I’m based in Minneapolis–St. Paul, and I run Google Ads and Local Services Ads only for criminal defense firms. This page is for Twin Cities defense lawyers: what local criminal defense clicks cost, how people here actually search, how to target Hennepin, Ramsey and the suburbs without paying for the wrong callers, and how to set up call tracking so you can see which searches sign cases.
Twin Cities in one line: people here search “DWI”, not “DUI”; “criminal lawyer minneapolis” clicks can top $120; and Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota County callers behave like three different markets. Build the account around that.
What criminal defense clicks cost in Minneapolis–St. Paul
Google Keyword Planner figures for Twin Cities criminal defense searches, October 2025 to September 2026. Monthly searches are Google’s ranges; bids are the low and high end of what advertisers pay for a top-of-page position.
| Search | Monthly searches | Top-of-page bid |
|---|---|---|
| criminal defense attorney minneapolis | 1K–10K | $5.68–$90.09 |
| minnesota criminal defense attorney | 1K–10K | $5.68–$90.09 |
| dwi attorney minneapolis | 1K–10K | $9.19–$111.15 |
| dwi lawyer mn | 1K–10K | $3.05–$61.92 |
| criminal lawyer minneapolis | 100–1K | $36.80–$122.44 |
| dwi lawyer minneapolis | 100–1K | $48.86–$95.00 |
| dui lawyer minneapolis | 100–1K | $22.40–$88.40 |
| criminal defense attorney st paul | 100–1K | $10.98–$51.02 |
| criminal lawyer st paul | 100–1K | $10.98–$51.02 |
| expungement lawyer minneapolis | 10–100 | $6.09–$17.65 |
| assault, domestic assault, drug and theft lawyer minneapolis | 10–100 each | Not reported |
| hennepin county dwi lawyer | 10–100 | Not reported |
Two things stand out. St. Paul clicks cost roughly half what Minneapolis clicks do, so a firm serving both should split them into separate campaigns with separate budgets. And “dwi attorney minneapolis” is searched far more than the “dui” version, which most out-of-state agencies build around.
How Twin Cities criminal defense searches are different
- DWI, not DUI. Minnesota law and Minnesotans say DWI. Build DWI ad groups and ads first, and keep DUI as a smaller variant. More on DWI campaigns in Google Ads for DUI and DWI lawyers.
- Minnesota charge names. People search for the words on their paperwork: “domestic assault” rather than “domestic violence”, and “criminal sexual conduct” rather than “sex crimes”. Match your keywords and landing pages to those words. The by-charge guide covers each one.
- County searches. Some people search by county (“hennepin county dwi lawyer”), often because the court date or paperwork names the county. These are small but high intent.
- Suburb searches. Bloomington, Richfield, Edina, Eagan, Burnsville and Woodbury searchers often add the city name. Use location targeting to reach them rather than a separate page for every suburb.
Targeting Hennepin, Ramsey and the suburbs
Location settings decide who sees your ads, and the defaults waste money in the Twin Cities. How I set it up for a defense firm here:
- Target people in your area, not people interested in it. Change the location option to “presence” so a Wisconsin searcher reading about Minneapolis doesn’t become a paid click.
- Target by county where you practice, for example Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka and Washington, rather than a wide radius that crosses into areas you don’t serve.
- Split campaigns by market if your costs differ, such as Minneapolis and Hennepin in one campaign and St. Paul and Ramsey in another, so the cheaper market doesn’t starve.
- Exclude ZIP codes that never convert, once you have a few months of call data.
- Schedule ads for when someone answers. Twin Cities arrests happen late at night and on weekends; if nobody picks up at 2 a.m., don’t pay for 2 a.m. calls.
Call tracking setup for Twin Cities defense firms
Most defense clients call rather than fill in a form, so call tracking decides whether you can see what’s working. For a Minneapolis–St. Paul firm:
- Use local tracking numbers. Match the area code to where you advertise: 612 for Minneapolis, 651 for St. Paul and the east metro, 952 for the southwest suburbs such as Bloomington and Edina, and 763 for the northwest suburbs. Callers trust a local number.
