What is Bing Places For Business?
In the realm of search engines, Google undoubtedly takes the lead as the most popular, but it’s crucial not to underestimate the impact and reach of Bing. As the default search engine in Microsoft Edge (and Edge itself being the default browser for Windows machines), Bing holds a significant share of the search engine market, with many comparable offerings to Google. One notable example of this is Bing Places for Business, a robust tool designed to empower businesses in managing their online presence effectively.
Managing local listings is paramount for businesses looking to boost their local search engine optimization. Bing Places for Business enables companies to update and maintain accurate information about their business, such as address, phone number, business hours, and website, ensuring that potential customers can easily find them.
Setting Up Your Bing Profile
Ensuring your Bing Business Profile is set up with accurate, updated information is critical for local SEO success, particularly for small business owners looking to improve site visibility.
Many business profiles on Bing already exist, waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners. The first step in setting up your Bing profile is to claim your business listing. Once you navigate to Bing Places’ website and sign in, use the search bar to look for your business. Chances are it may already be listed. If this is the case, select the unclaimed listing that matches your business and follow the prompts to claim ownership. If not, there will be alternative prompts where you can register your business.
You may need to provide additional information to verify your ownership, such as receiving a postcard by mail with a verification code. Follow the instructions provided to complete the verification process.
Once you’ve claimed and verified your business listing, it’s time to complete your profile with accurate and comprehensive information. This step is crucial for attracting potential customers and improving your search visibility.
As well as basic information, such as your business’s name, address, and phone number, you can provide more of an in-depth overview of your company, including detailing your opening hours (including on special occasions such as public holidays), website and social media links, and providing a business description optimised with your target keywords.
It is possible to use your Google Business Profile to import your information to Bing. However, if you choose to do so, make sure you turn off the option to import data at regular intervals. This will rewrite all the hard work you put in to optimising your profile and differentiating it from your Google Business account. For example, you may wish to use UTMs on your links to measure where your traffic is coming from, and find your Bing UTMs are being replaced by Google’s.
Make sure your information is consistent across all platforms, particularly your name, address, and phone number. This is known as NAP consistency, and is a ranking factor that search engine algorithms look at.
What is NAP?
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone Number – crucial elements of a business’s contact information. Consistency in maintaining NAP information across all online platforms is a fundamental practice in digital marketing, especially for businesses focusing on local SEO. Search engines rely on accurate and consistent NAP data to understand the location and legitimacy of a business.
Consistent NAP information fosters trust among both users and search engines. When customers encounter consistent and accurate contact details for a business across various platforms, it reinforces the credibility of that business.
In local search results, including Bing, search engines often display a “Local Pack” – a group of business listings relevant to a user’s search intent. Consistent NAP information is a key factor in determining which businesses appear in this section – and the higher your business appears, the more likely you are to usher traffic to your website.
In order to ensure NAP consistency, you should periodically audit your business information across online platforms to ensure accuracy. Any changes in name, address, or phone number should be updated promptly.
Optimising Your Profile
Once you have your basic information in place, you should look into optimising your Bing Places profile for further SEO success.
The first step to doing so is to craft a compelling business description that not only describes your products or services, but also includes relevant keywords. Integrate these keywords naturally into your business description. Avoid forced or excessive use; instead, aim for a seamless blend that reads well and provides valuable information about your offerings. Use the description to highlight your business’s unique selling points. What makes your products or services stand out? Communicate this effectively to capture the attention of potential customers.
Bing Places relies on categories to understand your business and match it with relevant search queries. Whilst you can choose more than one category to list your business under, you will need to choose one primary category overall. This primary category should align with the core of your business and what you want to be most prominently associated with, though all categories you select should be relevant to your business.
As your business evolves, regularly review and update your profile. This ensures that your Bing Places profile remains aligned with the current state of your business and continues to attract the right audience.
Choosing Photos
Visual appeal plays a crucial role in attracting and engaging potential customers. When it comes to optimising your Bing Places profile, the strategic selection and uploading of high-quality photos can make a significant impact.
Make use of exterior and interior shots of your business. Showcase the physical space, decor, and atmosphere to give potential customers a feel for what awaits them.
You should also, where applicable, include images of your products or services. Visual representation not only provides a clearer understanding but also entices potential customers by offering a sneak peek into the quality and variety of what you offer.
It’s worth noting that the images you upload to your Bing Places profile appear prominently above the Knowledge Panel listing. This prime placement ensures that these visuals are among the first things users see when searching for your business, making them a powerful tool for making a positive first impression.
Managing Reviews
Your Bing Places listing will collate your reviews from across the web, such as Trust Pilot, and display your star rating on these platforms. It goes without saying that the higher your rating is, the more likely you are to leave a good impression on potential customers.
In order to capitalise on reviews, you should respond to as many as possible, both positive and negative. Active engagement shows you care about customer feedback, whether good or bad, and committed to putting things right when they go wrong.
Top Tips for Managing Your Listing
- Keep your Bing Places listing up-to-date and promptly update any changes. Bing loses confidence in your listing over time if you don’t make any edits, so it’s crucial to ensure you regularly review and tweak your listing.
- Double check your NAP consistency to ensure that potential customers get accurate information and improve the overall health of your local SEO strategy.
- Bing Places provides valuable insights into how users interact with your listing. This can help you understand user behaviour, track the performance of your listing, and identify areas for improvement. Adjust your strategy based on these insights to continually enhance your local SEO efforts.
- Add a link to your Bing Places page on your website and other online profiles. The more visibility and engagement your listing receives, the better it will perform in local search results.
Need support with your local SEO? At Bespoke Digital, our SEO experts are on hand to get your Bing Places for Business profile up and running, as well as provide a host of support with other areas of your SEO strategy. For more information, feel free to get in touch.
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