In this report, we share the statistics we’ve compiled from our law firm clients between 2018 and 2022. We have data on average SEO spend, point of diminishing returns, time to break even, and 3-year ROI. We then discuss the impact of SEO spend on ROI, as well as common marketing budget allocations for law firms.
Law Firm SEO Statistics by Specialty
| Specialty | Annual SEO Spend | Point of Diminishing Returns (Annual Spend) | Time to Break Even | % Increase in Organic Traffic (Annual) | Visitor to Lead Conversion Rate | Cost per SEO Lead | 3-Year ROI |
| Criminal Defense | $165,000 | $540,000 | 11 months | 22% | 7.3% | $345 | 468% |
| Personal Injury | $210,000 | $480,000 | 15 months | 17% | 6.5% | $620 | 423% |
| Business Law | $130,000 | $700,000 | 10 months | 29% | 7.9% | $316 | 642% |
| Family & Estate | $105,000 | $450,000 | 16 months | 20% | 7.1% | $287 | 561% |
| Overall Law Firm | $120,000 | $550,000 | 14 months | 21% | 7.4% | $456 | 526% |
Law Firm SEO ROI and Budget Allocation
Critical to the question of “How much should law firms spend on SEO?” is how SEO spend impacts expected return. SEO spend correlates with total deliverables and work quality, with each deliverable consisting of a new blog article, landing page, or other content. Each of these deliverables is an opportunity to target a transactional keyword that has a chance to bring in new clients. At very high spends (and thus, high publishing rates), the number of commercially valuable keywords can get exhausted, resulting in diminishing returns. This relationship is demonstrated in the chart below:
Most firms are at little risk of overspending, however, as the average point of diminishing returns occurs at a $550,000 annual spend, or $45,000 monthly. Many law firms also benefit from allocating marketing budget to other channels, resulting in increased efficiency for a given spend. For example, content produced for SEO purposes can also be used for lead nurturing through social media and e-mail. The table below shows common marketing budget distributions for law firms of different specialties.
Law Firm Marketing Budget by Specialty
| Specialty | SEO | PPC | Social | Traditional Advertising |
| Criminal Defense | 50% | 30% | 5% | 15% |
| Personal Injury | 25% | 40% | 15% | 20% |
| Business Law | 60% | 20% | 5% | 15% |
| Family & Estate | 40% | 25% | 20% | 15% |
| Overall Law Firm | 45% | 30% | 10% | 15% |
Requesting a Copy of this Report
We hope this report helps elucidate both the results that law firms can expect from SEO, as well as ideal budget allocations between SEO and other marketing channels. If you’d like to request a PDF copy of this report or learn more about our SEO services for law firms, you can reach out here.
