Online marketing for lawyers

Online marketing for law firms is about visibility per practice area. Someone does not search for a lawyer but for help with dismissal, a divorce or debt collection, so every practice area deserves its own page. The click prices are among the highest in Google Ads, simply because one case is worth a lot.

A law firm sells not a service but a solution to a problem someone would rather not have had. That makes marketing in this sector fundamentally different from elsewhere, and it makes the rules stricter.

Below you read how people seeking legal help actually find you, what the Dutch Bar rules (Verordening op de advocatuur) do and do not allow, and what a project costs.

The legal profession has restrictions that other sectors do not. Whoever ignores them risks more than a disappointing campaign.

Misleading advertising is prohibited

The Dutch Bar regulation (Verordening op de advocatuur) sets requirements for how you present yourself. Claims about results, suggestions of guarantees and misleading comparisons with colleagues have no place there. That does not mean you may say nothing, only that you keep it factual.

No cure no pay: the ban and the exceptions

Working on a no cure no pay basis is in principle prohibited for lawyers. That is stated in article 7.7 of the Dutch Bar regulation, and the idea behind it is to prevent a claims culture.

There are exceptions, and they have recently been widened: since 1 January 2026, personal injury and fatal accident lawyers may structurally work on a no-cure-no-pay basis. For debt collection cases there has long been room. If you work in those practice areas, that is a proposition you may use, and one your competitors may not yet be using.

Outside those exceptions the ban remains. What is allowed is a variant with a low base rate and a higher rate on result, as long as that base rate covers your costs.

What this means in practice

You distinguish yourself not on promises but on clarity: about your practice area, your way of working, your rates and what someone can expect. That happens to be exactly what people seeking legal help are looking for.

Almost nobody starts by searching for “lawyer”. People start with their problem.

First the question, then the lawyer

“Can my employer dismiss me on the spot”, “what are my rights in a neighbour dispute”, “how long does a divorce take”. Those are the searches it starts with. Only when someone realizes it is serious does it shift to “employment law lawyer [city]”.

Whoever optimizes only for that second category misses the phase in which trust is formed. Substantive pages that answer the first question are therefore not charity but the beginning of your acquisition.

Legal expenses insurance is your first competitor

A large share of people seeking legal help first call their insurer. Only when it does not cover, or when someone deliberately wants their own lawyer, does your firm come into view. That makes it valuable to explain when your own lawyer is wiser than the insurer’s jurist, and that you have that free choice of lawyer.

Urgency differs per practice area

Criminal law and instant dismissal are acute: people search today and call today. Corporate law and family law have an orientation of weeks. That difference determines whether your emphasis lies with ads or with content.

“Lawyer [city]” is a difficult and expensive keyword on which you compete with every firm in the area. “Employment law lawyer [city]” or “lawyer business takeover” is more specific, cheaper and attracts exactly the cases you want.

A page per practice area

Not one page with a list of all your practice areas, but a full page per area. With explanation in normal language, what a case involves, how long it takes and roughly what it costs.

Why that also improves your case mix

Firms that advertise broadly get broad results: many phone calls about cases they do not want or cannot take on. Each of those conversations costs time. Being findable in a targeted way brings fewer but more usable enquiries.

Lawyer websites are often either too formal or too vague. People seeking legal help want to know four things.

• Do you handle this kind of case? Name your practice areas concretely, in language no lawyer needs to understand
• What does it cost? An hourly rate or range, and whether you offer legal aid. Concealing it costs you enquiries, because people compare anyway
• Who will I speak to? A photo and a short personal text per lawyer do more than a page about firm history
• How quickly can I be seen? For urgent cases this is decisive

The contact barrier

Calling a law firm feels heavy. So offer an alternative: a short form or the option to leave a call-back request. That lowers the barrier for people who still doubt whether their case is “bad enough”.

At ROXTAR the rates are as follows:

What does SEO cost per month?

From 495 euros per month. A firm with one practice area in a mid-sized city stays close to that amount. A firm with five practice areas competing in the Randstad sits higher. The difference lies in the number of pages per practice area, content production and link building.

What does a website cost?

From 1,495 euros for a starter website. For a firm with several lawyers and practice areas it usually lies above that.

Why the click prices are high here

Legal keywords are among the most expensive in Google Ads, simply because one case is worth a lot. That makes targeted ads on specific practice areas wiser than broad campaigns: you pay the same per click, but the chance it becomes a usable case is many times greater.

May a lawyer advertise?

Yes. There are restrictions from the Dutch Bar regulation (Verordening op de advocatuur), among other things around misleading advertising and claims about results. Factual, informative communication about your practice areas, way of working and rates is allowed and in practice also works best.

May I offer no cure no pay?

In principle not; that ban is stated in article 7.7 of the Dutch Bar regulation. There are exceptions for debt collection cases, and since 1 January 2026 personal injury and fatal accident lawyers may structurally work this way. If you fall outside that, a variant with a low base rate and a higher rate on result is allowed.

What am I best found for?

On your practice area combined with your location, not on “lawyer” alone. “Employment law lawyer Utrecht” delivers more usable enquiries than “lawyer Utrecht”, is cheaper in ads and easier to rise on organically.

Should I put my hourly rate on the website?

People actively search for it, and firms that keep quiet about it lose enquiries to firms that are open. A range is enough, with an explanation of what determines the rate and whether you offer legal aid.

Why should I write content about legal questions?

Because people seeking legal help start with them. Someone searching whether their employer may dismiss them on the spot is a potential client in the phase when they still know nobody. If you answer that question, you are the firm they call when it escalates.

How quickly does online marketing deliver cases?

Ads deliver enquiries within days, especially in urgent practice areas. For SEO reckon on three to six months, and in competitive practice areas longer. For non-urgent cases the client’s own orientation also takes weeks, so reckon on a longer run-up than in other sectors.

How do I get more clients as a lawyer?

By being found for the problem, not for your field. People do not search for employment law but for instant dismissal. A page per concrete situation, written in plain language, catches that searcher exactly at the moment they need help. After that, your availability determines whether it becomes a case.

What is online marketing for lawyers?

Online marketing for lawyers is all the online effort that leads people with a legal question to your firm. The core is being findable for your practice area plus location, building trust with expert content and clear explanation, and reviews. That way you reach clients at the moment they are looking for a specialist.

How does online marketing for lawyers work?

Online marketing for lawyers works by being visible at the moment someone has a legal question. We focus the site and content on your practice areas plus location, build authority with expert explanation and collect reviews. With search ads you catch urgent questions, and we measure which practice areas deliver the best cases.

Would you like a new or better website alongside your marketing? Then take a look at having a website created.