Data
Federal civil filings by case type
New federal lawsuits by type and district, from the courts’ own tables.
Practice areas · Business and commercial law
Business and commercial law firm marketing: SEO, AI search and ads
SEO, AI search and ads for business and commercial law firms. Owners search by the problem and choose from referrals. We count retained matters.
- Plans start at $2,500 a month, and the fee follows your ad spend. Answer 7 questions to see the one we’d start you on.
- One set monthly fee by ad-budget level. You pay for the ads directly.
- Every account in your name. Cancel any month.
- Your attorney approves every ad. We handle your state’s ad rules.
On this page · 9 sections
- Who searches for a business lawyer, and what do they type?
- What does a retained matter mean for a business practice?
- What do business buyers do before they call?
- Which channels work for business law?
- What do the advertising rules mean for a business firm?
- What this means for your firm
- Where you are now, and where you could be
- What our own data show
- What we never do for business law firms
Business and commercial law is sold on trust and on the problem at hand. Owners and executives search by what went wrong or what they need to close, compare firms on expertise, and often pick from a referral. We run SEO, AI search and ads for your firm and count retained matters in your own records.
Who searches for a business lawyer, and what do they type?
Mostly owners, executives and in-house staff. They type the problem: a partner locked me out, a customer will not pay, review a supply contract, form an LLC, buy a company. Some searches are urgent disputes. Others are planned deals. Both are narrow, so pages built around one problem beat pages about “business law.”
Key facts
- Two kinds of work. Disputes (contract claims, partner and shareholder fights, trade secrets) and transactional work (formations, deals, leases, employer agreements). They search, decide and pay differently.
- Referrals set the shortlist. Accountants, bankers, other lawyers and existing clients send names. Search is where the buyer checks you.
- Fees vary. Hourly, flat, retainer or contingent, so the value of a matter comes from your own fee history.
- Conflict checks come first. Intake collects names before substance.
- Expertise wording is regulated. What you may say about being a specialist depends on the state.
What does a retained matter mean for a business practice?
A retained matter is a business client that signed your engagement letter, recorded in your firm’s system and counted once. A consultation booked is an early signal only, because many owners book several firms. We never count a call or a form as a client.
What do business buyers do before they call?
| Step | What the buyer does | What your pages must do |
|---|---|---|
| Hears a name | Asks a peer, banker or accountant | Be easy to confirm: clear firm name, lawyers, matters |
| Searches the problem | Types the dispute or the deal | Name the problem and who you act for |
| Compares firms | Reads bios, guides and reviews | Show real experience in plain words, within your state’s rules |
| Calls or writes | Often after hours or by form | Answer fast and run the conflict check first |
| Retains | Signs after a call with a partner | Make the next step and the fee model clear |
The table shows that the decision is made across several visits, so the page that wins is the one that makes a short list easy to confirm.
Which channels work for business law?
Search and referrals lead. Our channel pages go deeper:
- Business law SEO and AI search: pages by problem, your Business Profile, guides and what AI assistants say about you.
- Business law ads: Google search, Local Services, Microsoft with LinkedIn targeting, and LinkedIn itself.
- Intake and conflicts for a business practice: the first call, conflicts and fee models.
What do the advertising rules mean for a business firm?
Wording about skill is where business firms get into trouble. California’s rule on false or misleading communications says A lawyer shall not make a false or misleading communication about the lawyer or the lawyer’s services. On specialization, one example is that Rule 7.4 lets a lawyer say that the practice specializes in, is limited to, or is concentrated in a particular field of law. Other states are tighter: in Illinois, “Certified”, “specialist” or “expert” may be used only to name an actual award, with the required Illinois disclaimer (7.4(c)).
So we describe the work instead of ranking the lawyer. The full state list is on lawyer advertising rules by state. This is not legal advice; your firm and its ethics counsel decide what to run.
Google’s Local Services program has a business lane. Google’s US list has 17 lawyer categories: bankruptcy, business, contract, criminal, disability, DUI, estate, family, immigration, IP, labor, litigation, malpractice, personal injury, real estate, traffic, and a general ‘Lawyers’ category. Unlike some other categories, none of the lawyer categories is limited to certain states. We test it in a small step and grade the calls.
What this means for your firm
- Write one page per problem you want more of, in the words an owner types.
- Run conflict checks before any substantive talk, and train your team to do it kindly and fast.
- Judge every channel by retained matters, valued from your own fees.
Where you are now, and where you could be
Business buyers check a name before they call. Find your row.
| Where you are now | What we do first | What you can have by the first quarterly review |
|---|---|---|
| One “business law” page covers disputes and deals | A page for each problem: a partner dispute, a collection, a contract review, a formation, a sale | Pages that name the problem and who you act for |
| Your bios say little about real experience | Bios and guides that show experience in plain words, within your state’s rules | A page a banker or accountant can confirm quickly |
| Referrals are the whole pipeline | Make the referral easy to verify: a clear firm name, lawyers and matters | Search that confirms the referral instead of competing with it |
| A consultation booked counts as a client | Count retained matters, signed engagement letters recorded once | A report that separates early signals from retained matters |
What our own data show
Business disputes become filings, and the firms that compete for them are not evenly spread. Our open data counts both:
The 203 law firms with 500 or more employees were 0.13% of the 156,583 employer law firms in 2022 but took in 34.9% of their receipts.
