In short
Marketing for wills and probate solicitors works when a firm is easy to find locally and shows its fees and stages plainly. It also has to answer a bereaved family quickly and kindly. For SRA-regulated firms, Naelar sets up the local listings, price and stage pages, ads, and call-back routing.
Each piece waits for your firm's sign-off before it runs, and every enquiry stays exclusive to your firm.
What does a wills and probate team need?
A strong local presence, a price page people can follow, and someone who picks up when a family calls. The ads come after those.
Naelar's work covers Google Ads and Meta ads, landing pages, local SEO and AI search, intake and CRM, and AI and automation. For a private client team, that comes down to a kept-up Google Business Profile and a probate page with stages and fees. The third piece is a form that reaches a named person.
This work isn't like a conveyancing quote or a claims enquiry. Unregulated will writers and online services compete for the same clients. The price rules name probate. And many callers are older, or have just lost someone.
We're not a law firm and we don't give legal advice. Your firm stays responsible for its own compliance, and reads everything before it's published or sent.
Where does wills and probate demand sit?
With local people looking for a solicitor. Searches for wills and probate solicitors run into the thousands each month on Google UK, while firm-side searches barely register.
| Search phrase | Who's searching | Searches a month |
|---|---|---|
| wills solicitors near me | Someone wanting a will | 3,600[11] |
| probate solicitors | An executor or family member | 2,900[11] |
| probate solicitors near me | An executor or family member | 2,400[11] |
| free wills month solicitors near me | Someone wanting a will (seasonal) | 2,400[11] |
| wills and probate solicitors | Either | 1,300[11] |
| contentious probate solicitors near me | Someone in a dispute over an estate | 480[11] |
| fixed fee probate solicitors near me | An executor comparing prices | 320[11] |
| will writing leads | A firm looking for work | 30[11] |
| wills and probate marketing | A firm looking for help | 0[11] |
The cost of a click follows that demand. In the same data, the estimated Google Ads cost per click for probate solicitors is about £17.[11] That is DataForSEO's Google UK figure, converted from US dollars at HMRC's October 2026 rate. That's an auction estimate from keyword data, not what any firm pays per new client.
Still, it means a weak landing page wastes money fast. Other practice areas are compared in PPC for law firms: what clicks cost and how to judge them.
Which channels fit wills and probate?
Wills, uncontested probate and contested probate are three different buyers, so they come in by different routes. Wills suit local search and referrers. Uncontested probate suits referrers and a clear price page. Contested probate needs a solicitor on the first call.
| Enquiry type | Who is searching | Where they come from | What the page has to do | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wills | People planning ahead, and adult children helping a parent | Your Google Business Profile, local pages, reviews, and referrers such as financial advisers, accountants, care providers and charities | Say who writes the will, what a simple will includes, and how to book | The person books |
| Uncontested probate | An executor or family member, soon after a death | Referrers, a search in the weeks after the death, and your probate price page | Show stages, fees and who does the work, and offer a call back | A call back at a time the family picks |
| Contested probate | Someone challenging a will, or defending an estate against a claim | Search, and firms that don't take disputes themselves | Send the enquiry down its own route to a solicitor call-back. No "no win, no fee" promise in the ad. Your firm sets the terms | A solicitor calls back |
Our part is the system around all three:
- The ads, the landing pages, and local and AI search through local SEO and AI search.
- The enquiry form, with routing in the CRM.
- Referrer tracking, so you can see which accountant or adviser sends work. That's tracking and a thank-you, not paying for introductions. Naelar doesn't buy or sell them.
Google Ads on probate searches
In our view, Google Ads on probate searches only pays off when the landing page shows the price, the stages and a call-back time. How we set up and track the ads is on the PPC management for solicitors page.
Plain answers for families
Plain answers to the questions families ask can also bring enquiries in, such as what probate costs, what an executor does and what happens first. Put the price on the page and have a solicitor check the wording. Our content marketing guide covers what to publish at each step and who signs it off.
Email follow-up
Email is a follow-up tool, not a source. It suits people who asked to hear from you, such as someone who enquired about a will and has not booked a meeting. The pattern in our conveyancing lead nurture emails guide carries over, including the PECR consent rules. Check the wording with your compliance officer first.
Where do wills enquiries come from, and what about will writing leads?
