200+ Bing’s Ranking Factors: A Comprehensive Guide to Optimizing for Bing SEO

In the realm of search engine optimization (SEO), Google often takes center stage, commanding the majority of attention and focus. However, it is crucial for digital marketers and website owners to recognize the significance of other search engines, such as Bing. With a substantial market share and millions of users worldwide, Bing should not be overlooked in SEO strategies. To effectively optimize your website for Bing’s search engine, it is essential to understand Bing SEO and the underlying principles of Bing’s algorithm.

Bing SEO:

Bing SEO refers to the practice of optimizing a website to enhance its visibility and ranking on the Bing search engine results pages (SERPs). While Bing’s search algorithm shares similarities with Google’s, there are notable differences that warrant specific attention when targeting Bing’s audience. Here are some key aspects to consider:

1. Keyword Research: Bing places a relatively higher emphasis on exact keyword matching compared to Google. Conduct thorough keyword research using Bing’s Keyword Research Tool to identify relevant keywords and incorporate them strategically into your website’s content.
2. Content Optimization: Bing values well-structured content that is easily readable and relevant to users. Ensure your content includes descriptive headings, subheadings, and clear paragraph breaks. Additionally, utilize multimedia elements such as images and videos to enhance engagement and improve your chances of ranking higher on Bing.
3. Backlinks: While backlinks are crucial for SEO across all search engines, Bing tends to place more emphasis on the quality and authority of backlinks. Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to boost your Bing rankings.
4. Social Signals: Bing incorporates social signals from platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn into its ranking algorithm. Encourage social sharing and engagement with your content to increase its visibility and potential ranking on Bing.

Bing’s Algorithm:

Similar to other search engines, Bing employs a complex algorithm to determine the ranking of websites on its SERPs. While the specific details of Bing’s algorithm are not publicly disclosed, here are some factors believed to influence Bing’s rankings:

1. Page Relevance: Bing assesses the relevance of a webpage to a user’s query by analyzing various on-page factors such as content, title tags, headings, and meta descriptions. Ensure your content aligns with the search intent of your target audience.
2. Page Authority: Bing considers the authority of a webpage, which includes factors like the number and quality of backlinks pointing to the page, social signals, and domain age. Develop a comprehensive backlink strategy and focus on building a reputable online presence.
3. User Engagement: Bing takes into account user engagement signals such as click-through rates (CTR), bounce rates, and dwell time. Enhance user experience on your website, provide valuable content, and optimize your site’s speed to encourage positive engagement.
4. Social Media Signals: Bing incorporates social media signals as a ranking factor. Maintain an active presence on social platforms, promote your content, and encourage social sharing to increase your visibility on Bing.

Key Differences in SEO practices between Bing, Google, and Yahoo:

Aspect	Bing	Google	Yahoo
Search Market Share	Moderate to significant market share	Dominant market share	Moderate market share
Keyword Emphasis	Exact keyword matching is relatively more important	Semantic understanding and contextual relevance are crucial	Exact keyword matching is considered important, but less emphasis on it
Content Optimization	Well-structured content with descriptive headings, subheadings, and clear paragraph breaks	Emphasis on user-focused, high-quality content and natural language	Focus on user-focused content, headlines, and relevant subtopics
Backlink Importance	Quality and authority of backlinks matter	Quality and quantity of backlinks are significant	Backlinks play a role but not as crucial as in Bing and Google
Social Signals	Social signals from platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are considered	Social signals have a limited impact on rankings	Social signals play a role in rankings
User Engagement	Click-through rates, bounce rates, and dwell time are considered	User engagement signals heavily influence rankings	User engagement signals have a moderate impact
Mobile Optimization	Mobile-friendly websites are preferred	Mobile-friendly websites are prioritized	Mobile optimization is important
Algorithm Complexity	Algorithm specifics are not publicly disclosed	Algorithm updates are frequent and complex	Algorithm specifics are not publicly disclosed
Advertising Platform	Bing Ads	Google Ads	Yahoo Gemini

Understanding the Main Ranking Factors in Bing SEO

To effectively optimize your website for Bing’s search engine, it is crucial to understand the main ranking factors that influence Bing’s search algorithm. By aligning your SEO efforts with these factors, you can enhance your website’s visibility and improve its rankings on Bing’s search engine results pages (SERPs). In this article, we will explore the key ranking factors in Bing SEO and provide a brief description of each category.

Domain Factors:

Domain factors refer to elements related to the overall domain authority and credibility of a website. Bing considers the following domain factors when determining rankings:

1. Domain Age: Older domains tend to have a higher level of trust and authority in Bing’s eyes.
2. Domain History: Bing takes into account the historical performance and reputation of a domain, including any penalties or spam-related issues.
3. Exact Match Domain: Exact match domains, where the domain name matches a keyword, may receive a slight ranking boost.
4. Country TLD Extension: Websites with country-specific top-level domain (TLD) extensions, such as .uk or .ca, may have an advantage in local search results.

On-Page Factors:

On-page factors are elements that directly relate to the content and structure of individual web pages. Bing considers the following on-page factors for ranking:

1. Content Relevance: Bing assesses how well the content on a webpage aligns with the user’s search query, emphasizing relevance and keyword usage.
2. Page Title: The title tag of a page should accurately describe the content and include relevant keywords.
3. Headers and Subheadings: Proper use of headings and subheadings (H1, H2, etc.) helps Bing understand the structure and hierarchy of your content.
4. Meta Description: A concise and compelling meta description provides a summary of the page’s content and can influence click-through rates from the SERPs.

