Meta: Should you conduct Bing SEO? How do you do it effectively? What is its difference from Google SEO? Check out our guidelines to boost your website’s visibility.
Following Google, Bing is taking second place in search engine share and presenting distinct advantages over its competitors. If you want to take the first step into this platform and make your site stand out, this is your chance. This article analyzes 9 tips to master Bing SEO shared by ROI Digitally‘s experts.
What Are The Advantages of Bing SEO?
Developed and run by tech giant Microsoft, Bing increased its global search engine share to 10.51% in January 2024. Despite being a minor player compared to Google’s monopoly in the online search market, it remains the second most-used search engine. 
Market share of leading desktop search engines worldwide
Despite its smaller audience compared to Google, conducting SEO for Bing offers distinct advantages.
Lower Bounce Rate
Bing traffic may have a lower bounce rate. Matthew Woodward, an SEO expert, shared his experience with this platform. His Bing traffic is of higher quality than Google traffic:
As you can see, Matthew’s Bing traffic:
- Have a lower bounce rate
- Visit more web pages
- Spend more time on the websites
- Subscribe more to his email list
- Click more affiliate links
So, if you want to get impressive statistics for your business, start working on Bing SEO.
SEO Practices Similar To Those Of Google
People have mixed opinions regarding the statement that high Google rankings correlate with success on Bing.
Many agree with this idea because both search engines prioritize relevant content, favor reputable brands, and emphasize user experience. Additionally, Google, Bing, and Yahoo have collaborated to enhance search listings through structured data.
Google, Bing, and Yahoo partner to create schema.org
Meanwhile, some people have tested and pointed out that differences in search algorithms can result in different search engine results pages (SERPs) for the same query.
Overall, Google and Bing have many similarities. Yet, page rank on the first page of Bing does not guarantee that it will appear similarly on Google. Despite their differences, ranking high on Bing using Google SEO practices is feasible.
Lower Competition
While Google is the primary target for most marketers, paying attention to Bing can still benefit your overall SEO strategy. Even though Google is big, take notice of Bing because it can bring opportunities for your brand.
For many years, SEO efforts were primarily directed at Google. As a result, beginners may have difficulty competing with veteran professionals.
But now, when Bing SEO has yet to grab the attention of many marketers, Bing has less competition and is more manageable to rank high. This search engine allows brands to grow and succeed in a less crowded space.
Transparency About Ranking Factors
Bing uses the Bing Webmaster Guidelines to instruct users on optimizing their websites. These guidelines provide all you need to know to rank high on Bing:
- How Bing finds and indexes your site
- Help Bing understand your pages
- Abuse and Examples of Things to Avoid
Besides presenting greater transparency about ranking factors, Bing also provides tools to enhance website performance without hidden agendas.
It’s worth noting that these guidelines do not guarantee higher rankings or increased traffic, but they give users a concrete direction for implementation. Instead, they demonstrate Bing’s willingness to provide guidance and candid feedback when needed.
So, if you are now fond of Bing’s potential, read on for 9 expert tips on conducting Bing SEO optimization.
How to Rank Higher on Bing Search: 9 Top Tips for Bing SEO
Before starting with the detailed SEO tactics, you must understand how Bing search works. This search engine’s ranking algorithm is constantly developing and driven by a vast machine-learning model.
Unlike Google, Bing does not emphasize specific top-ranking factors because its model adapts to evolving web data and user behavior. The relevance of its result is a function of:
- Topic Relevance: This search engine values content relevance, considering semantic equivalence and user search intent.
- Content Quality: Bing decides the rankings based on your website’s reputation, the author’s transparency, and the content’s completeness.
- Context: Bing considers factors like location, trending topics, language, and more to decide the search engine result pages (SERPs).
Understanding these fundamentals is critical to building an effective SEO strategy on Bing. Let’s dive further into our detailed Bing SEO guide to optimize your website.
