GoBoom case study / A criminal-defense firm in a major metro
Leads at roughly one-third of the cost the category expects, with the firm approving every move.
Criminal defense is one of the most expensive paid categories there is, and the intent is fleeting: people search at the worst moment of their life and decide fast. GoBoom runs approval-gated paid acquisition for a criminal-defense firm in a major metro across Google and Meta, and held cost per lead well under the category norm. Over roughly four months the account delivered 1,527 leads at a blended $83 per lead, against a category target near $250.
To be clear about scope: this page reports efficiency, not a revenue figure. We are showing how cheaply the firm acquired leads relative to what the category expects, with always-on monitoring and every change running through GoBoom's approval gate. The case-conversion side, who signed and what it was worth, belongs to the firm, so we do not claim a return on ad spend here.
Leads came in at roughly one-third of the cost criminal defense usually expects, about 3x under the category target.
01 / The starting point
One of the most expensive categories there is, where intent is fleeting.
Category · Criminal defense
Channels · Google + Meta
Criminal defense is one of the most expensive, most competitive categories in paid acquisition. Every firm in the metro is bidding on the same urgent searches, and the clicks are not cheap. Cost per lead in this category routinely runs near $250, which is what makes the spend so easy to waste.
The intent is also fleeting. People search at the worst moment, after an arrest or a call from a loved one, and they decide fast. There is no second window. That puts a premium on two things: being present the moment the search happens, and not overpaying for the lead when it does. The brief was to hold cost per lead well under the category norm, with the firm in control of every change rather than handing the account to a black box.
02 / The approach
Always-on management, every change approved.
GoBoom monitors the accounts continuously across Google and Meta, runs ongoing analysis and creative-fatigue checks, and surfaces every change for the firm to approve before it goes live. The system catches drift early and proposes the next move with the math attached.
Monitor both platforms, around the clock
Google + Meta · 24/7GoBoom watches the Google and Meta accounts continuously, on machine cycles rather than a weekly check-in. Daily metrics flowed without a gap for roughly 232 days. Spend, leads, and cost per lead were tracked at the campaign level so a drift in efficiency showed up the day it started, not at the end of the month. In a category where a single fleeting search can be the whole case, being present and watching matters.
Run continuous analysis and creative-fatigue checks
Hundreds of cyclesAcross the window, GoBoom ran hundreds of automated analysis cycles, performance checks, and creative-fatigue checks. When a creative started to tire or a segment started to slip, the system flagged it and proposed the next move. This is the discipline that kept cost per lead near $83 in a category that usually expects closer to $250.
Surface every change for the firm to approve
Approval-gatedNothing changed in the accounts without the firm signing off. Every budget shift, every pause, every creative swap was proposed with the data behind it and held until the firm approved it. The firm held the approve button the entire time. That is the wedge: you stay in control, and you get the receipts on why each move was worth making.
03 / The results
Leads at about $83, against a $250 category target.
The result here is cost efficiency. Over roughly four months the account delivered 1,527 leads at a blended cost near $83, while the category usually expects to pay closer to $250 for a criminal-defense lead. That is the honest headline: not a return multiple, but leads at roughly one-third of the cost the category expects.
Source · Production
Window · 2026-02-11 to 2026-06-15
Blended CPL
VS ~$250Blended cost per lead across Google and Meta over the window.
Category target
Typical cost per lead the criminal-defense category expects.
Managed spend
Deployed across Google and Meta over roughly four months.
Leads delivered
Inbound leads generated across both platforms.
Cost per lead came in roughly 3x under the category target
Emerald · achieved · Gray · category target
This is the efficiency result, and only the efficiency result. The firm acquired leads at roughly one-third of the cost criminal defense usually demands, while GoBoom watched both platforms around the clock and held every change for approval. The page does not claim a return on ad spend or a revenue figure, because the case-conversion side, who signed and what each case was worth, belongs to the firm and lives in the firm's own systems.
04 / The GoBoom difference
Why this holds up.
Two things made this efficiency repeatable rather than lucky. The firm stayed in control of every change, and the cost discipline came from always-on watching, not a one-time setup.
Approval-gated control
Every change
No change reached the live accounts without the firm approving it. The firm scaled what worked and paused what did not on its own authority, with the data attached to each decision.
Continuous watch
24/7
Hundreds of analysis and creative-fatigue checks across the window meant drift got caught the day it started, not at month-end. In a category with fleeting intent, being present and watching is the work.
Cost discipline
~3x under
A blended cost per lead near $83 against a category target of about $250, roughly one-third of what criminal defense usually expects to pay for a lead.
This is one firm over four months, and we are showing it because the data holds up to inspection. We have not named the firm or the metro, and we are not implying these numbers are typical for every account. They reflect a specific account, in the criminal-defense category, with the firm approving every change along the way. We report the cost efficiency only, and we make no claim about revenue or signed cases.
See what GoBoom would do for your firm
Get a clear read on your paid acquisition across Google and Meta, with you holding the approve button on every change. Same approach, your account, your numbers.
Anonymized client case study. This case study describes the cost efficiency of one criminal-defense firm in a major metro over a specific window and has been anonymized at the firm's request. It reports cost per lead against a category target and makes no claim about revenue or signed cases. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.