On-Site Factors:

On-site factors encompass various technical aspects that contribute to a website’s overall performance and user experience. Bing considers the following on-site factors:

1. Site Structure: A well-organized and logically structured website makes it easier for Bing’s crawlers to index and understand your content.
2. Site Speed: Bing prioritizes websites that load quickly, as it enhances the user experience.
3. Mobile-Friendliness: With the rise of mobile usage, Bing favors websites that are optimized for mobile devices and provide a seamless mobile experience.

Backlink Factors:

Backlink factors pertain to the quality and quantity of external links pointing to your website. Bing considers the following backlink factors:

1. Link Quality: Bing values high-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites.
2. Anchor Text: The anchor text used in backlinks provides contextual information about the linked page and can influence rankings.
3. Link Diversity: A diverse and natural link profile with a mix of relevant sources is preferred over excessive reliance on a single source.

Social Factors:

Bing incorporates social signals from social media platforms into its ranking algorithm. The following social factors can impact rankings:

1. Social Engagement: The level of social media engagement, such as likes, shares, and comments, can indicate the popularity and relevance of your content.
2. Social Authority: Bing considers the authority of social media accounts sharing or endorsing your content.

On-Site Webspam Factors:

On-site webspam factors involve detecting and penalizing websites that employ manipulative or spammy techniques. Bing considers the following on-site webspam factors:

1. Keyword Stuffing: Overuse of keywords in an attempt to manipulate rankings can result in penalties.
2. Hidden Text or Links: Hiding text or links from users but making them visible to search engines is considered a webspam tactic.

Off-Site Webspam Factors:

Off-site webspam factors are related to external signals that indicate spammy or manipulative practices. Bing considers the following off-site webspam factors:

1. Manipulative Link Building: Engaging in link schemes, purchasing links, or participating in link networks can lead to penalties.
2. User-Generated Spam: Bing identifies and penalizes websites with excessive spammy user-generated content or spammy user accounts.

Each of these factors have multiple sub-factors which are crucial to increase the ranking of a website and in the next section we will delve into the different sub-factors in brief.

Domain Factors:

Domain Factors consist of several sub-factors, which are discussed below. These sub-factors provide a more detailed understanding of the specific elements within the domain that can impact its SEO performance.

Domain Age:

1. Longevity of Domain Registration: Domains registered for an extended period demonstrate stability and commitment, potentially earning higher trust from Bing.
2. Historical Indexing: A domain that has been consistently indexed by Bing over a significant period may indicate reliability and authority.
3. Content Updates Over Time: Regularly updating the content on an older domain signals ongoing relevance and dedication to providing fresh information to users.
4. Stability of Domain Ownership: A domain with consistent ownership and minimal changes reflects stability, reinforcing Bing’s trust in its authority.
5. Historical User Engagement: Positive historical user engagement metrics, such as high click-through rates and low bounce rates, can indicate a domain’s value and relevance over time.
6. Quality Backlink Profile: An older domain that has acquired a diverse and high-quality backlink profile over time suggests authority and relevance in its niche.
7. Brand Recognition: Established brands with a long-standing presence may benefit from increased visibility and recognition in Bing’s search results.
8. Indexed Pages: The number of pages indexed by Bing over time can showcase the depth and breadth of a domain’s content, potentially enhancing its credibility.
9. Trustworthy Content Sources: Collaborations or partnerships with reputable and authoritative websites can contribute to a domain’s overall trustworthiness in Bing’s eyes.
10. Consistent Website Traffic: Steady and consistent traffic to an older domain implies sustained user interest and relevance, which can positively impact its Bing rankings.

Domain History:

1. Penalty-Free History: A clean record, free from previous search engine penalties or violations, establishes trust and credibility for a domain.
2. Previous Ranking Performance: A history of ranking well for relevant keywords suggests that the domain has provided valuable content and satisfied user intent in the past.
3. Trustworthiness of Previous Content: Bing considers the quality and trustworthiness of previously published content to assess a domain’s historical performance.
4. Historical User Feedback: Positive user feedback, such as reviews, ratings, or comments, can contribute to a domain’s reputation and influence Bing’s perception.
5. Spam-Free Reputation: A domain with no history of engaging in spam-related practices demonstrates a commitment to providing legitimate and high-quality content.
6. Social Media Mentions: Positive social signals, such as mentions, shares, and engagement, can reinforce a domain’s reputation and historical performance.
7. User Complaints or Reports: A history free from significant user complaints or reports helps maintain a positive domain reputation in Bing’s evaluation.
8. Historical Backlink Profile: Bing considers the quality and relevancy of a domain’s backlinks over time to assess its overall authority and reputation.
9. Credible Brand Associations: Collaborations or endorsements from trusted brands can enhance a domain’s historical reputation and credibility.
10. Previous Localization Efforts: Past efforts to tailor content and user experience to specific regions or languages may influence Bing’s evaluation of a domain’s historical performance in localized search results.

Exact Match Domain:

1. Keyword Relevance: An exact match domain that aligns closely with a specific keyword or search query may receive a ranking boost for that particular keyword.
2. User Intent Alignment: An exact match domain can indicate a strong alignment between the domain’s purpose and the user’s search intent, potentially improving visibility.
3. Brand Recall: Memorable domain names that precisely match a keyword can enhance brand recall and increase the likelihood of user engagement.
4. Perceived Relevance: Users may perceive an exact match domain as highly relevant to their search query, leading to increased click-through rates and improved rankings.
5. Niche Authority: Exact match domains that match specific industry or niche keywords can signal expertise and authority, positively impacting Bing rankings.
6. Competitive Advantage: In competitive spaces, an exact match domain may provide a slight advantage by directly conveying relevance to both users and search engines.
7. Trustworthiness Perception: An exact match domain can evoke trust and credibility when it mirrors the user’s search query, creating a sense of familiarity.
8. SEO-Friendly URLs: Exact match domains often result in SEO-friendly URLs that include targeted keywords, enhancing their visibility and rankings.
9. Anchor Text Alignment: When backlinks contain anchor text that matches the exact match domain, it can reinforce the domain’s relevance and authority.
10. Marketing and Branding Opportunities: Exact match domains can facilitate targeted marketing campaigns and brand positioning around specific keywords, driving organic and direct traffic.

