If you're not optimizing for Bing, you're leaving valuable search opportunity on the table. Bing powers a wide range of AI and search experiences — including Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Microsoft Start, and AI tools like ChatGPT and Inflection.ai. We handle billions of queries each month, connecting users to relevant information across Microsoft Edge, Windows, and the new Copilot experience. With Microsoft deeply integrated into how users search, shop, and discover content, Bing is more innovative and powerful than ever before — it’s a vital part of a modern search strategy.
Free and full of powerful features, Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT) gives digital marketers and SEO professionals direct access to indexing insights, keyword performance, and crawl diagnostics aligned with how AI-powered search engines index and display content. It’s not just about ranking — it's about gaining visibility where more high-intent searches are happening every day.
Bing Webmaster Tools Helps You Monitor SEO and Improve Visibility
BWT offers a comprehensive set of features designed to help you monitor your site’s performance, understand how users and search engines interact with your content, and make informed decisions to support ongoing optimization. These capabilities are especially important as search becomes increasingly AI-driven — where visibility depends not just on ranking, but on relevance, content structure, freshness, and how well your pages align with user intent.
Here’s what you can access once your Bing Webmaster Tools account is set up:
- Search Performance Reporting: Track impressions, clicks, and average position across pages and keywords using up to 16 months of data.
- Top Recommendations: Get prioritized, actionable suggestions to improve site health and search visibility.
- URL Inspection Tool: Analyze indexing status, crawlability, HTTP response codes, and blocked resources for specific URLs.
- IndexNow Integration and URL Submission: Instantly notify Bing and other search engines participating in IndexNow when content is added, updated, or deleted. No need to wait for traditional crawling.
- Keyword Research and Query Data: Discover trending keywords, related search queries, and long-tail opportunities in real time.
- Copilot in Bing Webmaster Tools: Use this built-in AI assistant to troubleshoot issues, surface insights, and navigate Bing Webmaster Tools more efficiently.
- Backlink Insights: View referring domains, anchor text, and link profiles for both your own site and competitors.
- Site Explorer: Explore your site’s structure as seen by Bing. Identify indexed pages, crawl blocks, and error responses.
- Sitemaps Report: Submit and monitor your sitemap. Bing processes sitemaps at least once every 24 hours for indexing updates.
- Site Scan Tool: Run technical SEO audits to detect broken links, duplicate tags, and missing metadata—no third-party tools required.
- Robots.txt Tester: Validate your robots.txt file and confirm that Bingbot can access key content.
- Crawl Control: Schedule when Bingbot visits your site and block staging or outdated pages from appearing in search.
How to Set Up Bing Webmaster Tools
Setting up Bing Webmaster Tools is quick and when done right, it gives you greater visibility into how your content is discovered, crawled, and indexed across Microsoft’s search ecosystem, including experiences like Copilot. Follow these steps to get started and unlock key features like IndexNow, Search Performance, URL Inspection, and more.
Step 1: Sign In or Create a Bing Webmaster Tools Account
Go to www.bing.com/webmasters and sign in using your Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account. If you don’t have one, you can create a Microsoft account during the sign-up process.
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Tip: Already using Google Search Console? You can import your verified sites directly for faster setup into Bing Webmaster Tools.
Step 2: Add and Verify Your Website
After signing in, select “Add a Site” and enter your website URL. You can verify ownership using one of these methods:
- Domain Connect (recommended if available): Verify your domain automatically by logging into your DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Bluehost, Wix).
- Upload an XML verification file: Download the verification file provided by Bing Webmaster Tools and upload it to your site’s root directory.
- Add a meta tag to your homepage: Insert a unique meta tag into the <head> section of your homepage HTML.
- Add a DNS TXT record manually: Insert the verification string as a TXT record through your domain registrar’s DNS management.
- Import your site from Google Search Console: If your site is already verified in Google Search Console, you can import your verified ownership directly.
Once verified, you’ll see a green checkmark and your dashboard will begin collecting data shortly.
Step 3: Enable IndexNow for Instant Content Updates (Optional but Highly Recommended)
Bing Webmaster Tools supports IndexNow, a protocol that instantly alerts Bing and other IndexNow Search Engines when you add, update, or delete content. This eliminates the need to wait for traditional crawling and helps ensure your most important updates are indexed faster.
You can enable IndexNow through one of the following options:
- Use a supported CMS platform such as Shopify, Wix, or Duda.
- Install an IndexNow Pugin.
- Implement IndexNow directly in your site’s code.
IndexNow helps ensure your most important updates are reflected in search results fast, especially critical in AI-driven environments. Learn more and get started at https://www.bing.com/indexnow.
Step 4: Submit a Sitemap (Optional but Highly Recommended)
A sitemap gives Bing a complete view of your site’s structure, even when using IndexNow.
- Auto-generate a sitemap using your CMS or plugin
- Reference it in your robots.txt, or submit it in Bing Webmaster Tools under Sitemaps.
Step 5: Explore Your Dashboard
Once your site is verified, your dashboard will begin populating with data. From here, you’ll be able to explore tools for performance tracking, site diagnostics, keyword research, and more — all designed to help you monitor your SEO and improve search visibility over time.
Ready to See What You’ve Been Missing?
Bing Webmaster Tools provides ongoing insight into how your content is being interpreted, what users are searching for, and where you can optimize for greater visibility.
Take a few minutes to explore your dashboard, enable IndexNow for URL submissions, and run your first site scan. Whether you're troubleshooting technical issues or fine-tuning for AI-powered visibility, you’ll have the tools to move faster, get clearer answers, and make smarter SEO decisions.