Bing Places for Business: Why Microsoft's Search Engine Still Matters

When someone mentions search engine optimization, almost everyone thinks of Google first. Fair enough — Google handles the majority of searches worldwide. But here's a number that might surprise you: Bing processes over one billion searches per day. And with Microsoft embedding Bing into Copilot, Edge, Windows search, Outlook, and Teams, that number keeps climbing. Dismissing Bing means ignoring a massive — and often less competitive — channel where potential clients are actively searching for legal help. The tool that controls how your firm appears in Bing's local results is called Bing Places for Business, and setting it up is one of the simplest wins in local SEO.

What Bing Places for Business actually means

Bing Places for Business is Microsoft's free platform for managing your firm's local business listing on Bing. Think of it as Microsoft's equivalent of Google Business Profile. When someone searches for a lawyer on Bing, the local results — the map, the business cards with phone numbers and reviews, the directions — are all powered by Bing Places data.

When you claim your Bing Places listing, you can manage:

• Business name, address, and phone number. Make sure the basics are correct so clients can actually find and contact you.
• Website URL. Drive traffic directly from your Bing listing to your site.
• Business hours. Let searchers know when your office is open, including special holiday hours.
• Categories and services. Specify your practice areas so Bing knows which searches your firm is relevant for.
• Photos. Upload images of your office, attorneys, and team — just like you would on Google Business Profile.
• Description. A written summary of your firm, your practice areas, and what sets you apart.

If you've already set up your Google Business Profile, Bing Places offers a convenient shortcut: you can import your Google listing directly into Bing Places with just a few clicks. This pulls over your business details, photos, and categories so you don't have to enter everything twice.

Why this matters for your law firm

There are several reasons Bing matters more now than it has in years — and all of them relate to Microsoft's aggressive integration of Bing across its products:

• Copilot and Bing Chat. Microsoft's AI assistant, Copilot, uses Bing's search data to answer questions. When someone asks Copilot "find a good estate planning lawyer near me," it pulls from Bing's local business database — which is Bing Places. If your firm isn't listed and optimized there, you're invisible to everyone using Copilot for local recommendations.
• Edge and Windows default search. Microsoft Edge is the second most popular desktop browser, and Bing is the default search engine for both Edge and the Windows taskbar search. Many users — especially in corporate and government environments where IT departments manage device settings — never change that default. These are often professionals and decision-makers, exactly the kind of clients many law firms want.
• Corporate and government users. Large organizations frequently standardize on Microsoft products. Their employees use Bing daily, often without even thinking about it. If your firm handles business law, employment law, or government contracts, this audience is particularly relevant.
• Less competition. Because most businesses focus all their energy on Google, Bing's local results are often significantly less competitive. The same keywords that are brutally difficult to rank for on Google might be much more attainable on Bing, giving your firm a faster path to visibility.

The AI angle deserves special emphasis. As Microsoft continues to integrate Copilot into Windows, Office 365, and Edge, the data Bing holds about local businesses will power an increasing number of AI-generated recommendations. Firms that have complete, accurate Bing Places listings now are positioning themselves to be recommended by AI tools that millions of people are beginning to rely on daily.

How to check if your site has this

Here's how to evaluate your current Bing Places situation:

1. Go to bing.com and search for your law firm by name. Look at the local result card that appears on the right side of the screen. Is the information accurate? Is there a phone number, address, website link, and photos? If the listing looks sparse or has incorrect details, it likely hasn't been claimed.
2. Search for your practice area plus your city on Bing — for example, "divorce lawyer in Austin." See if your firm appears in the local map results. If not, you may not have a Bing Places listing at all, or it may be incomplete.
3. Visit bingplaces.com and sign in with a Microsoft account. Search for your firm. If it shows as unclaimed, you have an immediate opportunity to take control of it.
4. Ask Copilot. Open Microsoft Edge and ask Copilot "What are the best [practice area] lawyers in [your city]?" See whether your firm is mentioned. If it's not, your Bing presence likely needs attention.

What to do next

Setting up Bing Places takes about fifteen to twenty minutes, especially if you import from Google:

• Go to bingplaces.com and sign in with a Microsoft account (or create a free one). Search for your business and claim the listing.
• Import from Google Business Profile if available. Bing Places offers a direct import feature. Click "Import from Google" and authorize the connection. Your business name, address, phone, categories, and photos will transfer over automatically.
• Review and enhance the imported data. Even after importing, go through each field and make sure everything is accurate. Add any details that didn't transfer, and write a description tailored to what Bing users might be looking for.
• Verify your listing. Bing may verify by phone, email, or postcard. Complete this step promptly — your listing won't be fully active until verification is done.
• Add photos if they didn't import. Upload your firm's logo, office photos, and attorney headshots. Listings with photos consistently outperform those without.
• Keep it updated. Whenever you update your Google Business Profile — new hours, new address, new photos — update Bing Places too. Consistency across platforms strengthens your credibility with every search engine. LexGrow SEO monitors your firm's listing accuracy across Bing, Google, Apple, and other platforms, alerting you when something falls out of sync.

Bing Places for Business is a rare example of low effort and high reward. While your competitors pour all their energy into Google alone, you can claim a strong position on the search engine that powers Copilot, Edge, and the default search experience for hundreds of millions of Windows users. Head to bingplaces.com this week, claim your listing, and make sure the next person who asks Microsoft's AI for a lawyer recommendation has a chance of hearing your firm's name.