SEO on Bing: Is There Life Beyond Google?

When we talk about positioning, online marketing and almost anything related to the Internet, sooner or later we all think of Google. It is clear that it is the most used search engine in the world, but what about the rest? Is it worth paying attention to them or is it a waste of time? To clarify all this, today we will talk about SEO on Bing.

The Microsoft search engine, despite being the second in command, is an illustrious unknown for most internet users and website owners in Spain. We will tell you how its algorithm works and what it can bring you by pampering it a little too. Are you in?

How does SEO work on Bing?

To start, you should know that Bing is the search engine used by Facebook, Siri on your iPhone, and of course, all the tools of Bill Gates' empire, among others, so underestimating or ignoring it is not a good idea.

Although Google dominates the scene with overwhelming authority in Spain, Bing's market share has already surpassed 30% in the United States after its merger with Yahoo!'s search engine. And you know that when Uncle Sam's country catches a cold, the rest of the world sneezes...

The criteria to follow to position your website in this search engine are, as is logical and fortunately, quite similar to those of Google, although they present some peculiarities that are also worth considering.

Quality and Relevant Content

Bing, like Google, prioritizes original, quality content and penalizes duplicates. Moreover, it claims to be able to detect texts reworked from others. So be careful with plagiarizing someone else's material with just a thin layer of polish.

Do not use excessively long titles, nor write very short texts. You, like Aristotle: virtue lies in the mean. The presentation of the content, well-structured and always thinking about the user, is also something highly appreciated by Bing.

Mobile adaptation - responsive design - is of paramount importance, as are videos and images. In this regard, everything is the same as those from Mountain View.

Bing already focused on the importance of "social signals" before Google. Mentions of content authors on social networks and other relevant sites are highly valued.

Unlike its rival to beat, Bing does not currently dominate semantics, so anchor texts are better if they contain specific keywords. The same can be said about the presence of keywords in domains: it's better if they have them.

It also prioritizes links you receive from authoritative websites in your market niche, as well as the age of your page. The more experience, the more knowledge Microsoft attributes, and therefore, better positioning. This is debatable, but as the famous ad said, "it's my Scatergories and I'm taking it".

Finally, Bing will reward you if you have few ads and good ones, understood as those that do not hinder your user's experience.

Simple and Fast Technical Framework

One of the aspects that Google is starting to scrutinize closely was already a key factor for SEO on Bing: broken links. They annoy its "spider" a lot, so you know, your internal links should be as pristine as a paten.

Sign up with the search engine. It is advisable to manually upload your sitemap to Bing to help it crawl and index your pages.

The loading speed of your website, avoiding the use of very heavy elements that slow down access, is another point that the Microsoft search engine values.

Closely related to the above is the complexity of your website: avoid menus with too much depth... The simpler, the better, and a maximum of three levels. Don't make the spider dive too much, or it will drown.

You can check whether you comply with this using the Bing webmaster tools, which is similar to the Search Console for Google.

Google vs Bing, the Duel is On

Very few things actually separate both rivals regarding positioning criteria. This despite rumors attributing the name Bing to the acronym "Bing Is Not Google".

Bill Gates' search engine, after some hesitant early years and losses, is starting to be profitable and tickle Larry Page's search engine thanks to its agreements with third parties. Its default installation in Edge, the new Windows 10 browser, has given it a boost.

The sooner we start paying it the attention it deserves, the less work we will have if it ends up competing for search dominance.

And you, do you ever use Bing? Have you taken it into account when optimizing your page? What results has it given you?