The best criminal defense Google Ads keywords combine a charge, a place and hiring intent: "dui lawyer orange county", "domestic violence attorney near me", "drug possession lawyer phoenix". Organize them by charge type, bid hardest on the charges where your fee justifies the click, and build a long negative list from day one, because criminal searches attract a lot of people looking for records, mugshots and free help.
Below is a working keyword map by charge, plus the negatives and match-type choices that keep spend on people who might actually hire you.
Three intent tiers to sort every keyword
Every criminal defense keyword falls into one of three tiers, and each tier deserves a different bid and a different landing page.
- Hire-now. The searcher wants a lawyer: "criminal defense attorney [city]", "dwi lawyer near me", "best way to find a dui attorney tonight". Highest bids, phone-first landing pages.
- Problem-aware. The searcher has a problem and hasn't decided on a lawyer yet: "arrested for dui what happens next", "warrant for my arrest what do i do", "my son was arrested". Moderate bids; pages that answer the question and then offer a call.
- Research. "First offense dui penalties texas", "is shoplifting a felony". Low or no bids in most accounts. These are better targets for criminal defense SEO than for paid clicks.
Criminal defense Google Ads keywords by charge
Give each charge its own ad group, or its own campaign if you want separate budgets. The table shows starting points; your search terms report will tell you what people in your county actually type.
| Charge | Starting keywords | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DUI / DWI / OWI / OUI | "dui lawyer", "dui attorney near me", "dwi lawyer [county]", "second dui lawyer", "dui license suspension lawyer" | Use your state's term. Texas and New York searchers say DWI; Wisconsin often OWI; Massachusetts OUI. |
| Domestic violence | "domestic violence lawyer", "dv charge attorney", "protective order hearing lawyer", "restraining order defense attorney" | Expect alleged victims to call wanting charges dropped. Screen for conflicts. |
| Drug charges | "drug possession lawyer", "possession with intent attorney", "drug trafficking defense lawyer" | Trafficking and federal drug cases justify far higher bids than simple possession. |
| Theft | "shoplifting lawyer", "petty theft attorney", "embezzlement defense lawyer" | Petty theft clicks are cheap but fees are often low. Embezzlement is a different tier entirely. |
| Assault / violent | "assault charge lawyer", "aggravated assault attorney", "battery defense lawyer" | Felony modifiers ("aggravated", "with a deadly weapon") signal higher-value cases. |
| Warrants & bail | "warrant lawyer", "bench warrant attorney", "bail hearing lawyer", "bond reduction attorney" | Many callers are family. Strong after-hours performer. |
| Probation violation | "probation violation lawyer", "violation of probation attorney [county]" | Urgent, often already in custody. Short sales cycle. |
| Federal | "federal criminal defense lawyer", "federal drug charges attorney", "target letter lawyer" | Low volume, high value. Target by federal district, not just city. |
Expungement and record sealing belong in a separate campaign. The searcher's urgency, fee and intake are completely different; see our page on expungement lawyer marketing.
Statute numbers, courthouses and local language
Some of the cheapest high-intent clicks come from searches that use the exact words printed on someone's paperwork. In California, people search "PC 273.5 lawyer" or "23152 dui attorney". In other states it's the statute or offense name on the citation. Add these as phrase-match keywords and put the code in the headline when it matches.
Courthouse and jail names work the same way. A parent who just learned their son is being held will search "lawyer near [county] jail" or "[courthouse name] criminal attorney". Few competitors bid on these. They're small in volume and often excellent.
Searches like "how to get someone out of jail", "my husband got arrested what do i do" and "lawyer for son in jail" come from the people who often hire and pay. They convert best when the landing page speaks to them directly: what happens at the first appearance, how bail works locally, and the fact that you'll speak with them while respecting that the person in custody is the client.
Match types and bidding
Start with phrase and exact match for criminal defense. Broad match can work once your account has months of signed-case conversion data, but early on it tends to drift into records searches, legal-education queries and other practice areas. Google's broad match will happily show your DUI ad for "dui checkpoint tonight", which is not a person who needs a lawyer yet.
Bid by tier and fee. If your flat fee for a misdemeanor DUI is several times what you charge for a petty theft, your DUI bids can be several times higher too. Our criminal defense PPC guide covers campaign structure and scheduling, and common Google Ads mistakes lists the setting errors we see most.
Negative keywords for criminal defense
A criminal defense account without negatives will spend a meaningful share of its budget on people who will never hire a lawyer. Add these themes before launch and review the search terms report weekly for the first two months.
- Records and lookups: inmate search, inmate locator, mugshots, arrest records, booking report, case lookup, court records, background check
- Free and appointed help: free, pro bono, legal aid, public defender office, how to get a public defender (keep "public defender vs private attorney" if you have a page that answers it honestly)
- Careers and education: jobs, salary, school, degree, internship, paralegal, how to become
- Wrong side of the case: prosecutor, district attorney office, victim advocate, how to press charges, how to file a restraining order
- DIY and other topics: forms, template, pardon application (unless you do pardons), sample letter to judge, traffic ticket (unless you want them)
- One ad group per charge, with the charge word in the headline.
- Use your state's term: DUI, DWI, OWI or OUI.
- Statute numbers, courthouse names and jail names are small, cheap and high intent.
- Family-member searches deserve their own ad group and landing page.
- Negatives for records, free help, careers and the prosecution side go in before launch.
Not sure what your search terms report is hiding?
We'll pull your last 90 days of search terms, flag the wasted spend and map your keywords by charge. No charge for the audit.
If you'd rather not manage keywords at all, our Google Ads management for law firms covers the build and weekly search-term cleanup, and the PPC for lawyers overview explains how we approach accounts across practice areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
DUI and DWI keywords are usually among the most expensive in local criminal defense, especially hire-now phrases like "dui lawyer near me" in large metros. Federal and white-collar terms can also be costly per click, though volume is low. Prices change by city and season, so check Google's Keyword Planner for your own market rather than relying on national averages.
Mostly no. People searching for a public defender's office or how to get one usually can't or won't pay a private fee. The exception is comparison searches like "public defender vs private attorney", which can convert if you send them to an honest page explaining caseloads, availability and your fee structure without promising better outcomes.
Not at first. Broad match tends to pull in records searches, news, legal education and other practice areas, which is expensive in criminal defense. Start with phrase and exact match, build a strong negative list, and import signed-case conversions. Once Google has months of reliable data, a carefully watched broad match test can make sense.
Fewer than most people think. A focused campaign might have 10 to 30 keywords per charge, grouped tightly so the ad matches the search. A long list of loosely related keywords spreads your budget thin and makes the search terms report harder to manage. Add keywords based on what actually shows up in your search terms, not brainstorming.