From your own page and profile, from referrers, or from a lead seller. Only the first two build something your firm keeps.
| Source | What you pay | Who else gets the enquiry |
|---|---|---|
| Your own page, profile and ads | Ad clicks, time on your profile and a page that answers | Nobody else |
| Referrers such as accountants and advisers | Usually nothing. If you pay, the referral rules below apply. | Depends on the referrer |
| Will writing leads from a seller | A fee the seller sets | Depends on the seller, so ask in writing |
How lead sellers charge, and what to ask before you sign, is in our guide to conveyancing leads and panels. It is written for conveyancing, and its questions carry over to will writing leads. Our PPC management for solicitors page covers building your own.
What do the price rules mean for a probate page?
Uncontested probate is named in the SRA Transparency Rules, so a firm offering it publishes costs and service information. Our checklist already holds the template.
Rule 1.3(b) of the SRA Transparency Rules names "the collection and distribution of assets belonging to a person following their death".[1] That covers assets in the UK, where the matters aren't contested. The version quoted here has been in effect since 11 April 2025.
The price and service items, with sample wording, are in the probate section of our SRA price transparency checklist. If the price page needs building, that's part of our law firm website design work.
We don't set your fees or tell you a page meets the rules. Your COLP signs off the final wording before it goes up.
What are the referral rules?
If someone introduces clients to you or shares fees with you, the SRA Code puts conditions on it. Naelar sells no introductions, and every lead is exclusive to your firm.
Paragraph 5.1 of the SRA Code of Conduct says clients are told of an introducer's financial interest and any fee sharing.[9] Fee sharing is agreed in writing.[9] Under paragraph 5.2, a payment that appears to the SRA to be a referral fee is treated as one unless you show otherwise.[10]
Naelar doesn't buy, sell or share leads. Every enquiry from the ads and pages we set up goes to your firm alone. If you pay any introducer, whether that payment counts as a referral fee is for your compliance officer to judge.
Paragraph 8.8 of the same Code covers the ad wording itself, charges included.[5] That's why your firm reads every ad and landing page before it goes live. Check referral and advertising wording with your compliance officer.
This kind of marketing relies on search, ads people choose to click, and referrers. Paragraph 8.9 of the SRA Code rules out approaching members of the public who haven't asked, other than current or former clients.[8]
How do solicitors compete with will writers?
Fairly, and on regulation. Anyone can write a will in England and Wales, so online services and will writers compete for the same clients. A solicitor's edge is the protection that comes with a regulated lawyer, which a client can check for themselves.
Legal Choices puts it plainly: "in England and Wales, the law lets anyone write wills".[2] So your firm competes with will writers, banks, accountants and DIY kits as well as other solicitors. Legal Choices also says will-writing companies "are not regulated", though some belong to voluntary bodies with a code of practice.[3]
Secondary source, for context only. Today's Wills and Probate reported an IRN Legal Reports survey in April 2025. It found 49% of consumers used a solicitor for their will, down from 56% in 2020.[7]
Probate papers are a separate matter. Schedule 2, paragraph 6 of the Legal Services Act 2007 defines probate activities as "preparing any probate papers" for the law of England and Wales.[4] What that means for who may do the work is a question for your compliance officer.
None of this is a reason to run down will writers in your marketing. Paragraph 8.8 of the SRA Code of Conduct asks for publicity that's accurate and not misleading.[5] A fair comparison also persuades more people than a dig.
What to show on the site
- Your SRA number and the SRA digital badge, where a visitor would look for them (Rule 4 of the same rules).[1]
- A link to your firm's entry on the SRA Solicitors Register. Legal Choices tells people choosing a will writer to search it.[6]
- Your complaints procedure, linked from every page.
- Who writes the will or runs the estate, and who supervises them.
- What a simple will includes, and what costs extra.
Licensed conveyancers, chartered accountants and other regulated providers can also do probate work under their own regulators. This page is written for SRA firms only.
How should a firm handle bereaved families?
Give them, and older clients, a person, a phone number and a clear next step. Expect that the caller may be a son or daughter rather than the client, and keep the first reply short and quick.
The enquiry
The form asks who is enquiring and who the will or estate is for, plus a good time to call.
A short first reply
Who will call, and when. No sales lines, and no fees unless the family asks.
The call back
At the chosen time, as a CRM task with a named owner, so nobody assumes someone else has it.
The first meeting
At the office, by phone, or at home if your firm offers visits. The solicitor takes it from there.
Older and vulnerable clients
Put the phone number at the top of every page and use large, readable text. If your firm offers home visits, or meetings with a family member present, say so. Capacity and undue influence checks belong to the solicitor, not the marketing. The website's job is to make the first step easy.
