The most important facts in brief:
- Market share and target group: Bing is the second largest search engine, with a market share of up to 13%. It is particularly popular with older, wealthier users in rural regions.
- Ranking factors: Bing weights exact keywords, social signals, trusted backlinks, local SEO, older domains and clear page structures.
- Benefits of optimization: Increases visibility and traffic by 10% as there is less competition. Bing users often interact more and stay on the site longer.
- Bing Webmaster Tools: Free, with insights into keyword rankings, crawling status and backlinks - ideal for optimization and error detection.
Do you want to optimize your website for Bing SEO? Then you’ve come to the right place! 🙌
Bing may be less well known than Google, but with up to 13% market share in some countries, it’s worth optimizing, especially if your target audience is older, wealthier and often located in rural areas. 🎯
Bing works slightly differently: exact keywords, social signals and backlinks are more important here. Local SEO and older domains are also preferred. With the right strategy and our tips, you can get your site to the top of Bing! 📈
What is Bing SEO and why is it important?
Bing SEO comprises strategies and techniques to optimize websites for the Bing search algorithm. The aim is to generate more qualified traffic and achieve higher rankings in the Bing search results (SERPs). Although Google dominates the search engine market, Bing is the second largest search engine worldwide with a global market share of around 9% for desktop searches.
Bing places great emphasis on local search, which can be an advantage for companies in regions with a high number of Bing users, such as the USA. In Germany, Bing has a market share of 4.75% and is expected to grow further. Up to 51% of Yahoo searches also use the Bing index and ranking algorithm.
|
Search engine |
Global desktop market share |
Market share Germany (desktop) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
83,5% |
86,03% |
|
Bing |
9% |
9,72% |
Bing SEO offers several advantages over Google SEO. Competition for popular keywords is often lower and optimization can be achieved with less effort. In addition, Bing visitors tend to have lower bounce rates, stay longer on websites and interact more frequently. Bing emphasizes the importance of high-quality backlinks from credible sources and social signals for website rankings.
In order to exploit the full potential of a website, Bing SEO is an important part of holistic search engine optimization. With the free Bing Webmaster Tools, website operators gain valuable insights into key performance indicators and can optimize their Bing SEO strategy in a targeted manner. Especially for international markets with a higher Bing market share, the integration of Bing SEO is indispensable.
Basics of Bing search engine optimization
Bing SEO requires an understanding of specific ranking factors such as exact keywords, domain authority and social signals. Backlinks and user-centric optimization are equally important. Bing crawls pages less frequently, but multimedia content is weighted higher.
|
Factor |
Bing |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Exact keywords |
Higher weighting |
Lower weighting |
|
Domain age |
Important |
Less important |
|
Crawling frequency |
Rarer |
More frequent |
|
Multimedia |
Greater weighting |
Lower |
An effective Bing SEO strategy requires high-quality, keyword-optimized content, a fast loading time and a strong backlink profile
Keyword research for Bing
The basis of an effective Bing SEO strategy is sound keyword research. Only if you know how your target group searches on Bing can you optimize your content accordingly. Tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush or the Bing Keyword Research Tool help you to identify keywords with a high search volume and low competition.
Various key figures play a role in keyword selection for Bing:
-
Search volume: How often is the keyword searched for?
-
Keyword difficulty: How strong is the competition for the keyword?
-
Cost-per-click (CPC): How expensive are ads for the keyword?
-
Click-through rate (CTR): How often are search results for the keyword clicked on?
A clever mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords is often the key to success for Bing. While short-tail keywords such as “shoes” have a high search volume, long-tail keywords such as “red women’s sneakers size 39” usually promise higher conversion rates. Bing also interprets keywords more literally than Google – an important aspect of keyword research.
|
Tool |
Special features |
|---|---|
|
Ahrefs Bing Keyword Tool |
SEO metrics such as search volume, CPC, CTR for 170 countries, over 90 million keywords |
|
Bing Webmaster Tools |
Free keyword research, analysis of trends, countries and languages |
With the right keyword mix and continuous optimization, you can achieve ranking factors that will sustainably improve your position. Don’t be afraid to try out new, creative keyword variants – this is often where the greatest potential for your Bing SEO lies!