1. Use Exact Match Domains and Keywords
How do I get noticed on Bing? The first tip we want to share is to use exact-match domains and keywords. Having your target keyword in your domain name can help your website rank higher.
However, it’s not necessary. Google filters domain names that exactly match keywords, so it’s better to use a domain including your keyword but isn’t an exact match.
Similarly, using your exact keywords in Heading 1 and Heading 2 tags can improve your Bing SEO rankings. Unlike Google, Bing focuses more on using exact words rather than understanding context.
For example, when you search for “best carbon fiber exhaust tips” on Google, you see trending videos and a list of selling websites.
Meanwhile, Bing’s top result is an article titled “Carbon Fibre Exhaust Tips: Which One Best Fits Your Style?”.
This difference suggests that having an exact match keyword is crucial for Bing rankings but not necessarily for Google.
However, it’s crucial to use keywords naturally in your content. We recommend including keywords properly in image descriptions (alt tags) and meta descriptions. Even though Google no longer relies on meta keywords and descriptions for rankings, having an engaging title and description can increase the number of clicks your page gets.
2. Write High-Quality Content
Content quality is a prior factor in Bing SEO. The search engine values websites with unique content tailored to readers’ queries. According to Bing, there are three main pillars of quality content:
- Authority: Attribute the author of the content and cite the data sources.
- Utility: Address the query comprehensively, ensuring it provides real value to users.
- Presentation: Present the content in a well-formatted style, clearly distinguishing between ads and the main content.
Bing’s main pillars of content quality
Here’s an example of content that doesn’t meet Bing’s standards:
- This content is from an unidentified author (by “admin”) and has little information about the information source.
- It contains 4 ads placed before the main content, which takes up a lot of space.
- Ads and main content are interspersed and easily confused with each other.
Apart from these pillars, Bing also values multimedia content and the aesthetic appearance of the website for end-users. Adding relevant images and videos to your content enhances the user experience and potentially boosts your brand’s visibility in SERPs. Using descriptive alt text to images further optimizes your website for search traffic.
3. Use Inbound Anchor Text
Bing gives greater importance to anchor text usage than Google. Using relevant keywords in anchor texts provides insight into the subject and context of the content, allowing users to anticipate what to expect when navigating to a website through a link. So, add exact matches to relevant target terms whenever feasible to enhance rankings on this platform.
For example, to rank for a specific keyword like “off-page SEO” on Bing, it’s critical to have links using “off-page SEO” as the anchor:
However, overoptimizing anchor text can trigger the Google Penguin filter. To navigate this, we recommend getting links from high-authority sites primarily focusing on exact-match anchor text, while others include a mix of anchor terms. This strategy helps you rank well in Bing while avoiding Google penalties.
4. Create A Good Link-Building Strategy
A Microsoft representative from Bing shared, “There are a variety of factors that come into play with ranking signals, links being one of them.”
Bing strongly prefers naturally built links, not spam links. The organic link-building process signals to search engines that your site offers trustworthy and helpful information. Consider your website behavior—you likely only link to sources you trust and believe will benefit your visitors.
Organic links have been pivotal in turning the internet into a vast interconnected network. They are often responsible for content “going viral” on social media channels, leading to a surge in linked references. Search engines interpret such organic links as indicators of valuable content.
Link building on LinkedIn
When actively seeking links, it’s crucial to prioritize quality over quantity. Bing values link from established and reputable websites that it already recognizes and trusts. While getting links from these trusted sources requires time and effort, it provides users with the most relevant and reliable information.
Pro tip:
- Link all pages on your website to at least one other discoverable and crawlable page.
- Choose referring links with a text or an image alt attribute relevant to the page.
- Add less than a few thousand links per page.
- Use rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored” or rel=”ugc” attribute for any paid links on your site.
- Plan a link-building strategy, both internally and externally, in an organic way.
Here are several methods of getting high-quality inbound links:
- Create original and engaging content: By establishing yourself as a trusted source of valuable content, visitors will naturally share links to your website.