- Use dynamic number insertion (CallRail or similar) so each website visitor sees a number tied to their ad click and keyword.
- Set a real minimum call length so hang-ups don’t count as conversions, and record the charge type and fee for every new client.
- Send signed cases back to Google so the account bids for the callers who hire you. Full setup: Google Ads conversion tracking for law firms.
- Minnesota allows recording a call with one party’s consent, but callers from other states may be covered by stricter rules, so a short recording disclosure is the safe default.
Local Services Ads for Minneapolis criminal defense lawyers
Local Services Ads (Google Screened) show above the regular ads and charge per lead instead of per click. For many Twin Cities defense firms they’re the cheapest source of real calls, especially when someone reviews and disputes invalid leads every month. In one Birmingham defense firm’s account, LSA returned 5.5× in signed fees. Here’s how to set up LSA for criminal defense.
Areas I work with
Criminal defense firms anywhere in the metro, including:
| County | Cities |
|---|---|
| Hennepin | Minneapolis, Bloomington, Richfield, Edina, Plymouth, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Minnetonka |
| Ramsey | St. Paul, Roseville, Maplewood |
| Dakota | Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley |
| Anoka | Coon Rapids, Blaine, Andover |
| Washington | Woodbury, Stillwater |
I take one criminal defense firm per city and 12 firms in total, so if your city is already taken I’ll tell you on the first call.
Why a local criminal defense specialist
- Only criminal defense. No personal injury or family law playbooks: campaigns by charge, DWI first, and reporting in signed cases.
- The person you hire does the work. I build and run every account myself, with no account manager in between. More on the About page.
- I know this market. The searches, the counties, the area codes and which suburbs behave like which.
- Real results. At Amari Law Firm in Birmingham, Alabama, $146,851 in Google Ads produced 140 signed cases and $496,700 in signed fees over 11 months. See the case study.
If you’re comparing options, here’s an honest look at hiring a freelancer vs. an agency.
Pricing
- Standard: $1,500 a month or 10% of ad spend, whichever is greater, for budgets of $5,000 to $15,000 a month.
- Growth: 8% of ad spend for budgets of $15,000 a month and up.
- A one-time $1,500 setup covering tracking and the campaign build. First term 90 days, then month-to-month with 30 days’ notice. Ad spend is paid directly to Google.
Full details on the pricing page.
Run a criminal defense firm in the Twin Cities? Book a free 30-minute account review, or call me at 612-203-3591. I’ll show you what your clicks cost, which searches are wasting money, and whether your city is still open.
How much do Google Ads cost for a criminal defense lawyer in Minneapolis?
Keyword Planner shows top-of-page bids of about $6 to $90 for “criminal defense attorney minneapolis”, up to about $122 for “criminal lawyer minneapolis”, and $9 to $111 for “dwi attorney minneapolis”. St. Paul searches cost roughly half as much. Most single-office defense firms need at least $5,000 a month in ad spend to compete.
Should Minneapolis firms advertise for DWI or DUI?
DWI first. Minnesota law uses “driving while impaired”, and “dwi attorney minneapolis” is searched far more than the DUI version. Include DUI as a smaller variant for people who use that term.
Should I target Minneapolis and St. Paul in the same campaign?
Usually not. Click costs and competition differ, so separate campaigns with separate budgets keep the cheaper market from being starved by the more expensive one.
What area code should my tracking numbers use?
Match where you advertise: 612 for Minneapolis, 651 for St. Paul and the east metro, 952 for the southwest suburbs and 763 for the northwest suburbs.
Do you work with criminal defense firms outside the Twin Cities?
Yes. I work with criminal defense firms across the US, one per city and 12 in total. Being based here just means I know this market particularly well.
Do you only do Google Ads?
Google Ads and Local Services Ads, including conversion tracking and call tracking, only for criminal defense and DWI firms.
Talk to a Twin Cities criminal defense Google Ads specialist
Book a free 30-minute account review, or call 612-203-3591.
