SEO course › Part 1: SEO foundations
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft’s free service that shows how Bing crawls, indexes and ranks your website. It works like Google Search Console for Bing. Setting it up takes minutes, and because Bing’s index also feeds other search services and Microsoft Copilot, it helps you reach people beyond Google.
This lesson covers why Bing still matters, how to set up Bing Webmaster Tools, the main reports, IndexNow, and other search engines you may want to know about.
Why should you care about Bing if Google is so dominant?
Google handles the large majority of searches in India and worldwide. So it is fair to ask why Bing deserves any of your time.
There are three good reasons:
- Bing powers other services. Yahoo search results are largely powered by Bing, and DuckDuckGo and Ecosia use Bing as one of their sources.
- Bing feeds Microsoft’s AI. Microsoft Copilot uses Bing’s web index to find and cite pages. If Bing cannot index your page, it is less likely to appear there.
- It is free extra data. Bing’s reports, such as its Site Scan audit and backlink data, can catch problems you missed.
Bing is also the default search engine in Microsoft Edge and Windows, so some desktop users in offices reach it without choosing to.
How do you set up Bing Webmaster Tools?
You can sign up at bing.com/webmasters using a Microsoft or Google account.
Option 1: import from Google Search Console
This is the fastest route if you already use Google Search Console.
- Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Choose the option to import your sites from Google Search Console.
- Allow Bing to access your Search Console account.
- Select the sites you want to import. Bing verifies them and can bring in your sitemaps too.
Option 2: add your site manually
- Enter your website address.
- Verify ownership using one of three methods: uploading an XML file to your site, adding a meta tag to your home page, or adding a CNAME record to your domain’s DNS (the settings that point your domain to your host).
- Submit your XML sitemap. A sitemap is a file that lists the pages you want search engines to find.
Data usually starts appearing within a few days.
What are the main reports in Bing Webmaster Tools?
Many reports will feel familiar if you know Search Console.
| Report | What it shows | Search Console equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Search Performance | Clicks, impressions, average position and queries | Performance report |
| URL Inspection | Whether a page is indexed and any issues found | URL Inspection |
| Sitemaps | Submitted sitemaps and their status | Sitemaps |
| Site Scan | An on-demand SEO audit of your pages | No direct equivalent |
| Backlinks | Sites linking to you, including competitor comparisons | Links report (more limited) |
| Keyword Research | Search terms and volumes from Bing data | No direct equivalent |
Site Scan is especially handy for beginners. It crawls your site and flags issues such as missing titles, duplicate meta descriptions and broken links, all for free.
What is IndexNow and should you use it?
IndexNow is an open protocol, launched in 2021 by Microsoft Bing and Yandex, that lets your site notify search engines instantly when you add, update or delete a page. A protocol is simply an agreed way for systems to talk to each other.
Normally, search engines discover changes by crawling on their own schedule. With IndexNow, your site sends a quick ping instead. Search engines that support it share the notifications with each other, including Bing, Yandex, Seznam and Naver.
Google does not use IndexNow. For Google, you still rely on sitemaps and good internal linking, as explained in our lesson on how search engines crawl websites.
Setting it up is easy on most platforms. Many SEO plugins for WordPress and some content delivery networks offer IndexNow as a simple on-off setting.
A worked example: a dental clinic in Pune
Picture a dental clinic in Pune with a small website and a Google Business Profile. The clinic already uses Search Console.
The owner imports the site into Bing Webmaster Tools in five minutes. Site Scan flags that the “Teeth whitening” and “Dental implants” pages share the same title tag. The clinic fixes both titles, which also helps in Google.
They then switch on IndexNow in their WordPress SEO plugin. When they publish a new page on clear aligners, Bing picks it up within days instead of waiting for a routine crawl.
Which other search engines should you know about?
For most Indian businesses, Google and Bing cover nearly all search traffic. Still, it helps to know the others.
- Yahoo: results mostly come from Bing, so Bing Webmaster Tools covers it.
- DuckDuckGo: a privacy-focused engine that draws on Bing and its own crawler. There is no separate webmaster tool.
- Yandex: popular in Russia, with its own Yandex Webmaster service.
- Baidu: the leading engine in China, with its own webmaster platform. Only relevant if you target Chinese users.
- Naver: the leading engine in South Korea.
AI assistants are becoming another way people search. Learn how to prepare for them in our guide to answer engine optimization.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming Bing will find your site on its own and never submitting a sitemap.
- Blocking Bingbot, Bing’s crawler, in robots.txt by accident while trying to block other bots.
- Ignoring Site Scan warnings because “Bing traffic is small”, when the same fixes help Google too.
- Expecting IndexNow to speed up indexing in Google.
Key takeaways
- Bing Webmaster Tools is free and takes minutes to set up, especially by importing from Search Console.
- Bing’s index powers Yahoo, contributes to DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, and feeds Microsoft Copilot.
- Site Scan, Backlinks and Keyword Research give you free extra SEO data.
- IndexNow lets you notify Bing and other supporting engines about changes instantly, but Google does not use it.
- For most Indian sites, Google and Bing together cover nearly all search traffic.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bing Webmaster Tools free?
Yes. Bing Webmaster Tools is completely free. You only need a Microsoft or Google account to sign in.
Do I need Bing Webmaster Tools if I already use Google Search Console?
It is not required, but it is worth it. Setup is quick through the Search Console import, and you gain extra audit, backlink and keyword data plus visibility into how Bing sees your site.
Does ranking well in Google mean ranking well in Bing?
Often, but not always. Both reward helpful, well-structured content, but their algorithms differ, so check Bing’s Search Performance report rather than assuming.
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