Bing is easy to overlook when Google dominates your analytics. But Bing's index does more than power Bing.com: it supports Microsoft Copilot answers, Windows search and a range of partner experiences. If Bing cannot crawl and understand your site, you are invisible across all of them.
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft's free equivalent of Google Search Console, and in some areas it offers more: a built-in site audit, keyword research, backlink data for competitors and, since early 2026, a report showing how often your pages are cited in AI answers. Setting it up takes minutes, especially if you already use Search Console.
This guide covers how to add and verify your site, which features to use first and a simple monthly routine for keeping your site healthy in Bing in 2026.
Key Takeaways
- Bing Webmaster Tools is free and can import verified sites directly from Google Search Console.
- Submit your XML sitemap and enable IndexNow so Bing learns about new, updated and deleted URLs quickly.
- Site Scan, Site Explorer and URL Inspection cover technical health; Search Performance covers clicks and impressions.
- The AI Performance report (public preview since February 2026) shows how often your content is cited in Copilot and Bing AI answers.
- Keyword Research and Backlinks give free data you would otherwise pay a third-party tool for.
Why Bing Webmaster Tools Matters in 2026
There are three reasons to set it up even if Bing sends you modest traffic:
- AI visibility. Copilot and other experiences draw on Bing's index. Our guide to Microsoft Copilot and Bing SEO explains how this works.
- A second opinion on technical health. Bing's crawler and audit flag issues Google's tools do not report, such as missing meta descriptions or overly long titles at scale.
- Free competitive data. Keyword Research and Backlinks include data for domains you do not own.
How to Add and Verify Your Site: Step by Step
- Sign in at bing.com/webmasters with a Microsoft, Google or Facebook account.
- Choose an import option. If your site is verified in Google Search Console, select the import option and authorise access. Bing imports your verified sites and their sitemaps, and verifies them automatically.
- Or add the site manually. Enter your site URL and choose a verification method: Domain Connect (recommended where your DNS provider supports it), an XML verification file uploaded to your root folder, a meta tag in your homepage head, or a DNS record.
- Confirm verification. A green check mark shows the site is verified. Leave the file, tag or DNS record in place permanently.
- Submit your sitemap under Sitemaps if it was not imported. Also reference it in robots.txt.
- Set up IndexNow through your CMS, a plugin or a direct integration, so URL changes are pushed to Bing automatically.
- Add users under user management so colleagues or your agency have the right access level.
Which verification method should you choose?
| Method | Best for | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| Import from Google Search Console | Sites already verified in Google | Fastest route; brings sitemaps across too |
| Domain Connect | Sites whose DNS provider supports it | Microsoft's recommended option; a few clicks with your DNS login |
| XML file upload | Sites where you can upload files to the root folder | Removing the file later breaks verification |
| Meta tag | CMS sites where you can edit the homepage head | Theme changes can remove the tag |
| DNS record | Domain-level control without Domain Connect | Needs access to DNS settings; changes can take time to propagate |
Sitemaps and IndexNow
Sitemaps remain the foundation of discovery for Bing. Microsoft's own guidance states:
“Bing processes sitemaps at least once every 24 hours for indexing updates.”
— Bing Webmaster Blog, Start Using Bing Webmaster Tools to Improve Your Site Visibility
IndexNow complements sitemaps by notifying Bing, and other participating search engines, the moment a URL is added, updated or deleted. Google does not use IndexNow, so keep your sitemap accurate for Google regardless. Platforms such as Shopify, Wix and Duda support it, and plugins cover WordPress. See our IndexNow guide for implementation details and our XML sitemaps guide for sitemap best practice.
