CASE STUDY · BROWN CARRINGTON
FIXING THE FOUNDATION BEHIND SEARCH PERFORMANCE
Law
INDUSTRY
Search Strategy · User Research · Competitive Landscape Analysis · Technical SEO · Paid Search · Content Strategy · Conversion Path Optimization · Measurement · Performance Optimization
SERVICES
THE CHALLENGE
High Volume. Low Precision.
Brown Carrington was investing heavily in search and showing up.
The phones were ringing. Traffic was coming in.
But not always from the right people.
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Prospective clients who couldn’t afford their services
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Individuals searching for different legal needs
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Users looking for low-cost or pro bono options
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High-intent traffic entering weak or misaligned conversion paths
Volume wasn’t the issue.
Relevance was.
And without clear targeting, aligned messaging, and structured conversion paths, growth came with inefficiency, strain on intake, and missed opportunities with the right clients.
THE INSIGHT
The System was Letting the Wrong People Through
This wasn’t isolated to a campaign or a channel.
It was a system problem.
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Paid search was structured for coverage, not precision
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Organic visibility lacked structure around high-value intent
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Messaging didn’t clearly define who the firm serves
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Conversion paths captured demand but didn’t shape it
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Measurement couldn’t clearly separate signal from noise
At every stage, there was leakage.
Not in traffic volume, but in traffic quality and decision flow.
And increasingly, discovery wasn’t happening only on Google.
More prospective clients were turning to AI tools for legal questions and recommendations.
The site wasn’t structured to show up in those environments, which meant missed visibility in a rapidly growing channel.
THE WORK
Fixing How Search Actually Works
The goal wasn't to generate more demand.
It was to control it.
01
Audit
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Evaluated paid search, SEO/GEO, analytics, and conversion tracking
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Mapped where unqualified leads were entering and why
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Conducted user search intent research
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Assessed competitor positioning and search coverage
02
Tighten
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Restructured site and content around real search intent
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Addressed technical SEO issues limiting high-value visibility
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Clarified service positioning and expectation-setting in content
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Expanded FAQ and structured content to match how users ask legal questions in AI tools
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Introduced structured data to improve visibility in AI-driven search and LLM outputs
03
Rebuild
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Reorganized paid campaign structure
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Split and rebuilt high-value campaigns (e.g., uncontested divorce) by market
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Shifted keyword strategy toward intent-driven and modifier-based groupings
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Reallocated budget away from low-converting queries and geographies
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Identified and reduced wasted spend in non-performing zip codes
STRATEGIC SHIFT
FROM ACTIVITY TO INTENT
For a while, success just meant more.
More clicks. More calls. More activity.
But more wasn’t the goal.
The goal was the right clients.
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Campaigns aligned to qualified demand, not just traffic
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Messaging set expectations earlier in the journey
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Landing pages worked as filters, not just entry points
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Paid and organic efforts reinforced the same intent signals
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Reporting reflected business outcomes, not just platform metrics
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Content structured for both traditional search and AI-driven discovery (GEO)
The system didn’t just capture demand.
It started shaping how and where the firm shows up.
THE RESULT
Clearer Input. Stronger Output.
With targeting, structure, and measurement aligned, performance became more efficient and more predictable.
PROOF IT WORKS
53%
GROWTH PAID CONVERSIONS
33%
DECREASE IN CPC
114%
INCREASE IN ORGANIC TRAFFIC
8X
INCREASE LLM PLACEMENTS
WHAT ACTUALLY CHANGED
It wasn’t one fix.
It was a series of small corrections that finally lined things up.
Paid search stopped chasing volume and started focusing on intent.
Geographic targeting got tighter, which cut out a surprising amount of wasted spend.
Content and structure made it clearer who the firm is actually for, and who it isn’t.
That combination changed the inputs.
And once the inputs improved, everything downstream followed.
Better queries. Better paths through the site. Better conversations with leads.