- Ask for links: Seek out websites from which you’d like to receive links and politely request that they link to your site.
- Conduct guest blogging: Many websites and blogs are open to exchanging unique content for a link to your website.
- Use directories: Directories are still a reliable location to get trusted links, yet relying solely on them may not significantly improve your website’s ranking.
Like Google, Bing wants you to avoid reciprocal links, paid links, link schemes, and links from hacked websites. Otherwise, your website may be removed from the Bing search engine index.
5. Build A Sitemap
Sitemaps contain information about your site’s URLs, files, images, and videos that help Bing find and understand its content. By providing a sitemap, you tell Bing which pages and files are critical and when they were last updated.
Bing supports various sitemap formats, including XML, RSS, MRSS, Atom 1.0, and text files. We recommend using an XML sitemap file and keeping it up-to-date by refreshing it regularly, preferably once daily. This process allows Bing to remove old URLs and dead links from its index promptly.
There are 2 ways to make your sitemap available to Bing:
- Submit it through the Bing Webmaster Tools Sitemap tool
- Include a line in your website’s robots.txt file specifying its location
Submit a site map to Bing
Follow these guidelines to create a sitemap on Bing:
- Use consistent URLs and only list canonical URLs in your sitemaps.
- Point to only one version in your sitemap if your website has multiple versions (such as HTTP vs HTTPS or mobile vs desktop).
- Use hreflang tags to identify alternate URLs for sites with different languages or regions.
- Use the <lastmod> attribute to indicate the last time you modify the content.
- Consider the maximum sitemap size of 50,000 URLs/50MB uncompressed.
- Refer to your sitemap in the robots.txt file.
Remember, using a sitemap doesn’t guarantee that all items will be crawled and indexed. Yet, it guides the crawler, which can benefit your website’s visibility in search results.
6. Follow Bing Webmaster Guidelines
As mentioned above, the Bing Webmaster Guidelines clarify how Bing finds, indexes, and evaluates websites for ranking purposes. Adhering to these guidelines increases your site’s chance of being effectively indexed by Bing.
Moreover, you can use Bing’s guidelines to optimize your site and enhance its visibility and ranking for relevant search queries. It is essential to consider the advice and examples listed in the “Abuse and Examples of Things to Avoid” section.
In short, Bing SEO tactics you should avoid are:
- Cloaking
- Link Schemes, Link Buying, Link Spamming
- Social media schemes
- Duplicate content
- Scraped content
- Keyword stuffing or loading pages with irrelevant keyword
- Automatically generated content
- Affiliate programs without adding sufficient value
- Malicious behavior
- Misleading structured data markup
Complying with these guidelines ensures your website operates within the boundaries and does not engage in spammy activities. Otherwise, your site could face a penalty, such as a demotion or removal from Bing search results.
7. Utilize Social Media
The next tip when conducting Bing SEO optimization is to be active on social media. Bing has publicly revealed how it uses social signals to determine the ranking of various web pages.
Fun fact: Microsoft owns LinkedIn and Bing and is one of the first investors in Facebook. So, they are all connected. The higher your social media engagement, the higher your website’s chances of ranking better on Bing.
Microsoft owns LinkedIn
Social media’s impact on website visibility is notable, even though it doesn’t directly influence SEO rankings. If your site has social media accounts, Bing considers factors like the number of followers and engagement your content receives.
When users interact with your website via social media—clicking through, browsing, and making purchases—Bing takes notice, potentially boosting your SERP ranking. Moreover, social media visibility can enhance rankings in other ways:
- Shares and engagements: Increased engagement on your content across social platforms signals its relevance and value, positively influencing your website’s ranking.
- Backlink building: Content performing well on social media often attracts backlinks from other websites, further enhancing your website’s authority and credibility in the eyes of Bing.
- Social media in search results: Social media profiles often appear in SERPs, expanding your online presence and offering extra visibility when users search for your brand.
Social media platforms expand your online presence
So, crafting social media-friendly content is an excellent approach when working on Bing SEO.
