Notes
Notes: dated changes that affect law firm marketing
Short, dated notes on changes in search, ads and the rules, with sources and what each change means for a firm.
How every note is written
- Answer
- What changed and what it means for a firm, first.
- Sources
- Every number links to where it came from.
- Checked
- A person checks every sentence and every source before it goes up.
- Dated
- A review date on every page, and corrections made in public.
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October 24, 2026
Bing's AI Performance report now shows Copilot citations by topic
Bing Webmaster Tools has a free AI Performance report, in public preview since February 2026, that counts how often Microsoft Copilot and Bing's AI summaries cite your pages. On October 13, 2026, Microsoft added Topics Portfolio, a beta tab that groups those citations into topics and lists queries where other sites are cited and yours is not. It counts citations, not clicks or cases, and small sites may see few topics.
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October 24, 2026
California SB 37: what changed for lawyer advertising in 2026
Since January 1, 2026, California law requires every lawyer ad to name a California lawyer or the firm plus the city, town or county of a real office, and it lets consumers sue for $5,000 to $100,000 per unique misleading ad after a State Bar finding. Anyone can also sue over capping and uncertified referral services, with no State Bar step first. Every ad variant is now a risk unit.
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October 24, 2026
ChatGPT ads are open to US lawyers: the policy, the limits and the bar rules
OpenAI's ad policy permits ads for legal services in the US only where the advertiser is licensed to practice law in the place the ad is shown; trade coverage dates the opening to August 31, 2026. Ads reach Free and Go users, not paid plans, and OpenAI says they don't influence ChatGPT's answers. A ChatGPT ad is still lawyer advertising, so your state's rules, filings and attorney approval apply.
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October 24, 2026
Florida lawyer ad filing fees are now $250, or $750 if late
The Florida Bar's filing page now lists $250 for each ad filed at least 20 days before first use and $750 for each ad filed later. The fees had been $150 and $250, and the Bar called this the first increase in 20 years. Since July 2026, ads can be filed online through the Bar's member portal. A changed ad is a new filing, so the fee is paid per version, which makes planning ahead worth real money.
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October 24, 2026
Google now bills some missed Local Services Ads calls: what law firms should check
Since October 1, 2026, Google can charge a Local Services lead for a missed call that arrives during your listed business hours when the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Calls outside business hours, and callers who hang up sooner, are not charged. The fix is to make the hours on your Business Profile match the hours someone really answers.
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October 24, 2026
How Google's language matching changes Spanish search ads for law firms
Starting in September 2026, Google removed the campaign language setting from Search campaigns and from the Search part of Performance Max. Ads now match on the language of the ad itself, and Google gives priority to ads in the language of the search. A bilingual searcher can still see an English ad on a Spanish search, so the ad's language, its landing page and the person who answers the phone all need to agree.
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October 24, 2026
New offline-conversion setups in Google Ads now go through Data Manager
Since June 15, 2026, the Google Ads API no longer accepts new adopters of offline conversion imports, including enhanced conversions for leads. New setups go through Data Manager instead. Firms that were already importing can keep their current route while they move. Google also now calls click-ID-only imports a legacy feature and recommends adding consented contact details through enhanced conversions for leads.
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