Bing Webmaster Tools
Verifies your site ownership, monitors how Bing crawls and indexes pages, and shows search performance data – all in one free Microsoft platform.
If you assume Bing’s data mirrors Google Search Console, you miss crawl differences, query gaps, and indexing quirks unique to Bing.
Key points
- Verify site ownership before you can submit sitemaps or access the full dashboard.
- Submit an XML sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools to submit website to search engines efficiently.
- Review crawl reports monthly to catch blockages early, such as robots.txt errors.
- Do not rely solely on Google Search Console; understanding what is the use of webmaster tools in SEO means checking Bing-specific data too.
- Update verification and sitemap URLs after any site migration or domain change, and use a Bing rank tracker to monitor ranking shifts.
Four ways it goes wrong
- One-time setup only Treating the tool as a one-off verification instead of a regular monitoring platform means you miss crawl errors and indexation drops that appear days later.
- Sitemap before verification Submitting a sitemap without verifying ownership first limits access to the full toolset, so crawl and index data stays hidden.
- Ignoring Bing-specific data Bing Search Console’s query reports and indexing behaviour differ from Google’s. Relying only on Google Search Console leaves performance gaps unidentified.
- Stale verification after migration After a domain change, old verification tokens or sitemap URLs break monitoring and can stop Bingbot from discovering new pages.
Three verification methods you should know
- Domain Connect A newer path that lets you prove ownership through your domain registrar without adding files or meta tags. Works with many providers.
- Meta tag in
<head>Add a provided meta tag to your site’s homepage HTML. Bing checks it during the next crawl, and verification is instant. - DNS TXT record Insert a unique TXT value in your domain’s DNS settings. This method survives server moves and does not require site access.
Three reasons to revisit it monthly
- Crawl error spikes Bing reports 404s, server errors, and blocked pages. A monthly scan catches these before they cause widespread deindexation.
- New content submission After publishing fresh pages, use the URL submission tool to alert Bing, speeding up discovery compared to waiting for organic recrawl.
- Indexation drops Compare the number of indexed pages over time. A sudden drop signals a technical SEO issue, such as a broken sitemap or noindex tag.
Common questions
How do I use Bing Webmaster Tools?
Log in at bing.com/webmasters, add your site URL, verify ownership via one of four methods, then submit an XML sitemap and start reviewing dashboards.
How to submit a sitemap to Bing?
After verification, go to the Sitemaps section in the dashboard, paste your sitemap URL, and click 'Submit'. Bing will fetch and process it.
How to verify site ownership in Bing?
Choose from meta tag, XML file upload, DNS TXT record, or Domain Connect. Each method provides a unique token that Bing checks against your site.
Sources
- Microsoft Bing Webmaster Blog Official blog post on starting with Bing Webmaster Tools
- Bing Webmaster Tools Main dashboard and documentation for the platform
- Yoast Beginner's guide to Bing Webmaster Tools features