For websites without a social media presence, it’s advisable to start building one now. Choose the platforms that attract your audience and begin sharing content. While growing a social media following takes time, Bing recognizes and values these efforts by increasing your visibility in search results.
However, Bing strongly advises against using unethical tactics to quickly increase social media followers, which can have negative consequences. It also discourages buying fake followers because this does not positively affect search engine rankings.
8. Claim Your Business on Bing Places
Bing considers context when deciding the SERPs. Therefore, a practical tip when conducting SEO for Bing is to claim your business on Bing Places.
For instance, when users search for local search queries like “Los Angeles haircut,” Bing prioritizes hair salons with a well-optimized Bing Local Business listing.
By leveraging Bing Places, you can enhance your visibility in local search results and increase the likelihood of appearing when users search for relevant services in their area.
Follow these steps to add your business to Bing:
Step 1: Claim Your Listing
Begin by checking if Bing already has a listing for your business. You can claim an existing listing or start a new one if needed. If your company has multiple locations, conveniently add them all at once using Bing’s bulk upload tool.
Step 2: Complete Your Listing Profile
Provide comprehensive information about your business to create a compelling profile:
- Photos showcasing your business and services.
- Operating hours
- Services offered
- Contact options for customers to reach you.
You can effectively demonstrate your business to potential customers by offering a complete profile.
Step 3: Verify Your Listing
Verifying your listing ensures its accuracy and security and helps protect it from unauthorized changes. You can verify your listing by receiving a unique PIN at your business address, phone number, or email.
While all businesses must provide a valid address, some business types can hide their address in SERPs, giving flexibility based on your business needs.
Add your business to Bing to enhance visibility in local search results (Source: Search Engine Land)
Pro tip: Even if you don’t actively use Bing as your primary search engine, take your time to claim and optimize your business listing on Bing Places. Many users still rely on Bing for local searches, and having a well-optimized listing can significantly improve your site performance and attract more customers to your business.
9. Use Bing Webmaster Tools
Using Bing Webmaster Tools ensures your Bing SEO strategy goes smoothly and effectively. This platform offers valuable insights into your website’s performance, including the keywords you rank for, indexed backlinks, and potential spammy links you need to disavow.
Here’s how to begin:
Step 1: Sign Up
Sign up for a free account and add your website to Bing Webmaster Tools.
Step 2: Verify Your Ownership
You’ll need to verify your website’s ownership using one of these ways:
- Place an XML file on your web server
- Add a meta tag to your website
- Add a CNAME record to your DNS
Step 3: Access Crucial Insights
Once verified, you’ll gain access to a dashboard displaying crucial details about how Bing perceives your website.
Step 4: Use Diagnostic Tools
Explore the suite of diagnostic tools available in Bing Webmaster Tools. These tools help you understand areas for improvement and optimize your website effectively:
| Feature | What It’s For |
| Search Performance | Monitor traffic from Bing search, view clicks and impressions per page and keyword, and trends over the last 6 months. |
| URL Inspection | Inspect Bing’s indexed version of a specific URL, detect indexing issues, and check adherence to Bing Webmaster guidelines, SEO, and schema issues. |
| Site Explorer | Navigate through the site structure and find insights and issues with URLs, such as redirects, crawl issues, and robots.txt disallowed URLs. |
| Sitemaps | View details of all known sitemaps to Bing, submit new sitemaps, and monitor crawl and processing stats. |
| IndexNow | Inform Bing and other search engines about the latest content changes on your website for instant crawling and indexing. |
| URL Submission | Submit URLs for potential immediate crawls and indexation and view submission history. |
| Backlinks | Generate your site’s backlink profile information, including referring pages, domains, and anchor texts. |
| Keyword Research | Check phrases and keywords searched in Bing and their corresponding search volumes. |
| SEO Reports | Receive common page-level recommendations based on SEO best practices to improve your site’s ranking. |
| Site Scan | Conduct an on-demand site audit for common technical SEO issues. |
| Crawl Control | Control the speed at which Bingbot requests pages and resources on your website. |
| Block URLs | Temporarily block pages, directories, or cached URLs from appearing in Bing Search results. |
| Robots.txt Tester | Analyze the robots.txt file for issues hindering optimal crawling by Bing and other robots. |
| Verify Bingbot | Check whether an IP address belongs to Bingbot. |
| User Management | Add other users to your website in Webmaster Tools with different levels of permissions. |
| Microsoft Clarity Tool | Free-to-use analytics product to improve website experiences by understanding site visitor behavior. |
With these Bing Webmaster Tools, you can improve your online presence comprehensively. This Bing SEO toolkit has everything you need, from research and analysis to audit. It is a handy resource for managing and boosting your website’s performance on Bing.
