Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing's free dashboard for verifying your site, submitting sitemaps, and seeing how Bingbot crawls and indexes your pages. Think of it as Search Console's quieter cousin — less data, but occasionally more useful.
The short verdict
- Verify your site via DNS — it's the most stable method
- Submit your sitemap here even if you already did in Search Console
- Check the 'Index' report monthly for crawl errors you might miss in Google
- Use URL inspection for urgent re-crawl requests
- Don't rely on the performance reports for anything serious — data is thin
The real value isn't in the dashboard numbers. It's in the crawl insights and the IndexNow integration, which I'll get to.
What I'd actually use it for
Three things, really:
- Sitemap submission — Bing doesn't always pick up sitemaps from your robots.txt or from Google Search Console. I submit the same sitemap here and see faster indexing for new pages.
- Crawl error monitoring — The 'Index' report shows pages Bingbot tried to crawl but couldn't. I've caught 404s and server errors here that Google Search Console didn't flag for weeks.
- URL inspection — When I push a critical update (say, a product page relaunch), I paste the URL here and hit 'Request Indexing'. It's not instant, but it's faster than waiting for the next natural crawl.
That's about it. I don't obsess over the performance reports — the click and impression data is sparse compared to Search Console.
What it's good at
Free and frictionless. No credit card, no trial period, no upsells. You verify your site and you're in.
IndexNow integration. This is the hidden gem. If your CMS supports IndexNow (or you add the API call), Bing gets notified of URL changes in real time. I've seen pages indexed within minutes. Google doesn't have an equivalent that's this easy.
Crawl diagnostics. The 'Crawl' section shows you exactly which URLs Bingbot visited, how long it took, and what HTTP status it got. That level of detail is useful for debugging slow or broken pages.
Site scan. A basic technical SEO audit that checks for common issues like missing meta descriptions, broken links, and slow pages. It's not as thorough as a paid tool, but it's a decent starting point for a quick check.
What it's awkward for
The interface. It looks like it was designed in 2010 and nobody told them. Navigation is clunky, reports take a few seconds to load, and you'll occasionally get a 'Something went wrong' error that requires a refresh.
Data completeness. Bing's market share is small, so the query data is thin. For a low-traffic site, you might see 'No data available' more often than actual numbers. That's not a tool bug — it's just that not enough people search on Bing.
Keyword-level insights. Unlike Search Console, Bing doesn't show you which queries your pages rank for. You get aggregate impressions and clicks, but no per-query breakdown. That limits how much you can optimize for Bing-specific terms.
No backlink data. You can't see who links to you. For link building, you'll need another tool.
Verification gotchas. If you verify via Google Search Console import, it sometimes breaks after a site migration. I've had to re-verify manually. DNS verification is more reliable but takes a bit longer.
Alternatives I'd consider
Google Search Console — The obvious counterpart. More data, better interface, and it covers the search engine that actually drives traffic. If you only have time for one, pick this.
Ahrefs or Semrush — Both offer Bing-specific data in their rank tracking and site audit tools. But they're paid, and they don't replace the free crawl diagnostics you get here.
IndexNow directly — If all you want is fast indexing, you can implement the IndexNow API without using Bing Webmaster Tools at all. But the tool makes it easier to monitor.
For most sites, I'd set up Bing Webmaster Tools once, check it monthly, and spend the rest of my time in Search Console.
Next step
Quick answers
Is Bing Webmaster Tools really free?
Yes, completely free. No paid tiers, no hidden charges. Microsoft wants more sites indexed in Bing, so they give this away.
Do I need both Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console?
If you care about Bing traffic, yes. They overlap in concept but show different data. I've seen sites rank well in Bing but poorly in Google, and vice versa.
How do I verify my site?
Several ways: DNS TXT record, meta tag, XML file upload, or import from Google Search Console. I usually do the DNS method — it survives migrations.
Sources
Primary documentation is linked directly. Anything commercial is marked nofollow.
- Microsoft Bing Webmaster Blog — Primary source for current setup, verification, and feature guidance from Microsoft.
- Bing Webmaster Tools — Official product entry point for account access, site verification, and dashboard functionality.
- Yoast — Clear SEO-focused overview of what the tool does and how it compares conceptually to Search Console.
Notes from Callum Bennett.