Key takeaways
- Track the lead source and outcome on every intake, not just clicks and calls.
- Google Ads supports importing offline results, such as a signed retainer, back to the ad.
- Define your stages once: lead, reached, qualified, consult, signed.
- Lead data may be confidential. Ask counsel before you share it with any platform.
Why do clicks and calls not tell you enough?
A channel that sends many calls may send few signed cases. Cost per lead can look good while cost per signed case is poor. You only find out by following each lead to its outcome.
What do you track?
| Stage | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Date, time, source, campaign or ad, how they contacted you | Shows which channels produce enquiries |
| Reached | Time of first contact and who made it | Shows speed to lead by channel |
| Qualified | Whether the matter fits your practice | Separates good leads from poor fits |
| Consult booked | Date and intake owner | Shows where leads drop off |
| Signed | Retainer date and case type | The outcome that pays |
| Value | Settled or closed amount, when known | Shows return, months later |
How do you connect ads to signed cases?
- Capture the source on every lead, with a hidden field on your forms and call tracking for phone numbers.
- Keep the outcome in your case management or intake system.
- Send results back to your ad platform. Google’s help page describes saving the Google click ID with the lead and sending it back with the conversion type and timing. It calls enhanced conversions for leads an upgraded version that adds hashed contact data, and it moved these uploads to the Data Manager API starting June 15, 2026.
- Review signed cases and cost by source every month.
What should you protect?
People who contact a firm about a possible case may be prospective clients, and information they share can be confidential. Before you pass lead details, even hashed ones, to an ad platform or a vendor, ask your ethics counsel what your state’s rules allow, and read the platform’s terms. Collect the minimum you need.
How does this connect to cost?
Once you have signed cases by source, you can work out cost per signed case. Our cost guide shows the published ranges and the formula.
Want this worked out for your firm? The free 20-minute growth audit looks at your ads and how new leads are handled today, and you keep the written plan. Book my free growth audit.