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Bing Search Console

Provides Microsoft's free webmaster platform for verifying sites, submitting sitemaps, and monitoring how pages appear in Bing search results.

If you treat Bing Search Console as just a Google Search Console clone, you miss Bing-specific crawl issues and query data that can reveal unique opportunities.

Key points

  • Verify site ownership before expecting any data or indexing features to work.
  • Submit a sitemap to help Bing discover new and updated URLs faster.
  • Review crawl reports regularly to spot blocked resources or errors unique to Bing.
  • Use Bing's keyword tool separately from Google's to find different query patterns.
  • Check performance data monthly to identify trends in clicks and impressions specific to Bing users.

A bakery improves local visibility with Bing Webmaster Tools

A local bakery with three locations verified its site in Bing Webmaster Tools and submitted a sitemap pointing to each store's unique URL. Within two weeks, Bing indexed 124 pages instead of the previous 42, and clicks from Bing searches tripled from 18 to 54 per month. The crawl report also revealed 404 errors on two location pages that Google never flagged, leading to redirect fixes that lifted impressions across all regions by 70%.

Three situations where Bing Search Console changes your decision

  • Multiple locations If your site serves several physical stores, Bing's geo-targeting settings let you assign each location to its own region, improving visibility in local searches across multiple location seo strategies.
  • Iframes in use Pages relying on iframes may not be indexed fully. Bing's blocked resources report reveals iframe content that could be hidden from crawlers, helping you fix iframe seo issues.
  • Sudden traffic drop When Bing traffic drops unexpectedly, check the crawl errors report for new blocks or robots.txt changes. Bing Search Console often shows the cause before rankings suffer fully.

Four ways it goes wrong

  • Skipping ownership verification Without verifying ownership, you cannot access any performance data or submit sitemaps. Use an HTML meta tag, XML file, or DNS record to prove you own the site.
  • Submitting no sitemap Not submitting a sitemap slows discovery of new or updated URLs. Bing relies on sitemaps to find content efficiently, so always provide one for better crawl budget use.
  • Overlooking query data Bing's search query reports show clicks and impressions that differ from Google's. Ignoring this data means missing opportunities to optimise for Bing's unique audience.
  • Treating it as identical to Google Bing Webmaster Tools is distinct from Google Search Console. It reflects Bing's crawl and ranking data, not Google's, so ignoring Bing-specific reports leads to incomplete analysis.

Three things it is not

  • Not a ranking tracker Bing Search Console shows query performance like clicks and impressions but does not report daily ranking positions. Use a dedicated rank tracker if you need precise position data.
  • Not a set-and-forget tool Crawl errors, new content, and algorithm changes require ongoing checks. Reviewing reports monthly helps catch issues early and maintain Bing visibility.
  • Not a substitute for Google Search Console Bing’s data comes from its own crawler and index, not Google’s. You still need Google Search Console to monitor Google-specific issues and performance.

Common questions

What is the use of webmaster tools in SEO?

Webmaster tools like Bing Search Console help monitor how a site is crawled, indexed, and performs in search, enabling fixes and optimisation.

How is Bing Search Console different from Google Search Console?

Bing Search Console provides Bing-specific crawl and query data, while Google Search Console shows Google's perspective; both are essential for comprehensive SEO.

How to fix iframe SEO issues with Bing?

Use the blocked resources report in Bing Webmaster Tools to identify iframe content that may be hidden from crawlers, then move critical content outside iframes.

Sources

  1. Microsoft Bing Webmaster Guidelines / Help Official guidance on using Bing Webmaster Tools.
  2. Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools Portal for verifying sites and accessing performance data.
  3. Bing Webmaster Tools Docs FAQs covering common tasks and troubleshooting.
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