On-page optimization for Bing
Solid on-page optimization for Bing includes the targeted use of keywords, a clear URL structure and the use of schema markup. Content should be readable and well structured. Bing prefers short, descriptive URLs without special characters and numbers.
|
Good |
Bad |
|---|---|
|
www.example.com/bing-seo-tipps |
www.example.com/index.php?id=123 |
|
www.example.com/on-page-optimierung |
www.example.com/optimierung-2021-neu |
Stay on the ball: Update your content regularly, as Bing prefers fresh content.
Off-page SEO for Bing
Off-page SEO is crucial for a good ranking on Bing. Compared to Google, Bing places more emphasis on the quality and relevance of backlinks. Here you can find out how to make Bing optimization effective.
Bing prefers few but high-quality backlinks from trustworthy websites in the same niche. Guest posts on relevant blogs and influencer collaborations are useful to build natural links.
Key statistics:
-
About 20 new backlinks per month increase the presence.
-
.edu, .gov, and .org domains are particularly valuable because of their authority.
-
Keywords in the anchor text are valued.
-
Content with social signals ranks better on Bing.
Regular backlink monitoring is important to ensure quality. Avoid black-hat tactics such as link farms or purchased links, as these can lead to penalties.
|
SEO factor |
Bing |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Market share |
7,64% |
over 70% |
|
Number of indexed pages |
67.000 |
over 7 million |
|
Importance of social signals |
High |
Low |
|
Preferred backlinks |
Quality |
Quantity |
Social media links carry more weight with Bing. Use platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to increase engagement – the more interactions, the better for the Bing ranking.
Use Bing Webmaster Tools
The Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT) are important, free SEO tools for website operators to improve their visibility in Bing. With a market share of around 9% for desktop searches, Bing offers a valuable addition to Google.
BWT, launched in 2009, offers similar functions to the Google Search Console: Monitoring keyword rankings, crawling and indexing status, submitting new content and managing backlinks. You can also detect possible spam and viruses.
Main functions of the BWT:
– SEO Analyzer: Detailed error reports
– Site Scan: Finds technical problems
– Keyword research: search volume and related keywords
– Backlink analysis: Insights into the link profile
The reliable Bing data and easy access with Microsoft, Google or Facebook accounts make the tools particularly practical. They often offer deeper insights than the Google Search Console, especially when it comes to backlinks and keyword data.
Together with the IndexNow protocol for faster indexing and sitemaps, BWTs are a valuable resource for optimizing for the Bing algorithm and increasing organic traffic.
Local SEO strategies for Bing
Bing often prioritizes local search results, which is why targeted optimization for local search is essential. With the right strategies, you can bring your business to the top of Bing’s local search results.
Optimizing for local keywords is a crucial step. Analyze which search terms potential customers in your region use and naturally integrate these into your website texts and metadata. An entry in the Bing Places for Business directory is also a must. Here you can enter your company information, opening hours and photos.
To appear in the coveted Bing Local Packs, you should pay attention to the consistency of your NAT data (name, address, phone number) across the web. Positive reviews and local backlinks will also boost your local ranking. Also create local landing pages with city-specific keywords, contact information and embedded Bing maps.
|
Local SEO measure |
Meaning for Bing |
|---|---|
|
Local keywords |
Increase relevance for local search queries |
|
Bing Places entry |
Improves local visibility and trust |
|
NAP consistency |
Signals trustworthiness to Bing |
|
Positive reviews |
Increase local ranking and click-through rate |
|
Local landing pages |
Score points in local searches through relevance |
With a market share of around 9% in 2023, Bing is becoming an increasingly exciting platform for local SEO. Use this opportunity to position your location optimally and benefit from higher click-through rates. Local search engine optimization is the key to being at the forefront of Bing.
Avoid mistakes with Bing SEO
When optimizing for the Bing search engine, there are some common mistakes that you should definitely avoid. Duplicate content on your website can lead to Bing not knowing which page to prioritize. Therefore, pay attention to unique content and use canonical tags to identify the main page.
Missing or misleading meta tags make it difficult for Bing to understand the content of your page. Make sure that you use meaningful title tags and meta descriptions that contain your keywords. 404 errors due to broken links not only frustrate visitors, but also negatively affect your ranking. Check regularly for dead links and redirect if necessary.
