When you think about search engine optimization (SEO), one major search engine probably comes to mind: Google. But what about Bing SEO? With more than a billion monthly users, Bing is the second most popular search engine globally. Moreover, since Microsoft’s acquisition of OpenAI earlier this year, Bing has begun integrating AI technology into its search engine, and its traffic has increased by more than 15%. With its growing popularity, Bing SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) should be on the radar for marketers crafting their search engine optimization strategy. In this comprehensive Bing SEO guide, I’ll help you explore why Bing is still relevant for marketers, offer data-driven, expert-approved Bing SEO tips, and give you the tools you’ll need to optimize your online presence for this increasingly popular search engine. Should you optimize for Bing? Why Bing SEO Matters Bing vs. Google: Similarities and Differences Building the Right Foundation for Bing SEO Tips to Improve Your Bing Ranking 1. Prioritize Exact Keyword Matches 2. Don’t Forget About Meta-Tags 3. Invest in Quality Backlinks 4. Build Strong Domain Authority 5. Ensure Mobile Friendliness 6. Cultivate a Social Media Following 7. Incorporate Images — But Don’t Overdo It 8. Craft Quality Content Maximize Your Online Visibility with Bing Should you optimize for Bing? Is it worth optimizing for Bing? That’s only a question that your team can answer. I’d encourage you to look at it this way: If you’re just starting out on your SEO journey, focusing on Google may make sense. Plus, you may not have the resources to allocate to both search engines. But as you grow, it’s definitely worth optimizing your online content for Bing, too. While Bing still has a smaller market share than Google, it remains an important piece of the search engine pie, and it can serve as an important channel for your marketing efforts. To capitalize on this potential, invest in Bing SEO. That means understanding why Bing SEO matters, the ways in which Bing and Google differ, and what it takes to build a solid foundation for Bing SEO and boost your rankings on this platform. Why Bing SEO Matters So, why does Bing SEO matter? That’s a great question. Before diving into the specific strategies that drive success on Bing, it’s helpful to explore why Bing SEO matters for today’s marketers. There are four key factors underlying Bing’s ongoing relevance: Substantial User Base Bing might not have the same search volume as Google, but it still boasts a substantial user base. With over a billion monthly users, Bing captures a noteworthy share of the search market. If you ignore this audience, you risk missing out on potential customers who are actively seeking information, products, or services related to your business. Investing in Bing SEO will help you tap into a diverse pool of users and increase your online visibility. Less Competition Because most SEO efforts are primarily focused on Google, competition for rankings on its results pages can be fierce. Bing, on the other hand, offers a less crowded landscape. With fewer websites optimizing for Bing, there’s a greater opportunity to achieve higher rankings and gain visibility in search results. This can be particularly advantageous for businesses operating in highly competitive niches. AI-Powered Search Thanks to its acquisition of OpenAI, Microsoft has been able to infuse advanced AI technology into Bing’s search engine. This has enabled Bing to develop enhanced functionalities, smarter recommendations, and an improved user experience, all of which have been contributing to an increase in user engagement and site visits. In light of these trends, optimizing your online presence for Bing means aligning your strategy with cutting-edge, rapidly growing technology, ultimately setting your organization up for success in the long term. Risk Diversification Finally, relying on Google alone for all of your organic search traffic can be risky. Unexpected changes to the algorithm or shifts in user behavior can suddenly impact your website’s visibility, leaving you with little recourse to recoup the losses. Diversifying your SEO efforts by including Bing in your strategy can provide a safety net, helping to mitigate this risk and reduce the potential impact of fluctuations in search engine performance. Bing vs. Google: Similarities and Differences Image Source Good news! If you’ve already optimized your website content for Google, you’re off to a solid start for Bing as well. Many SEO techniques are effective on both platforms, as both search engines reward content that’s relevant, trustworthy, and high-quality. However, there are also several important differences that marketers should keep in mind when optimizing for Bing. First, Bing is generally more open about its search algorithms than Google is. This means that marketers can, in many cases, make more informed decisions about exactly how to craft Bing-optimized content. Another key difference: Google explicitly ignores meta keyword tags, but Bing still uses these tags in its search algorithm. Therefore, with Bing, it’s worth continuing to make sure your web pages have useful, accurate keyword tags. In general, Google looks more for higher-level topic relevance, while on Bing, specific keywords that exactly match the search terms you’re targeting are more likely to be effective in improving your SERP rankings. Another important difference is the relative weight of social. Google has stated that social media engagement is not a factor in its search rankings, but on Bing, social plays an important role in determining what content will rank. As such, driving high-quality social media engagement should be part of your Bing SEO strategy. Below, I’ll dive into how you can leverage these key differences to build an SEO strategy that considers Bing alongside Google. Building the Right Foundation for Bing SEO Any Bing SEO guide would be incomplete without an overview of how teams can build a strong foundation for Bing SEO. There are several important steps to consider, and I’ll walk you through them now. Leverage HubSpot’s SEO Marketing Tools Whether you’re just getting started with SEO or looking to take your optimization strategy to the next level, you can’t go wrong with HubSpot’s SEO marketing tools. These tools are an excellent way to build a strong foundation for your SEO efforts. The HubSpot platform can help you plan out your SEO strategy, optimize your content for search, and measure ROI, ensuring your Bing SEO strategy is data-driven and aligned with your broader marketing goals. ​Image Source Sign Up for Bing’s Webmaster Tools Next, if you’re looking to optimize for Bing specifically, it’s definitely worth signing up for access to Bing’s webmaster tools. This suite of tools can help you identify the keywords you already rank for on Bing, gain visibility into the backlinks that Bing has indexed for your website, and subscribe to alerts to make sure you stay on top of any changes. Creating an account with Bing also gives you access to a comprehensive dashboard with key metrics related to site activity and click rates. You can even run your website through a range of diagnostic tools, including Bing’s SEO Site Analyzer, keyword research tools, and mobile friendliness audit. Image Source Submit a Sitemap to Bing In addition, once you’ve signed up for an account with Bing’s webmaster tools, you can submit a sitemap for your website directly to Bing. Submitting a sitemap will help boost your Bing SEO by improving how the search engine crawls, indexes, and ranks your website. Before Bing accepts the sitemap, you’ll be asked to verify your website by placing an XML file on your web server, copying a short meta tag into your website, or adding a CNAME record to your DNS. Once you’ve verified your website, Bing can use your sitemap to better understand the information and content on your website, ultimately enabling the search engine to provide better, more useful results to users. Invest in Schema Markup Schema markup is another important way you can help Bing understand your content and thus improve the quality of the results it provides. In a nutshell, effective schema markup enables search engines to parse website information and interpret what it means. This ensures that when your business comes up in Bing’s search results, key data points like your company’s location, a blog post’s author, or an event’s time and date, are clearly and prominently displayed. Claim Your Business on Bing Places Finally, if your company has a physical location, claiming your business on …