Do not try to outbid national firms on "tax relief". Bid on enforcement terms in the states you serve, show only to people physically in your area, block the searches that never sign, send clicks to a page with a qualifying form, and tell Google which enquiries actually become cases. Then answer every enquiry within minutes.
Why search is hard in this category
Several national resolution firms spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a month on Google Ads, and TaxCure reports that many mid-sized firms spend $40,000 to $80,000. Broad terms are expensive and attract people owing small balances or looking for free help. Smaller firms win on precision, not budget.
Keyword themes that tend to work
- Enforcement: wage garnishment help, bank levy release, IRS levy help, notice of intent to levy.
- Specific notices: CP504 notice, LT11 letter, CP90, letter 1058.
- Situations: unfiled tax returns help, payroll tax problems, trust fund recovery penalty.
- Professional intent: enrolled agent IRS representation, tax resolution attorney plus your state or city.
Negatives that save money
Add free, IRS phone number, irs.gov, payment portal, jobs, careers, salary, course, training, software, template, and state names you do not serve. Review the search terms report weekly, including the source column for AI Max matches, and add anything that will never sign.
Settings most firms get wrong
- Location: change "presence or interest" to presence. The default shows ads to people merely interested in your area.
- AI Max: if you test it, keep text customisation and turn final URL expansion off, so Google cannot send people to the wrong page.
- Schedule: run ads when someone can answer the phone or call back within minutes.
- Conversions: count a qualified form or a call over 60 seconds, not every page view or click to call.
Tell Google which enquiries become cases
Smart bidding optimises for whatever you count as a conversion. If every form counts the same, it will find you cheap forms. Two fixes help:
- Import qualified and retained outcomes from your CRM as offline conversions, with a value.
- Use conversion value rules to add value to enquiries from the states, devices or segments your data shows retain more often.
The landing page
Send each theme to a page that matches it. A garnishment search should land on a garnishment page. Include a short form that asks balance, notices received and years unfiled, real credentials, an honest explanation of options, and no settlement promises. The page has to load fast on a phone.
Compliance
Google requires many advertisers offering debt services to be verified, and rules vary by country and service. Check Google's financial services policy for your account before launch, and keep copy to what a practitioner can stand behind. Our compliance standard lists the rules we write to.
What to track
Cost per qualified lead, time to first contact, consultations held and cost per retained case, weekly and by keyword theme. Cut themes that produce enquiries but not cases, even if the cost per lead looks good.
Want these numbers for your own firm? Book a strategy call and we will walk through your lead sources, intake and cost per retained case.