The short answer
A practice page says what you do. Decision pages answer the questions a person asks right before they pick up the phone: what will it cost, how long will it take, do I even need a lawyer, and what should I bring. Each one opens with a straight answer, explains how your fees work, and ends with one next step. Build all four for every practice you want more clients in, in English and Spanish where your callers speak Spanish.
A practice page tells people what your firm does. A decision page answers the question they ask in the minutes before they call: what will this cost, how long will it take, do I really need a lawyer, and what should I bring? Four short pages per practice, each with a straight answer and one next step, are often what turns a search into a call.
Why do decision pages matter more than another topic guide?
People who type “how much does a divorce lawyer cost” or “do I need a lawyer for a car accident” already have the problem. They are choosing whether, and whom, to call. A topic guide (“what is a deposition?”) mostly earns links and mentions. A decision page meets the person at the point of choosing, so it tends to bring calls that sign.
Google’s own advice points the same way. It asks whether readers leave feeling they’ve learned enough about a topic to help achieve their goal. A page that answers “what will it cost me?” honestly does that. A page that dodges the question sends the reader back to search, often to a directory.
What does each of the four pages have to answer?
Each page answers one question, fully, for one practice. Keep them short and specific.
| Page | The question it answers | What it must include |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | “What will this cost me?” | How you charge, what the first meeting costs, who pays case costs, when money changes hands |
| Timeline | “How long will this take?” | The usual stages in order, what slows a matter down, what the client can do to speed it up |
| Do I need a lawyer? | “Can I handle this myself?” | When people often handle it alone, when they usually should not, and the risk of waiting |
| What to bring | “What do I need for the first meeting?” | A short list of papers, dates and names, and what to do if something is missing |
The table shows that every page is built around the client’s own question, not around your firm. Your practice page stays the place that says what you do and why to choose you.
How do you write a decision page that earns the call?
Use the same order on every page, so the reader always knows where to look.
- Answer first. Two or three sentences that answer the question as directly as you honestly can.
- Explain how your fees work. Even on the timeline page, one short paragraph on cost removes the biggest worry.
- Show the steps or the list. A numbered list of stages, or a checklist of what to bring.
- Say what is different in your state or county, in plain words, and say your attorney can explain the rest.
- End with one next step: call, text or book a time. One button, not a menu.
Never promise an outcome, a deadline you cannot control or a fee you have not agreed to. “Every case is different” is true, but it is not an answer on its own: follow it with how your fees actually work. Your attorney approves the wording before it goes live, and the page carries your state’s required notices.
Which questions should each practice cover?
Every practice has its own version of the four questions. The table lists real searches of each kind for the practices we work with. Use them as a starting point, then check your own search terms and intake notes for the exact words your callers use.
| Practice | Cost page | Timeline page | Do I need a lawyer? | What to bring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury | “How much does a car accident lawyer charge?” | “How long does an injury settlement take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for a minor car accident?” | “What to bring to an injury consultation” |
| Employment | “Do employment lawyers work on contingency?” | “How long does a wrongful termination case take?” | “Do I need a lawyer to file a discrimination complaint?” | “What documents to bring to an employment lawyer” |
| Immigration | “How much does an immigration lawyer cost for a green card?” | “How long does a marriage green card take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for my citizenship application?” | “What to bring to an immigration consultation” |
| Family | “How much does a divorce lawyer cost?” | “How long does a divorce take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for an uncontested divorce?” | “What to bring to a first meeting with a divorce lawyer” |
| Criminal defense | “How much does a DUI lawyer cost?” | “How long does a misdemeanor case take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for a first offense?” | “What to bring to a criminal defense consultation” |
| Estate planning | “How much does a will and trust cost?” | “How long does probate take?” | “Do I need a lawyer to make a will?” | “What to bring to an estate planning meeting” |
| Workers’ compensation | “How much does a workers’ comp lawyer take?” | “How long does a workers’ comp claim take?” | “Do I need a lawyer if my claim was denied?” | “What to bring to a workers’ comp lawyer” |
| Lemon law | “Do lemon law lawyers charge anything?” | “How long does a lemon law claim take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for a lemon law buyback?” | “What records to keep for a lemon law claim” |
| Bankruptcy | “How much does it cost to file bankruptcy?” | “How long does bankruptcy take?” | “Can I file bankruptcy without a lawyer?” | “What documents do I need to file bankruptcy?” |
| Business law | “How much does a business lawyer charge to review a contract?” | “How long does it take to form an LLC?” | “Do I need a lawyer to start a business?” | “What to bring to a business lawyer” |
| SSDI | “How much does a disability lawyer cost?” | “How long does a disability appeal take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for a disability hearing?” | “What medical records to bring for a disability claim” |
| VA disability | “How much does a VA disability lawyer charge?” | “How long does a VA appeal take?” | “Do I need a lawyer for a VA claim?” | “What to bring to a VA disability lawyer” |
| Medical malpractice | “How much does a medical malpractice lawyer cost?” | “How long does a malpractice case take?” | “Do I have a medical malpractice case?” | “What records to request for a malpractice claim” |
| Mass torts | “Does it cost anything to join a lawsuit?” | “How long do mass tort settlements take?” | “Do I need a lawyer to join a class action?” | “What proof do I need to join a lawsuit?” |
The pattern holds across every practice: the cost question is nearly always first, and the “do I need a lawyer?” page catches people before they try a form or a directory instead.