Country TLD Extension:

1. Local Relevance: Country-specific TLD extensions indicate geographic relevance, potentially improving visibility in local search results within that specific country.
2. User Trust: Users often trust websites with country-specific TLDs for local information, products, or services, boosting click-through rates and user engagement.
3. Regional Backlink Profile: Backlinks from sources within the same country can signal local relevance and contribute to improved rankings in that particular region.
4. Language Alignment: Country TLD extensions can align with the language commonly spoken in that country, enhancing user experience and perceived relevance.
5. Local Citations: Having consistent and accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) information across local directories and listings reinforces local relevance.
6. Localized Content: Creating content that caters specifically to the target country’s audience can boost rankings within that country’s search results.
7. Localized Link Building: Acquiring backlinks from authoritative local websites or directories strengthens a domain’s local authority and visibility.
8. Localized Social Signals: Active engagement and positive social signals from users within the target country can bolster a domain’s visibility in local search.
9. Local Domain Registrant Information: Registering the domain with local contact information reinforces the association with the target country.
10. Local Business Listings: Listing the website on local business directories and review platforms can enhance local visibility and increase the domain’s authority within the target country.
11. Authoritative TLD: Bing places value on websites with authoritative top-level domains (TLDs) such as .edu, .org, and .gov. Having one of these TLDs can positively impact your website’s rankings on Bing, as they are considered reputable and trustworthy.
12. Keywords in TLD: While having keywords in the TLD itself does not directly improve rankings on Bing, including a country in your TLD can provide an advantage in local search. This means that if your TLD aligns with the country you’re targeting, it can potentially lead to higher rankings in local search results on Bing.
13. Public vs. Private WhoIs: The status of your WhoIs information, whether it is public or private, does not have an impact on your website’s SEO performance in Bing. Bing’s algorithm does not consider the privacy status of your WhoIs information when determining search rankings.

On-Page Factors:

Within on-page factors, there are several sub-factors that deserve attention. These sub-factors encompass specific elements of your website that can be optimized to maximize SEO performance. By addressing these sub-factors, you can fine-tune your website’s on-page optimization and increase its chances of ranking prominently in search engine results.

Content:

1. Content Richness: Websites with thin content, excessive ads or affiliate links, or those that quickly redirect visitors to other sites may experience a drop in rankings on Bing. To ensure a positive user experience, your content should be informative, engaging, and easy to navigate, providing the information visitors are seeking.
2. User-Centric Approach: Develop content that caters to the needs of search users, focusing on their information requirements rather than solely optimizing for search engines. Conduct thorough keyword research to understand the topics and keywords that resonate with your target audience.
3. Comprehensive Content: Aim to provide enough content on each page to meet the visitor’s expectations fully. While there are no strict rules regarding the word count per page, it is generally beneficial to offer more relevant and comprehensive content that thoroughly addresses the topic or query.
4. Unique Content: Avoid duplicating content from other sources. The content on your website should be original and unique in its final form. If you choose to feature content from a third party, utilize the canonical tag (rel=”canonical”) to attribute the original source or use the alternate tag (rel=”alternate”).

Relevance:

5. Content Alignment with Search Intent: Relevance refers to how closely the content on your landing page matches the intent behind a user’s search query. Bing assesses the presence of matching terms and phrases on the page itself, as well as in the links pointing to the page. Bing also takes into account semantic equivalents, including synonyms and abbreviations that convey the same meaning as the query terms.
6. Multiple Intent Consideration: Recognizing that a query may have multiple possible intents, Bing strives to provide a comprehensive set of results that encompass all relevant possibilities. Bing assumes that users seek high-quality, authoritative content unless they explicitly indicate an intent to find lower-authority information.

Quality and Credibility:

7. Clarity, Usability, and Presentation: Bing evaluates the quality and credibility of a website by considering factors such as the clarity of its purpose, usability, and presentation. A website’s ease of use, logical structure, and visually appealing design contribute to its overall quality assessment.
8. Authoritativeness: Bing considers the reputation of the website’s author or the site itself when determining its authority. Pages that demonstrate higher authority include citations, references to data sources, and a level of discourse that promotes quality and informative content. Conversely, pages that exhibit offensive language, name-calling, or lack transparency in authorship are generally deemed low quality.

User Engagement:

User Interaction with Search Results: Bing evaluates user engagement by analyzing how users interact with search results. Factors considered include click-through rates, the duration users spend on clicked results, whether users adjust or reformulate their queries, and whether they quickly return to Bing. The Bing Webmaster Dashboard provides insights into user behavior on your webpages.

Freshness:

Importance of Fresh Content: Bing generally prioritizes fresh content, favoring pages that consistently provide up-to-date information. While some content remains relevant over time, certain topics require frequent updates to ensure accuracy and relevance. Balancing the need for fresh content with the longevity of information is crucial.

Location, Page Load Time, and Other Factors:

11. Location Relevance: Bing takes into account the user’s location (country and city), the hosting location of the webpage, the language used on the page, and the location of other visitors to determine the relevance of search results.
12. Page Load Time: Slow page load times can result in a poor user experience, causing visitors to leave your website before the content fully loads. Bing considers this as an indication of a less helpful search result. Striving for faster page load speeds while maintaining a positive and user-friendly experience is essential for SEO success.

