It’s easy to write off Bing as irrelevant next to Google, but that assumption costs sites real traffic. Bing still holds a meaningful share of desktop search, powers Yahoo’s search results, and — increasingly important — its index feeds Microsoft Copilot’s AI answers. Ranking well on Bing is no longer a side project.
Bing’s Audience Isn’t a Small Copy of Google’s
Bing’s user base skews toward desktop users, older age groups, and Windows/Microsoft-ecosystem users by default (it’s the built-in search engine in Edge and Windows search). Several studies over the years have also pointed to a higher average household income among regular Bing users compared to Google’s broader audience — which matters directly for sites selling higher-ticket products or B2B services.
How Bing Keyword Suggestions Differ From Google’s
Bing’s autocomplete — the source behind our Bing Keyword Tool — is generated from real Bing searches, not Google’s. The two overlap heavily for broad terms, but diverge more on longer, more specific or more local queries, since the underlying search populations aren’t identical. Relying on Google-only keyword research means you never see the phrasing unique to Bing’s users.
Practical Ways to Act on Bing-Specific Keywords
- Verify your site in Bing Webmaster Tools separately from Google Search Console — Bing does not automatically pick up Google’s data.
- Submit your XML sitemap directly to Bing so new content gets discovered faster.
- Use Bing-sourced long-tail phrases in headings and body copy where they naturally fit — they often have noticeably less competition than the same phrase on Google.
What This Won’t Replace
Like any autocomplete-based source, Bing’s suggestions don’t come with a volume or difficulty score attached. Use them to widen your keyword list with real, Bing-specific phrasing, then prioritize using whatever ranking or analytics data you already have.
Getting Started With Bing Webmaster Tools
Create an account, add your site, and verify ownership (you can import a site from Google Search Console to save time). Then submit your sitemap so Bing can find your pages. Our guide to XML sitemaps explains how to build one.
Faster Discovery With IndexNow
Bing supports IndexNow, an open protocol that lets a site notify search engines instantly when a page is created, updated or deleted. Many SEO plugins and platforms support it. It does not guarantee ranking, but it helps new content be discovered quickly.
What Bing Pays Attention To
The fundamentals are the same as for any search engine: clear titles and descriptions, a logical heading structure, helpful content, fast pages and trustworthy links. Bing documentation also stresses clean, crawlable HTML and accurate metadata. Work through the on-page SEO checklist and your pages will be in good shape for both engines.
Useful Bing Webmaster Tools Reports
- URL Inspection: shows whether a page is indexed and any problems found.
- SEO Reports: flags common issues such as a missing H1 or short meta descriptions.
- Search Performance: shows the queries and pages that earned impressions and clicks.
- Backlinks: lists sites that link to you.
Bing and AI Search
Bing results feed Microsoft Copilot answers, so being indexed and well described in Bing improves the chance that your pages are surfaced in AI-generated answers. Clear headings, direct answers to questions and accurate structured data all help.
A Simple Bing Checklist
- Verify the site in Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Submit your sitemap using the https address.
- Inspect your key pages and request indexing for new ones.
- Fix the issues listed in SEO Reports.
- Review keyword ideas from the Bing Keyword Tool and update your headings.
The Bottom Line
Google isn’t the only search engine your customers use. Run your own seed keyword through the Bing Keyword Tool and see how the suggestions compare to what you already have from Google.