Marketing for wills and estates lawyers
Wills and estates is really two practices. One serves people planning ahead, who can put it off for years. The other serves families dealing with a death, often under time pressure and sometimes in conflict. Black Shark Digital helps wills and estates firms reach both, with marketing built for how each of them searches and decides.
Your marketing is run by Andrej Mchantaf, a lawyer turned marketer with 20 years’ experience, from our base in Manly NSW. We keep our client list small on purpose, with a maximum of five law firms at any one time, and right now we have 4 client spots left.
Book a free marketing review or call 0421 192 045
How people look for a wills and estates lawyer
Planners search for “will lawyer near me”, “how much does a will cost”, “power of attorney” and “estate planning lawyer”. They’re often prompted by a life event: a new baby, a marriage or separation, a diagnosis, buying property or retiring. Adult children often search on behalf of their parents.
People dealing with a death search for “probate lawyer”, “executor help”, “letters of administration” and “contest a will”. They want to know what to do next, how long it will take and what it will cost.
Why wills and estates marketing is different
Two markets, two very different values
A straightforward will is a modest fixed fee; an estate dispute can be a much larger matter. They need separate campaigns, pages and budgets, and we report on each separately so you can see which is paying its way.
Planning is easy to put off
Most people know they should have a will and still don’t. Marketing for wills works best when it meets people at the moments that prompt action, and makes the first step easy: a clear price, a simple booking, and reassurance that it won’t take long.
Disputes are time-sensitive
Estate disputes often have deadlines. In NSW, for example, a family provision claim generally has to be made within 12 months of the date of death. People who search “contest a will” need clear information and a fast response.
Kits and public trustees compete for the simple work
Online will kits and public trustee services compete for straightforward wills. Firms usually do best by targeting people whose situation calls for advice: blended families, business owners, trusts, property in more than one place, or people who want to get it right.
Wills and estates marketing and the rules
The Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules apply: no false, misleading, deceptive or offensive advertising, and no “accredited specialist” wording without accreditation. For wills and estates in particular:
- Vulnerable readers. Older people and grieving families are often reading your ads. Calm, informative content is right, and so is avoiding anything that pressures.
- Advertised prices. Under the Australian Consumer Law, if you advertise part of a price you generally have to show the total you can work out, and fixed-fee wills need a clear scope.
- Referral benefits. If financial planners, funeral directors or others receive a fee or benefit for referring clients, rule 12.4.4 of the conduct rules deals with disclosing that.
- No outcome promises in disputes. Nobody can promise the result of a family provision claim.
This is a summary, not legal advice. Check how the rules apply to your firm.
How we market wills and estates firms
Separate campaigns for wills, probate and disputes
Each service gets its own campaigns, ads, budget and landing page, with negative keywords to keep out free kits, templates and searches for wills of famous people. Read more about Google Ads for lawyers.
Pages and guides for each stage
Clear pages on making a will, powers of attorney and guardianship, probate, being an executor and contesting a will, each checked by a lawyer at your firm. These are the pages that rank and that people read before they call. Read more about SEO for lawyers.
Local search and reviews
Most people want a wills lawyer close to home. A well-run Google Business Profile and a steady flow of genuine reviews help you appear in the map results for your area.
Social, seminars and referral partners
Where they suit your firm, Facebook campaigns reaching older people and their adult children, and promotion for seminars and information sessions, help people take the first step. We also help you build materials referral partners can share.
Tracking to signed matters
Where you can share it, we feed back which enquiries became clients, by service, so budget follows the work you want. Read more about lead generation for lawyers.
Wills and estates marketing in Sydney
We’re based in Manly and work with wills and estates firms across Sydney. Most wills searches are local, so Sydney firms usually do best with pages for each service, strong local signals for the areas they serve and campaigns targeted to the suburbs their clients come from. See how we help with law firm marketing in Sydney.
What it costs
We don’t publish a price list or sell packages. Your fee is quoted for your firm, based on scope (which services, and how many practice areas, matter types and regions), your budget and the complexity of the work. After your free review you get a clear written quote, so you know exactly what you’re paying for before you decide.
Your ad spend never passes through us. You pay Google, Meta and any other platform directly on your own credit card, so there is no markup and you can see every charge in the platform’s own billing. Your firm owns its ad accounts outright, and if you ever leave, you keep them with all their history and data.
What our clients say
Carl Mickels, Partner at Firths, on working with Black Shark Digital
“He’s been quite the success for us”
“I have no hesitation of recommending him”
— Carl Mickels, Partner, Firths
Results depend on your practice area, location, budget and how quickly enquiries are followed up. We will tell you what is realistic for your firm before you spend a dollar.
Why wills and estates firms choose Black Shark Digital
- A lawyer turned marketer runs your marketing. Andrej understands what planners and grieving families need to hear, and where the professional rules sit.
- 20 years in digital advertising, mostly for big-name law firms. He founded Black Shark Digital in 2020.
- Thousands of new clients acquired across the campaigns we’ve run.
- Certified experts for Google Search Ads, running campaigns in accounts your firm owns.
- A deliberately small client list. No more than five law firms at a time.
- Direct access. You deal with Andrej, not an account manager who passes messages on.
Marketing for wills and estates lawyers: FAQs
What do people search for when they need a wills and estates lawyer?
Two different things. Planners search for “will lawyer near me”, “how much does a will cost” or “power of attorney”. People dealing with a death search for “probate lawyer”, “executor help” or “contest a will”. We build separate campaigns and pages for each.
How do we compete with online will kits?
By being clear about what you offer that a kit doesn’t: advice, getting it right for blended families, businesses and trusts, and a lawyer to call later. Clear, honest pricing helps too. We target people whose situation calls for a lawyer and let the kit searchers go.
Can we advertise fixed-fee wills?
Yes. Fixed fees are common for wills and help people decide. The price must be accurate and the scope clear. Under the Australian Consumer Law, if you advertise part of a price, you generally have to show the total you can work out.
Are estate disputes worth marketing separately?
Usually, yes. Disputes are fewer than wills but much larger pieces of work, and they’re often time-sensitive. In NSW, for example, a family provision claim generally has to be made within 12 months of the date of death. They need their own campaigns and pages.
Should we target older people on Facebook?
You can reach people by age on Meta, and adult children who are helping their parents too. Keep the tone calm and informative, never pressuring, and remember that some readers are vulnerable. Many firms do better with helpful guides and seminars than hard-sell ads.
Can we partner with financial planners and funeral directors?
Many firms do. If anyone receives a fee or benefit for referring clients to you, rule 12.4.4 of the Australian Solicitors’ Conduct Rules deals with disclosing that to the client. Check how the rules apply to your firm.
Why is our wills page not ranking?
Often because it’s thin, generic or trying to cover wills, probate and disputes on one page. Separate, genuinely useful pages for each service and the areas you serve, plus a well-run Google Business Profile, usually do better.
How much does wills and estates marketing cost?
There is no price list or package. Your fee is quoted for your firm, based on scope, budget and complexity. You pay Google, Meta and other platforms directly, with no markup. You get a clear written quote after your free review.
Book a free marketing review
Tell us whether you want more wills, more estate administration or more disputes work, and where your clients come from. Andrej will look at your website, your Google presence and any campaigns you’re running, and give you a plain-English summary of what is working, what is wasting money and what he would change first.
Book a free marketing review or call 0421 192 045
Email: info@blackshark.digital · Based in Manly NSW.