See federal civil filings by type, law-firm size and revenue, how long federal civil cases take and law-firm competition by county. The pages are found through SEO for business law, and the call handling is in intake monitoring.
What we never do for business law firms
- Promise a result, a ranking or a number of matters.
- Call a lawyer a specialist or expert where your state does not allow it.
- Ask callers for deal terms or case facts before a conflict check.
- Sell or share leads, or charge per matter or a share of fees.
Start with a free video review of your site, profile and intake. See also what counts as a new client by practice and how we measure signed clients.
How should business and commercial law firms explain their fees?
A fee that is clear before the first call screens out people who cannot go ahead and reassures the ones who can. Here is how firms in this practice usually charge, and what to say on your page.
- How firms usually charge
- Business lawyers bill by the hour, by flat fee for defined projects, or by a monthly retainer for ongoing advice.
- What to say on your page
- Name the projects you price as flat fees, say how you quote the rest, and explain how billing works for ongoing advice.
When a caller says it costs too much, the answer is a clear explanation, not a discount. See what to say, and what never to say, in our intake objection library.
Marketing information, not legal advice. Fee rules differ by state; check with your own counsel.
Our two pillars for business and commercial law
- SEO and AI search
Business and commercial law SEO and AI search
Local search, your Google Business Profile, pages in English and Spanish, and getting named in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews.
- Ads, search and social
Business and commercial law ads
Google and Microsoft search ads, Google’s Local Services Ads, Meta, YouTube and ChatGPT, judged on the new clients they bring in.
Business and commercial law ad rules, state by state
The filing duty, the limits on contacting people, the platform policies and the Spanish demand for business and commercial law firms in our five biggest markets, with the sources.
- Business and commercial law ad rules in California
- Business and commercial law ad rules in Texas
- Business and commercial law ad rules in Florida
- Business and commercial law ad rules in New York
- Business and commercial law ad rules in Illinois
- Business and commercial law ad rules in Georgia
- Business and commercial law ad rules in Pennsylvania
- Business and commercial law ad rules in Arizona
- Business and commercial law ad rules in New Jersey
- Business and commercial law ad rules in North Carolina
Questions firms ask
Do business clients really find a firm through search?
Often they start there, but rarely end there. An owner may ask a peer, an accountant or a banker for a name, then search that name and two others before calling. Your site, profile and reviews decide whether you make the short list. We measure the matters that actually retain you.
How do we market to owners without sounding like a generalist?
Build a page for each problem you handle well: a partner dispute, a broken contract, a sale of a company, a lease. Say who you act for and what happens first. Wording that claims expertise has to follow your state's rules, which we check page by page.
Should we pay for ads when most of our work comes by referral?
Referrals are the base. Ads and search fill the gaps and reach owners who have no lawyer yet. We test them in small steps and judge them by retained matters, never by clicks. If referrals alone fill your calendar, we will say that plainly.
How do you handle conflicts in a business practice?
Your firm runs its own conflict check, and we never ask callers for case facts. Our intake notes are limited to names, the type of matter and contact details, so your team can check conflicts before anyone discusses the substance.
Which matters are worth advertising for?
The ones where your fees justify the cost: a partner dispute, a contract claim, a deal, a recurring client who needs counsel. We value each type from your own fee history, whether hourly, flat or contingent, so bids follow your real revenue.
Can a business law page say 'expert' or 'specialist'?
Only where your state allows it, and often only for lawyers with an approved certification. We use plain descriptions of the work instead, such as 'we represent owners in partner disputes,' and check each state's wording before a page goes live.
How is business law marketing priced?
The fee is flat and set by the monthly ad spend we manage, never a share of your ad spend and never per lead or per case. The hero of this page shows where plans start, and the pricing page has every band.
Do business buyers use search at all, or only referrals?
Both. Referrals from accountants, bankers and other lawyers set the shortlist, and search is where the buyer checks you. Pages that name the problem and show real experience are what that check finds.
Sources
- Google Local Services Ads Help: Getting started in the US (lawyer categories)Accessed October 26, 2026
- State Bar of California: Rules of Professional Conduct, chapter 7 (Rules 7.1 and 7.4)Accessed October 26, 2026
- Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 7.4Accessed October 26, 2026
- Microsoft Advertising Help: LinkedIn profile targetingAccessed October 26, 2026
- LinkedIn Advertising PoliciesAccessed October 26, 2026
- NYCLA Professional Ethics Committee, Formal Opinion 748 (LinkedIn profiles)Accessed October 26, 2026
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