Bing Ads for Lawyers: A New Way To Improve Your Paid Search Campaign

While Google Ads generates significant case leads, leaving opportunities on the table could mean missing out on growing your practice. Microsoft Bing currently handles over 6% of all US searches each month. Beyond raw traffic numbers, diversifying your paid media strategy makes sense. First, the competition for top Google Ad placements is fierce. With lower average costs-per-click on Bing, the same budget can reach more prospective clients.

Additionally, Microsoft's search engine attracts demographic groups that differ from Google search users. This guide shares tips for optimizing Bing Ads campaigns tailored to legal practices. 

Bing Ads Benefits for Law Firms

Popularly known as Bing Ads, Microsoft Ads presents an affordable way for legal practices to boost their digital marketing presence and attract more potential clients. Though it receives less traffic than Google AdWords overall, Bing provides several competitive advantages worth leveraging. 

• The cost-per-click (CPC) on Bing is often lower, allowing you to stretch your advertising budget further and potentially achieve a higher return on investment.
• You can access users who prefer Bing's streamlined search interface or have established habits there.
• Niche targeting options that enable you to reach specific demographics, locations, and interests.
• Dynamic search ads formats keep listings fresh and compelling to catch the attention of potential clients.
• Microsoft Ads seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft products, including Outlook, Office, and Windows.

How to Set Up a Lawyer Bing Ads Campaign?

Setting up an effective Bing Ads campaign doesn't need to be an arduous process for legal marketers. By following the few key steps discussed below, you can set up an account and begin to see promising new leads.

1. Create a Microsoft Ads Account

Go to the Microsoft Ads website and click ‘Sign up now.’ Follow the next series of instructions to create your account.   

2. Fill In Your Company Information

You have to fill in some information about your company, such as your business category, website URL, and a brief description of your services. After you do so, hit the ‘Next’ button.

3. Set Your Ad Goals

Once you have created your Microsoft Ads account, you will be prompted to choose a goal for your campaign. This could be increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or generating leads. Choose the goal that best aligns with your marketing objectives, then hit "Next" to proceed.

After that you will need to choose the ad format you want to create

4. Set Your Target Area

In this step, you will need to set the target area where you want your ads to be displayed. This could be a specific geographic location, such as a city or state, or within a radius around your business address. You can select the expert mode if you aim to target multiple locations worldwide.

5. Choose the Keywords You Want

Microsoft Ads will suggest relevant keywords based on your legal services, but you can also use the keyword planner to research and identify the most effective keywords for your campaign. This will help you reach the right audience and increase your chances of getting more leads and clients.

6. Write an Ad Copy

Craft a compelling ad copy to grab the attention of your target audience.

As you write your ad, you'll have a preview of how it will look on the right-hand side of your screen, allowing you to visualize the final result.

Microsoft Ads also provides real-time feedback, notifying you when you exceed the character limit or need to make adjustments.

7. Decide on Your Budget and Payment

Determining your budget is a critical aspect of your Bing Ads campaign that helps avoid overspending and underspending. Microsoft Ads offers a helpful Estimated performance box, providing insights into potential monthly impressions and clicks based on your budget. Moreover, you can utilize the slider scale beneath your budget to gauge the average spending of your competitors, enabling you to make informed decisions. 

8. Submit an Ad!

Microsoft Ads will review your campaign, ensuring it meets their guidelines, and typically approves it within a day. Once approved, your ads will go live, reaching potential clients searching for legal services. It's important to monitor the performance of your campaign regularly and make necessary adjustments to maximize its effectiveness.

You can explore the campaign dashboard to track your ad's progress and access valuable data. This allows you to analyze the performance of your ads, make data-driven decisions, and continually optimize your Bing Ads campaign for better results.

9 Quick Tips to Improve Bing Ads for Attorneys

To stand out among the other lawyers on Bing Ads, you need to tweak your ad campaign so clients can find you when they need your services most. In this article, we'll share 9 tips to help you improve your Bing Ads and reach more potential clients. 

