A Comprehensive Guide to Mastering Bing SEO
Bing is often regarded as the second-largest search engine globally, behind Google, but it commands a significant share of all web search traffic.
With Bing integrated into Microsoft products such as Windows, Microsoft Edge, and the Xbox ecosystem, optimizing for Bing can help businesses and content creators tap into an rather often overlooked source of traffic.
Bing also powers Yahoo Search, which further extends its global reach.
Bing SEO (Search Engine Optimization) focuses on techniques and strategies specifically tailored to use for Bing’s search algorithms, which differ slightly from those that Google uses.
(Disclaimer: We may earn a commission from purchases made from some links.)
To achieve higher rankings on Bing, it’s essential to understand how exactly its search engine evaluates websites and pages.
This guide provides a detailed exploration of Bing SEO, everything from its ranking factors to actionable tips that can improve visibility on the search engine.
Why Bing SEO Matters
While Google holds the lion’s share of the search market, Bing accounts for a significant portion, particularly in the U.S., where it receives about 6-8% of all desktop search traffic.
Bing’s market share grows even larger when considering specific demographics, such as users in older age brackets and business professionals who use Microsoft products.
For e-commerce, technology, and B2B businesses, Bing is a platform that can yield high-quality traffic, often at a lower cost when it’s compared to Google.
Additionally, Bing’s SEO principles are generally more transparent than Google’s are which means marketers can better anticipate how changes to their website will impact rankings.
Since fewer marketers focus on Bing, competition in Bing is also less fierce, offering an easier pathway to top search positions in certain niches.
How Bing’s Algorithm Works
Bing uses its own algorithm to rank search results, and while it shares some similarities with Google’s algorithms, there are key differences in how it evaluates and ranks websites.
1. On-Page Factors
Bing places a heavy emphasis on certain on-page SEO elements, including:
Meta Keywords and Descriptions: While Google downplays the importance of meta keywords, Bing still pays close attention to them. Properly optimizing meta descriptions and keywords can boost visibility.
Title Tags: As with Google, optimizing title tags for relevant keywords is critical. However, Bing seems to weigh exact-match keywords in title tags more heavily than does Google.
Content: High-quality content is important on Bing, as it is with Google. However, Bing prefers content that is more structured, concise, and user-friendly. This means avoiding keyword stuffing and instead focusing on readability and clarity.
Content Length: While Google often favors long-form content for complex topics, Bing tends to prioritize concise, more focused answers. Shorter content that answers specific queries can perform better in certain searches.
Multimedia Content: Bing favors pages that include multimedia elements such as images, video, and audio. This reflects its known desire to create a rich and diverse user experience.
2. Backlinks
Like Google, Bing also uses backlinks as a ranking signal. However, Bing places a greater emphasis on the quality and authority of links rather than the quantity of backlinks that a website has.
If a website is linked to by reputable sources such as educational (.edu) or governmental (.gov) domains, those will carry much more weight. Additionally, Bing seems to value established domains over newer ones when evaluating a website backlink profile.
3. User Engagement Metrics
Bing incorporates user engagement signals, such as click-through rates (CTR), time spent on pages, and the bounce rates of a website into its ranking factors.
A website that has high engagement from users (i.e., they click on a link to it in search results and spend time interacting with its content) is more likely to be rewarded with higher rankings in Bing.
4. Social Signals
While Google has traditionally downplayed the importance of social signals (likes, shares, tweets), Bing openly acknowledges that social signals do play a role in its ranking algorithm.
Websites that are highly shared on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn tend to rank higher in Bing’s search results.
5. Mobile-Friendliness
Bing’s focus on website mobile-friendliness has grown in recent years. With the introduction of their “Mobile Friendliness Test Tool”, Bing now evaluates whether websites are optimized for mobile devices.
Sites that pass this test are more likely to rank well in mobile searches. However, Bing has not yet moved to a mobile-first indexing approach like Google has, so desktop optimization still remains equally important.
6. Local SEO and Bing Places
For local businesses, appearing in Bing’s local search results can drive a lot of traffic. Bing Places for Business, which is similar to Google My Business, allows companies to manage their presence in Bing’s local search results.
Having a well-optimized Bing Places listing that includes accurate NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number) details, photos, and customer reviews can help businesses appear in the “local pack” results and on Bing Maps.
Bing SEO Best Practices
Now that we understand how Bing’s algorithm works and how it differs from that of Google, let’s take a look at the actionable strategies and best practices to improve your website rankings on Bing.
1. Keyword Research and Usage
While keyword research strategies for Bing are similar to those for Google, Bing’s algorithm tends to favor exact-match keywords more.
This means that placing keywords in title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and throughout the content in a natural way can have a more direct impact on search rankings.
However, be mindful of over-optimization and keyword stuffing, as this can still result in penalties and hurt your site.
Try to incorporate these keyword strategies:
Use Exact Match Keywords: Bing places a stronger emphasis on exact-match keywords in the title and headings than Google does.
Long-Tail Keywords: Bing also tends to show favor to long-tail keywords, which are more specific search terms. Optimizing the content on your website for niche long-tail keywords can help you rank higher for many of the less competitive queries.
2. Create High-Quality Content
As with all search engines, quality content is king when it comes to Bing SEO. However, Bing tends to favor content that provides concise, direct answers rather than overly lengthy articles as opposed to Google.
Structured Content: Organize the content of your site into well-defined sections with clear headings and subheadings. This makes it easier for both users and search engines to understand your content and rank it accordingly.
Multimedia Elements: Include images, videos, and other rich media elements to create a more engaging user experience. Optimizing these elements with the appropriate alt text and descriptions can further improve rankings.
3. Optimize for Bing Places
For businesses with a physical location, setting up and optimizing your Bing Places listing is crucial. Ensure that your business information is accurate and consistent across all platforms, and encourage customer reviews, which can boost your local rankings.
4. Build Quality Backlinks
As mentioned, Bing prioritizes high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites. Focus on building a diverse backlink profile that includes a mix of relevant industry websites, educational institutions, and government websites whenever possible.
Guest posting on reputable sites and participating in industry-related forums can help you build valuable links.
5. Leverage Social Media
Because social signals play a role in the rankings of Bing, it’s important to create shareable content and engage with your audience on social media platforms.
The more people share your content, the more likely it is to perform well in Bing search results.
6. Mobile Optimization
While Bing does not prioritize mobile-first indexing like Google, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is still important. Use Bing’s Mobile Friendliness Test Tool to help evaluate your website’s mobile performance.
Make sure your design is responsive, load times are fast, and that the user experience on mobile is seamless.
Measuring Bing SEO Success
Once you’ve implemented your Bing SEO strategy, it’s important to track and measure your progress.
You can do this using various different tools:
Bing Webmaster Tools: This is Bing’s answer to Google Search Console. It offers insights into how your website is performing in Bing search results, highlighting any issues that are related to crawling, indexing, and website performance.
Third-Party SEO Tools: Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz also offer features to track your Bing rankings. They can help provide you with insights into your keyword performance, backlinks, and other metrics that contribute to your Bing SEO success.
Conclusion
While Bing may not have the same market share percentage as Google does, it still is a valuable search engine that can drive significant traffic to your site, especially in certain markets.
Optimizing for Bing search results requires a slightly different approach, focusing on factors such as exact-match keywords, high-quality backlinks, user engagement, and social signals.
By following the best practices outlined in our guide and tracking your progress using Bing Webmaster Tools, you can help to position your website to succeed on this search platform.
Don’t overlook the power of Bing SEO, it’s a rather often underutilized strategy that can help yield impressive results and added traffic to your site with the right approach.