Google Ads for bankruptcy lawyers
In LocaliQ's legal benchmarks, bankruptcy law clicks cost $11.70 and leads cost $82.27, below the all-legal average of $111.05 per lead (US campaigns, April 2022 to March 2023). Clicks are expensive, but 13.56% of them turned into leads, the highest conversion rate of the seven practice areas, which is what keeps the cost per lead down.
Bankruptcy law cost per click and per lead
| Category | Data period | Cost per click | Click-through rate | Conversion rate | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bankruptcy Law[1] | Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 | $11.70 | 6.23% | 13.56% | $82.27 |
| All legal[1] | Apr 2022 to Mar 2023 | $9.21 | 4.76% | 7.00% | $111.05 |
| Attorneys & Legal Services[2] | Apr 2025 to Mar 2026 | $9.87 | 5.87% | 5.55% | $131.63 |
The bankruptcy row is from 2022 and 2023. LocaliQ's 2026 report doesn't break legal out by practice area, and its attorney row has a cost per click of $9.87, so plan for clicks to cost more now than they did in the older data.[2]
Across industries, the RunAds Google Ads Benchmark 2026 found a median cost per click of $1.36 and a median cost per conversion of $41.53, based on 224 live Google Ads accounts.
Cost drivers for bankruptcy firms
- Debt settlement and consolidation companies bid on many of the same searches, which pushes click prices up.
- Searches about free filing, forms and credit after bankruptcy bring clicks from people who don't plan to hire a lawyer.
- Chapter 13 cases usually carry larger fees than Chapter 7, so firms that want them bid harder on foreclosure and repayment plan terms.
- Bankruptcy is filed in federal court by district, but clients still pick a lawyer nearby. Ads outside the area you serve waste money.
- Timing. Searches tied to wage garnishment, repossession or a foreclosure date are urgent, and those people call the first firm that answers.
A budget for 25 leads a month
A two-attorney consumer bankruptcy firm wants 25 consultation requests a month and has no Google Ads history.
25 bankruptcy leads a month
Plan above these figures, since attorney clicks cost more in 2026 than in the legal report. Google can spend up to twice the daily budget on a single day and up to 30.4 times it in a month.[4]
The two budgets differ because the benchmark cost per lead, cost per click and conversion rate are each calculated separately across thousands of campaigns, not taken from one account. Plan for the higher one, then use your own numbers after 30 days.
RunAds plans the campaign at your budget and writes the ads.
Campaign structure for a bankruptcy firm
Split by the chapter and by the problem the person is trying to stop. Each group needs its own landing page.
| Campaign | Ad groups | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter 7 | Chapter 7 lawyer, file bankruptcy attorney, bankruptcy lawyer near me | The main volume. A page that states your fee range and what the first meeting covers. |
| Chapter 13 | Chapter 13 attorney, repayment plan lawyer, keep my house bankruptcy | Higher bids if Chapter 13 fees are larger for you. |
| Urgent problems | Stop foreclosure lawyer, stop wage garnishment, car repossession attorney | Phrase and exact match. Call assets during office hours. |
| Business bankruptcy | Small business bankruptcy lawyer, Chapter 11 attorney | Only if you take these cases. Low volume, so merge if it spends little. |
| Brand | Firm name and attorney names | Cheap clicks that keep debt relief companies off your name. |
Keywords to start with
Keep "lawyer" or "attorney" in most terms. It filters out much of the do-it-yourself and debt settlement traffic.
Chapter 7
chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyerbankruptcy attorney near mefile for bankruptcy lawyerpersonal bankruptcy attorney
Chapter 13
chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneychapter 13 lawyer near mebankruptcy to keep my house
Urgent
stop foreclosure attorneystop wage garnishment lawyercar repossession lawyercreditor lawsuit attorney
Business
business bankruptcy lawyerchapter 11 attorneysmall business debt lawyer
Negative keywords for bankruptcy lawyers
Add these before launch, with plural forms, since negative keywords don't match close variants.[3]
formspdfdiyfile myselfpro sefree bankruptcypublic recordsbankruptcy searchcredit cardcredit scoreloanjobsparalegaltrustee jobscelebritycompany news
Ad copy examples
Two sets of responsive search ad assets. State only fees, payment options and experience that are true for your firm.
