Bing Webmaster Tools is a free Microsoft platform designed to help website owners and SEO professionals optimize their site’s performance on Bing. It offers tools to monitor search performance, analyze backlinks, conduct keyword research, and fix crawling or indexing issues.
With features like sitemap submission, URL inspection, and SEO recommendations, it enhances visibility and drives traffic, complementing broader SEO strategies with actionable insights.
Search Performance Reporting: Track impressions, clicks, average position, and CTR for pages and keywords. The tool provides up to 16 months of data, giving you a clear view of how your site performs on Bing.
URL Inspection Tool: Check whether a URL is indexed, crawlable, and error-free. It shows HTTP response codes, blocked resources, and other details that help you diagnose and fix visibility issues.
IndexNow Integration: Instantly notify Bing and other supported search engines about new, updated, or removed content. This speeds up indexing without relying only on regular crawls.
Keyword Research and Query Data: Explore trending keywords, related queries, and long-tail search opportunities. The insights guide you toward high-value terms that improve content optimization.
Backlink Insights: Review referring domains, anchor text, and overall link profiles for your site or competitors. These details support competitive research and strengthen link-building strategies.
Site Scan Tool: Run technical SEO audits to spot broken links, duplicate tags, missing metadata, and more. The tool delivers practical recommendations to improve site health.
Sitemap Submission: Submit sitemaps directly to Bing so the search engine can better understand your site’s structure and index pages efficiently. Sitemaps are processed at least once a day.
Crawl Control: Set schedules for Bingbot visits and block outdated or staging pages. This option gives you greater control over how and when Bing crawls your site.
Robots.txt Tester: Validate your robots.txt file to confirm Bingbot can access important content. This helps prevent crawl issues caused by incorrect directives.
Site Explorer: View your website’s structure as Bing sees it. You can check indexed pages, blocked sections, and error responses to pinpoint indexing challenges.
SEO Reports: Get detailed reports that flag missing titles, crawl errors, and other issues. The tool prioritizes fixes so you can focus on the changes that matter most.
Copilot in Bing Webmaster Tools: Use AI assistance to troubleshoot errors, uncover insights, and move smoothly through the platform. It simplifies advanced SEO tasks and saves time.
Bing Webmaster Tools is a completely free service offered by Microsoft, with no fees or costs for users to manage and optimize their websites in Bing search results. Users can access all features and tools for no additional cost after verifying ownership of their websites.
Competitor |
Pros of Bing Webmaster Tools |
|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Bing Webmaster Tools provides a free, user-friendly platform with unique features like IndexNow, which instantly notifies search engines of content changes, and this ensures faster indexing than Google Search Console’s crawl-based method. Its Site Explorer offers advanced filtering for detailed page analysis, which surpasses Google’s coverage reports in specificity.
Users praise the straightforward interface and actionable SEO reports, which simplify optimization for beginners. Integration with Microsoft Clarity for user behavior analytics adds value not available in Google Search Console. |
| Semrush | Bing Webmaster Tools is entirely free, unlike Semrush’s paid plans that start at $139.95/month, and this makes it ideal for freelancers and small businesses.
Features like IndexNow and backlink analysis for any site, including competitors, deliver unique insights not emphasized in Semrush. Users appreciate the intuitive dashboard and AI-powered Copilot for troubleshooting, which offers a more guided experience than Semrush’s complex interface. Its focus on Bing-specific optimization complements broader SEO strategies effectively. |
| Ahrefs | Bing Webmaster Tools is free, in contrast to Ahrefs’ plans starting at $99/month, and this suits budget-conscious users. Its IndexNow feature ensures rapid indexing, a capability Ahrefs lacks.
The ability to analyze backlinks for any site, not just the user’s, provides competitive insights that rival Ahrefs’ link analysis. Users value the simple setup and clear SEO error reports, which make it easier to address technical issues than Ahrefs’ steeper learning curve. |
Competitor |
Cons of Bing Webmaster Tools |
|---|---|
| Google Search Console | Bing Webmaster Tools offers limited functionality compared to Google Search Console, especially in integration with analytics platforms like Google Analytics, which provides a broader view of site performance. Its focus on Bing’s smaller market share reduces its impact for users prioritizing Google traffic.
Some users report slower indexing in certain cases, and error reports occasionally lack detailed resolution steps, unlike Google’s rendered page view and extensive documentation. |
| Semrush | Bing Webmaster Tools lacks the comprehensive all-in-one SEO capabilities of Semrush, which includes advanced keyword tracking, competitor analysis, and content marketing tools. Its functionality is narrower, focused on Bing-specific metrics, and this limits its appeal for users needing multi-platform insights.
Users note that navigation can be confusing for beginners, and customer support is less robust than Semrush’s, which offers dedicated assistance and extensive training resources. |
| Ahrefs | Bing Webmaster Tools falls short of Ahrefs’ depth in backlink and keyword research, as Ahrefs provides more detailed competitor data and historical trends. Its reliance on Bing’s ecosystem limits its scope compared to Ahrefs’ search engine-agnostic approach.
Users find the interface less intuitive for advanced users, and occasional false error flags, such as canonical URL issues, can frustrate compared to Ahrefs’ precise diagnostics. Customer support is also less responsive than Ahrefs’. |
