Bing Webmaster Tools

Workflow

1. Setup & Verification

Verification methods (pick one):

• XML file upload (BingSiteAuth.xml to root)
• Meta tag (<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="XXXX" />)
• CNAME DNS record
• Auto-verify if already in Google Search Console (import)

Import from GSC: Bing offers one-click import of all your GSC properties — fastest path.

2. IndexNow Implementation

IndexNow tells search engines about URL changes instantly. Supported by Bing, Yandex, and others.

Simple implementation (single URL):

# Generate API key (any UUID works)
KEY="your-api-key-here"

# Place key file at site root
echo "$KEY" > public/$KEY.txt
# Accessible at: https://example.com/$KEY.txt

# Notify Bing of URL change
curl "https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow?url=https://example.com/updated-page&key=$KEY"

Batch submission (up to 10,000 URLs):

curl -X POST "https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "host": "example.com",
    "key": "your-api-key",
    "keyLocation": "https://example.com/your-api-key.txt",
    "urlList": [
      "https://example.com/page1",
      "https://example.com/page2",
      "https://example.com/page3"
    ]
  }'

Automate with build/deploy hook:

// Next.js post-build script
const changedUrls = getChangedPages(); // your logic
if (changedUrls.length > 0) {
  await fetch('https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      host: 'example.com',
      key: process.env.INDEXNOW_KEY,
      keyLocation: `https://example.com/${process.env.INDEXNOW_KEY}.txt`,
      urlList: changedUrls
    })
  });
}

3. Bing vs Google — Key Differences

4. URL Submission API

For new or updated content (beyond IndexNow):

curl -X POST "https://ssl.bing.com/webmaster/api.svc/json/SubmitUrl?apikey=$BING_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"siteUrl":"https://example.com","url":"https://example.com/new-page"}'

Daily quota: 10,000 URLs/day for verified sites. Use for bulk submissions after migrations.

5. Backlink Analysis

Bing Webmaster provides free backlink data (competitive with paid tools for basics):

• Inbound links report: domains linking to you
• Anchor text distribution
• Top linked pages
• New and lost links

Audit checklist:

• Disavow toxic backlinks (spam, irrelevant foreign domains)
• Check anchor text diversity (too many exact-match = risky)
• Monitor new links weekly for negative SEO
• Compare backlink profile vs top 3 competitors

6. Bing SEO Optimization

Content optimization:

• Use exact-match keywords in H1 and first paragraph (Bing is more literal than Google)
• Include multimedia: images with descriptive alt text, embedded video
• Ensure fast page load (Bing uses page speed as a ranking factor)
• Add schema markup (Bing uses it for rich results and entity understanding)

Technical optimization:

• Submit XML sitemap in Bing Webmaster Tools
• Enable IndexNow for real-time indexing
• Set crawl control settings (Bing respects crawl-delay in robots.txt)
• Use hreflang for international pages (Bing supports it)

7. Reporting

Monthly Bing audit:

• Check crawl errors and fix
• Review search performance (impressions, clicks, CTR)
• Compare Bing vs Google rankings for top 20 keywords
• Monitor IndexNow submission success rate
• Review and update sitemap if site structure changed
• Check for manual penalties (rare but check)