Did you create a Bing drive for more than 30 percent of searches in certain locations? Thousands of prospective visitors are searching on Bing, Yahoo (which runs on the Bing search engine), and other Microsoft-based search engine mechanisms, but they are not concentrating on Google. The best part? Submitting your sitemap to Bing is entirely free and takes less than 10 minutes. This guide will demonstrate how to add your website to Bing Webmaster Tools and submit a sitemap so that your site will be indexed faster. 📥 Download: XML Sitemap Setup for Bing Webmaster Checklist – InfoLifeHub.pdf

Why Submit to Bing Webmaster Tools?

This is the reason why you should not overlook Bing:

• Added source of traffic- Reach out to Millions of Bing and Yahoo users.
• Reduced competition- Reduced websites optimized to Bing = less competition.
• Corporate users- A significant number of businesses switch to Bing (particularly Microsoft workplaces).
• Voice search Bing supports Cortana, Alexa, and Siri search.
• International presence- Bing has popularity in certain countries and regions.Free SEO data -Bing Webmaster Tools provides some data that cannot be obtained in Google.

Practical implication: It has been reported by many website owners that as a result of being optimized with Bing!, 10-20% more traffic is generated.

What You’ll Need

Before we begin, make sure you have:

Required:

• Your website’s sitemap URL (usually yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml)
• A Microsoft account (Hotmail, Outlook, or any Microsoft email – free to create)
• Access to verify website ownership (multiple methods available)
• 10-15 minutes of your time

You DON’T Need:

• Technical or coding knowledge
• Paid tools or premium accounts
• Web development experience
• Microsoft Ads account

Already submitted to Google? Great! The process for Bing is very similar but even simpler.

Before submitting your sitemap to Bing, make sure you’ve already created one. Follow our How to set up a sitemap in WordPress using Yoast SEO to generate a proper XML sitemap in minutes.

Step-by-Step Guide: Submit Sitemap to Bing

Step 1: Access Bing Webmaster Tools

Let’s get started:

1. Open your web browser
2. Go to https://www.bing.com/webmasters
3. Click Sign in button in the top right
4. Sign in with your Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, or Live.com)
   • Don’t have one? Click “Create one” and it’s free!

First time here? You’ll see a welcome screen. Click Get Started or Add a Site.

Step 2: Add Your Website

Now let’s add your site to Bing Webmaster Tools:

1. You’ll see “Add a site” option
2. Enter your full website URL (e.g., https://infolifehub.com)
   • Include https:// or http://
   • Use the exact version (with or without www)
3. Click Add

Pro Tip: If you have both www and non-www versions, add both as separate properties later.

Step 3: Verify Website Ownership

Bing needs to confirm you own the website. You have three verification methods:

Option A: XML File Upload (Easiest)

1. Bing will provide a small XML file (e.g., BingSiteAuth.xml)
2. Click Download to save the file
3. Upload this file to your website’s root directory using:
   • FTP/File Manager in your hosting cPanel
   • WordPress Media Library won’t work – must be in root folder
4. The file should be accessible at: yoursite.com/BingSiteAuth.xml
5. Return to Bing and click Verify

Where is root directory?

• Via cPanel: File Manager → public_html folder
• Via FTP: The main folder where your WordPress files are

Option B: HTML Meta Tag (Popular for WordPress)

1. Bing provides a meta tag like: <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="ABC123...">
2. Copy this entire tag
3. In WordPress:
   • Go to SEO → General (Yoast SEO)
   • Click Webmaster Tools tab
   • Paste code in Bing verification code field
   • Save changes
4. Return to Bing and click Verify

This is the easiest method for WordPress users with Yoast SEO!

Option C: CNAME Record (For Tech-Savvy Users)

1. Bing provides a CNAME record
2. Log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
3. Add the CNAME record to your DNS settings
4. Wait for DNS propagation (up to 24 hours)
5. Return to Bing and verify

Recommended: Use Option A or B for simplicity. Option C is overkill for most users.

Step 4: Import from Google Search Console (Quick Alternative!)

Already verified in Google Search Console? Here’s a shortcut:

1. During the “Add a site” process, look for “Import from Google Search Console”
2. Click this option
3. Sign in with your Google account
4. Select your website
5. Click Import

Bing will automatically:

• Verify your site ownership
• Import your sitemap
• Import your URL settings

This is the FASTEST method if you’re already on Google Search Console!

Step 5: Submit Your Sitemap

Now for the main event – submitting your sitemap:

1. Once verified, you’ll be in your Bing Webmaster Tools dashboard
2. Look for Sitemaps in the left sidebar menu
3. Click on Sitemaps
4. You’ll see a field that says “Submit a sitemap”
5. Enter your sitemap URL in one of these formats:
   • sitemap_index.xml (if using Yoast SEO)
   • sitemap.xml (generic WordPress sitemap)
   • Full URL: https://yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml
6. Click Submit

Success! You should see a confirmation message.

Step 6: Verify Sitemap Submission

Let’s make sure everything worked:

1. Stay on the Sitemaps page
2. Look at the sitemap table – you should see:
   •  Status: Pending or Success
   • Last Submitted: Today’s date
   • URLs Discovered: Number will appear after indexing
3. If status shows “Pending”, that’s normal – give it 24-48 hours

What if it shows an error?

