Most small business owners put all their SEO effort into Google and never think about Bing. That leaves a lot of traffic on the table. Bing powers search across Microsoft products, Yahoo, and other platforms, and the Microsoft Search Network accounts for close to 30% of US search queries.
Competition on Bing is often lighter too, so a small site has a real chance to rank. Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT) is a free Microsoft tool that helps you get there. Here’s how to use it.
Why Bing Webmaster Tools Is Worth Your Time
Think of BWT as Bing’s version of Google Search Console. It shows how Bing crawls and indexes your site, which keywords bring impressions and clicks, and who links to you. It also lets you submit new pages directly. That means less guessing and more decisions based on real data.
Step 1: Add and Verify Your Website
Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools with a Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account and add your site URL. If you already use Google Search Console, you can import your site and skip most of the setup.
To verify ownership, pick one of three methods:
- Upload an XML file (BingSiteAuth.xml) to your site’s root folder.
- Paste a meta tag into your homepage.
- Add a CNAME record through your hosting provider.
WordPress users can paste the meta tag into an SEO plugin like Yoast, Rank Math, or All in One SEO. It takes about two minutes.
Step 2: Submit Your Sitemap
This is the most important step. Your XML sitemap gives Bing a map of every page you want indexed. Submit it under the Sitemaps section, and Bing will find your pages much faster. For new small business sites with few backlinks, this can be the difference between being discovered and being invisible.
Step 3: Use URL Submission for New Content
Published a new service page or blog post? Don’t wait for Bing to stumble across it. Use the Submit URLs feature to request crawling right away. The URL Inspection tool then lets you check whether a page is indexed and shows any crawl or indexing problems. Bing also supports IndexNow, which notifies it instantly when content changes.
Step 4: Find Keywords That Bring Traffic
The Search Performance report shows the queries your site appears for, along with impressions, clicks, click-through rate, and average position. Look for pages with plenty of impressions but few clicks. Those usually need a better title or meta description.
BWT also has a built-in Keyword Research tool. It shows search volume trends, related terms, and question-based keywords, which is handy for planning content on a small budget.
Step 5: Fix Technical Issues
Use the crawl and SEO reports to find broken pages, pages blocked by robots.txt, and other errors. Bing’s SEO Analyzer and Markup Validator flag on-page issues and check your schema markup. Fix these first, because a site Bing can’t crawl properly won’t rank no matter how good the content is.
Bing uses desktop-first indexing, unlike Google’s mobile-first approach. So your site should look good on desktop as well as mobile. Page speed also matters, so compress images and use caching.
Step 6: Follow Bing’s Own Guidelines
Bing is fairly open about what it wants. Its Webmaster Guidelines stress original, useful content, a clean site structure, and natural links. Avoid keyword stuffing and link schemes, since they can get pages removed from the index.
A few practical Bing SEO tips:
- Write clear titles, headings, and meta descriptions.
- Use exact-match keywords naturally, because Bing tends to reward them more than Google does.
- Add schema markup for richer search results.
- Keep your business name, address, and phone number consistent for local visibility.
- Build backlinks from relevant, trustworthy sites.
Step 7: Track Results Over Time
Check BWT weekly and compare date ranges to see what’s working. Pair it with your analytics to see how Bing visitors behave on your site. Bing users are often described as more mature and purchase-ready, so watch metrics like time on site and conversions. If they look strong, invest more in Bing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bing Webmaster Tools really free?
Yes. It’s completely free, and you only need a Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account to sign up.
Do I need Bing Webmaster Tools if I already use Google Search Console?
Yes, ideally. They track different search engines. You can import your Google Search Console data, so setup is quick.
How long does it take for Bing to index my pages?
It varies. Submitting your sitemap and using the Submit URLs feature speeds things up, but new sites with few backlinks may take longer.
Does Bing SEO differ from Google SEO?
The basics overlap: quality content, good keywords, backlinks, and fast pages. The main differences are Bing’s desktop-first indexing and its stronger weight on exact-match keywords.
Can Bing traffic help a local business?
Yes. Bing considers local signals such as business details and directory listings, so keep your information consistent across the web.
Can I track my Bing keyword rankings for free?
Yes. The Search Performance report shows your average position for each query.
Conclusion
Bing is a smaller channel than Google, but it’s a real one, and it’s easy to overlook. Bing Webmaster Tools offers most of what Google Search Console does, so it deserves a place in every SEO strategy. Bing SEO also relies on much the same techniques as Google: on-page optimization, quality content, keywords, and backlinks. That means the extra effort is small, and the audience is often less contested.
For a small business, the plan is simple. Verify your site, submit your sitemap, publish helpful content, fix technical errors, and check your data regularly. Set it up this week and you may find a steady source of traffic your competitors are ignoring.