Bing Search Market Share is Growing: Why It Matters and How to Rank Higher with APIs

You’ve worked hard at your Google SEO, and you finally made it to the top. Mission accomplished. A job well done. But then someone on your team mentions they couldn’t find your company in a search. That can’t be right—you see your company right at the top of the page. Then you think to ask, what search engine are you using? It turns out, they’re using Bing.

This article will cover Bing SEO tips and the SERP APIs you’ll need to capture this lucrative market.

What is Bing and Who Are Its Users?

The Google search engine dominates the market to the point that “I’m going to google that” is synonymous with online search. But it’s not the only search engine on the market. Bing is Microsoft’s search engine and Google’s biggest competitor. For many Microsoft users, they may not even realize they are using Bing because it’s so tightly integrated with other Microsoft products. Bing is the default search engine of the Microsoft Edge browser and is embedded within Microsoft 365 products. If you’re in a Microsoft environment, it’s hard not to use Bing.

Bing’s reach extends beyond Microsoft. Microsoft’s Cortana, Xbox and Amazon’s Alexa leverage Bing’s search engine. Ever asked Alexa a question? Turns out you’re a Bing user.

When comparing Bing users to typical Google search users, Bing users tend to be slightly older (average age 45), better educated, more affluent, and more likely to be married with children at home—making them a highly desirable market.

The current AI Search Wars put additional emphasis on the need to pay attention to Bing. The rise of AI-powered search engines is drastically changing how search engines work. Microsoft has partnered with OpenAI to leverage ChatGPT in its Bing browser, while Google is using a home-grown AI solution. The search engine that wins could be the one with the best AI.

Why Bing’s Growing Market Share Matters

On average, Bing ads outperform Google in several key metrics: 

• Bing shopping campaigns have a 45% higher ad click-through rate (CTR) than Google.
• Bing’s average cost per click (CPC) on shopping ads is 30% lower than Google’s.
• The average cost to acquire a customer (CPA) is about 40% lower through Bing shopping than on Google shopping.

How Does Bing’s Search Engine Differ from Google?

Like me, maybe you thought ranking high on Google would automatically put you at the top of other search engines, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. In many instances, Bing’s ranking criteria are clearer than Google’s, making it easier to achieve high rankings if you follow their guidelines. Let’s break down the similarities and differences:

SEO ranking criteria shared by both Bing and Google:

• Publish great content that’s relevant and useful to your audience.
• Include videos and images—they help keep users engaged.
• Use schema markup to give search engines more context about your pages.
• Write compelling meta tags and descriptions
• Focus on earning high-quality backlinks from reputable sites.

Areas where Bing SEO differs from Google:

• Domain Age and Authority: Bing gives older domains more credit compared to Google.
• Desktop vs. Mobile: While Google prioritizes mobile-friendly sites, Bing leans more toward desktop users—but still values mobile-friendly ones.
• Social Signals: Bing pays attention to social media activity. So, an active social presence can help your ranking.
• Exact Match Keywords: Bing prefers when your keywords match exactly—so keep it specific.
• Keyword Stuffing Tolerance: Bing might cut you a little more slack with keyword stuffing, but don’t overdo it. Both search engines frown on this practice.

Tools to Improve Your Bing SEO

To master Bing SEO, you’ll need the right tools. Here are the essentials for your toolkit:

1. Bing Webmaster Tools: Microsoft’s free platform provides reporting, diagnostics, and notifications to improve your site’s performance in Bing search. It also includes a keyword research tool.
2. Sitemap Submission Tools: Submitting a sitemap through Bing Webmaster Tools ensures Bing can efficiently crawl and index your website pages.
3. SERP APIs: Search engine algorithms are constantly changing. A SERP API allows you to monitor your rankings and those of your competitors, giving you the data you need to adapt your strategy.

Leverage Traject Data’s SerpWow to Rank Higher on Bing

SEO for Bing is similar to Google, and both require consistent data and monitoring. To maximize your reach, you need a SERP API that can track and monitor both search engines. Don’t miss out on 16% of the US desktop search market when you can leverage a SERP API to help you climb the ranks on both platforms.

Traject Data’s SerpWow API does just that. It monitors Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex, Naver, Amazon, and eBay, giving you comprehensive insights to optimize your SEO strategy across multiple search engines.

Start climbing the ranks with Traject Data’s SerpWow today.