Page Title:

1. Accurate Description: Crafting a page title that accurately reflects the content and topic of the webpage, providing users and search engines with a clear understanding of what to expect.
2. Keyword Inclusion: Incorporating relevant keywords naturally within the page title to improve its visibility and alignment with user search queries.
3. Length Optimization: Ensuring that the page title is within the recommended character limit (typically around 50-60 characters) to avoid truncation in the search results.
4. Unique Titles: Creating unique page titles for each webpage on your site, emphasizing the individuality and distinctiveness of each page’s content.
5. Brand Visibility: Incorporating your brand name or relevant branding elements within the page title to enhance brand visibility and recognition.
6. Front-Loading Keywords: Placing important keywords or key phrases at the beginning of the page title to increase their prominence and relevance.
7. Clarity and Readability: Crafting page titles that are easy to read and understand, providing users with a clear idea of the page’s content and purpose.
8. Avoiding Keyword Stuffing: Avoiding excessive and unnatural keyword repetition in the page title, focusing on a balanced and meaningful representation of the content.
9. Call-to-Action (CTA) Consideration: Including compelling CTAs or hooks within the page title to encourage users to click through to your webpage.
10. Testing and Optimization: Continuously monitoring and testing different variations of page titles to identify the most effective and engaging options for improved click-through rates and visibility.

Headers and Subheadings:

1. Clear Hierarchical Structure: Using proper header tags (H1, H2, etc.) to organize the content in a logical and hierarchical manner, helping Bing understand the structure and relevance of the content.
2. Keyword Placement: Incorporating relevant keywords within headers and subheadings to highlight the topic and improve keyword visibility.
3. Information Organization: Using headers and subheadings to break down content into sections, making it easier for users to scan and navigate the page.
4. Content Summarization: Writing concise and informative headers and subheadings that provide a glimpse into the content, making it easier for users to find the information they are seeking.
5. Hierarchy Consistency: Maintaining a consistent hierarchy of headers and subheadings throughout the page, ensuring logical progression and content organization.
6. Readability and Usability: Creating headers and subheadings that are easy to read and understand, aiding in user comprehension and enhancing the overall user experience.
7. Visual Formatting: Applying appropriate font styles, sizes, and formatting to headers and subheadings to make them visually appealing and distinguishable from the rest of the content.
8. Structural Significance: Using header tags to denote the most important sections or key points within the content, signaling their relevance and importance to Bing’s crawling and indexing.
9. Conciseness and Clarity: Keeping headers and subheadings succinct and to the point, conveying the main ideas or topics covered in each section effectively.
10. Semantic Coherence: Ensuring that headers and subheadings align semantically with the corresponding content, providing clear and consistent contextual relevance throughout the page.

Meta Description:

1. Concise and Informative Summary: Crafting a compelling meta description that succinctly summarizes the content of the webpage, enticing users to click through from the search results.
2. Keyword Inclusion: Incorporating relevant keywords naturally within the meta description to improve visibility and alignment with user search queries.
3. Call-to-Action (CTA): Including a persuasive CTA within the meta description to encourage users to click through to your webpage.
4. Unique Descriptions: Creating unique meta descriptions for each webpage, highlighting the unique aspects and value proposition of the page’s content.
5. Length Optimization: Ensuring that the meta description falls within the recommended character limit (typically around 150-160 characters) to avoid truncation in the search results.
6. Compelling Language: Using engaging and persuasive language in the meta description to capture the user’s attention and generate interest in the webpage.
7. Accurate Representation: Ensuring that the meta description accurately represents the content users will find on the webpage, avoiding misleading or deceptive descriptions.
8. Highlighting Benefits or Features: Including key benefits, features, or unique selling points of the webpage’s content within the meta description to attract user interest.
9. Snippet Relevance: Crafting meta descriptions that align with the search intent and query of users, addressing their specific needs or questions.
10. Readability and Clarity: Creating meta descriptions that are easy to read and understand, providing users with a clear idea of what they can expect when they visit the webpage.

HTML Attributes:

1. Descriptive and Accurate HTML Elements and Alt Attributes: Ensure that your HTML elements and alt attributes provide descriptive, specific, and accurate information. These elements play a crucial role in conveying the content and context of your webpages to Bing’s search engine.
2. <TITLE> Tags: Write unique and descriptive titles for each page of your website using the <TITLE> tag. This title appears in the search results and should accurately represent the content of the page.
3. <META name=”description”>: Craft relevant and engaging descriptions using the <META name=”description”> tag. These descriptions may appear as the page description in search results, providing additional information to users.
4. <META name=”robots”>: Utilize the robots meta tag to provide crawling instructions to search engine crawlers, helping them index specific page content according to your preferences. This tag enables you to control how Bing displays your snippet and content previews.
5. <a href> Tag: Use the <a href> tag to specify URLs linking to other pages. If you need to link to a specific section within the same page, utilize the #tag.
6. <img src> Tag and Alt Attributes: When using the <img src> tag to display images, include descriptive and information-rich alt attributes. These attributes provide context to the images and improve accessibility, allowing Bing to understand the content and relevance of the images.
7. <H1> Tag: Properly use the <H1> tag to help users better understand the content of a page. This tag serves as a heading and should accurately represent the main topic or theme of the page.
8. Header Tags (<H1>-<H6>): Use header tags (<H1>-<H6>) to structure your page and help Bing understand the content within each paragraph. Each header tag denotes a different level of importance and hierarchy in the content structure.
9. <P> Tag: Utilize the <P> tag to delineate paragraphs within your content. This tag helps improve readability and organization, allowing Bing to analyze and understand the structure of your text.
10. <TABLE> Tag: Use the <TABLE> tag along with related tags such as <TH> for data tables. Avoid using tables for layout purposes, as it may impact the accessibility and structure of your content.
11. HTML5 Semantic Elements: Leverage HTML5 semantic elements as they provide intrinsic meaning to browsers, developers, and search engines. Utilize elements such as <article>, <aside>, <details>, <figcaption>, <figure>, <footer>, <header>, <main>, <mark>, <nav>, <section>, <summary>, and <time> to enhance the semantic structure and understanding of your webpages.