Slow loading times are a common problem that leads to high bounce rates. Optimize the loading speed of your site through image compression, browser caching and the use of content delivery networks. Also avoid keyword stuffing, cloaking and link farms – Bing consistently penalizes spam and manipulative tactics.
|
SEO errors |
Impact on Bing ranking |
Solution |
|---|---|---|
|
Duplicate content |
Bing cannot identify main page |
Unique content, canonical tags |
|
Missing/misleading meta tags |
Content difficult to understand for Bing |
Meaningful title tags and descriptions |
|
404 errors due to broken links |
Frustrates users, harms ranking |
Regular link checks, redirects |
|
Slow loading times |
High bounce rates, poorer ranking |
Compressing images, caching, CDNs |
|
Keyword stuffing and manipulation |
Bing penalizes spam and cloaking |
Natural keyword density, white-hat SEO |
Even though HTTPS is not an official Bing ranking signal, SSL encryption improves security and user trust. With regular website audits using Bing Webmaster Tools, you can identify and fix technical SEO problems at an early stage. In this way, you can improve your rankings step by step and prevent errors with drastic consequences for your search engine ranking.
Bing SEO compared to Google SEO
Although Google dominates the lion’s share of the search engine market, you shouldn’t ignore Bing SEO. With a market share of 9.2% on the desktop, Bing is the second largest search engine provider worldwide. With the integration of the Bing chatbot, Bing even reached the impressive mark of 100 million daily users in March 2023.
While Google and Bing share some similar ranking factors, there are notable differences. Google focuses on mobile-first indexing, while Bing gives more weight to social signals such as likes, shares and tweets. Also, Bing favors official domains like .gov and .edu, whereas Google considers commercial websites to be just as valuable.
|
Ranking factor |
|
Bing |
|---|---|---|
|
Indexing |
Mobile-First |
Index Now API for faster indexing |
|
Social signals |
Less influence |
Likes, shares, tweets as ranking signals |
|
Preferred domains |
Commercial websites equivalent |
Preferred .edu, .org, .gov |
|
Meta description |
Less influence |
Greater influence on rankings |
Another exciting aspect is that Bing traffic often converts better than Google traffic. One reason for this is that Bing users tend to be older and wealthier. For certain target groups, such as married people between the ages of 35 and 54 with an annual salary of over $100,000, the CPC for keywords on Bing Ads can therefore be more attractive than on Google Ads.
Despite these differences, both search engines also have similarities. Both Google and Bing attach great importance to high-quality content and take factors such as E-A-T (expertise, authority, trustworthiness) into account. In addition, both analyze search intentions, external links with relevant anchor texts, semantic terms and the user experience as sophisticated evaluation parameters.
Conclusion
Bing SEO offers great potential for increasing visibility and traffic, especially for B2B companies or specific target groups. With a market share of 12% in Germany and a user base with high purchasing power, optimization for Bing is worthwhile.
While the basic principles of SEO at Bing and Google are similar, Bing places particular emphasis on keywords in headings, metadata, backlinks from trusted sites and social signals. Up-to-date, high-quality content and a user-friendly, fast page structure are also important for Bing.
The Bing Webmaster Tools offer helpful functions for website monitoring and optimization. A targeted Bing strategy can have a positive effect on your Google ranking – an opportunity that should be seized!
FAQ
What is Bing SEO and why is it important?
Bing SEO includes strategies for optimizing for the Bing algorithm to achieve better rankings, more visibility and traffic.
Differences between Bing and Google SEO?
Bing focuses more on exact keyword matching, domain authority, social signals and multimedia elements.
Important Bing ranking factors?
Bing attaches importance to relevance, credibility, user experience, content quality, loading time, keywords, backlink quality and social signals.
How do I carry out a Bing keyword research?
Tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush or Bing Keyword Research Tool help to find relevant keywords with high conversion potential.
How can I optimize my website for Bing?
Optimization of meta tags, header tags, content, URL structure, internal links and multimedia elements boosts the ranking.
Important off-page factors?
Natural backlinks from trustworthy websites, guest posts, influencer collaborations and social media links strengthen the profile.
How do the Bing Webmaster Tools help?
The tools offer functions for performance monitoring, backlink management and troubleshooting.
How important is local SEO with Bing?
Local SEO is important; a listing on Bing Places and local backlinks promote findability.
Common mistakes with Bing SEO?
Avoid duplicate content, misleading meta tags, broken links, slow loading times, keyword stuffing and cloaking.
Is Bing SEO worthwhile for small businesses?
Yes, the reduced competition and lower advertising costs also enable small businesses and niche blogs to achieve fast results.
