When it comes to local search for your law firm, it’s easy to get tunnel vision. All the focus, all the effort, and all the anxiety tend to revolve around one single platform: your Google Business Profile. But what if a potential client isn’t using Google? What if they’re searching on their iPhone’s default map app, or using the Bing search engine built into their work computer?
Though Google may be the biggest search engine in town, it is a common myth that you only need to worry about Google. The truth is, if your firm is invisible on other platforms, you are losing potential clients. Bing, Apple Maps, and even Yahoo are crucial parts of a complete local digital strategy, even if Google gets the most buzz. Why do they matter? They build your authority, create consistency, and connect you with clients you might have missed. At Civille, we build strategies for the whole picture. Let’s break down how to manage your presence on these other vital directories.
Mastering Bing Places for Business
Dismissing Bing is a strategic error for any law firm. It is the default search engine for Microsoft Edge and is built directly into the Windows operating system. This provides a built-in user base, many of whom are in professional or corporate jobs and have not changed their default search settings. If you practice elder law, Bing may also be a big deal for you, as many elders do not bother or even know about alternative search engines.
Why Bing Still Matters for Your Firm
While its market share does not rival Google’s, it is significant enough that ignoring it means leaving business on the table. Its user base often has a demographic profile that skews older with more disposable income. This could be your target client. Showing up on Bing makes you visible in a space your competitors might be overlooking.
Getting Started with Bing Places
The best part about managing your Bing Places profile is that they’ve made it incredibly easy to get started, especially if you already have a Google Business Profile. You can create a listing from scratch, but Bing offers a feature to directly import your information from your verified GBP. This is a massive time-saver, pulling in your firm’s name, address, phone number, hours, photos, and more in just a few clicks. After importing, you’ll just need to verify your ownership of the listing, and you’re off and running.
Read More: Setting up and Verifying Your Firm’s Google Business Profile
Optimizing Your Bing Places Profile
The good news is that once your profile is created, optimizing it will feel very familiar. The steps are what you would expect. You will want to fill out all your information accurately, pick the right legal categories, add good photos of your office and team, and double check your hours and contact info. Just like with Google, keeping this consistent with your website is the most important part.
Utilizing Apple Business Connect
Every person using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac for directions is using Apple Maps by default. When they ask Siri to find a local lawyer, those results come from Apple’s world, not Google’s. This is a huge group of potential clients, who are often quite affluent. You manage your presence for them through a platform called Apple Business Connect.
The Power of the Apple Ecosystem
Ignoring Apple Maps means you’re essentially invisible to a huge portion of smartphone users who are using the built-in map application on their devices. For a practice area like criminal defense or personal injury where a client might need to find a lawyer quickly from their phone, being present and accurate on Apple Maps is crucial.
Claiming and Managing Your Apple Profile
The tool you will use here is called Apple Business Connect, where you can claim or create your law firm’s listing. It handles all the basics like your address, phone number, and hours, and it has a nice, clean design that really favors good photos. But here is a great tip. Use the “Showcases” feature. It is a tool that lets you post updates or special offers similar to Google Business Profile’s posts. For a law firm, this is a perfect way to spotlight a practice area or announce free consultations.
Understanding Yahoo Business Listings
With Google, Bing, or Apple, you can log in to directly manage your business listing. With Yahoo, you actually can’t. That is the key difference. There is no simple portal for owners to make edits. So, how does your firm’s information even get there, and how can you manage it?
How Yahoo Gets Its Information
Here is how Yahoo populates most of its local search results. It does not collect all the information itself. Instead, it pulls data from a handful of major data aggregators. These aggregators are simply large, authoritative databases that feed information to hundreds of other online services, including Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustate Localeze, and even Yelp.
Your Strategy for Yahoo
Think of managing your Yahoo listing like dealing with a river. The best way to make the water clean downstream is to fix it at the source. This means your primary focus should always be on keeping your Google Business Profile, Bing Places profile, Yelp listing perfectly accurate.
After that, the most important rule is consistency. Your firm’s Name, Address, and Phone number must be identical everywhere they appear online. This sends a clear signal to the whole system, including the services that feed Yahoo, that your information is correct.
A Unified Strategy for Local Listing Success
Imagine a client trying to find you online. For them to have a good experience, and for search engines to trust your firm, every detail must be perfect. Your name, address, and phone number need to be exactly the same everywhere, down to the last detail, like using “Suite” instead of “#”. While Google reviews are powerful, a good review on any site helps build that trust. It is also smart to quickly check your Bing and Apple profiles every quarter, just to make sure your hours and contact info are still right. It is these little things that build a strong online presence.
Should Law Firms Have Multiple Google Business Profiles?
Simplify Your Local Presence with Civille
Is managing your firm’s online presence taking up too much of your valuable time? You are not alone. While the basics are simple, the work of optimizing profiles and troubleshooting issues is very time-consuming. Civille is an expert at handling this complexity for you.
We do more than just manage your Google profile. We build a powerful and consistent local presence for law firms on all the platforms where clients are looking. We optimize your GBP and ensure your data is correct everywhere so you can get back to work. If you want a single local marketing strategy that works, contact Civille today. Let’s make sure your firm gets found, wherever your clients are searching.