On-Site Factors:

On-Site Factors refer to various technical aspects of a website that directly influence its performance, visibility, and user experience. These factors play a crucial role in optimizing the website for search engines and improving its rankings. On-Site Factors encompass several key areas, each with its own set of sub-factors that contribute to the overall on-site optimization. The sub-factors discussed below provide detailed insights into these specific areas, enabling website owners to understand and implement effective strategies.

1. Site Structure: A well-structured website with clear navigation and organized content hierarchy helps Bing’s crawlers effectively index and understand your website. By implementing a logical site structure, you facilitate the discovery and indexing of your webpages.
2. Site Speed: Bing values websites that load quickly and provide a smooth browsing experience for users. Optimizing your site’s performance by minimizing page load times and optimizing resource delivery can positively impact your rankings in Bing’s search results.
3. Mobile-Friendliness: As mobile usage continues to grow, Bing prioritizes websites that are mobile-friendly and offer a seamless experience across various devices. Ensuring your website is responsive and optimized for mobile devices can boost its visibility in Bing’s mobile search results.
4. Page URLs: Bing takes into account the structure and readability of your page URLs. Using descriptive and keyword-rich URLs that accurately represent the content can enhance your website’s visibility and relevance in Bing’s search results.
5. Site Security (HTTPS): Bing considers website security an important ranking factor. Implementing HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) encryption to secure the transmission of data between your website and users can positively impact your rankings.
6. Canonicalization: Properly implementing canonical tags helps Bing understand the preferred version of duplicate or similar content on your website. This helps avoid content duplication issues and ensures that search engines attribute the correct relevance and authority to your preferred page.
7. Structured Data Markup: Utilizing structured data markup, such as Schema.org markup, provides additional context and information about your content to search engines. This can improve the display of rich snippets in search results, enhancing the visibility and click-through rates of your webpages.
8. Internal Linking: Establishing a strong internal linking structure helps Bing discover and navigate through your website’s pages. Strategic internal linking can distribute link equity, guide search engines to important pages, and enhance the overall crawlability and indexing of your website.
9. User Experience (UX): Bing considers user experience as a crucial factor in rankings. Factors such as clear and intuitive navigation, engaging and valuable content, optimized images, and a positive overall user experience contribute to higher rankings in Bing’s search results.
10. Sitemaps: Sitemaps are a crucial component for Bing to discover and understand the content on your website. By providing a detailed file that includes URLs, images, and other content, you assist Bing’s crawler in efficiently indexing your site. It’s recommended to keep your sitemap up-to-date, ensuring timely removal of outdated URLs and deadlinks.
11. Links: Links play a significant role in determining the popularity and discoverability of your website. Bingbot follows both internal and external links to explore new content and pages. It’s important to link all pages on your site to at least one other discoverable and crawlable page, using relevant anchor text or alt attributes. Organic growth of high-quality links is favored by Bing, while manipulative practices can lead to penalties.
12. Limit the number of web pages: Maintaining a reasonable number of pages on your website helps prevent duplication and enhances Bing’s understanding of your content. To avoid duplicate content issues, utilize canonical tags and configure your website and URL parameters effectively. Additionally, using the same URL for both desktop and mobile users is recommended.
13. Use redirects appropriately: When relocating content within your website, using proper HTTP redirects is essential. A permanent HTTP 301 redirect should be employed for long-term moves, while temporary moves can utilize a 302 redirect. Avoid using rel=canonical tags as a substitute for redirects when content is moved.
14. Allow Bing to crawl more: Bing’s Webmaster Tools provide a crawl control feature, enabling you to manage how Bingbot crawls your content. Allowing Bingbot to deeply crawl your site at a quick pace ensures maximum content discovery and indexing.
15. JavaScript: Bing is capable of processing JavaScript, but at scale, there are limitations to minimizing HTTP requests. Bing recommends using Dynamic Rendering to serve different versions of content to specific user agents like Bingbot, particularly for large websites.
16. Content removal: To remove specific content from Bing’s search results, returning a 404 “Not Found” HTTP code is effective. Additionally, you can utilize Bing’s Content Removal and Page Removal tools to expedite the removal process. Content removal requests are valid for a maximum of 90 days and need to be renewed to prevent reappearing in search results.
17. robots.txt: The robots.txt file provides instructions to search engine crawlers, such as Bingbot, on which pages and files to access or avoid on your site. It’s crucial to place the robots.txt file in the root directory of your website and regularly review it for accuracy. Using the noindex robots meta tag is recommended for blocking specific pages from getting crawled or indexed instead of solely relying on Disallow in the robots.txt.
18. Save resources: Employing HTTP compression and Conditional Get techniques reduces bandwidth usage by both crawlers and users, resulting in improved page load speed. By optimizing resource delivery, you enhance the overall user experience and facilitate efficient crawling by Bingbot.

Backlink Factors:

Backlinks, also known as incoming links or inbound links, are links from external websites that point to your website. They are considered an important ranking factor by search engines like Google and Bing. Backlink factors have sub-factors that further contribute to their overall significance. These sub-factors are discussed below and play a crucial role in determining the quality and effectiveness of backlinks in improving search rankings.

