Introduction to Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT) is a free service provided by Microsoft that helps website owners monitor, maintain, and improve their site's presence in the Bing search engine. It offers a range of tools and features designed to enhance website visibility and optimize search engine rankings.
Key Features of Bing Webmaster Tools
- Search Performance Reporting: Provides insights into clicks, impressions, and average positions across pages and keywords, with data available for up to 16 months.
- URL Inspection Tool: Allows users to analyze the indexing status, crawlability, and HTTP response codes for specific URLs.
- IndexNow Integration: Enables instant notification to Bing and other participating search engines when content is added, updated, or deleted.
- Keyword Research and Query Data: Offers real-time insights into trending keywords and related search queries.
- Backlink Insights: Displays referring domains, anchor text, and link profiles for both your site and competitors.
- Site Explorer: Helps explore your site's structure as seen by Bing, identifying indexed pages and crawl blocks.
- Sitemaps Report: Allows submission and monitoring of XML sitemaps to aid in indexing.
- Site Scan Tool: Performs technical SEO audits to detect issues like broken links and missing metadata.
- Crawl Control: Enables scheduling of when Bingbot crawls your site, allowing you to block unwanted pages.
Comparison with Google Search Console
Similarities
- XML Sitemap Submission: Both platforms allow users to submit XML sitemaps to help search engines understand the site structure.
- Disavow Links Tool: Both tools provide a way to inform the search engine about unwanted backlinks.
- Crawl Error Reports: Both offer insights into crawl errors and issues encountered by their crawlers.
Differences
- Data and Reports: Google Search Console provides more comprehensive data, including mobile usability and Core Web Vitals reports. Bing Webmaster Tools offers unique SEO analysis tools and keyword research features.
- Keyword Data: Bing provides exact keyword data, which is not available in Google Search Console.
- Site Scan Tool: Bing offers a built-in site scan feature for SEO audits, which is not available in Google Search Console.
- Crawl Control: Bing allows more control over crawl frequency and timing.
Choosing Between Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console
Both tools are valuable for SEO professionals and website owners. While Google Search Console is more widely used due to Google's larger market share, Bing Webmaster Tools offers unique features that can enhance your SEO strategy, especially if you target audiences using Bing. Using both tools can provide a comprehensive view of your website's performance across different search engines.
