Search engine optimisation (SEO) is crucial for businesses looking to drive traffic, leads and sales from search engines like Google and Bing. While Google receives the majority of searches, Bing still holds a significant search engine market share in the UK that savvy businesses can capitalise on with the right Bing SEO techniques.
In this blog post, we’ll explore actionable tips UK businesses can use to improve their Bing search visibility and rankings.
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Importance of Bing SEO for UK Businesses
Bing powers the search for some of the top online properties in the UK and worldwide, including Yahoo. As of August 2023, Bing accounted for over 5% of total searches in the UK, making it the second largest search engine behind Google.
While 5% may seem small compared to Google’s 94% market share, it still amounts to millions of monthly searches that present an opportunity for businesses targeting UK audiences. By optimising specifically for Bing, companies can tap into an additional channel to drive relevant traffic to their site.
Plus, Bing holds even more substantial market shares in certain segments. For example, Bing sees nearly 27% of searches done on desktop devices in the UK as of 2023.
So while Google garners more overall search volume, Bing should still be an integral part of any comprehensive SEO strategy for UK brands. Doing so gives companies the chance to show up for all searchers, not just the majority using Google.
Here is complete guide to Google SEO and how to optimise it to rank your business higher
Top Bing SEO Tips for UK Businesses
To boost your Bing visibility and traffic, here are some key tips to focus on:
- Optimise Titles and Meta Descriptions
Like Google, Bing relies heavily on page titles and meta descriptions when displaying searches. To perform well, make sure these elements contain relevant keywords that users would search for.
But avoid over-optimisation and keep the text reader-friendly. For example, for a UK accounting firm a title could be “Manchester Accountants – Affordable Tax Preparation Services”.
- Improve Bing Indexation
While Bing has made strides in crawling the web, pages on newer or less popular sites may not get indexed. You can submit URLs to Bing directly through Bing Webmaster Tools to improve coverage.
Check site:yourdomain.com on Bing to see what pages are currently indexed. Focus on getting key landing pages like services, contact and location pages indexed first.
- Publish Fresh, High-Quality Content
Original content tailored to UK Bing users gives search engines new pages to crawl and index. This content also helps answer search queries with the right location and demographic information.
For a law firm, publishing content on topics like “The 10 Most Common Legal Issues Facing Businesses in London” can attract local searchers. Make sure to optimise content with relevant regional keywords.
- Claim and Optimise Bing Places Listing
Bing Places allows businesses to create a free business listing that can show up in map packs and knowledge panels in search. Make sure to claim your Bing Places account and completely fill out all listing details, including address, phone number, opening hours and photos.
This helps people find and engage with your business profile. With a claimed listing, you also get access to analytics like impressions and clicks from Bing searches. Want to convert Google My Business into lead magnet?
- Focus on Voice Search Optimisation
Voice search is growing in the UK, with 46% of British consumers reporting using voice search in 2023. Bing powers voice search for Microsoft services like Cortana.
To tap into this, optimise your site for long-tail conversational queries like “where is the best place to get legal advice in Manchester”. Focus on answering questions and providing useful information with clear and concise content.
- Leverage Schema Markup for Rich Snippets
Schema markup enables search engines to better understand your content and display it in rich snippet form. These snippets can improve click-through rates by making your listings more eye-catching and informative.
Implement schema like FAQPage, LocalBusiness and more where appropriate. Test different types of markup to see which provides the best featured snippets and sitelinks.
- Build Quality Backlinks
Backlinks remain one of the top ranking signals for Bing. Earn backlinks from relevant UK and industry websites to boost crawlability and authority.
Focus on organic link building outreach and partnerships instead of lower quality directories or networks. Prioritise sites with solid domain authority and traffic as backlink sources.
- Monitor Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools provides key data to help optimise your site. Connect your site to monitor indexation errors, crawl stats, link analysis and queries driving traffic.
Use these insights to identify issues blocking pages from being indexed. Also find topic opportunities based on user searches performed.
- Promote Your Bing Business Listing
To maximise visibility for your Bing Places listing, promote the profile through your website, email signature, social media and anywhere customers may search for your business.
Encourage happy customers to leave reviews on your Bing listing as well. Positive ratings and reviews can improve local rankings.
- Stay Up To Date on Updates
Bing regularly rolls out algorithm updates that affect rankings. Stay current on these updates and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Sign up for Bing Webmaster blog notifications to ensure you don’t miss any major changes or new features.
With over 90% market share, Google is still king when it comes to search. However, savvy UK businesses can tap into Bing’s 5% share of searches by optimising specifically for Microsoft’s search engine.
While not the dominant search leader, Bing still drives significant search traffic and conversions through Microsoft properties. By taking the time to optimise specifically for Bing, UK businesses can unlock additional targeted visitors to their site.
Do you know the prime difference between local service ads and local search ads?
Want to boost your business with Bing?
As a digital marketing and advertising agency, we understand the importance of optimising for every channel that drives qualified traffic and conversions.
That’s why UTDS Optimal Choice employs a comprehensive search strategy that includes both Google and Bing SEO best practices.
The additional traffic and conversions from Bing complement the results achieved through ongoing Google SEO efforts. By leaving no stone unturned when it comes to search optimisation, we maximise the search presence for our clients across markets.
If you need help unlocking the potential of multi-channel search for your business, Contact us today! Our team of Bing and Google search experts can craft a custom SEO strategy tailored for your brand and audience.
Bing ads vs Google ads Which one should you prefer for cost efficient business growth?
Here are some FAQs on Bing SEO:
- Optimise title tags and meta descriptions for keywords
- Improve website crawlability and indexation
- Create high-quality, original content optimised for Bing
- Build backlinks from relevant websites
- Leverage Bing Webmaster Tools to identify issues
- Promote and optimise your Bing Places listing
- Stay updated on Bing algorithm changes
- Bing has a smaller market share, so less competition for keywords
- Bing Places is more prominent in Bing results than Google Maps in Google
- Less 3rd party SEO tools and metrics available compared to Google
- Typically easier to rank in Bing than Google for many keywords
- Bing algorithm puts more weight on links rather than content/usage
- Claim and complete your Bing Webmaster Tools profile
- Submit new or important pages to Bing for indexing
- Optimise on-page elements like title tags, headings and content
- Build high-quality backlinks from relevant sites
- Publish long-form, helpful content for UK audiences
- Add schema markup to take advantage of rich snippets
For many keywords, yes, Bing is often easier to rank for than Google. With Bing’s smaller market share, there is less competition, making it possible to rank with fewer links and optimization signals. However, for ultra-competitive keywords, ranking still requires building substantial authority and great content.
While Google dominates search, Bing still plays an important role in SEO that businesses should not neglect. Here are some key reasons why:
- Owns over 5% search market share in the UK – amounting to millions of searches per month
- Powers search on Yahoo, AOL and other properties, expanding reach
- Much less competition for many keywords compared to Google
- Chance to reach users who prefer Bing over Google for search
- Provides another source of qualified organic traffic to websites
- Allows businesses to show up for every search, not just Google
- Opportunity to rank well for valuable long-tail keywords
- Can drive additional conversions and sales at a relatively low SEO cost
- Builds overall domain authority when combined with Google SEO