1. Link Quality: Bing considers the quality of backlinks as a crucial factor in determining a website’s authority and credibility. High-quality backlinks from reputable and authoritative websites hold more value in Bing’s ranking algorithm. Such links serve as an endorsement of the website’s content and can significantly boost its visibility in search results.
2. Link Diversity: Bing values a diverse and natural link profile that showcases a variety of relevant sources linking to a website. Having links from a wide range of websites, including different domains and IP addresses, indicates that the website is popular and respected within its niche. It’s essential to avoid excessive reliance on a single source, as it may raise concerns about link manipulation and can negatively affect search rankings.
3. Link Relevance: Bing considers the relevance of the linking website to the linked content as an important factor. Backlinks from websites that are topically related or within the same industry carry more weight and are seen as more valuable by Bing’s ranking algorithm. Building links from relevant sources helps establish the website’s authority within its specific niche.
4. Link Authority: Bing takes into account the authority and trustworthiness of the linking website. Backlinks from authoritative websites with a strong online presence, high domain authority, and a good reputation in Bing’s index have a greater impact on search rankings. Earning links from trusted sources demonstrates the website’s credibility and enhances its visibility in search results.
5. Link Placement: The placement of backlinks within the linking website’s content is also significant. Bing tends to value links that are organically placed within relevant and valuable content rather than those placed in less prominent areas like footers or sidebars. Backlinks integrated naturally within the context of the content carry more weight and contribute to better search rankings.
6. Link Velocity: Bing considers the rate at which a website acquires new backlinks over time. A natural link acquisition pattern with a steady and consistent growth of backlinks is preferred over sudden spikes or an irregular pattern. Gradual link building activities indicate organic growth and are more likely to be viewed positively by Bing.
7. Link Age: The age of backlinks also influences their impact on search rankings. Bing considers the longevity of backlinks, with older links carrying more weight compared to newly acquired links. Building a diverse and sustainable link profile over time helps establish the website’s authority and credibility in Bing’s index.
8. Link Social Signals: Bing takes into account social signals associated with backlinks, such as the number of social shares and engagement on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Backlinks that receive social validation and generate user interest are considered more valuable, indicating relevance and popularity within the online community.
9. Link Naturalness: Bing places importance on the naturalness of backlink profiles. It looks for signs of organic link building, such as a mix of dofollow and nofollow links, a variety of link types (e.g., text links, image links), and a reasonable distribution of link anchor text. A natural link profile reflects genuine endorsements from users and helps improve search rankings.
10. Linking Domain Age: Bing considers the age of the linking domain when assessing the relevance and value of backlinks. Backlinks from older domains are often perceived as more trustworthy and relevant, potentially carrying more weight in Bing’s ranking algorithm compared to links from newer domains.
11. Low-quality Domain: Receiving backlinks from low-quality websites may not have a detrimental effect on your rankings, but they also won’t significantly contribute to improving your website’s visibility. It’s important to focus on obtaining backlinks from reputable and authoritative sources to maximize the impact on your Bing SEO efforts.
12. Backlink Anchor Text: Just like on-page factors, Bing places importance on anchor text used in backlinks. The anchor text provides context and signals the relevance of the linked page. Optimizing anchor text with relevant keywords can positively influence search rankings and improve the visibility of your website in Bing search results.
13. Authority of Linking Domain: The authority and credibility of the linking domain play a role in determining the value of backlinks. Bing considers the domain authority of the referring website, with links from authoritative domains carrying more weight and positively impacting your search rankings. Earning backlinks from reputable sources enhances your website’s authority in Bing’s index.
14. Links from Bad Neighborhoods: Links from websites in “bad neighborhoods,” which engage in spammy or unethical practices, can have adverse effects on your website’s rankings. Bing may penalize or remove your site from its index if it detects links from such sources. It’s crucial to ensure that your backlinks come from trusted and reputable websites to maintain a positive impact on your Bing SEO.
15. Links from Ads: According to Bing, links from advertisements should include the “nofollow” attribute or use the “rel=sponsored” attribute. Bing recommends marking these links to indicate that they are paid advertisements. Such links may not directly impact search rankings, but they can drive traffic to your site if the referring domain has its own traffic.
16. Links from Directories: Links from established and relevant directories are unlikely to harm your rankings, but they may not provide a significant boost either. While directory links may not have a substantial impact on Bing SEO, being listed in reputable directories can still offer benefits such as increased visibility and potential referral traffic.
17. Guest Posts: Guest posts can contribute to your website’s rankings if you publish them on related and relevant websites. When guest blogging, it’s essential to focus on quality content that aligns with your niche. Guest posts on reputable websites can enhance your website’s visibility and authority in Bing’s index.
18. Forum Links: Bing tends to devalue links from forums due to the history of link spamming in these platforms. While forum links may not have a significant impact on your search rankings, it’s crucial to engage in meaningful discussions and provide valuable contributions to forums within your industry or niche.
19. Reciprocal Linking: Reciprocal linking, where websites exchange links with each other, may not directly boost your rankings in Bing. However, it can drive traffic to your site if the referring domain has its own traffic. It’s important to ensure that reciprocal links are relevant and come from reputable sources to maintain a positive impact on your Bing SEO.
20. Links from Comments: Bing ignores links from comments when indexing websites. Links placed within comment sections of webpages are not considered in the ranking algorithm. It’s advisable to focus on obtaining quality backlinks from other areas of the website rather than relying on comment sections.
21. Bad Inbound Links: Bing does not pay significant attention to bad inbound links, which could be a result of sabotage from competitors or other malicious sources. While these links may not harm your rankings, it’s essential to focus on building a high-quality backlink profile from reputable sources to maximize your website’s visibility in Bing search results.
22. Link Location on Page: The placement of a backlink within a webpage’s content is crucial. Links embedded within the main content of a page tend to be more valuable than those placed in less prominent areas such as footers or sidebars. Backlinks integrated naturally within relevant content carry more weight and contribute to improved search rankings in Bing.
23. Linking Domain Relevancy: Bing considers the relevance of the linking domain to your website’s niche or industry. Backlinks from sites that are topically related to your content hold more value in Bing’s ranking algorithm. Earning links from relevant sources helps establish your website’s authority within its specific niche and improves its visibility in Bing search results.
24. Buying Links: While Bing acknowledges that some website owners may choose to buy links from trusted and related websites, this practice is not encouraged. Bing is aware of paid links, and although they may contribute to a slight increase in rankings, the impact is limited. It’s advisable to focus on organic link building strategies to achieve long-term success in Bing SEO.
25. Country TLD of Referring Domain: Acquiring backlinks from country-specific top-level domain extensions (such as .de, .cn, .co.uk) can potentially improve your rankings in the respective countries. Links from websites with country-specific TLDs may carry more relevance and help your website gain visibility in specific geographic regions.
26. Homepage Authority: Links from a website’s homepage can carry greater importance in Bing’s evaluation of a site’s relevance. Homepages often have higher authority and visibility compared to internal pages. Earning backlinks from homepages of authoritative websites can significantly enhance your website’s rankings and visibility in Bing search results.
27. Links from .edu or .gov Domains: Backlinks from educational (.edu) or government (.gov) domains are highly regarded by Bing. Such links are considered valuable and can have a significant impact on improving your website’s rankings. However, it’s important to continue building links from other reputable sources to maintain a diverse backlink profile.

