Editor’s note: This post was originally published in August 10th, 2020 and was updated on August 26th, 2020 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting our lives since March, and inevitably it would leave its mark on digital marketing as well, but how is it impacting PPC for Immigration Attorneys? 

We’ve all seen our personal and business lives change, and the reality seems to be that this new normal will be staying for a while. Most law firms have shifted their operations and are fully functional with working from home, people keep social distancing, and as expected, most interactions (social and business) are now conducted online. That leads to the conclusion that digital marketing is gaining momentum and is becoming as relevant as it gets; but how is the pandemic affecting it in terms of traffic, CPCs, search volume, and so on? In a previous article, we explored the pandemic’s impact on PPC for PI Law Firms, today we will turn to Immigration Law PPC, and we will uncover the details on bilingual SEM for Immigration Attorneys. 

 

  • Let’s start with a look at search volumes. 

We’ve explained multiple times in other articles that Law Firms should focus on high intent keywords for their PPC campaigns. Let’s understand what would be a fit for an Immigration Attorney’s PPC. Firstly, it shouldn’t be too generic, so you shouldn’t just go for the term Green Card, but make it more specific and go for” Green Card Immigration Attorney”, or even more specifically, Adjustment of Status, if this is a type of case you are after. Additionally, you shouldn’t stop there, as you need to make sure that your clicks don’t come from searchers in the information stage, but on the contrary, you should be targeting searchers who are ready to convert, so remember to always include the term attorney, lawyer, or law firm. 

 

What happened in search volumes? We monitored an initial drop in March and April, but that already changed in May, and the upward trend continued in June as well. Right now, the numbers look stable and potentially slightly increased if we compare them to last year. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been talking about the importance of staying proactive and not withdrawing from your Law firm’s digital marketing activities, and now numbers can back us up, as the Attorneys who stayed in the game and kept investing can potentially find themselves with more signed cases at competitive CPAs. 

 

Here is the supporting graph for Green Card Immigration Attorneys.

And here you can see the graph for Dual Citizenship Attorney Near Me.

Fact: In other practice areas, such as PI or WC, we’ve noticed a decrease in mobile search queries and an increase in desktop traffic, but this isn’t the case in Immigration PPC. Mobile recovered from its initial drop and is now trending upwards again. This is a crucial part for any Attorney who wants to invest in Google Ads, as mobile search means higher intent; the searcher can potentially call you in a few seconds with a couple of taps. It’s important, however, to monitor device trends as they might require adaptation and different approaches.  

 

Let’s now move to the particular example of DACA. June was a memorable month for all DACA applicants as the SCOTUS kept it alive. By reviewing the graph, we can identify a lower volume of queries before June, which was replaced by a surge in searches during June. This is a critical point as it adds an extra case type that Immigration Law Firms can effectively target through PPC.

 

What about search volumes in Spanish? If we look at the broader Abogado De Inmigracion and to the narrower Abogado De Inmigración Cerca De Mi, we’ll notice a deep in March, and a further decrease in April, something that quickly changed in May. The searches started rising again, and now they are on growth, reaching last year’s numbers. It’s important to state that in the higher intent, and more specific search query Abogado De Inmigracion Cerca De mi, the search volume is already over the yearly average and is expected to keep growing. Another factor we’d have to look into and always keep in mind is that Hispanics are heavy mobile users. Looking at the graph, we notice that the two lines are very close, signaling that mobile searches dominate the total volumes. 

 

Tip: Make sure that your Hispanic Immigration PPC campaigns are connected to the appropriate landing page that offers the necessary information and prominent CTAs. Additionally, your intake must be in Spanish, from the moment your team answers the phone and throughout the process.

  • Let’s look at an example. 

We like backing up our thought process with practical examples. The chart below reflects the performance of a client who decided to start investing in Google Ads for his Immigration law firm amid COVID-19. 

As you can notice, there is a steady performance on the Ad group, and the best part is that some of the competition seemed to withdraw at around that time, so the clicks came at a relatively lower CPC, leading to what matters the most for law firms, conversions. 

 

Tip: Google keeps track of various historical data and then determines your Ad quality score. One of them is Ad longevity, and the longest you invest in successful Google Ads, the better your chances are for higher quality scores, leading to lower CPCs and better conversion rates.  

 

Remember: Social Networks are emerging amid COVID-19, and they represent a great opportunity for Immigration law firms to attract local prospective clients through retargeting strategies.  

Conclusion:

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we go on with our personal and professional lives, and no matter how unfortunate it is, we have to get used to living under the new normal. People are constantly turning to digital outlets for their needs, and if your Immigration Law Firm doesn’t invest in highly relevant PPC campaigns, you are leaving food on the table for your competitors. 

If you have questions about your Immigration Law Firm’s bilingual PPC, don’t hesitate to contact us, we are the bilingual PPC experts, and we are always willing to help law firms. 

 

August 26th Update:

We will be updating this article regularly, to keep you updated with the most recent developments regarding the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on PPC for Immigration Law Firms. Below you will find the most recent search volumes, let’s look into them.  

The first search query that we’ll look into is Green Card Immigration Attorney. As you can notice in the supporting graph, the upward trend continues, and we are now at volumes higher than in 2019. That’s is a very positive sign for Attorneys that handle Green Card cases and want to invest in PPC.

Moving forward, we’ll look into DACA. This is the second month after the SCOTUS decision, and we can see that numbers are stable, with significant mobile searches that mean higher intention and better conversion rates. If you are not already investing in DACA PPC, now it’s the time to get involved.

Let’s also discover what’s happening with Spanish PPC for Immigration Attorneys. The first query we’ll review is Abogado De Inmigración, and we’ll narrow it down to Abogado De Inmigración Cerca De Mi.

 

 

 

We notice stability in both terms, with significant search volumes, especially for the more general keywords. We might not be reaching historic highs, but the market seems to have recovered from the initial drop and looks healthy.  Here again, we can see that mobile traffic dominates the overall volumes, and this is an encouraging factor for more signed cases and improved ROI for your Immigration PPC.