Chapter 7
Headlines (up to 30 characters)
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Lawyer27
- Talk to an Attorney Today25
- Clear Fees Up Front19
- Payment Plans Available23
- Local Bankruptcy Firm21
Descriptions (up to 90 characters)
- See if Chapter 7 fits your debts. Meet a bankruptcy attorney and get a plain answer.84
- We explain what you keep, what it costs and how long it takes before you decide anything.89
Stop foreclosure
Headlines (up to 30 characters)
- Facing Foreclosure?19
- Chapter 13 Attorney19
- Talk to a Lawyer This Week26
- Options to Keep Your Home25
Descriptions (up to 90 characters)
- A Chapter 13 plan may let you catch up on missed payments. Call to review your options.87
- Bring your notice to a free first meeting with a local bankruptcy attorney.75
Use call assets for office hours and count calls as conversions with call reporting.[5] Change "free first meeting" if your consultations are paid.
Why the conversion rate matters here
Bankruptcy clicks cost $2.49 more than the all-legal average, yet the cost per lead is $28.78 lower, because 13.56% of clicks converted against 7% across legal.[1] A slow page, a long intake form or a phone that goes to voicemail cuts that rate fast, and the cost per lead rises with it. Fix the page and the phone before you raise bids.
How RunAds runs Google Ads for bankruptcy firms
What the agent does for you
- Reads your site and builds separate Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and urgent-problem campaigns for the area you serve.
- Writes ads around your real fees and consultation terms, and shows you the full launch before anything goes live.
- Watches search terms daily and flags spend on forms, free filing and debt settlement searches.
- Brings budget and bid changes to you as approval cards, and tracks calls and forms server-side with Smart Pixel.
See how RunAds works for law firms on Google Ads for lawyers, or the pricing section.
Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend.
Common questions
How much do Google Ads cost for bankruptcy attorneys?
LocaliQ's legal data puts bankruptcy law at $11.70 per click, $82.27 per lead and a 13.56% conversion rate. Across all legal practice areas the same report has $9.21 per click and $111.05 per lead.
Why do bankruptcy leads cost less than other legal leads?
People who search for a bankruptcy lawyer have usually decided they need help with debt, so more of them call or fill in a form. 13.56% of bankruptcy clicks became leads in LocaliQ's data, against 7% for all legal practice areas.
How much should a bankruptcy firm budget for Google Ads?
25 leads a month at $82.27 each is $2,057. Sized by clicks it comes to $2,157. The 2026 attorney cost per click is $9.87, so treat the older bankruptcy figures as a floor.
Should Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 be separate campaigns?
Yes. Chapter 7 searchers often want a fast, low-cost filing, and Chapter 13 searchers are often trying to stop a foreclosure or keep a car. Separate campaigns let you write a page for each and set budgets by the fees each case brings.
Can RunAds run Google Ads for a bankruptcy practice?
Yes. RunAds builds the campaigns from your site, writes the ads and asks for your approval before anything launches. Signing up is free and credit packs start at $25.
Sources
- Legal Search Advertising Benchmarks for 2024 (with Data & Tips), LocaliQ, by Stephanie Heitman. Last updated July 14, 2025; data from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.256 US search campaigns, at least 10 per practice area. The page says its averages are medians.
- NEW 2026 Search Advertising Benchmarks (+Tips), LocaliQ (with WordStream), by Stephanie Heitman. Last updated June 1, 2026.Google Ads and Microsoft Ads search campaigns across 23 industries. The page labels each figure an average.
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Negative keywords don't match close variants, so synonyms and singular or plural forms have to be added separately. Casing and misspellings are covered automatically.
- About average daily budgets, Google Ads Help. Checked Oct 30, 2026.A campaign can spend up to 2x its average daily budget on a given day, and up to 30.4x it in a month.
- About call assets, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Numbers can be set to show only when the business can take calls, and call reporting counts calls as conversions.
Every outside number on this page links to its source above, with the date we checked it.
Related pages
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