2025 cost-per-click benchmarks across search, display, and social platforms
Legal is consistently the highest-CPC vertical on Google Search. Personal injury, criminal defense, and DUI terms regularly exceed $50–$100 per click in major US cities — a reflection of case LTV in the hundreds of thousands.
Typical Legal campaign CPC falls between $3.50 and $15.00 depending on platform, keyword intent level, and targeting specificity.
Average (blended): $6.75 (Google Search, 2025)
| # | Platform | Avg. CPC | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Search | $6–$15 | ⭐ Highest CPC vertical |
| 2 | Bing Search | $4–$10 | Strong for legal demographic |
| 3 | Meta Ads | $1.50–$4 | Local awareness |
| 4 | Display | $0.50–$1.50 | Retargeting only |
| 5 | YouTube | $0.10–$0.25 | Brand credibility |
| 6 | $4–$9 | B2B legal/compliance |
| Year | Average CPC |
|---|---|
| 2022 | $5.50 |
| 2023 | $5.95 |
| 2024 | $6.35 |
| 2025 | $6.75 |
| 2026E | $7.15 |
2026E = projected estimate.
Index 100 = annual average. Values above 100 indicate above-average CPC periods.
| Quarter | Index | Relative Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 105 | |
| Q2 | 101 | |
| Q3 | 95 | |
| Q4 | 99 |
Legal advertisers should run dayparting — most legal conversions happen during business hours (9am–6pm) and response time matters enormously. Turning off ads when no one can answer calls reduces wasted spend.