How do decision pages work with ads?
They make good landing pages for searches that carry a question. Someone who searches “how much does a bankruptcy lawyer cost” and lands on a page that answers it is more likely to call than someone dropped on a home page.
Check what people really type. Google’s search terms report shows how your ads performed when triggered by actual searches. The cost, timeline and “do I need” questions in that report are your list of decision pages to write. Searches that show no intent to hire, such as job seekers or people wanting free forms, belong on your negative keyword list instead; our negative keywords tool has a starter list by practice.
What about Spanish-speaking callers?
Spanish speakers often search the same four questions in their own words, and far fewer firms answer them well in Spanish. Write each page for that reader: the questions, the fee explanation and the list of what to bring, plus who on your team speaks Spanish. Do not run the English page through a translator and publish it. Our Spanish legal marketing guide covers the rest.
How do you know the pages are working?
Count calls and signed clients that started on a decision page, not page views. Tag the call button and form on each page, keep the first source on the intake record, and compare signed clients by page each month. A cost page that brings fewer calls but more signed clients is doing its job: people who called already understood your fees. The cost per signed case guide explains how to count it.
What this means for your firm
- Pick one practice and write its cost page this month. Fee questions come up on nearly every intake call.
- Add the timeline, “do I need a lawyer?” and “what to bring” pages next, each linked to the practice page and back.
- Use your own search terms and intake notes for the exact words, and write the Spanish pages for Spanish speakers.
Planning the whole first month? The week-by-week playbook shows where these pages fit, after tracking and your Google Business Profile.
Want to know which of these pages your firm is missing? Get my free review. We record a short video of what potential clients see when they search for your firm.
Marketing information, not legal advice. Last reviewed by our editor.
Questions about this guide
Are decision pages the same as blog posts?
No. A blog post usually explains a topic to anyone curious. A decision page is written for a person who already has the problem and is choosing whether to call. It answers one question plainly, explains your fees, and ends with one way to reach you.
Do decision pages compete with our main practice page?
Not if each one answers its own question. The practice page covers what you do. The cost page covers fees, the timeline page covers how long, and so on. Link each decision page to the practice page and back, so search engines and readers see how they fit.
Can we publish fee ranges if every case is different?
Yes, if you explain how the fee works rather than promising a number. Say whether you charge a contingency share, a flat fee, hourly rates or a fee set by an agency, what the consultation costs, and who pays court costs. Your own attorney approves the wording.
Which practice should get decision pages first?
Start with the practice that brings the most signed clients today, or the one you most want to grow. Write the cost page first, because fee questions come up on nearly every intake call. Then add the other three over the next weeks.
Should the Spanish decision pages be translations?
Write them for Spanish speakers rather than running the English through a translator. The questions are often phrased differently, and callers may want to know who on your team speaks Spanish. Have a fluent person on staff read every page before it goes live.
Sources
- Google Search Central: creating helpful, reliable, people-first contentAccessed October 28, 2026
- Google Ads Help: about the search terms reportAccessed October 28, 2026