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Bing Webmaster Tools is a free suite that helps website owners monitor how Bing crawls, indexes, and displays their pages in search results. Although businesses often prioritize Google, Bing can still deliver quality traffic, especially from people using Windows, Microsoft Edge, and other services in the Microsoft ecosystem.
This guide explains how to verify your website, submit URLs, research keywords, and read performance reports. Understanding how to use Bing Webmaster Tools can help you identify technical issues, evaluate content performance, and gain additional data to improve your SEO strategy.
What is Bing Webmaster Tools, and how can it help your website?
Bing Webmaster Tools is a website management platform for the Bing search engine. After adding and verifying your website, you can view organic search data, submit a sitemap, ask Bing to crawl new URLs, and check for issues that may affect indexability.
The tool does not replace content optimization or website fixes. Instead, it provides data and features that help you understand how Bing views your website. For example, reports can show which pages receive impressions, which queries bring users to your site, and which URLs are not being indexed as expected.
Bing Webmaster Tools is especially useful for businesses looking to grow traffic beyond Google. Combining Bing data with analytics, server logs, and other SEO tools can give marketing teams a more complete view of search behavior and content performance.
How to add and verify your website
To get started, sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools using a supported Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account. Choose the option to add a website, then enter the exact address of the property you want to manage. Be sure to distinguish between HTTPS and HTTP, as well as versions with and without the www prefix. Choosing the correct version ensures that the data is associated with the right website.
Bing usually offers several verification methods. Choose the one that fits your access permissions and existing management processes:
- Add a DNS record: Add the TXT record provided by Bing to your domain’s DNS settings. This is often a good option if you manage the domain and want to verify it at the domain level.
- Upload an XML file: Upload the verification file from Bing to your website’s root directory, then ask the system to check for it.
- Add a meta tag: Insert the verification meta tag in the head section of your homepage. This is convenient if you can edit the source code or use a content management system that supports it.
- Import from Google Search Console: If your website is already verified in Google Search Console, you may be able to import the property to speed up setup, depending on the options Bing provides at the time.
Once verification is complete, do not remove the verification record, file, or tag if you want to retain management access. If verification fails, check whether your DNS changes have propagated, whether the file is in the correct directory, and whether the meta tag remained in place after publishing. The website must also be accessible, without a login requirement or server settings that block access.
Submit URLs and a sitemap so Bing can crawl your site
Once your website is verified, submit an XML sitemap to help Bing find the important URLs on your site. A sitemap is often generated automatically by your content management system or SEO plugin. Before submitting it, check that it is publicly accessible, contains only canonical URLs, returns an appropriate status code, and excludes pages you do not want indexed.
In Bing Webmaster Tools, open the sitemap management area, enter the sitemap address, and submit it. Then monitor its processing status and any related notifications. Submitting a sitemap does not guarantee that every URL will be indexed; Bing still evaluates the quality, accessibility, and relevance of each page.
For new URLs or recently updated content, the URL submission feature lets you ask Bing to crawl pages sooner. You can submit individual addresses manually through the interface or use the URL submission API if you have a technical team and an automation process. This helps notify Bing about new content; it does not guarantee that a URL will appear in search results immediately.
Prioritize valuable pages, such as service pages, new articles, product pages, or content that has been substantially updated. Avoid submitting large batches of duplicate URLs, URLs with unnecessary parameters, test pages, or pages that return errors. At the same time, check your internal links so Bing can discover important pages naturally.
Research keywords with Bing Webmaster Tools
The Keyword Research tool in Bing Webmaster Tools helps you discover queries people use to search on Bing. Depending on the interface and available data, you may be able to look up keywords, view search trends, or filter results by country, language, and time period. Treat this data as an additional reference, not as a representation of the entire search market.
To use the tool effectively, start with a topic related to your products, services, or customer needs. Note related queries, question variations, and phrases that describe a problem. Then group them by search intent, such as seeking information, comparing solutions, or preparing to contact a business or make a purchase.
- Choose a topic or seed keyword closely related to the services your business provides.
- Filter data by your target market and a time period that suits your campaign.
- Note related phrases, questions, and the language people use.
- Compare the findings with your existing content to identify missing topics or pages that do not meet search intent.
- Prioritize keywords based on customer relevance, conversion potential, and the resources available for content production.
Do not choose keywords solely because they have high search volume. A less popular phrase that expresses a specific need may be a better fit for your business goals. Use research data to create useful content that clearly answers readers’ questions, and avoid stuffing keywords into titles or paragraphs.
Read performance reports and turn data into action
Performance reports help you track organic search performance on Bing. Common metrics include impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), average position, queries, and landing pages. Names and presentation may change depending on the interface, but the goal remains the same: to help you understand how people see and interact with your website.
Read metrics in relation to one another rather than evaluating them in isolation. A page with many impressions but few clicks may need a more compelling title and description that better match users’ needs. A page that gets clicks but ranks low may need more in-depth content, clearer structure, and better internal links. If a group of queries loses performance, check trends over time, content changes, and technical issues before drawing conclusions about the cause.
To make reports more useful for decision-making, businesses should:
- Choose a long enough time period to avoid drawing conclusions from short-term fluctuations.
- Compare queries and landing pages to identify which needs the content is meeting.
- Prioritize improvements to pages with business value rather than focusing only on traffic.
- Record the changes you make and monitor the results after an appropriate interval.
- Combine Bing data with Google Search Console, traffic analytics, and conversion data.
LilyTech recommends setting up a regular review schedule rather than signing in only when a website has a problem. Businesses can review performance reports monthly, check sitemaps and important URLs, and coordinate between content and technical teams to address issues. This approach helps turn Bing data into a practical input for SEO planning.
Conclusion
Bing Webmaster Tools helps businesses verify websites, submit sitemaps and URLs, find keyword ideas, and monitor search performance on Bing. The tool is most effective when used regularly alongside quality content, a website that is easy to crawl, and clear measurement goals.
If your business needs help setting up the tool, reviewing technical SEO, or creating a search growth plan, contact LilyTech for advice tailored to your website and business goals.
