Call-Only Ads and Location Bid Modifiers at a Multi-Location Firm
Litware Legal is a 14-office law firm spending $28,000 per month on Microsoft Advertising. It uses call-only ads and call extensions; a conversion is a call longer than 90 seconds. Mobile drives 68% of clicks but only 41% of conversions. Desktop CPA is $95; mobile CPA is $210. Location bid modifiers of +25% are applied to three metro areas, but those metros show a $165 CPA versus $72 in other markets. The ad schedule is 24/7 because the firm believes clients call anytime. Call tracking shows 34% of calls after 6 p.m. go unanswered, and 18% of all calls are from existing clients. Brand campaign CPA is $22; non-brand CPA is $240. The firm wants more signed cases, not just more calls.
1. Evaluate the mobile and metro bid modifiers. What would you change, and what would you test before changing?
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The +25% metro modifier is working against the firm: those three metros have a $165 CPA versus $72 elsewhere, so paying more for them is the opposite of what the data supports. Remove the modifier and investigate whether the gap is competition, poor landing pages, or different case values; if those metros produce higher-value cases, a higher CPA may be justified, but that must be proven with signed-case value, not assumed. For mobile, do not cut it off: mobile is 68% of clicks and 41% of conversions, and call-only ads can be strong on mobile. At a $210 CPA versus $95 on desktop, mobile is above a $150 target, so test a -20% mobile modifier rather than -100%. Before changing, confirm call quality: calls over 90 seconds may include wrong numbers or existing clients. Exclude existing clients with Customer Match, and track signed cases by device. Run a 30-day test with a control, then adjust in 10-20% steps.
2. Recommend an ad schedule and call-handling plan that preserves after-hours demand.
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Separate 'we accept calls' from 'we answer calls.' If 34% of after-6 p.m. calls go unanswered, the firm is paying for rings that cannot convert. Keep call-only ads only during staffed hours per office, using location-specific schedules. After hours, switch to a lead form or a call extension with a clear voicemail message and a next-morning callback promise; do not simply turn off after-hours demand. Route calls to an answering service for high-value practice areas if the firm can staff it. Use call tracking to measure answered rate, call duration, and signed-case rate, not just calls over 90 seconds. Add negative audiences for existing clients, and keep brand protected because its $22 CPA is cheap. Review schedules monthly by office; a 14-office firm should not run one national 24/7 schedule. The goal is more signed cases, so optimize to qualified calls and signed-case value, and pause spend where calls go unanswered.