Lead Scoring in Google PMax: A brief guide for law firms on how to beat bots

Google’s Performance Max (PMax) campaigns offer broad reach and AI-driven optimization—but there’s a catch. Many law firms using PMax experience an influx of bot-driven leads. Bots perform conversions like form submissions or calls, misleading Google’s algorithm into funneling more fake traffic your way.

Understanding Bots: Why They’re Profitable

Bots are automated scripts designed to imitate human click behavior. They can submit forms, click ads, or make calls automatically. Why? Fraudulent website operators or competitors use bots to inflate their perceived performance, thereby extracting more ad dollars from legitimate advertisers. Each fake conversion makes it appear as though their site or ad placements are highly effective, prompting Google’s AI to send more traffic their way, ultimately increasing their revenue at your expense.

Why Manual Lead Scoring Works

By manually assigning value to each lead, you explicitly instruct Google about lead quality. Here’s how it works:

• $0 = Junk or bot-driven leads
• $100 = Qualified, legitimate leads
• $5,000 = Closed deals (signed clients)

Use whatever values make sense for your business but make sure there is an exponential difference between the levels. This teaches Google’s AI to optimize for genuinely profitable leads instead of simply cheap conversions.

How to Implement Manual Lead Scoring (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Capture the GCLID

• Ensure Google Ads auto-tagging is on.
• Capture the GCLID from each click in a hidden form field.

Capturing GCLID with Common Form Plugins:

• WPForms: Use the dynamic hidden field to capture URL parameters. Simply add a hidden field to your form, set it to capture “gclid” from URL parameters.
• Gravity Forms: Add a hidden field and set the default value using merge tags like {url_parameter:gclid}.
• Contact Form 7: Include a hidden field in your form with a plugin like “Contact Form 7 Dynamic Text Extension”. Use shortcode: [dynamichidden gclid "CF7_GET key='gclid'"].
• Elementor Forms: Add a hidden field to your Elementor form, selecting “Get Parameter” as the field type and entering “gclid” as the parameter name.

Step 2: Set Up Conversion Actions

• Create two new “offline” conversion actions in Google Ads:
  • Qualified Lead
  • Closed Deal
• Allow for varying conversion values.

Step 3: Score Leads in Your CRM or Spreadsheet Assign each lead a score:

Lead Name	GCLID	Lead Value
John Doe	CLID12345EXAMPLE	$1,000
Fake Lead	CLID11111FAKE	$0

Step 4: Upload Scored Leads to Google

• Prepare a CSV or Google Sheets upload with the fields: GCLID, Conversion Name, Conversion Time, Conversion Value.
• Upload regularly (weekly minimum, daily optimal).

Example upload:

GCLID,ConversionName,ConversionTime,ConversionValue
CLID12345EXAMPLE,Qualified Lead,2025-05-20 14:30:00,1000
CLID11111FAKE,Qualified Lead,2025-05-20 15:00:00,0

Step 5: Upload “Closed Deal” Conversions

• When a lead becomes a client, upload again with higher value:

GCLID,ConversionName,ConversionTime,ConversionValue
CLID12345EXAMPLE,Closed Deal,2025-06-15 10:00:00,10000

Bonus Tips: Protect Your Forms

• Honey Pots: Include hidden fields in forms that are invisible to real users but visible to bots. If filled, you immediately identify and discard the lead as spam.
• Google reCAPTCHA: Use Google’s CAPTCHA services to prevent bots from submitting forms:
  • Invisible reCAPTCHA: Operates silently in the background, detecting bots without user interaction.
  • Visible reCAPTCHA: Requires users to actively verify themselves, often by clicking a box or selecting images. This is highly effective against bots but slightly impacts user experience.

What to Expect After Implementation

• Early stages: Reduction in spam leads.
• Mid-term: Google’s AI recalibrates, increasing lead quality.
• Long-term: Campaigns optimize effectively for actual clients.

Now you’re an AI trainer.

Manual lead scoring, complemented by form protection strategies like honey pots and CAPTCHA, provides Google’s AI clear guidance on lead value. This reduces wasted spend and significantly enhances your firm’s lead quality, ultimately maximizing your ROI by training PMax to hunt down the right leads.