1. Accurately Define Your Target Audience

When creating an ad copy, you need to consider your ideal client's demographics, issues, and pain points. Closely matching ads to precisely who will benefit most amplifies Bing's impact. This involves creating detailed client personas that represent your ideal clients. A client persona is a fictional representation of your target audience, including their demographics, interests, challenges, and motivations.

For example, let's say you specialize in family law. One of your client personas could be: 

Name: Jessica
Age: 32
Occupation: Marketing Manager
Income: $60,000
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Interests: Yoga, hiking, and live music

Goal: ​​Seeking a fair and favorable divorce settlement, including a suitable arrangement for child custody and division of assets, while ensuring the well-being and stability of her two children.

2. Choose Proper Keywords for your Bing Ads

Keywords are the backbone of any successful Bing Ads campaign, allowing you to target specific search queries and attract the right traffic to your law firm website. You need to choose the right keywords to reach your desired audience and stand out. 

Here are some best practices for your Bing Ads campaigns.

• Use keyword research tools like Bing's Keyword Planner or other third-party tools to identify relevant keywords related to your legal services. This will help you discover keywords with high Bing search volume and lower competition. 
• Incorporate long-tail keywords into your campaign, as they tend to be more specific and have higher intent. For example, instead of using a broad term like "criminal law," consider using more targeted keywords like "child custody lawyer in [your location]."
• Include keyword variations to capture a wider audience. For instance, if you specialize in personal injury law, consider including keywords like "car accident attorney," "slip and fall lawyer," or "medical malpractice attorney."
• Utilize negative keywords to prevent your ads from appearing in irrelevant searches. For example, if you're a criminal defense attorney, you may want to add negative keywords like "prosecutor" or "police" to avoid attracting individuals seeking legal services from the opposing side.

3. Test Different Bing Ads Formats

Testing different Bing Ads formats means creating and running multiple ads with different elements, such as headlines, descriptions, images, and calls-to-action (CTAs). The goal is to see which ad elements resonate best with your target audience and drive the most clicks, conversions, and revenue for your law firm.

Why is it important to test different Bing Ads formats? Testing different Bing Ads formats allows you to identify top-performing ads, optimize ad spend, improve ad relevance, and increase brand awareness.

Tools to test different Bing Ads formats:

• Bing Ads Editor: This free tool allows you to create, edit, and manage your Bing Ads campaigns. You can use it to test different ad formats, such as expanded text, image, and video ads.
• Bing Ads Analytics: This provides detailed data and insights about your Bing Ads performance. You can use it to track metrics such as CTR, conversions, and cost per conversion and identify which ad elements are driving the best results.
• A/B testing tools: These tools allow you to test different ad elements, such as headlines, descriptions, and CTAs, to see which ones perform best. Some popular A/B testing tools include Optimizely, VWO, and Unbounce.
• Ad copy testing tools: Ad copy testing tools allow you to test different ad copy variations to see which ones perform best. Some popular ad copy testing tools include AdEspresso, WordStream, and Acquisio.

4. Engage in Remarketing

Bing remarketing allows you to display ads to people who have visited your website but not converted. You can set up remarketing lists based on pages visited, length of time spent on site, or if someone submitted a form but didn't complete their information. The ads then "follow" these conditioned contacts around the web, on Bing and their preferred affiliates.

One powerful approach is to set up dynamic remarketing based on content consumers engage with. Dynamic ad copy can reference what attracted their attention initially to sustain top-of-mind awareness. Did someone read your page on divorce processes? They may see a tailored ad inviting a consultation discussing the next steps. 

Furthermore, ensure that you set frequency caps to control the number of times your remarketing ads are shown to users. This prevents ad fatigue and ensures your ads remain relevant without overwhelming your audience.

5. Monitor Your Bing Ad Campaign

Monitoring your Bing Ad campaign involves tracking and analyzing the performance of your ads across various metrics to help gauge their effectiveness. These may include click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, cost per click (CPC), cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS).  

