Anyone who starts a new website thinks about Google SEO first. Most internet users use Google search engines to search the internet. This place is crowded with thousands of websites, so getting to the top of the rank is challenging. However, there is a quick and easy trick to get many visitors from another search engine. It's none other than the Bing Search Engine, which Microsoft owns. It's not only a search engine; it can be your all-in-one SEO tool for search engines. So, why wait? Let's learn how to set up Bing webmaster tools in 2024 to get untapped traffic.
Bing Webmaster Tools was previously known as the Bing Webmaster Centre. Microsoft offers this service free as part of the Bing search. From the dashboard, webmasters can see their website's performance against various factors.
Bing webmaster tools serve the full purpose of Google Search Console and also provide all the insights into your website that are not in Google Search Console. It helps to find your site's on-page, off-page, and technical SEO issues. So, if you want to get top ranking and boost your website traffic, then it can be a great free tool for you.
If you want to start a Bing advertising agency, then you should start using Bing Webmaster Tools and become an expert in it.
Do you want to establish a content marketing business in 2024? But, worried about the Google rank? Then start using Bing to reach a huge untapped internet users.
Setting up a Bing webmaster tool is now an effortless task to do. Whether you have coding knowledge or not, you can activate your own Bing webmaster tools if you stick with this blog. Let's see the 4 steps to set up a Bing webmaster tool.
First of all, you need to create an account in the Webmaster Tools provided by Microsoft Bing. Visit the Webmaster Tools page and here you will get a brief idea of how Microsoft can help you with your website SEO and performance. Apparently, they want to help you to boost your website rankings on Bing search results.
Click the Get Started call to action at the very beginning of the website. A pop-up will be shown on the screen to offer you a suitable option for logging in to Bing Webmaster Tools. Choose any of the options - Your Microsoft account, Google account, or Facebook account to create the Bing Webmaster account. These options make the registration process hassle-free for most of the users because we at least have one of the accounts.
Using one of these methods enables you not to fill out any registration form and wastes time. Bing Webmaster Tools grab the necessary information from those accounts. You just have to follow the on-screen instructions which are in simple format. You can see the information shared with Bing from any of those accounts you choose. The quick and easy registration makes the user-friendly journey to start with Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools.
After creating an account in the Bing Webmaster Tools you will get two options for setting up your website to this platform. You can either use your Google Search Console data or manually set up a new website to the Bing Webmaster Tools.
If your Google Search Console is already verified, then the process is so simple. You just have to give access to the Bing Webmaster. Click on Import and then Allow access to your Google account.
So, the benefits of importing data from Google Search Console are -
a) No site verification is required which needs technical knowledge.
b) You can import your website sitemap instantly.
c) You can save your precious time.
d) You can edit data smoothly after importing if there is any outdated data.
If you are a very new domain manager and do not have a Google search console then you have to choose the manual process. Enter your personal or business website URL in the given field and then click Add. You will get a new window where it will tell you to verify the site using one of the three processes. You can skip and verify later in the process. However, it's better to verify the ownership of your site to get all the necessary website data on the search platform.
3 options for manual site verification in Bing Webmaster Tools:
a. Download the Bing Site Authentication XML file and then upload it to the root directory of your website. This needs a little web development knowledge. You need to visit your website control panel, then go to the File Manager folder and upload the XML file to the root folder.
b. You can use HTML Meta Tag to verify the ownership of your site. This does not require much web development knowledge. You can simply use you content management system to Add the HTML meta tag in the homepage.
c. Another option for verification is to use a CNAME record. You have to add the CNAME record to the domain name server(DNS).
Click the Verify option once you have done with any of the process XML, HTML Meta Tag or CNAME. It will complete your verification process on Bing Search for the website ownership. Then, Bing will get you in the dashboard and here you can see your website performance data and SEO opportunities. You can analyze whether your content marketing strategy is working or not. You can then take the necessary steps to modify your strategy.
If you have chosen the data import option from Google Search Console, then your setup task is already completed. Now, Bing will take almost 48 hours to provide you with all the website data. You can step up the process by submitting a sitemap using the Bing Webmaster tools. This sitemap submission step is especially for those who have used the manual verification process.
A sitemap is the index file where all your web pages and content are included. It helps search engines crawl and analyse your website faster.
Click the Sitemaps from the left menus of the Bing Webmaster platform. Then click the Submit sitemap and you will see a pop-up where you can input your site's sitemap. You can submit multiple sitemaps in Bing if you want, like separate sitemaps for the landing pages and blogs. You can use XML, RSS 2.0, mRSS (Media RSS), Atom 0.3 & 1.0 and text file format to update your sitemap in the Bing Search platform.
If you are struggling with finding a sitemap you can use the sitemap generator web tool. It will take only one to two minutes to create a sitemap. You just have to put the web address in the web tool. Alternatively, if yours is a WordPress site, you can easily get it by using a sitemap generator WordPress plugin.
Start getting data and make rich decision about your website ranking on Bing search. If you need to change some content strategy to get rank then you can also take help from AI copywriting tools like WriteSonic and ChatGPT. You can leverage these tools to engage visitors to your website.
Bing Webmaster Tools is a great search and analysis tool for every website manager. After reading this article, hope now you have learned how to set up Bing webmaster tools for your website. Do not just wait for Google's mercy. Utilize the Bing Search tool to get the best benefit of the Bing Search Engine and get untapped traffic from Bing.
Best of luck with your Bing Webmaster Tools journey.