Ned Ryerson? Bing Webmaster Tools!

If using Google Webmaster Tools is starting to feel like Groundhog Day, escape Punxatawney and expand into Bing Webmaster Tools.

Similar to Google Webmaster Tools, Bing offers free tools to help you assess the the health of your website.

Bing’s suite of tools, which range from sitemap submissions and traffic data to structural errors, can help improve your website’s presence. Of course, all of Bing’s features are similar to the ones that Google provides and should not be considered improvements or replacements—simply alternatives that can expand your purview and digital horizon, so to speak.

Your website is probably getting most of its traffic from Google. But, it’s likely that a percentage of your visitors are arriving via Bing. Nearly 10% of searches worldwide are performed on Bing, and more than 30% of those occur in the United States. Although but a fraction of Google’s, this traffic shouldn’t be overlooked or disregarded. The same applies to traffic originating on Yahoo and AOL as well, especially since each uses Bing to power search pages.

We consider helping alternate search engines like Bing determine the structure of your site, and report any potential issues with the site, a best practice. For this reason, we recommend submitting your sitemap to Bing.

Your goal should be to receive as much automated feedback as possible to help make the best decisions for your site. Take advantage of Bing's other tools to round out, and complement, any reporting for which you already rely on Google.

Current RubensteinTech clients can request sitemap uploads to Bing. This process is easy, and only requires only a short time complete. We will also set up your account, if it one doesn’t currently exist, and we can add specific emails to access Bing’s Webmaster Tools.

We believe that Bing shouldn’t be overlooked—particularly if a large percentage of your site’s visitors come via Bing. The bottom line is that Bing’s Webmaster Tools aren’t for everyone, but you should be aware. Especially if they encounter you randomly on the sidewalk and tell you about whistling belly button tricks and the like.

For more information on this matter, please visit the following:
—SearchEngineWatch: Bing Webmaster Tools: An Overview
—SearchEngineLand: The Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal, in Simple Terms
—Bing to Power AOL’s Search
—Bing Webmaster Tools
—SearchEngineLand: Why SEOs should not ignore Bing Webmaster Tools