To monitor your Bing Ad campaign, you can use the Bing Ads dashboard and reports to track your key metrics. The platform offers comprehensive reporting options that allow you to analyze performance at various levels, such as campaigns, ad groups, or keywords.

Furthermore: 

• Analyze the performance of your ads at different times of the day or week.
• Use ad scheduling to adjust your ad delivery based on when your target audience is most active or likely to engage. 
• Identify patterns and trends in performance to optimize your bidding strategies and maximize the impact of your ads during peak periods.

You also need to keep an eye on your competitors' Bing Ads campaigns. Find out if they are ranking for the same keywords, monitor their ad copy, and track their positioning to gain valuable insights into their strategies. Identify opportunities to differentiate yourself and refine your own campaign based on market trends and competitor performance.

6. Use Bing Ads Editor

Bing Ads Editor is a free tool that allows you to manage and optimize your Bing Ads campaigns easily. This feature-rich editor enables you to make bulk changes to your ads, keywords, and other campaign settings, saving you time and effort.

• Bulk editing: Make bulk changes to your ads, keywords, and other campaign settings, saving you time and effort.
• Campaign management: Manage multiple campaigns simultaneously, allowing you to optimize your ad spend and improve your campaign performance.
• Keyword management: Remove and edit keywords in bulk, ensuring your ads reach the right audience.
• Ad customization: Create and customize ads for specific campaigns, allowing you to tailor your messaging to your target audience.

How to use Bing Ads Editor:

1. Visit the Bing Ads Editor website and download the application to your computer. Follow the installation instructions to set it up.
2. Once installed, you can import your existing Bing Ads campaigns into Bing Ads Editor. This allows you to work on them offline and make bulk edits.
3. Use the intuitive interface of Bing Ads Editor to make changes to your campaigns. 
4. When you're ready to apply your edits to your Bing Ads account, simply sync your changes. Bing Ads Editor will update your online campaigns, ensuring that your offline edits are reflected in your live advertising.
5. Preview your changes before publishing them to ensure they are correct and effective.

7. Create Good Landing Pages on Your Lawyer Website

When a potential client clicks on your ad, they should be taken to a landing page that is relevant, informative, and visually appealing. A well-designed landing page can significantly impact the conversion rate of your ads and help turn visitors into potential clients. 

Best practices for creating a good landing page:

• Use a clear and concise headline that communicates the value of your legal services.
• Use a prominent and actionable CTA that tells the potential client what to do next.
• Use relevant images or videos that reinforce your message and engage the potential client.
• Keep your landing page simple and easy to navigate with a clean design that focuses the potential client's attention on your message.
• Use clear and concise language that is easy for the potential client to understand.
• Include social proof, such as client testimonials or reviews, to build trust and credibility.
• Use a clear and responsive design that works well on all devices, including desktop, tablet, and mobile.

8. Write Relevant and Quality Ad Copy

Relevant and quality ad copy is ad copy that is tailored to your target audience and effectively communicates your law firm's unique value proposition. You need to remember that people are more likely to click on an ad that speaks directly to their needs and interests. 

Tips for writing relevant and quality ad copy:

• Use clear and concise language that is easy for people to understand. 
• Highlight your unique value proposition.
• Use compelling headlines.
• Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells people what to do next.

Bind Ads Are Not a DIY Thing - Grow Law Firm Can Help!

While Bing Ads offers tremendous potential to connect lawyers with clients, optimizing campaigns requires nuanced testing and strategic expertise. As this article outlined, subtle adjustments to ad formats, remarketing, monitoring, and writing can make big differences - but demand time many busy legal teams lack. 

Grow Law Firm — expert digital specialists— is the go-to choice so attorneys can focus on delivering their services. We have a team of experienced digital marketers dedicated to helping law firms succeed online through attorney SEO services, PPC campaigns, and web design.

Contact us today to learn more about our Bing Ads services and how we can help you grow your practice.