SEO & analytics
Bing Webmaster Tools
Microsoft's free view of how your site performs in Bing search, the SEO half people forget.
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft's free equivalent of Google Search Console: it shows how a site performs in Bing search, flags indexing and technical issues, and lets you submit sitemaps. HDC uses it because Bing carries real search volume that many businesses ignore, so we make sure a site is indexed and healthy on Bing too, capturing an audience most competitors overlook.
Where it shines
- Free insight into how you perform on Bing, a channel most ignore
- Flags indexing and technical issues specific to Bing search
- Lets you submit sitemaps and URLs so Bing finds your pages quickly
- You can import much of your setup from Google Search Console
- Reaches Bing's audience, which skews desktop and, in places, higher-income
- Complements Microsoft Advertising for a joined-up Microsoft presence
Trade-offs to weigh
- Bing's search volume is smaller than Google's, it's a complement, not a replacement
- Fewer businesses use it, but that's also why it's an opportunity
- Like all SEO tools, the data still needs expertise to act on
What Bing Webmaster Tools is
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft’s free view of how your site performs in Bing search, the direct equivalent of Google Search Console, just for Bing. It shows your search performance, flags indexing and technical issues, and lets you submit sitemaps and URLs so Bing crawls and lists your pages. It’s the tool that makes sure Google isn’t the only search engine that can find you.
Bing is easy to dismiss, but it powers a real share of searches, including those built into Windows and the Edge browser, and reaches an audience that skews toward desktop and, in some markets, older and higher-income users. Because so few businesses optimise for it, that audience is often up for grabs.
How HDC uses Bing Webmaster Tools
We use it to extend a site’s search presence beyond Google with minimal extra effort:
- We verify and set up the site on Bing, often importing the configuration straight from Google Search Console.
- We submit sitemaps and pages, so Bing indexes the content we want found.
- We fix Bing-specific issues it flags, keeping the site technically healthy on both engines.
- We watch the Bing performance data, so the audience there is understood, not ignored.
Why we apply it
Most SEO effort points squarely at Google, and Bing gets forgotten, which is exactly why it’s an opportunity. The searchers are real and ready to buy, and the competition for them is thinner. Making sure a site is indexed and healthy on Bing captures traffic that would otherwise go unclaimed, for a fraction of the effort the same visibility costs on Google.
It also rounds out a Microsoft-network presence. Paired with Microsoft Advertising, a business shows up in both the organic and paid results across Bing, a joined-up footprint most rivals simply don’t have.
How Bing Webmaster Tools fits our stack
Bing Webmaster Tools mirrors Google Search Console for the Bing side of search, and pairs with Microsoft Advertising so a business covers both organic and paid results on the same network. SEMrush adds broader keyword and competitor research across engines, and Google Analytics measures what the Bing traffic does once it lands. All of it monitors the fast, well-structured Astro sites we build, which index cleanly wherever they’re crawled.
When Bing Webmaster Tools isn’t the priority
Bing’s search volume is smaller than Google’s, so it’s a complement, not a substitute, if the fundamentals on Google aren’t sorted yet, that comes first. And like any SEO tool, the data it surfaces still needs expertise to act on. But once the Google side is healthy, extending the same care to Bing is one of the easiest ways to win extra qualified traffic, and it’s a step most competitors never take.
Worked example
Winning the search traffic competitors ignore
Picture a business doing solid SEO for Google but invisible on Bing, simply because no one set it up. We add Bing Webmaster Tools, import the existing Search Console setup, submit the sitemap and fix the handful of issues it flags. The site starts being indexed and ranking on Bing, capturing searchers, often desktop, decision-maker types, that most rivals never bothered to court. It's extra, qualified traffic won with modest effort, precisely because the competition overlooked it. (Illustrative, every engagement is scoped to your goals.)
Better together
How Bing Webmaster Tools fits with the rest of our stack
Bing Webmaster Tools: your questions answered
What is Bing Webmaster Tools?
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft's free tool for understanding and improving how your website performs in Bing search. It's the Bing equivalent of Google Search Console: it shows your search performance, flags indexing and technical issues, and lets you submit sitemaps so Bing crawls your pages.
Is Bing worth optimising for?
For many businesses, yes. Bing powers a meaningful share of searches, including those built into Windows and Edge, and its audience skews toward desktop and, in some markets, older, higher-income users. Because far fewer businesses bother to optimise for it, it's often an easy source of extra, qualified traffic.
Do I have to set it up separately from Google?
It's a separate tool, but not a lot of extra work, Bing lets you import much of your setup directly from Google Search Console. We handle that so your site is verified, your sitemap submitted and any Bing-specific issues addressed, giving you coverage on both major search engines rather than just one.
How does this relate to Microsoft Advertising?
They're two sides of the same network. Bing Webmaster Tools helps your organic (unpaid) search presence on Bing; Microsoft Advertising is the paid search on the same network. Running both gives a business a complete presence across Microsoft's search ecosystem, which many competitors neglect entirely.
Why does HDC use Bing Webmaster Tools?
Because ignoring Bing leaves qualified traffic on the table. We use it to make sure your site is indexed and technically healthy on Bing, not just Google, so you capture searchers most competitors overlook. It's a low-effort way to extend your reach and squeeze more value from the same SEO work.
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