Bing SEO vs. Google SEO: X Key Differences
(Source: LinkedIn)
Bing SEO and Google SEO seem similar, but they have significant differences. Understanding these variations is crucial for anyone trying to boost their website’s performance on both platforms. Here, we’ll break down X key differences between optimizing for Bing and optimizing for Google.
| Bing SEO | Google SEO | |
| Keyword | Focus on exact-match keywords and rank your site if it serves the purpose. | Adopt a semantic search approach. |
| User Engagement by CTR | Value user engagement. Measures engagement through CTR. | Value user engagement but focus less on CTR. |
| Social Signals | Consider social signals crucial for ranking. Counts like, share, and retweet as indicators of relevance. | Use social signals as a ranking factor but not as significant. |
| Backlinks | Value both quantity and quantity.Prefer editorial, guest blogging, and business profiles. | Only emphasize high-quality backlinks.Prefer editorial, authoritative backlinks. |
| Crawling | Don’t crawl pages frequently and tend to focus mainly on key pages. | Index and crawl every page on your site. |
| Authority | Utilize page authority, influenced by social signals, user engagement, and the relevance and quality of external links. | Evaluate page authority indirectly through PageRank. |
| Content | Reward strategic placement of exact-match keywords in meta descriptions. Focus on multimedia content like pictures, videos, and audio. | Focus on textual content.Rely more on text-based content |
| Local Search | Favor small businesses | Prioritizes larger, established companies |
| Core Web Vitals | Consider site speed crucial, but don’t prioritize mobile-first indexing and Core Web Vitals as much as Google | Emphasize speed and mobile responsiveness as crucial ranking factors |
| Canonicalization | Have had some past issues but now support the tag. | Determine canonical URLs even without proper coding |
| 301 and 302 Redirects | Treat 302 redirects as 301 after crawling them a few times, so most people use 301 for proper indexing. | Prefer 301 redirects for permanent URLs |
| Image and Video Search | Offer an image-centric search experience.Feature engaging thumbnail previews for videos. | Prefer textual content but includes images and videos. |
The decision between these two search engines often hinges on personal preferences, marketing goals, and the demographics of the dominant audience.
Conducting SEO on both Bing and Google helps you discover optimization opportunities across different user bases. This comprehensive approach allows your website to stay competitive in the ever-evolving online landscape and maximizes its potential for organic traffic and conversions.
The Bottom Line
While Google remains dominant in the search engine market, don’t overlook Bing. By adding Bing SEO strategies into your optimization efforts, you can tap into a significant portion of the search market share that Bing commands.
Contact us if you want to create a comprehensive SEO strategy catering to users’ diverse behaviors across different search platforms. With experienced experts, ROI Digitally promises to diversify your online performance and reach a broader audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bing good for SEO?
Yes, because Bing is the world’s second-largest search engine. By conducting Bing SEO, you have the potential to enhance organic traffic to your website.
Why Bing is better than Google?
Bing is better than Google due to several reasons:
- Bing has a lower bounce rate and brings impressive statistics to your business.
- Its SEO practices are similar to those of Google.
- Conducting Bing SEO has lower competition.
- The search engine is transparent about its ranking factors.
