For charges where people search the moment they’re released, paid ads can bring calls this month while rankings build. We schedule them around when your calls actually happen, write landing pages for each charge, and stay within your state’s advertising rules.
Criminal defense lawyer marketing for the call that comes at 2 a.m.
Criminal defense clients don't book a consultation for next Tuesday. They search the night of the arrest, or the morning after release, and they call whoever looks ready to help right now. Our criminal defense lawyer marketing and SEO puts your firm in front of them at that moment, for the charges and courts you handle.
See whether ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity mention your firm. Your report arrives by email within 2 business days. No sales call.
- Charge
- County or court
- Family help
- Process
- Attorney profile
Who’s searching, and when
Two kinds of people search for a criminal defense lawyer: the person charged, and the family member trying to help them. Both are scared, both are short on time, and most are searching outside office hours.
- The person charged usually searches after release, on a phone, with the paperwork in front of them. They type the charge and the place: “DUI lawyer Santa Ana”, “domestic violence attorney near me”.
- A parent, spouse or friend often searches while the person is still in custody. They want to know where their loved one is, what happens next and how bail works, and they’ll call the first lawyer who explains it in words they understand.
Most criminal defense firms market only to the first group. The second group is often the one making the call and paying the retainer.
Searches by charge, county and court
Criminal defense searches are specific. People search for their charge and their courthouse, not for “criminal law services”.
Our criminal defense SEO builds pages around the work you want more of:
| Page type | Example searches | What makes it work |
|---|---|---|
| Charge | “first DUI lawyer”, “felony theft attorney”, “assault charge lawyer” | What the charge means, possible outcomes, how you defend it |
| County or court | “Riverside County DUI attorney”, “arraignment at the Vista courthouse” | Real local detail: the courthouse, the process, what to bring |
| Family help | “how to find out if someone was arrested”, “how does bail work in Texas” | A calm explanation first, then a clear way to reach you |
| Process | “what happens at an arraignment”, “will I lose my license after a DUI” | Answers that earn the visit days before the court date |
| Attorney profile | Your name plus “lawyer” | Background, courtroom experience and a real photo: people check who they’ll get |
Each page is written for one search and linked to the pages around it. That structure also helps ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews understand what you handle and where.
DUI pages that beat the clock
DUI is often the charge a criminal defense firm gets asked about most, and it comes with deadlines. In many states, a driver has only days after the arrest to act on their license, and they don’t know it yet.
The DUI content worth getting right
- A page per county you cover, with the local court, how DUI cases move through it and what the first hearing looks like.
- The license question, answered first. What happens to their license, the deadline that applies in your state and why it matters to call now.
- First-time, repeat and felony DUI pages, because people search for their own situation.
- Related charges, like refusal, underage DUI or DUI with an accident, if you handle them.
Every page explains the next step in a sentence and puts your phone number and form within reach. Someone with a license deadline doesn’t want to scroll.
After-hours calls decide who gets the case
If your phone goes to voicemail at 11 p.m., the next firm on the list gets the call. In criminal defense, contact is often the step where cases are won or lost.
Tracked calls by hour
Call tracking shows how many calls come in at night and on weekends, and how many were missed. That number usually settles the answering-service debate.
A form that works at 2 a.m
Short, mobile-friendly, with an instant email back so nobody wonders whether it went through.
Text and click-to-call
Many people in a tense situation would rather text than talk. We make both one tap away.
A follow-up plan
Our Lead-to-Consultation Kit gives your team (or your answering service) an intake guide and speed-to-lead steps for every new inquiry.
Maps, ads and the jail down the street
Searches like “criminal lawyer near me” put three firms on a map before anything else, and those three get a large share of the calls. We set up and manage your Google Business Profile and local SEO so your firm earns that spot near each courthouse you work in.
Discretion is part of the brand
Criminal defense clients worry about who’ll find out. Your website should feel private and professional, with clear information about confidentiality and no stock photos of handcuffs.
Reviews take care too. Many clients won’t leave one, and that’s understandable. We ask discreetly, write replies that never mention a case, and report reviews that break Google’s rules.
A big thank you to Nick and the team over at PointClick. They made the process of redesigning our website quick and painless. Highly recommended.
Right Choice Law
How it comes together
All of this runs inside the PointClick Client System, with a monthly report on calls, form leads, rankings, Maps visibility, reviews and AI visibility. Our founder sets your strategy and stays your point of contact. Our team does the hands-on work, and he checks it before you ever see it.
The PointClick Client System starts at $2,500/month. If you’d rather start with something smaller, see every way to get started.
Questions firms ask
What's different about marketing a criminal defense firm?
Timing and specificity. Most calls come within hours or days of an arrest, often at night or on weekends, and searchers look for their exact charge and court. So we focus on charge pages, county and court pages, Maps visibility and after-hours contact before anything else. Broad brand-building comes later.
Should we have a page for every charge and every courthouse?
For the charges and courts you actually handle, usually yes. A page about DUI in one county answers a much more specific question than a general criminal defense page, and it's far more likely to rank. We don't mass-produce near-identical pages, though. Each one needs real local detail to be worth publishing.
Do ads work for criminal defense?
They can, especially for DUI and other charges where people search right after release. We run Google Search Ads and Local Services Ads on a schedule that matches when your calls come in, with landing pages for each charge. You pay Google and Meta directly; we set and manage the budget.
Our clients rarely leave reviews. What can we do?
It's normal in criminal defense. Many clients don't want a public link to their case. We set up a discreet request for clients who are happy to help, often after a dismissal or a good outcome, and replies never mention the case. Even a modest, steady flow of reviews makes a visible difference in Maps.
How much does criminal defense marketing cost?
The PointClick Client System starts at $2,500/month. Firms that cover several counties, many charge types or a big competitive city usually invest more. Paid ads are an add-on at $1,500/month plus ad spend. There's no setup fee and no long-term contract, and we quote a firm number after the free Growth Audit.
See what AI says about your firm
See whether ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity mention your firm. Your report arrives by email within 2 business days. No sales call.
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