Most people who click a law-firm search ad type a plain request for a lawyer. In the Probative benchmarks, searches that say “near me” make up 10–15% of search-ad clicks, searches written in Spanish make up 3%, and searches for a lawyer with no case type named make up 40–45%.
Probative benchmarks, 2025–2026
What people type when they search for a lawyer
| What is measured | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Searches that say "near me": share of search-ad clicks | 10–15% |
| Searches written in Spanish: share of search-ad clicks | 3% |
| Searches for a lawyer with no case type named: share of search-ad clicks | 40–45% |
What does this mean for your firm?
- Be easy to find nearby. Near-me searches reward a complete Business Profile, clear location pages and ads set to the places you serve.
- Write ads for the plain request. Many searchers name no case type, so the ad and the page must say quickly what the firm handles.
- Answer in the searcher’s language. If you bid on Spanish-language searches, the phone must be answered in Spanish too.
What else is in the file?
The downloadable file also holds the share of clicks from searches that ask for the best or top lawyer, searches phrased as a question, searches that ask for a free consultation, and searches that name a specific case type. Brand searches are left out of every row.
How do I read this table?
Each row is the share of search-ad clicks that came from searches matching a fixed word list, with injury and employment searches combined. Shares of ten percent or more are five-point bands, and smaller shares are rounded to the whole percent or shown as a band where a value would otherwise be too precise. A search can match more than one row, so the rows do not add up to a whole.
The figures are rounded or banded, so treat each as approximate. How the benchmarks are made and protected.
Download this table and cite it
Each table is its own file. Free, with no email or login, under CC BY 4.0: copy and adapt it with credit to Probative Growth.
Cite this dataset: Probative Growth (2026). Probative benchmarks, 2025–2026 (v4.0.1) [Data set]. CC BY 4.0. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23735849. https://probativegrowth.com/research/benchmarks/search-query-patterns/
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How each figure is made and protected · Probative benchmarks, 2025–2026