• Double-check your sitemap URL is accessible (visit it in your browser)
• Ensure your sitemap isn’t blocked by robots.txt
• Try submitting the full URL instead of just the filename

Step 7: Check Indexing Status

After 24-48 hours, check your progress:

1. Go to Dashboard in Bing Webmaster Tools
2. Look at the Pages Indexed widget
3. You should see numbers start appearing
4. Click on URL Inspection to check specific pages

Normal indexing time:

• Established sites: 1-3 days
• Brand new sites: 1-2 weeks
• High-quality content gets indexed faster!

Optimizing Your Bing Webmaster Tools Setup

Configure Site Settings

Make these adjustments for better results:

1. Go to Settings → General
2. Set these options:
   • Default language: English (or your language)
   • Target country: Your primary audience location
   • Preferred URL: www or non-www (be consistent)

Set Up URL Parameters

If your site uses URL parameters (like tracking codes):

1. Go to Crawl Control → URL Parameters
2. Tell Bing how to handle parameters
3. This prevents duplicate content issues

Submit Individual URLs

Want to speed up indexing for important pages?

1. Go to URL Inspection
2. Enter a specific page URL
3. Click Submit URL if not indexed
4. Use this for new blog posts or updated pages

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Learn from others’ errors:

Mistake 1: Wrong Sitemap URL Format

Problem: Submitting sitemap.xml when using Yoast (which uses sitemap_index.xml)
Solution: Check your actual sitemap URL by visiting yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml in a browser

Mistake 2: Blocking Bing in Robots.txt

Problem: Your robots.txt file blocks Bingbot
Solution: Check yoursite.com/robots.txt – make sure you don’t have:

User-agent: Bingbot
Disallow: /

Mistake 3: Not Verifying Both WWW and Non-WWW

Problem: Your site is accessible both ways but only one is verified
Solution: Add both versions as separate properties in Bing Webmaster Tools

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Verify After Adding Site

Problem: Adding site but not completing verification process
Solution: Complete verification within 30 days or you’ll need to restart

Mistake 5: Never Checking Back

Problem: Submitting sitemap once and forgetting about it
Solution: Check monthly for crawl errors, indexing issues, and SEO opportunities

Mistake 6: Using HTTP Instead of HTTPS

Problem: Submitting HTTP version when site uses HTTPS
Solution: Always match your actual site’s protocol (check your browser’s address bar)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: “Verification Failed” Error

Try these solutions:

1. Clear your site cache if using caching plugin
2. Wait 10-15 minutes after placing verification file
3. Check file is in root directory (not in a subfolder)
4. Verify file is accessible – visit the URL directly in your browser
5. Try different verification method – switch to meta tag if file upload fails

Issue: “Unable to Access Sitemap” Error

Possible causes and fixes:

• Server error: Contact your hosting provider
• Blocked by robots.txt: Edit robots.txt to allow Bingbot
• Cache issue: Clear site cache, wait, and resubmit
• Wrong URL format: Try full URL instead of relative path
• Sitemap too large: Bing has a 50MB limit – split into smaller sitemaps

Issue: No Pages Being Indexed

Check these things:

1. Give it time: Bing is slower than Google – wait 2 weeks for new sites
2. Check URL Inspection: Manually submit your homepage
3. Verify sitemap status: Look for errors in Sitemaps section
4. Check content quality: Thin or duplicate content won’t index
5. Build backlinks: Even a few quality links help indexing

Issue: Some Pages Missing from Index

Solutions:

1. Submit URLs individually via URL Inspection tool
2. Check noindex tags: Ensure pages aren’t set to noindex
3. Improve internal linking: Link to those pages from your homepage
4. Update content: Refresh old pages with new information
5. Check robots.txt: Make sure pages aren’t blocked

Bing Webmaster Tools vs Google Search Console

Understanding the differences:

Bottom line: Use BOTH for maximum visibility!

FAQs

Q: Do I require Bing Ads account in order to use Webmaster Tools?

A: No! Bing Webmaster Tools is absolutely free and independent of Bing Ads. All you require is a Microsoft account.

Q: What is the pending time of Bing on indexing my site?

A: New sites, 1-2 weeks regular, old sites 1-3 days. Bing is usually slower as compared to Google.

Q: Am I to send each page separately?

A: No need! Bing is automatically informed by your sitemap of all pages. Only provide single URLs in time sensitive content.

Q: Will doing so with Bing assist my Google standing?

A: No immediate effect, but increased presence in search engines and Bing traffic backlinks will have an indirect positive effect on Google ranking.

Q: Would it be possible to use the same sitemap on Bing and Google?

A: Yes! The sitemap that is used exactly works in both. There is no necessity to make independent ones.

Q: What about having a WordPress.com site (not self-hosted)?

A: WordPress.com takes care of sitemaps. Your site map is at yoursite.wordpress.com/sitemap.xml. It can be checked in Bing Webmaster Tools.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have just submitted your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools. When everybody is just thinking about Google, you are now getting the traffic on the Bing, Yahoo, and other Microsoft-driven search engines. This is a basic 10-minute exercise and can lead to thousands of visitors eventually. The best part? It does not need any continuous maintenance – your sitemap is automatically updated with new content as you publish it.

Quick Recap:

1. Signed up for Bing Webmaster Tools
2. Verified website ownership
3. Submitted sitemap
4. Configured basic settings

Note: Be sure to check your Bing Webmaster Tools dashboard at least once a month to keep track of the indexing and to identify problems at their initial stage. The greater the number of search engines that you are in, the more traffic will be achieved!