On this page · 7 sections
- What do people search for after a car crash?
- Where do car accident clients find a firm, and what does each cost?
- Why does the first call matter more than the ad?
- Which state rules should you check first?
- Should you own your marketing or rent your cases?
- What is the one next step?
- Free tools for a car accident practice
A person who has just been in a car crash usually picks a lawyer in one sitting, after one search, one question to an AI assistant, or one ad. This page shows where those people find a firm, what each place costs a month, why the first call decides more than the ad, and which state rules to check before you publish. The one next step is at the bottom: a two-minute checklist.
What do people search for after a car crash?
They type the situation, not the practice area. A firm that answers the real question gets the call.
- The urgent search: “car accident lawyer near me”, “lawyer for a rear-end crash”, “hit and run what do I do”.
- The money question: “who pays my medical bills after a crash”, “the other driver’s insurer keeps calling me”, “do I need a lawyer for a minor accident”.
- The special cases: a rideshare crash, an uninsured driver, a crash with a delivery van, a passenger injured in a friend’s car.
- In Spanish: “abogado de accidentes de auto”, “choqué y no tengo seguro”. Many people search in Spanish even when they speak English at work.
Each of these deserves a plain page that answers it, written for the person and not for a search engine. Our personal injury marketing guide explains how we plan those pages.
Where do car accident clients find a firm, and what does each cost?
Three places, each with its own work. We run all three together and judge them on one number: new clients who sign with your firm, counted in your records.
| Where they look | What wins it | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| The Google map results | A complete, verified Google profile, current reviews, one phone number | Local SEO and profile work |
| Search ads and Local Services ads | Ads by case type, tight search terms, a fast answer | Google ads and Local Services Ads |
| AI answers | Clear pages, facts that match everywhere, sources a machine can read | AI search and SEO |
Google lists “personal injury lawyer” as a Local Services category, and its description covers matters such as auto, bicycle and motorcycle accidents (Google). The same category covers other injuries, so a firm that takes only car cases should say so in its profile and service areas.
What does it cost a month?
Our fees are flat and published. You pay Google, Microsoft and Meta directly for the ads themselves. Nothing is priced per lead or per case.
Ads alone cost less, and the pricing page shows all four packages in all five ad-spend levels. Your counsel and your own numbers decide the right size.
Why does the first call matter more than the ad?
A person who has just been in a crash is calling several firms. In Clio’s 2024 secret-shopper test of 500 firms, only 40% of firms answered the phone calls (Clio, via 2Civility). Whoever picks up first often keeps the case.
That is why intake sits inside every plan we run:
- Answer every hour your ads run, including evenings and weekends, because crashes do not keep office hours.
- Call back fast when a form or a missed call comes in.
- Answer in Spanish if you advertise in Spanish.
- Measure it. Speed to lead and answer rate are defined on The Probative Standard, and our intake numbers guide shows how to read them.
The cheapest first step costs nothing: call your own firm as a stranger would. Our secret-shop worksheet gives you the script and the score sheet.
Which state rules should you check first?
The rules that matter most for car accident ads are about what an ad may show and when you may contact someone. We read each state at its source. Your own counsel and bar have the final word.
- California. The law creates a rebuttable presumption that three kinds of message are false, misleading or deceptive in electronic ads. Displays of injuries or accident scenes are one of them, and references to money are another (B&P §6158.1). Our default there is no money, results or injury imagery. See California.
- Texas. The law makes it a crime for an attorney to send a written, in-person or phone solicitation about an accident before the 31st day, and paying someone to solicit is a felony (Penal Code §38.12). Ads that people find on their own are different from contact you start. See Texas.
- Florida. A lawyer may not send a written communication about an accident unless it happened more than 30 days before the mailing, and may not solicit in person; the term solicit includes contact by telephone (Florida Bar handbook). See Florida.
- Illinois. A lawyer shall not by in-person, live telephone or real-time electronic contact solicit professional employment when a significant motive is the lawyer’s pecuniary gain (Rule 7.3). See Illinois.
- New York. New York has its own advertising and solicitation rules, and they have changed. Read the New York page before you publish anything.
Every other state is in our lawyer advertising rules library, with the source for each rule. We handle your state’s ad rules for you; your attorney approves every ad before it runs.
Should you own your marketing or rent your cases?
Some vendors sell car accident cases: they run their own ads and hand you a signed client. That can fill a calendar quickly. When you stop paying, the ads, phone numbers and call lists stay with the vendor. Pay per signed case versus owning your marketing compares the two with your own numbers. Before you sign anything, read the eight clauses to find in a vendor’s paperwork, and check whether paying per client retained is allowed in your state.
What is the one next step?
Take the two-minute marketing checklist. It asks what you already have, such as your website, your Google profile, your reviews and who answers the phone, and it tells you what to fix first. Then we can review what clients see when they search for your firm.
Looking for the Spanish version? See marketing para abogados de accidentes de auto.
Free tools for a car accident practice
- Speed-to-sign checklist: time how fast a new injury inquiry gets a real answer.
- After-hours intake kit: cover the evening and weekend calls your ads bring in.
- Spanish demand map: see Spanish-language demand in your metro.
- Ad compliance checker: check your ad text against your state’s rules.
Rules for letters and TV vary by state: see direct mail and solicitation rules and TV advertising rules.
Marketing information, not legal advice. Probative is a marketing firm, not a law firm or a lawyer referral service. Last reviewed by our ads lead.