The Key Features and When to Use Them
| Feature | What it does | Google Search Console equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Search Performance | Clicks, impressions, CTR and average position by page and keyword, with up to 16 months of data | Performance report |
| AI Performance (preview) | Citations of your pages in Copilot, Bing AI summaries and partner experiences | No direct equivalent |
| URL Inspection | Index status, crawlability, HTTP response and blocked resources for one URL | URL Inspection tool |
| Site Explorer | Folder-by-folder view of your site as Bing sees it, with indexed pages, crawl blocks and errors | Page indexing report (partly) |
| Site Scan | On-demand technical SEO audit of your pages | None (similar to a crawler) |
| Recommendations | Prioritised site-wide SEO suggestions | None |
| Keyword Research | Bing query volumes, related and long-tail keywords | None (Google Keyword Planner is in Google Ads) |
| Backlinks | Referring domains and anchor text for your site and competitors | Links report (own site only) |
| Robots.txt Tester | Checks whether Bingbot can reach specific URLs | robots.txt report |
| Crawl Control | Adjusts when and how intensively Bingbot crawls | No equivalent setting |
| Copilot assistant | Built-in AI helper for navigating data and troubleshooting | None |
Search Performance
Use it as you would the Google report covered in our Performance report guide: compare periods, sort by change and look for pages with high impressions but low CTR. Bing's results pages and audience differ from Google's, so do not expect CTR patterns to match exactly.
AI Performance
Launched as a public preview on 10 February 2026, this report shows total citations, average cited pages per day, a sample of "grounding queries" (phrases the AI used to retrieve your content), page-level citation counts and trends. Microsoft is careful about what the numbers mean:
Page-level citation activity “reflects how often pages are cited, not page importance, ranking, or placement.”
— Bing Webmaster Blog, Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools Public Preview
It does not report clicks or traffic, so pair it with analytics. Use grounding queries as content ideas: they show how AI systems phrase the questions your pages answer.
Site Scan
Site Scan crawls your site on demand and lists errors and warnings such as broken links, missing or duplicate titles and descriptions, and missing alt text. It is a useful free complement to a desktop crawler; see our Screaming Frog guide for deeper investigations.
Keyword Research and Backlinks
Bing's keyword tool reports Bing search volumes and related terms by country and language. Volumes are lower than Google's, but trends and related queries are genuinely useful. Compare it with other options in our roundup of keyword research tools.
A Simple Monthly Routine
- Check Recommendations and fix any new high-severity items.
- Review Search Performance against the previous month, focusing on non-branded keywords.
- Open AI Performance and note which pages are cited most and which grounding queries appear.
- Run Site Scan after major releases.
- Check Sitemaps for errors and confirm IndexNow submissions are succeeding.
- Inspect any important new pages with URL Inspection, as you would with Google's URL Inspection tool.
Common Mistakes
- Never verifying the site. Without Webmaster Tools you cannot see crawl errors, submit sitemaps or view AI citations.
- Blocking Bingbot by accident. Some security plugins and firewalls rate-limit or block non-Google bots. Test with the Robots.txt Tester and URL Inspection.
- Assuming IndexNow helps Google. It does not; Google relies on its own crawling and sitemaps.
- Ignoring Recommendations. They are often quick wins, such as missing meta descriptions on key templates.
- Reading AI citations as traffic. Citations show visibility, not clicks.
- Forgetting local listings. Local businesses should also claim Bing Places for Business, which is managed separately.
Related Guides
- Internal Link Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Review Schema: How to Add Star Ratings the Right Way
- Rebranding Without Losing SEO
- Ecommerce Site Structure for SEO: How to Organise Your Store
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bing Webmaster Tools free?
Yes. It is free to use for any site you can verify. You can sign in with a Microsoft, Google or Facebook account.
Can I import my site from Google Search Console?
Yes. If your site is verified in Search Console, you can import it into Bing Webmaster Tools, which verifies it and brings across sitemaps automatically.
Does Bing use IndexNow?
Yes. Bing participates in IndexNow, which lets you notify participating search engines when URLs are added, updated or deleted. Google does not use IndexNow.
What is the AI Performance report?
A public preview report launched in February 2026 that shows how often your pages are cited in Microsoft Copilot, Bing AI summaries and some partner experiences, with sample grounding queries. It does not show clicks.
Does Bing Webmaster Tools affect Microsoft Ads?
No. It is an organic search tool. Paid campaigns are managed in Microsoft Advertising, although keyword insights can inform both.
Conclusion
Bing Webmaster Tools takes minutes to set up and gives you crawl diagnostics, keyword data, backlink data and a rare look at AI citations, all for free. Import from Search Console, submit your sitemap, switch on IndexNow and check in monthly. If you also advertise on Microsoft's network, our Microsoft Ads guide covers the paid side.
Want a team to manage your visibility across Google, Bing and AI assistants? Explore our SEO services or get a free quote.
