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Google Ads for estate planning lawyers

Short answer

Estate and probate law, including wills, had the lowest cost per lead of the seven practice areas in LocaliQ's legal benchmarks: $72.24, with clicks at $7.92 (US campaigns, April 2022 to March 2023). Planning clients are rarely in a hurry, so the work is in filtering out do-it-yourself will searches and giving people a reason to book now.

Updated Nov 6, 2026By Caleb Canales, Founder, RunAdsSources (5)

Estate planning cost per click and per lead

$72.24Cost per lead, lowest of seven practice areas
$7.92Cost per click, estate and probate law
9.65%Clicks that became leads (all legal: 7%)
$9.87Cost per click, all attorneys (2026)
LocaliQ legal search benchmarks (256 US campaigns) and LocaliQ's 2026 report, which reports all attorneys as one row.
CategoryData periodCost per clickClick-through rateConversion rateCost per lead
Estate & Probate Law (incl. Wills)[1]Apr 2022 to Mar 2023$7.925.17%9.65%$72.24
All legal[1]Apr 2022 to Mar 2023$9.214.76%7.00%$111.05
Attorneys & Legal Services[2]Apr 2025 to Mar 2026$9.875.87%5.55%$131.63

LocaliQ groups estate planning, probate and wills into one category, so the figures mix urgent probate cases with planning work that can wait.[1] Your own split between the two will move your cost per lead more than any bid change.

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 estate planning firms

  • Online will services and form sites bid on will and trust searches, and many people searching those terms want a template.
  • Probate is time-bound and tied to a county court, so probate searchers convert faster than planners.
  • Trusts, Medicaid planning and estates with property in several states are larger matters than a simple will, and firms bid more for them.
  • Real estate and estate sale searches share the word "estate" and slip into broad and phrase match keywords unless you exclude them.

A budget for 20 leads a month

A solo estate planning attorney wants 20 consultation requests a month, split between planning and probate.

Illustration, not a quote

20 estate planning leads a month

By cost per lead: 20 x $72.24$1,444.80
By clicks: 20 / 9.65% = 207 clicks x $7.92$1,641.45
Daily budget at the higher figure: $1,641.45 / 30.4$54.00

Google can spend up to twice the daily budget on a single day and up to 30.4 times it in a month, so set the daily figure from the monthly amount you can afford.[4]

$
Prefilled: estate and probate law cost per lead
$
Prefilled: estate and probate law cost per click
%
Share of clicks that become a lead
$1,445Monthly budget from cost per lead20 x $72.24
$1,641Monthly budget from clicks208 clicks x $7.92
$54Daily budget to sethigher figure / 30.4 days

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.

Build this campaign free

RunAds plans the campaign at your budget and writes the ads.

Campaign structure for an estate planning firm

Separate the urgent work from the planning work, then split planning by the size of the matter.

Starting structure. Split or merge campaigns once each one has a month of its own data.
CampaignAd groupsNotes
ProbateProbate lawyer, probate attorney near me, estate administration lawyerCall assets during office hours. A page that explains the probate steps in your state.
Wills and trustsEstate planning attorney, living trust lawyer, will lawyer near meThe main planning budget. State flat fees if you charge them.
Elder law and MedicaidMedicaid planning attorney, elder law lawyer, nursing home planningOnly if you offer it. Often written for the adult child, not the parent.
Trust disputesWill contest lawyer, trust litigation attorney, estate dispute lawyerLitigation, so higher fees and its own page.
BrandFirm name and attorney namesCheap clicks that protect your name.

Keywords to start with

"Attorney" or "lawyer" in the keyword screens out most will-template searches. Start in phrase and exact match.

Probate

  • probate lawyer
  • probate attorney near me
  • estate administration attorney
  • executor lawyer

Planning

  • estate planning attorney
  • living trust lawyer
  • will and trust attorney
  • revocable trust lawyer

Elder law

  • medicaid planning attorney
  • elder law attorney near me
  • power of attorney lawyer

Disputes

  • will contest lawyer
  • trust litigation attorney
  • contest a will attorney

Negative keywords for estate planning lawyers

These remove template, research and job searches. Add singular and plural forms, because negatives don't match close variants.[3]

  • template
  • form
  • forms
  • pdf
  • free will
  • online will
  • diy
  • software
  • sample
  • example
  • estate sale
  • estate sales
  • real estate
  • jobs
  • paralegal
  • law school

Ad copy examples

Two sets of responsive search ad assets. Use your own fees and the counties you serve.

Wills and trusts

Headlines (up to 30 characters)

  • Estate Planning Attorney24
  • Wills and Living Trusts23
  • Flat Fee Estate Plans21
  • Book a Planning Meeting23
  • Local Estate Law Firm21

Descriptions (up to 90 characters)

  • A will, trust and powers of attorney drafted by a local estate planning lawyer.79
  • We review your assets and family plans, then quote a flat fee before any work starts.85

Probate

Headlines (up to 30 characters)

  • Probate Lawyer Near You23
  • Help With Probate Court23
  • Talk to an Attorney Today25
  • Executor Questions Answered27

Descriptions (up to 90 characters)

  • Named as executor? We handle the court filings, notices and deadlines for you.78
  • Plain answers about probate in your county. Call or book a time to talk it through.83

Add call assets for office hours and turn on call reporting so phone calls count as conversions.[5]

Giving planners a reason to book now

Planning clients can wait, and many do. Ads and pages that name a concrete next step, such as a flat fee, a set meeting length or a checklist of what to bring, turn a someday search into a booked meeting. Probate clients don't need that push; they need to reach someone during office hours. In LocaliQ's data, 9.65% of estate and probate clicks became leads, against 7% for all legal.[1]

How RunAds runs Google Ads for estate planning firms

What the agent does for you

  • Builds separate probate, planning and dispute campaigns from your site, limited to the counties you practice in.
  • Writes the ads around your fees and meeting format, and shows you the full launch before anything goes live.
  • Watches search terms daily and flags spend on template, software and estate sale 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.

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Credit packs from $25, 5 credits per $1 of ad spend.

Common questions

How much do Google Ads cost for estate planning attorneys?

LocaliQ's legal data has estate and probate law at $7.92 per click and $72.24 per lead, with 9.65% of clicks becoming leads. All legal practice areas averaged $9.21 per click and $111.05 per lead in the same period.

Are estate planning leads cheaper than other legal leads?

Yes, in LocaliQ's data. $72.24 was the lowest cost per lead of the seven practice areas it reported, $38.81 below the all-legal figure.

How much should an estate planning firm spend on Google Ads?

20 leads a month at $72.24 each is $1,445; sized by clicks it is $1,641. The 2026 cost per click for all attorneys is $9.87, so expect to pay more than the older estate figures.

Should probate and estate planning be separate campaigns?

Yes. Probate searchers have just lost someone and need help with a court process now. Planning searchers are thinking ahead. They need different pages, different ad copy and usually different bids.

Can RunAds manage Google Ads for an estate planning practice?

Yes. RunAds builds the campaigns from your site, writes the ads and asks for your approval before anything goes live. Signing up is free and credit packs start at $25.

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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

Google Ads cost for lawyersEvery legal practice area, the 2026 figures and a worked budget.Google Ads for family lawyersDivorce and custody campaigns, and why cheap clicks can still mean pricey leads.Google Ads for bankruptcy lawyersExpensive clicks offset by the highest legal conversion rate.Google Ads for lawyersHow RunAds builds campaigns for law firms.

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