primary conversion for calls and one for form or booking submissions? Does each one say “Recording conversions”?
- Look at your phone numbers. Does the number on your website change for visitors from Google Ads? If not, you probably don’t have call tracking.
- Calls count only when they last 60+ seconds. If every 5-second hang-up counts as a “conversion,” your numbers are inflated.
- Can you match a signed case back to the keyword? If your intake notes or CRM can’t tell you which campaign a client came from, you’re managing by feel. Here’s how to connect CallRail and Clio.
- Who owns the account? Log in yourself. If you can’t, or the account is under your vendor’s name, ask for admin access in writing.
- Search your own main keyword in your city (from a private window). Does your ad show? Where does it link: a criminal defense page, or your general homepage?
For the full version, use my 28-point Google Ads audit or the conversion tracking setup guide.
Want a second set of eyes?
I run Google Ads and tracking only for criminal defense firms. For one Birmingham defense firm, connecting every call to the signed case helped grow signed fees from $146,851 to $496,700 (case study).
If you’d like me to look at your account, book a free 30-minute account review. I’ll go through your conversion setup, call tracking, and where your budget is going, and tell you honestly what I’d fix. No obligation.
Prefer to talk? Call 612-203-3591.
