Why Bing SEO matters
Think Bing SEO isn’t important? Think again! While it might not be the first search engine that comes to mind, ignoring Bing can mean missing out on a significant chunk of potential traffic.
Bing Search:
-Gets more than 27 billion visits each month.
-Holds 8.23 percent of the global desktop search market as of March 2023.
-Commands an overall 2.76% of search engine market share worldwide as of June 2023.
How Bing SEO differs from Google SEO
There are key differences in how Bing and Google rank websites. For example, Bing places more emphasis on social media integrations than Google.
Additionally, Bing gives more weight to the age of a domain, while Google prioritizes the freshness of content. Thus, for optimal SEO, consider leveraging social media and older domains for Bing and regularly updating content for Google.
Understanding these nuances can help you tailor your SEO strategy for better results on both platforms.
The Importance of Keyword Research
Optimizing Keywords in Bing SEO
Bing values exact keyword matches more than Google. So, carefully integrating your primary and secondary keywords into your content can significantly improve your visibility on Bing.
Detailed keyword research helps identify popular phrases and keywords that internet users search for and their corresponding search volumes.
Higher search volume indicates a larger audience interested in that topic, making it a potential source of website traffic.
– The Bing keyword research tool assists content creators and web admins by providing keyword ideas, search frequency statistics, and search volume trends.
– The tool categorizes keywords, highlighting recently relevant ones, and lists the questions in which these keywords appear, if any.
Using the Bing Keyword Research Tool
The keyword research tool uses a root keyword to suggest relevant keywords.
Users can apply filters based on country, language, and devices to get specific results.
The default settings retrieve results from all countries, languages, and devices over the last three months.
Understanding Keyword Research Results
Keyword research provides data on search volume and trends for a specific keyword and offers a global breakdown of search volume.
The tool recommends keyword ideas under three categories: related keywords, question keywords, and newly discovered keywords.
URLs and Topics
Bing’s Keyword Research tool lists the top 10 URLs for the root keyword and their associated topics in the search results.
These topics can act as new root keywords for further research if users wish to expand their scope.
Content Optimization for Bing SEO
Quality of content
Like Google, Bing advises creating high-quality, unique content around your expertise rather than solely chasing trending topics. Here is a screenshot taken directly from Bing’s Search Quality Insights blog:
Ensure your content is original, informative, and provides value to the reader.
Use of Multimedia
Bing’s algorithms prioritize multimedia content more than Google, which is heavily text-based.
Therefore, when optimizing for Bing, ensure your multimedia elements have appropriate alt text and descriptions to maximize their SEO impact.
Incorporating relevant images, videos, and infographics can improve your Bing SEO.
Technical SEO for Bing
Website Structure
Having a well-structured website with clear navigation aids Bing’s spiders in indexing your website, leading to better rankings.
In contrast, Google’s advanced algorithms better understand complex website structures. However, maintaining a well-organized website with a clean sitemap benefits both Bing and Google as it enhances the overall user experience, a factor both search engines consider for rankings.
Sitemap Submission
Navigate to Bing Webmaster Tools and click “Sitemaps.” Then, click “Submit Sitemap.“
Next, enter the sitemap associated with your website. Then, click “Submit.”
Submitting your sitemap through Bing Webmaster Tools ensures that all your pages get indexed, improving your visibility on Bing.
Backlinks and Bing SEO
Quality of Backlinks
Backlinks continue to be a strong ranking factor for Bing. Focus on gaining high-quality backlinks from reputable websites for better Bing rankings.
To read Bing’s guidelines on link building, CLICK HERE.
Quality vs. Quantity in Link Building
Rapid acquisition of a large number of links (e.g., 10,000 in a day) can alert search engines to potential link buying, which is undesirable.
Bing and other search engines prefer a few high-quality inbound links from trusted websites, demonstrating that when it comes to links, quality matters more than quantity.
Strategies to build backlinks for Bing SEO
Link building is establishing relationships with other websites to earn backlinks, which are connections from their site to a page on your website. Strategies such as guest posting, broken link building, and influencer outreach can help you gain quality backlinks.
Search engines like Bing prefer organic or naturally occurring links built gradually over time due to the quality of your content.
Natural backlinks can potentially cause content to spread widely, and search engines perceive them as indications of high-quality, appreciated content.
Methods of Link Building
Reciprocal Linking: An agreement between two websites to exchange links. Bing assigns limited value to such links but recognizes them as a viable strategy for new websites to gain trusted inbound links and potential direct traffic.
Buying Links: This involves purchasing a link from a trusted website. Search engines can identify this strategy and may lead to suspicion if the pattern is too frequent, potentially negatively impacting organic rankings. Nevertheless, if employed carefully, it’s a valid marketing strategy, as it can direct traffic from busy websites.
Link Farms: Any link-sharing scheme that manipulates organic search rankings, including three-way link exchanges, should be avoided. These often involve hundreds or thousands of links to websites, including dormant ones.
Best Practices for Link Building
+ Create high-quality, unique content that others want to share.
+ Enable social sharing options and allow visitors to quickly create links with copy-and-paste code snippets.
+ Ask other websites for a link after finding the right contact information.
+ Consider guest blogging on other sites that will link to your website in exchange for unique content.
+ Utilize directories, such as Yelp and Yellow Pages, to gain trusted links, but remember that relying solely on them won’t significantly boost your website’s ranking.
Social Media Impact on Bing SEO
Unlike Google, Bing openly acknowledges the impact of social media on SEO rankings.
A significant number of shares, likes, and comments on your social media posts can boost your Bing SEO performance.
So, not only should you have a dynamic social media strategy, but you should also encourage social interactions to increase your website’s visibility on Bing.
Monitoring and Improving Your Bing SEO
Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools should be your go-to platform for monitoring your Bing Search Performance.
Just as Google has Google Search Console, Bing’s equivalent provides valuable data about your website’s performance in Bing’s search engine.
From reporting on organic search traffic, impressions, and average click-through date, the insights gleaned can guide your strategic adjustments for better Bing visibility.
Regular SEO audits
Regular SEO audits can help you identify areas of improvement and keep your website optimized for Bing.
Interested in a Free SEO Audit conducted by our expert team at LuccaAM? Let us know!
Conclusion
While Google might dominate the search engine landscape, Bing SEO still holds considerable value. Understanding the differences in Bing’s ranking factors and implementing a tailored strategy can boost your website’s visibility and traffic.
FAQs
Is Bing SEO important?
Yes, Bing SEO is important as it allows you to reach a significant audience primarily using Bing for their online searches.
What’s the difference between Bing SEO and Google SEO?
The main difference lies in the ranking factors. Bing emphasizes social media integrations and exact keyword matches more than Google.
How can I find the right keywords for Bing SEO?
You can use Bing’s keyword research tool in Bing Webmaster Tools to identify the right keywords for your niche.
What’s the role of backlinks in Bing SEO?
Backlinks are a strong ranking factor for Bing. High-quality backlinks from reputable websites can improve your Bing rankings.
How can I monitor my Bing SEO performance?
You can monitor your Bing SEO performance using Bing Webmaster Tools.
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