Bing Index: strategic to be identified by LLMs
Description
Bing indexing follows similar principles to Google's, but with nuances in the evaluation of social signals, the importance given to metadata, and quality criteria.
Microsoft is increasingly integrating its AI services (Copilot, ChatGPT) with Bing results, creating a synergy between traditional indexing and optimization for AI.
Why is this important for ai search?
With the growing integration between Bing and Microsoft's AI services, Bing indexing is becoming particularly strategic for visibility in generative answers.
Content that is well-indexed on Bing is more likely to be used by Copilot and other Microsoft AI tools.
Technical details
- Indexing in Bing search results
- Domain presence in the Bing Knowledge Graph
- Updating the displayed information
- Requesting a page crawl from IndexNow
- Verifying and enriching Knowledge Graph attributes
1. Indexing in Bing results
For a website to be visible on Bing, it is imperative that its pages are indexed. Indexing is the process by which Bing crawls, analyzes, and stores your site's content in its index. Without indexing, your pages cannot appear in search results (SERPs) and therefore will not be accessible to users or generative AI engines that rely on Bing's index.
Use the command site:yourdomain.com in the Bing search bar to check which pages of your site are indexed. For a more in-depth diagnosis and tools to help with indexing, use Bing Webmaster Tools.
2. Domain presence in the Bing Knowledge Graph
Similar to Google's Knowledge Graph, Bing also has its own Knowledge Graph, which aggregates information about entities to provide direct and enriched answers in search results. For brands and businesses, appearing in the Bing Knowledge Graph means that Bing recognizes your entity, understands your business, and can display structured information about you. This improves your brand's visibility and credibility, which is especially important for generative AI engines that value reliable sources of information.
Perform a Bing search for the exact name of your brand or entity. The presence of a detailed information panel on the right side of the results indicates that your entity is recognized in Bing's Knowledge Graph.
3. Update the information displayed
It is crucial that the information presented in Bing's SERPs and its Knowledge Graph is up-to-date. Outdated data can mislead users and AI systems, which can harm your brand's reputation and ranking. Generative AI engines seek to provide the most recent and accurate information.
Keep all key information on your site (contact details, hours, product/service descriptions) up-to-date. Make sure this information is consistent across your site, in your Bing Places for Business profiles, and via structured data.
4. Request a page crawl from IndexNow
IndexNow is a protocol developed by Microsoft Bing and Yandex that allows website owners to instantly notify search engines of content changes (new pages, updates, deletions). This significantly speeds up the indexing process compared to traditional methods where engines have to discover changes on their own.
Use IndexNow on your site: whenever a page is added, updated, or deleted, send a notification via the IndexNow API. This ensures that Bing (and other engines supporting IndexNow) are immediately informed of the changes, ensuring the freshness of your content in their indexes.
5. Verifying and Enriching Knowledge Graph Attributes
The Bing Knowledge Graph is powered by a variety of sources, including your site's structured data, information from Bing Places for Business, and other public databases. To improve your presence in the Knowledge Graph, it's essential to provide structured and consistent information about your entity.
Use Organization or LocalBusiness (Schema.org) structured data on your site. Ensure your Bing Places for Business profile information is complete and accurate. Data consistency across all sources is critical for Bing to build a robust Knowledge Graph profile for your brand.
Resources & useful links
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