Social Factors:

Bing takes into account various social signals to determine the relevance, popularity, and authority of a website. These factors can impact a website’s visibility and rankings in Bing’s search results. Sub-factors within Social Factors further delve into specific aspects of social engagement, authority, and other related elements that contribute to Bing’s SEO algorithm. These sub-factors provide a more detailed understanding of how social media interactions and presence can affect a website’s performance in Bing’s search rankings.

1. Social Signals: Bing considers social signals, such as the number of followers, retweets, and shares, as indicators of the value and relevance of your content. A strong presence and positive activity on social media platforms can contribute to higher rankings in Bing’s search results.
2. Brand Mentions: Bing takes into account the mentions of your brand or website on social media. When your brand is discussed, tagged, or referenced on social platforms, it can signal to Bing that your content is being recognized and talked about, potentially boosting your rankings.
3. Social Content Popularity: Bing considers the popularity and virality of your content on social media. If your content gains significant traction and goes viral on social platforms, it can generate more visibility and potentially improve your rankings on Bing.
4. Social Sharing: The number of times your content is shared across social media platforms is a factor that Bing considers. When your content is widely shared by users, it indicates its value and usefulness, which can positively influence your search rankings.
5. Social Influence: Bing takes into account the influence of individuals or accounts sharing your content on social media. If influential users with a strong following engage with and promote your content, it can have a positive impact on your rankings in Bing’s search results.
6. Social Trust: Bing considers the level of trust associated with social media accounts that engage with your content. Accounts that are deemed trustworthy and reputable can contribute to the credibility and authority of your content, potentially improving your rankings.
7. Social Media Profile Authority: Bing takes into account the authority and credibility of your social media profiles. Profiles with a strong following, high-quality content, and active engagement can enhance your overall online presence and positively influence your search rankings.
8. Social Sentiment: Bing may analyze the sentiment expressed in social media conversations about your brand or content. Positive sentiment and favorable discussions can contribute to a positive perception of your website, potentially impacting your rankings on Bing.
9. Social Following: In Bing’s algorithm, accounts with a larger number of followers are considered more relevant and influential. Having a substantial social following indicates a higher level of popularity and can positively impact your rankings in Bing’s search results.
10. Social Platform: Bing gives preference to more authoritative social platforms, such as Twitter. Bing recognizes the significance of these platforms in shaping online conversations and considers their impact when evaluating social signals for ranking purposes.
11. Account Authority: Bing places greater importance on established authors or accounts within a specific niche. Recognizing these authoritative figures as experts and trusted sources, Bing assigns them more authority, resulting in higher visibility and credibility in search rankings.
12. Social Engagement: Based on a correlation study, websites with high social engagement tend to rank better in Bing’s search results. Active social media engagement, including likes, comments, and shares, can indicate the relevance and popularity of your content, potentially improving your rankings.
13. Social Backlinks: While sharing content on social media can generate visibility and traffic, search engines, including Bing, do not consider social platforms as a direct source of earning backlinks. Additionally, most links shared on social platforms are tagged as “no-follow,” meaning they do not pass link authority or impact search rankings.
14. Spammy Communities: Engaging in communities or groups involved in link farms or other spammy activities will not help improve your rankings on Bing. In fact, participating in such activities can have a detrimental effect on your website’s visibility and credibility in search results.
15. Fake Engagement: Attempting to boost your social media fan counts or engagement through automated services, such as auto-likes or auto-follows, does not contribute positively to your rankings in Bing. Bing’s algorithm recognizes these artificial engagement tactics and focuses on genuine and meaningful interactions.

On-Site Webspam Factors:

On-Site Webspam Factors refer to various spammy practices that can be found directly on a website and can negatively impact its rankings in search engine results. These factors are taken into account by search engines like Bing to ensure the quality and relevance of websites. The following are sub-factors that fall under On-Site Webspam Factors:

