Free keyword and backlink data in Bing Webmaster Tools

Why look beyond Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is the default SEO starting point. But it only describes your visibility in Google Search. Bing Webmaster Tools provides another search engine’s perspective: different rankings, queries, crawl behavior and links.

That matters when a page performs poorly in one engine but normally in another. The comparison does not prove why rankings differ, but it helps you decide what to investigate.

Bing’s official Webmaster API documentation covers performance statistics, keyword details, inbound links, crawl statistics and URL submission. Microsoft retired older SOAP/POX APIs in August 2026; use the documented REST APIs for new integrations.

What can you get from Bing?

Availability and the exact shape of results vary by API endpoint and property access. Do not treat Bing’s keyword metrics as directly interchangeable with Google Search Console query impressions.

Set up Bing Webmaster Tools

1. Open Bing Webmaster Tools and add your site.
2. Complete verification; Bing may offer an import flow for already-verified Search Console properties.
3. Review Search Performance, URL Inspection and Backlinks in the dashboard.
4. If using the API, generate an API credential using Bing’s available account settings and follow Microsoft’s REST documentation.
5. Keep that credential in a secure connection setting or secrets manager, never inside an AI chat prompt.

If your AI product provides a supported Bing integration, authorize it there; otherwise start with Bing’s web interface or documented API.

Three comparisons worth running

1. Bing visibility versus Google visibility

Make a list of pages with meaningful Bing impressions but very little Google search activity. Check whether differences might be explained by ranking, indexing, query demand, geography or device distribution.

Do not compare raw click totals without context. The search engines have different audiences and query volumes.

2. A traffic decline that appears in both engines

Compare matched 28-day periods for the same set of URLs. If both search engines show a decline, investigate page availability, content changes, redirects, robots directives and competition. If only one engine declines, look more closely at engine-specific indexing and rankings.

3. Crawl errors and new content

Use crawl and URL status reports to check whether Bing has discovered your latest pages. Submission is a discovery hint, not a guarantee of indexation or a higher ranking.

Prompts for a connected AI agent

These prompts require access to both data sources. A Search Console-only connector cannot honestly produce a Bing report, even if a language model can describe what one might look like.

A cross-engine comparison worksheet

To find something actionable, compare a small set of important URLs rather than all keywords at once. Use the same complete 28-day window and keep Google and Bing numbers in separate columns.

Here is a fictional example:

Do not rank opportunities by raw Bing-to-Google ratios alone. Each engine has a different user base, search demand and distribution of devices. A high ratio may be perfectly normal for a technical topic.

A stronger review proceeds in this order:

1. Check whether both engines report the same canonical URL.
2. Verify that the page is actually indexed where expected.
3. Compare query intent. Similar-looking keywords are not necessarily equivalent.
4. Check impressions before interpreting click differences. One engine may simply have far less search volume.
5. Compare performance trends over two or more periods, rather than a one-day anomaly.
6. Review competing results and the page’s title, content and internal links.

If rankings decline only in Google, the Search Console traffic-drop checklist is a better starting point than assuming Bing is broken.

IndexNow, URL submission and crawling: the differences

Bing supports mechanisms to notify it about published or changed URLs, including documented URL submission APIs and IndexNow workflows. These methods help with discovery; they do not guarantee that a URL will be crawled immediately, indexed or ranked.

For an ordinary content update, a reliable process is:

1. Publish a stable, crawlable page that returns an appropriate HTTP status.
2. Include it in your XML sitemap and link to it from relevant site navigation or content.
3. Use a supported notification method if your integration offers one.
4. Review the URL’s status later; do not repeatedly submit it as a substitute for fixing a genuine problem.

IndexNow is supported by participating search engines, but you should not assume every engine uses the same protocol. Google’s general Search Console API does not accept arbitrary indexing requests for ordinary articles.

Read Microsoft’s Bing Webmaster API documentation for current REST endpoints, credential requirements and API limits. Legacy SOAP/POX integrations were scheduled for retirement in August 2026; do not copy older code samples without checking them.

Four diagnostic questions for Bing data

Why does a page rank in Bing but not Google?

Possible explanations include different ranking systems, different query volume, indexing states, geo/device distributions and how each engine interprets the page. A single keyword comparison cannot isolate the reason.

Can I use Bing backlink data as a complete link audit?

No. Link indexes differ in discovery and coverage. Treat Bing’s backlink report as an additional signal, not a complete inventory of every inbound link.

Are Bing keyword statistics identical to Google Keyword Planner?

No. They use different sources and methods. Do not sum or average their estimates into a synthetic ‘universal search volume.’

Is the Bing REST API useful for an AI agent?

Yes, when the connector exposes the specific endpoints you need and your account has the appropriate permissions. An assistant should identify the source of each Bing metric, instead of silently blending Bing and Google results.

Reporting template: what your agent should return

Ask for one row per important URL with its Google clicks, Bing clicks, impressions from each engine, dates, index status where available and recommended next check. Keep speculative causes in a separate column.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bing Webmaster Tools free?

The core webmaster dashboard and documented API access are provided by Microsoft. Individual endpoints and rate limits still apply.

Can Bing API data predict Google rankings?

No. Use it as supporting evidence, not a Google ranking predictor.

Can submitting a URL force Bing to rank it?

No. URL submission can help notify Bing of changes; crawling, indexing and ranking are separate processes.

To bring these diagnostics into an AI-led workflow, see how GSC Magic connects search data to AI tools and explore 25 practical SEO prompts.