When we consider a law firm’s online presence and search engine optimization, most of our minds immediately zone in on Google. We know that Google is the be-all, end-all in terms of digital reputation and SEO efforts. Many businesses fail to appreciate the other, completely different search engines, many of which have way less competition. One important secondary search engine to consider is Bing, which is a respected, lucrative resource that shouldn’t be forgotten. Microsoft Bing is the third most used search engine (behind Google and YouTube) and is often overlooked in law firm marketing. Read below to learn why your law firm should make an effort with its Bing presence, and how to properly optimize your Bing Places for Business listing.
What is Bing Places?
Much like Google My Business, Bing offers a free portal wherein businesses can display their information called Bing Places for Business. Adding your law firm to Bing Places means you have locked down yet another digital citation where future potential clients can easily find and obtain information about your law firm.
Why You Should Care
Bing is not only a reliable search engine that many people around the world use, but its algorithm isn’t nearly as complex as Google’s, meaning it is easier to understand, predict, and strategize for Bing SEO.
Additionally, plenty of research suggests Bing audiences are considered more “qualified,” meaning they are more likely to convert from being website visitors into actual clients, as Bing users have more engaged intent. Another explanation for Bing’s more “qualified” audience involves two important factors: demographic and location. Sources reveal Bing users are typically more mature (45 or older), educated, and more likely to be married and have children. Does your law firm typically work with a similar demographic? Then it is time to start taking advantage of all that Bing has to offer.
Where To Begin With Bing Places
Claim Your Existing Listing or Add Your Business
It is possible that Bing already has a listing for your law firm. You will first want to visit the Bing Places website to search for your business. If a listing already exists, follow the prompts to claim it. If not, follow the steps detailed by Bing to create a new account. Note, if you have a claimed Google My Business account for your law firm, you can sign into Bing Places with that Google account and sync the two Listings. This is a great option to ensure consistency and accuracy across both search engines and their corresponding business directory listings.
Build Out Your Listing
After claiming or creating your Bing Places listing, you will need to build it out. During this process, you can add a business category, contact information, hours of operation, and the types of services your law firm provides. Ensure this information is the same as what is listed on all of your other digital platforms. You can (and should) add photos of your office and the team during this step as well.
Verify Your Listing
In order to legitimize your business on Bing Places, and to avoid any unauthorized changes to the account, you will need to take steps to verify the listing. Bing gives several options to choose to from to verify the account: by mail via a postcard with a verification PIN sent to your law firm’s address, by phone where Bing will call your law firm and leave an automated message with a special PIN, or by email. Once you receive the PIN, sign into your account, enter the number, and your law firm Bing Places listing will be verified.
How To Optimize Your Bing Listing
1. Regularly check your profile
Once you set your law firm up on Bing Places, the last thing you want to do is forget about maintaining your profile. To get the most out of your listing, you should sign in and audit your profile on a weekly basis to make sure the contact information remains up-to-date, the logo and branding are current, and that all fields of the profile are properly and fully filled out.
2. Make updates as needed
As you sign in and audit your Bing Places listing each week, be sure to make any needed updates. This can include special holiday hours, closures for special events, or even weather emergencies. If possible, it is best to make these updates at least one or two weeks in advance, as Bing needs time to review and approve edits before they are made public.
3. Add new and fresh photos each month
During the initial buildout of your listing, your law firm should add at least 10 photos, including photos of the team, the outside of your law office, and the inside as well. Most people performing online research are visual, and future clients want to know what they can expect, especially if they are planning to visit you in person. From there, add at least two fresh photos each month to keep the profile active and current. Photos will help add SEO value and build credibility for your law firm.
4. Encourage reviews from clients and respond to them
Bing Places does not have its own reviews feature; however, it pulls in reviews from other sources such as Facebook and Yelp. Encourage your clients to share their experience with your law firm on these other outlets in order to increase the social proof of your reliability and to motivate potential clients to select you for their legal needs.
Digital Marketing Help
Getting started on Bing Places or any other digital platform can be cumbersome. Managing every network your law firm is active on is a huge job in itself and needs to be done right. If your law firm would like help from digital marketing experts who only work with lawyers and law firms, you have come to the right place. Contact the marketing strategists at Stacey E. Burke P.C. today to learn how we can help.
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