When an adult child calls for a parent
Add a field for who is enquiring and another for who the client is. Then the first call starts in the right place, and the CRM record holds both names. How the firm confirms the client's own wishes is the solicitor's call, not something a form settles.
Fast, gentle intake after a death
Offer a call back at a time the family chooses. Keep anything about fees until they ask. Families in the first weeks after a death are dealing with a lot, and a short, kind message reads better than a long one.
We found no UK figure for how fast firms reply to a bereaved family, so we won't give a target. Log when each call back happened, so you can see your own pattern.
What Naelar builds
Naelar builds the form, the routing and the follow-up. The CRM side is under intake and CRM, and the routing under AI and automation.
Every account we set up, from the ads to the CRM, sits in your firm's name and belongs to your firm.
Who this is for, and who it isn't
SRA-regulated firms with a steady wills and probate practice that want local enquiries found, answered and tracked.
This suits a solicitors firm that takes wills and probate work every week and has someone to make the call back. It should also be able to sign off a price page without long delays.
It isn't for will-writing businesses that aren't solicitors firms. It also isn't for a firm that wants bought-in enquiries, because Naelar doesn't buy, sell or share leads.
The first conversation costs nothing, and you'll hear back within one working day. If you'd rather write first, use our contact form.
How we work
Who you'll deal with
You work with Rishabh Goria, Naelar's founder, from the first call. Before Naelar, he spent four years inside law firms running intake, marketing and the systems behind them.
That's why this page starts with the call back to a bereaved family, not with the ads. He'll also say plainly when something isn't worth your money, including our own services. Read about Rishabh
Questions from private client teams
Do we have to publish probate prices?
If you offer uncontested estate administration, Rule 1.3(b) of the SRA's price rules lists it among the services that need published costs information.[1] The probate section of the checklist sets out each item. Your COLP signs off the wording.
Does Naelar sell wills or probate leads?
No. Naelar doesn't buy, sell or share leads. Every enquiry from the work we set up stays exclusive to your firm.
Can a will writer take work from us?
Yes. Legal Choices says the law in England and Wales lets anyone write wills.[2] Make it easy for people to check your firm on the SRA Solicitors Register and to see who does the work.
What should a will cost?
Your firm sets and publishes its own price. We don't quote market figures we can't source.
How quickly should we reply to a bereaved caller?
Call back at the time the family chose, and confirm that time in your first reply. We found no UK benchmark, so we don't give one.
Can an adult child enquire for a parent?
Yes, if the form allows for it: ask who is enquiring and who the client is. How consent and capacity are handled is your firm's decision.
Is Bing worth separate work?
Start with your listings. Keep your firm's name, address and phone number identical on Google and Bing Places, so both show the same details.
Wills and probate is one of five practice areas we cover. See marketing for solicitors by practice area.
Sources
- Solicitors Regulation Authority, "SRA Transparency Rules", Rule 1.3(b) and Rule 4, made 16 December 2024, in effect from 11 April 2025, sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/transparency-rules/. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Legal Choices, "Will writers", undated, legalchoices.org.uk/about/types-of-legal-advisers/other-legal-advisers/will-writers. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Legal Choices, "Will writers", section on whether will writers are regulated, undated, legalchoices.org.uk/about/types-of-legal-advisers/other-legal-advisers/will-writers. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Legal Services Act 2007, Schedule 2, paragraph 6, legislation.gov.uk, legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2007/29/schedule/2. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority, "SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, RELs, RFLs and RSLs", paragraph 8.8, version in effect from 11 April 2025, sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Legal Choices, "Will writers", section on finding a will writer, undated, legalchoices.org.uk/about/types-of-legal-advisers/other-legal-advisers/will-writers. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Today's Wills and Probate (trade news), report on IRN Legal Reports, "UK Wills & Probate Consumer Research Report 2025", 17 April 2025, todayswillsandprobate.co.uk/?p=64300. Secondary source. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Solicitors Regulation Authority, SRA Code of Conduct for Solicitors, paragraph 8.9, version in effect from 11 April 2025, sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Same Code, paragraph 5.1, sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Same Code, paragraph 5.2, sra.org.uk/solicitors/standards-regulations/code-conduct-solicitors/. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Naelar's own keyword pulls: DataForSEO Labs, Google UK, 8 October 2026 (monthly searches for each phrase in the table, and the estimated cost per click for probate solicitors, converted from US dollars). These are our data, not a published source. For how Google Ads defines search volume, see the DataForSEO documentation.
Read next
Other firms we work with: Family law, Conveyancing and Personal injury and claims firms.