Google entering vertical ad sales : Will selling lawyer ads be next?

Google is seeking a Vertical Markets Director for the financial services market. They will developing and executing a strategy for driving ad sales with all advertisers in the Financial Services category. This follows Google going into the travel, entertainment and the business & industrial markets.

Businesses, including law firms, can all currently buy sponsored links at Google. But Google is now aggressively pursuing certain markets to increase ad sales.

Lawyer yellow page advertising is a $1 Billion industry. Sponsored links via AdWords is far under utilized by lawyers. Financial services businesses, though much less fragmented than than the legal industry, is often aligned closely with law firms when it comes to Internet advertising. Combine all three and it’s not a leap to see Google develop a strategy to aggressively sell sponsored links to lawyers.

Martindale-Hubbell presently sells targeted sponsored links at Google to its small law firm customers. It’s possible FindLaw does as well. But these companies’ sales people are not the most astute when it comes to Internet marketing. Having Google get involved in the market could make Google a few bucks and better serve lawyers looking for cost effective Internet marketing.