SEO vs. FindLaw vs. Google Ads: Where Should a Solo PI Attorney Spend $800/month?

You just opened your PI practice. You have roughly $800/month for marketing. That’s real money for a solo attorney — and you can’t afford to waste it.

There are three main options on the table. Each one has trade-offs. Here’s the honest math on all three.

Option 1: FindLaw or Justia ($500-$1,500/month)

What you get:

• A templated website on their platform
• A listing in their legal directory
• Basic SEO “included” (their SEO, not yours)
• Your profile appears on their high-authority domain

What you don’t get:

• You don’t own the website — if you cancel, it disappears
• You can’t customize beyond their templates
• Your SEO authority builds on their domain, not yours
• You compete with every other attorney on the same platform
• Limited control over your content strategy
• Your leads may be shared or sold to other attorneys

Cost per lead (12-month average): $200-$400

The real issue: You’re renting, not building. After 2 years and $12,000-$36,000 in payments, you own nothing. Cancel the service and you start from zero — no website, no SEO authority, no content library. Your investment walks out the door.

Option 2: Google Ads ($800/month)

What you get:

• Immediate visibility at the top of search results
• Clicks from people actively searching for attorneys
• Full control over targeting (keywords, geography, time of day)
• Measurable results from day one

What you don’t get:

• Traffic stops the moment you stop paying
• No compounding effect — month 12 isn’t cheaper than month 1
• Click fraud is a real problem (competitors clicking your ads)
• Average CPC for Houston PI keywords: $50-$150 per click
• At $800/month, you get 5-16 clicks per month
• Not all clicks become leads — conversion rates typically run 5-15%

Cost per lead (12-month average): $300-$600

The math: With a $800 monthly budget and $100 average CPC, you get ~8 clicks. At a 10% conversion rate, that’s 0.8 leads per month. Over 12 months: 9-10 leads at a cost of $9,600. That’s roughly $960 per lead.

For competitive PI keywords in Houston, $800/month simply isn’t enough budget to compete effectively with firms spending $5,000-$10,000/month on ads. You’ll get outbid on the highest-intent searches.

Option 3: SEO + Custom Website ($797/month)

What you get:

• A custom, high-performance website you own
• Ongoing content creation targeting your practice areas and location
• Technical SEO (schema, site speed, Core Web Vitals)
• Google Business Profile optimization
• Local citation building
• Monthly reporting and strategy adjustments

What you don’t get (immediately):

• Results take 3-6 months to materialize
• Requires patience and commitment
• Month 1-3 may produce zero leads

Cost per lead (12-month average): $80-$160

The math: Months 1-3: building foundation, minimal leads. Months 4-6: 3-8 leads per month emerging. Months 7-12: 8-15 leads per month as authority compounds. Total 12-month leads: 40-80+. Total investment: $9,564. Cost per lead: $120-$240.

But here’s the key difference: in month 13, you still have everything. The website, the content library, the domain authority, the rankings. Stop paying and you don’t lose it overnight — organic rankings persist for months or even years.

The 12-Month Comparison

Metric	FindLaw	Google Ads	SEO
Monthly cost	$800	$800	$797
12-month total	$9,600	$9,600	$9,564
Leads (months 1-3)	2-4	2-4	0-2
Leads (months 4-6)	4-6	3-5	5-12
Leads (months 7-12)	6-10	4-8	20-50
Total 12-month leads	12-20	9-17	25-64
Cost per lead	$480-$800	$565-$1,067	$149-$383
You own the assets?	No	No	Yes
Stops when you stop paying?	Yes	Immediately	Gradually

The Honest Answer

If you need leads this week: Google Ads is the only option. But $800/month isn’t enough to compete in Houston PI. Consider budgeting $2,000+/month for ads if immediate lead generation is your priority.

If you’re building for the next 2-5 years: SEO delivers the lowest cost per lead and the only option where your investment compounds. After 12 months, the cost per lead keeps dropping while the lead volume keeps growing.

If you want the worst deal: FindLaw. You’re paying the same monthly cost as SEO but getting fewer leads, no asset ownership, and competing directly with every other attorney on the platform. When you cancel, you leave with nothing.

The Combination Strategy

The smartest approach for a solo PI attorney with $800/month isn’t choosing one option — it’s sequencing them:

1. Months 1-3: Invest in SEO ($797/month) to build your foundation
2. Months 4-6: Add $200-$400/month in Google Ads for your top 2-3 keywords while SEO builds
3. Months 7+: Reduce ad spend as organic traffic takes over — reinvest savings into content

By month 12, you have a high-performing website generating organic leads at $80-$160 each, with the option to supplement with ads during slow periods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is FindLaw worth it for a new attorney?

For most solo attorneys, FindLaw’s value proposition has weakened significantly. You don’t own the website, your SEO authority builds on their domain, and your leads may be shared. The same monthly investment in a custom website with SEO produces better long-term results and gives you full ownership of your digital assets.

How much should a solo attorney spend on Google Ads?

In Houston’s competitive PI market, you need at least $2,000-$3,000/month in Google Ads budget to generate consistent leads. At $800/month, you’ll get 5-16 clicks — not enough volume to sustain a practice. If your total marketing budget is $800, SEO is a better allocation.

Can I do SEO and Google Ads at the same time?

Yes, and this is often the best strategy. Run Google Ads for immediate visibility while your SEO builds over months 1-6. As organic rankings improve and generate leads, you can reduce ad spend and redirect budget to content creation. The two channels complement each other — ads provide short-term leads while SEO builds long-term infrastructure.

What happens to my SEO if I stop paying?

Unlike Google Ads (which stop immediately) or FindLaw (which takes your site down), SEO results persist after you stop investing. Your website, content, and rankings don’t disappear overnight. However, without ongoing content and optimization, rankings will gradually decline as competitors continue investing. Most firms see rankings hold steady for 3-6 months after stopping, then slowly decrease.