While Google dominates local search, it is essential for businesses also to optimize their Bing listings. By optimizing your Bing Place profile, you will get your business in front of a new audience that may have yet to be searching on Google.
Additionally, Bing is the default search engine for many Microsoft devices.
Keyword Research
Bing is an important search engine, mainly because it has a large user base that doesn’t use Google. It’s used in voice searches (Alexa and Cortana) and is included with Windows, Microsoft Office, and various other Microsoft products. Additionally, it’s a significant partner with dozens of different search engines and is the default option in many Internet browsers.
Keyword research is essential to any SEO strategy but essential for local businesses. It helps you find the keywords people use to look for your services or products and ensures your content is optimized for those terms. This will help you generate more leads and sales.
When performing keyword research, it’s also essential to consider the searcher’s intent. Searchers who type “wedding cake” have a different purpose than those who “buy wedding cake in Boston.” The latter keywords have more commercial intent, meaning that the searcher is closer to making a purchase.
Another important aspect of keyword research is to see what your competitors are doing. You can do this by analyzing their website and using tools to analyze competitor keywords. You can also learn a lot by looking at the results in the SERPs. For example, Bing prioritizes websites with exact keywords in their titles and descriptions.
On-Page Optimization
Having a website that is easy for search engines to analyze is essential. This includes incorporating keywords into the page content and ensuring those keywords are relevant to the search query. When done correctly, this will help your web pages rank higher in the results pages for searches conducted by users of Bing and other search engine platforms.
While Google is the dominant search engine in the United States, Bing optimization of your local business listing and other platforms is essential. After all, millions of Internet users still use these search engines and could be looking for your services.
Bing has a few differences from Google in the way that it displays local business listings. For instance, the business profile is shown as a box within the main search results area (Google uses a different result). Additionally, Bing has features allowing businesses to add and share offers and promote their social media profiles.
Another way that Bing differs from Google is that it places a greater emphasis on reviews. This is why it’s essential to encourage your clients to leave reviews on their Bing local listings. This will help their listings stand out in the search results and improve their chances of getting more clicks, calls, or directions. In addition, make sure that your client’s website loads quickly, as Bing has a lower tolerance for slow websites.
Backlinks
For local businesses, backlinks are one of the most critical factors in their optimization strategy. They can be challenging to acquire and often require significant time and effort, but they can also provide the greatest return on investment of any SEO tactics.
The most effective backlinks for local businesses come from websites with high authority and relevant content. This includes sites owned by.edu and.org domains, as well as sites that are ranked highly by Bing. Avoiding spammy links, which can harm your rankings, is also essential. Using a tool like Ubersuggest can help you find potential spammy links and disavow them if necessary.
Another critical aspect of optimizing for Bing is ensuring your business profile on the search engine is fully optimized. This is an opportunity to highlight your photos, services, and more to users searching for your location. It’s also an opportunity to be creative and add a few extra details that will set you apart from the competition.
An optimized Bing Places profile is a great way to get your name out there and, even more importantly, in front of potential customers who might not have otherwise known you were there. It takes, on average, seven brand impressions before a customer is likely to take action, and having a visible business presence can help nurture that interest.
Social Media
Google’s search engine algorithm has dramatically changed since Hummingbird, and SEO best practices have aligned with these changes. For example, optimizing content for exact keyword matches, using LSI keywords, and ensuring that your content answers the user’s questions is now essential.
On the other hand, Bing is more old-fashioned in their approach and emphasizes traditional practices such as content marketing and quality links. They also place more importance on social media as a ranking factor, including the number of followers and shares you have. This is good news for local businesses, as social media traffic tends to convert better than Google traffic.
As a result, local businesses should focus more on content marketing and use social media to expand their brand to drive traffic to their website. In addition, they should optimize their images by including relevant information and using descriptive file names. Using video content to engage users and keep them on your site is also essential.
As the second largest search engine, Bing can be a great source of organic traffic for your local business. Optimizing your content for Bing is easy and effective, and it can help you bring highly-convertive traffic to your website. You should claim your business listings and update them regularly with relevant information to get started. It would help if you also considered running paid ads to reach a wider audience.
