A step-by-step guide to using Bing Ads for your law firm

In a blog released last week we detailed how you can create a Google AdWords campaign for your legal firm, but now we turn our attention to Bing Ads. Bing has a huge reach through voice search, with it powering both Microsoft’s Cortana and Apple’s Siri offerings, and over the last several years has seen a steady rise in users, now accounting for over 20% of all UK searches. So read on below to learn how to build your firm’s Bing Ad campaign.

P.S. Learn how to target your audience with paid advertising with the help of this legal eBook!

Phase 1: Selecting the right keywords for your legal ads.

Before getting underway with crafting the perfect Bing Ad you need to conduct keyword research to identify what your ideal legal clients are searching for and therefore what terms you should be looking to target.

Bing, like Google, has its own keyword research and planning tools which you can use to find ideas on what you should be targeting as well as get an overview of search impressions and click metrics along with the average cost per click and estimated budget values for the keywords you are looking to use.

You can learn more about crafting your legal keyword list in our blog here.

Phase 2: Setting up your firm’s Bing Ad campaigns

Now that you’ve got your keyword list it’s time to set up your firm’s Bing Ad campaign.

1. Step one is to either login or set up your Bing Ads account and select the option to create your first campaign.

*It’s worth noting here that you can import an ad campaign from Google AdWords if your firm is already running campaigns there.

2. But if you aren’t importing a Google Ad campaign then you’ll need to make your campaign from scratch. Your first task will be to name your campaign and set an overall budget along with the language and locations you wish to target with your firm’s ad campaign.

3. Now this is where Bing does things in a slightly different order to Google AdWords, as your next step is to create your ad copy. You’ll need to select the form of ad you want, be it text, display, image etc. You will then need to create your ad’s title which is limited to 25 characters and your ad’s copy which is limited to 71 characters.

It’s key that when writing your ad copy you include these three key components:

Relevance: Use the keywords you are targeting and that your audience is searching for to ensure that your ad appears relevant to them.
Call to action: Provide a strong, clear CTA within your ad copy that will ensure your audience clicks on your ad.
Value: Though limited in space your ad copy should provide value to your audience if you want them to take that next step addressed in your CTA.

4. After crafting your ad, you then need to provide the keywords in which you want to target for your firm.

Here you’ll have the option of selecting the ‘type’ of keyword targeting you want your ad to use this refers to the circumstances in which your ads will be shown in relation to your keywords.

Here Bing will then present you with an estimated bid amount that you should expect for your ad to feature for your targeted keywords and within the various ad positions available.

5. Finally, you’ll have the option to adjust any final settings before you make your ad live.

Here you can set your max bid amount using the data you have been provided on estimated optimised bid values and your overall budget.

You can also use advanced targeting options to select to target a certain demographic or the days and times that you want your ad to show. This all provided you with a better-targeted ad that provides a greater user experience for your audience.

Phase 3: Monitor and Analyse your Bing Ad

Bing Ads provides you with the perfect platform to monitor the day to day performance metrics of your legal ad campaigns, providing you with data on impressions, clicks, conversions and bid values, allowing you to have full perspective of the performance of your ads and make changes to ensure your ads are fully optimised to generate new business for your firm.