US District Judge Leonie Brinkema recently ruled against Google in its second monopoly case in less than a year. The first case dealt with the tech giant’s online search tools, but this new court ruling pertains to their digital advertising market share.
What will the outcome of this court ruling be, and how will it impact law firm PPC strategy? We dig into the details of the Google monopolization case and what it may mean for your law firm below.
Judge Rules Google Holds Monopolies in Ad Tech
On April 17, 2025, a district judge ruled that Google holds an illegal monopoly on digital advertising markets.
District Judge Brinkema found that Google has a monopoly on publisher ad servers. Website publishers use these platforms to manage their digital ad inventories.
This is the second antitrust case that Google has lost in under a year and the third since 2023.
In August, a federal judge found that the tech giant holds monopoly power in online searches. And in December 2023, a federal jury trial ruled that Google maintains monopoly power with its proprietary app store.
These cases are part of a larger crackdown by the US Department of Justice on what they see as big tech’s campaign to stifle competition.
The Justice Department and the US Federal Trade Commission claim that Google has engaged in anticompetitive acts and substantially harmed small businesses it saw as a threat. They have also brought an antitrust case against Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over his company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
Google maintains that its market power comes from the value of its own products, not any plot to harm competition. Website publishers, digital advertisers, and search engine users choose Google products because they offer better functionality than competitor tools.
The antitrust law enforcers in the ad tech tools case failed to prove a separate claim that accused Google of holding monopoly power on advertiser ad networks.
Upcoming Actions in the Case
Google has already announced it will appeal the district court’s decision. They say that publishers choose their advertiser tools over competitors’ options because they are simple, affordable, and effective.
“We won half of this case, and we will appeal the other half,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs.
The Google Ads lawsuit will move into appeals in the coming months. The Department of Justice has requested that Alphabet be ordered to sell parts of Google’s online advertising business, including Google Ads, to break up their monopoly power.
This recommendation echoes the Justice Department’s request in the other case that the court force Google to sell their Chrome browser.
Google Ad Manager allows publishers to create pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns and set their bids for top-performing keywords.
Google’s Role in PPC Advertising
Google does hold an enormous share of the digital advertising market.
98 percent of PPC advertisers report using Google Ads. And this choice makes sense when you consider that Google holds about 90 percent of the online search market.
Advertising on Google puts your content at the top of relevant search engine results pages. You can connect with a huge portion of your prospective clients at the exact moment they need your services.
A staggering 93 percent of marketers say PPC is either “effective” or “highly effective”. This makes it the second-most effective marketing tool behind only content marketing.
How Will This Case Impact PPC for Lawyers?
If your law firm runs PPC ads, you may be wondering what this case will mean for your marketing.
In spite of the Justice Department’s request, it’s unlikely that Alphabet will have to sell Google Ads. And in any case, it will be months before the appeals process concludes and any resulting changes hit the ad exchange market.
The biggest change in PPC is likely to come from artificial intelligence, rather than these lawsuits against Google.
ChatGPT and similar tools are making enormous waves in the search market. More and more consumers are choosing their advanced functionality over traditional search engines like Google.
Accordingly, more businesses are looking for ways to improve their “rankings” in AI-powered search results. While there is currently no digital advertising market on AI tools, it’s likely to emerge as a new sector in the future.
Should Your Law Firm PPC Strategy Change?
For now, our best recommendation is for law firms to stick to the PPC strategies they’ve been using.
Nothing is changing in the immediate future as a result of this lawsuit against Google. Therefore, the current online advertising best practices still apply.
A few of these best practices for PPC include:
- Follow the rules – Creating several accounts to get your name in sponsored results more than once per page is a great way to get your website blacklisted. Instead, create just one account and manage it well.
- Focus on conversions – Never forget that your ultimate goal is to convert search engine users to paying clients.
- Optimize your website – Once a PPC ad gets users to your website, the rest of the conversion process is up to you. A well-optimized website can help you get the best return on investment for each click.
And always remember to follow up with the leads you do acquire from your PPC ads. Try to meet with potential clients within 48 hours after they make contact with your law firm so you don’t lose that momentum.
Learn More About PPC for Law Firms
Although the Google advertising lawsuit could lead to an order to sell Google Adwords, the outcome is still uncertain. For the time being, stick to your current online advertising strategy. As the case makes its way through the appeals process, the existing best practices for PPC should remain effective.
If you’d like expert guidance in developing a winning PPC strategy, LawRank is here to help. We provide legal marketing that works, from PPC and SEO to web design, social media marketing, and more. Contact us today to start getting honesty, transparency, and results from your legal marketing firm.