1. Malicious Redirects: Redirects used for deceptive purposes or to manipulate search engine rankings are strongly discouraged by Bing. Such tactics can lead to penalties and even removal from the search index.
2. Intrusive Popups and Ads: Popups and distracting ads that hinder the user’s browsing experience and disrupt their intent are considered indicators of a low-quality website. Bing prioritizes user satisfaction and values sites that provide a seamless and non-intrusive user experience.
3. Misleading Affiliate Websites: Websites that falsely represent themselves as official retailers or affiliates of other reputable sites, solely for the purpose of taking credit for existing content, can face demotion or delisting from Bing’s search results. Bing aims to promote genuine and trustworthy sources of information.
4. Artificially Generated Content: Bing strongly opposes the use of computer-generated content that lacks genuine human input and relevance. Employing this method to create content is viewed as a violation of Bing’s guidelines and can result in penalties or removal from search results.
5. Keyword Stuffing: Overloading content with excessive and irrelevant keywords in an attempt to manipulate search rankings is discouraged by Bing. Keyword stuffing not only diminishes user experience but also goes against Bing’s ranking algorithm, potentially leading to demotion or delisting.
6. Malware Detection: Bing prioritizes user safety and strives to protect users from accessing malware-infected websites. When malware is detected, Bing takes action by either removing infected sites from search results or blocking access to infected URLs.
7. URL Keyword Stuffing: Manipulating page URLs by excessively stuffing them with keywords (URL keyword stuffing) is considered a spammy practice by Bing. Such manipulation can trigger spam detection mechanisms and result in negative consequences for a website’s rankings.
8. Domain Name Misuse: Bing discourages the use of domain names that resemble established and reputable websites with the intention of misleading users. Instead of penalizing similar domain websites outright, Bing employs various ranking factors to evaluate the legitimacy and quality of the site.

Additional subpoints:

1. Hidden Text or Links: Concealing text or links from users but making them visible to search engines is seen as a deceptive practice by Bing. Websites engaging in such tactics may face penalties or removal from search results.
2. Cloaking: Presenting different content to search engines and users in an attempt to manipulate rankings is strongly discouraged by Bing. Cloaking violates Bing’s guidelines and can result in severe penalties.
3. Duplicate Content: Having identical or near-identical content across multiple web pages within a website can negatively impact rankings in Bing’s search results. Creating unique and valuable content is preferred.
4. Thin or Low-Quality Content: Bing favors websites that provide substantial and valuable content to users. Thin or low-quality content that lacks depth, relevance, or originality may face demotion or exclusion from search results.
5. User-Generated Spam: Websites that allow user-generated content but fail to moderate it effectively, leading to spammy or irrelevant contributions, may be penalized by Bing. Implementing proper spam prevention measures is crucial.
6. Cloaked Affiliate Links: Concealing affiliate links from users by using deceptive practices such as cloaking is against Bing’s guidelines. Websites engaging in such tactics risk penalties and loss of search visibility.
7. User Experience: Bing places importance on delivering a positive user experience. Websites with poor navigation, slow loading times, or intrusive elements may experience lower rankings as they may not meet Bing’s standards for user satisfaction.
8. Mobile-Friendly Design: Bing considers the mobile-friendliness of websites as a ranking factor, emphasizing the importance of responsive design and optimized user experience for mobile users.
9. Broken Links and 404 Errors: Websites with a significant number of broken links or frequent occurrence of 404 errors may be perceived as offering a poor user experience. Regularly monitoring and fixing broken links is essential for maintaining search visibility.
10. Structured Data Markup: Implementing structured data markup on a website helps search engines understand and display relevant information. Websites utilizing structured data effectively may receive enhanced visibility and improved search results presentation.

Off-Site Factors:

Off-Site Webspam Factors refer to external factors that can impact a website’s search engine rankings, specifically related to spammy or manipulative practices conducted outside of the website itself. These factors are considered by search engines like Bing when evaluating the quality and trustworthiness of a website. The following sub-factors are associated with Off-Site Webspam Factors:

Hacked Website:

1. Malicious Code Injection: Unauthorized code injections on your website compromise user security and can lead to penalties from Bing.
2. Data Breach: If your website experiences a data breach, exposing user information, it violates Bing’s guidelines and may result in penalties.

Unnatural Influx of Links:

1. Link Farming: Participating in link farms or engaging in artificial link building schemes can be detected by Bing, leading to penalties.
2. Link Exchange Networks: Joining networks that promote link exchanges solely for the purpose of manipulating search rankings can have negative consequences.

Scraped Content:

1. Duplicate Content: Republishing content from other websites without adding original value or differentiation is considered scraping and can harm your site’s rankings.
2. Auto-Generated Content: Creating content using automated tools or methods without human involvement is frowned upon by Bing and can lead to penalties.

Affiliate Programs without Sufficient Value:

1. Thin Affiliation: Operating as a thin affiliate by simply redirecting or linking to other sites’ products without providing unique insights or additional value is discouraged by Bing.
2. Content Duplication: Replicating product descriptions or reviews from affiliate programs without adding original content violates Bing’s guidelines and may result in penalties.

Malicious Behavior:

1. Phishing Attempts: Engaging in phishing activities, such as attempting to steal users’ personal information or login credentials, is considered malicious behavior by Bing.
2. Malware Distribution: Hosting or distributing malware, including viruses or trojans, on your website will lead to severe penalties and potentially result in delisting.

Misleading Structured Data Markup:

1. Irrelevant Markup: Including structured data markup that is unrelated or misleading to the actual page content violates Bing’s guidelines and can negatively impact rankings.
2. Inaccurate Markup: Providing false or inaccurate information in structured data markup misleads search engines and users, which is considered a spammy practice.

Link Schemes, Link Buying, Link Spamming:

1. Paid Linking: Engaging in the practice of buying links to manipulate search rankings is against Bing’s guidelines and can lead to penalties.
2. Link Spam: Overloading webpages with excessive links or placing irrelevant links for the sole purpose of manipulating search results is considered spamming.

Social Media Schemes:

1. Auto-Following: Employing automated tools or services to artificially increase follower counts on social media platforms is recognized by Bing as a social media scheme.
2. Follower Manipulation: Creating a deceptive impression of influence by having a disproportionate number of followers compared to those you follow violates Bing’s guidelines.

Additional Factors:

Additional Factors play a significant role in search engine optimization (SEO) for Bing and impact a website’s visibility and ranking in search results. These factors go beyond on-site and off-site elements and encompass various aspects that can influence a website’s performance. Below are the sub-factors discussed within the Additional Factors category: