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What is Bing Places for Business?
Bing Places for Business is Microsoft’s equivalent to Google Business Manager. It’s a free platform for local businesses to list useful details such as opening times, images, services, reviews and location. These details then appear in Bing searches and Bing Maps, showing users a quick summary or helping them find a physical location (if you have a store or office that they can visit).
Also, when users ask AI assistants like ChatGPT (or Microsoft’s Copilot) for local recommendations (e.g., “best coffee shop near me”), the AI models pull relevant, real-time information from various web sources, including the Bing search index. Bing Places profiles feed into this ecosystem.
The advantages of a Bing Places listing include:
- Stand out amongst organic search results in Bing
- Provide users with an easy-to-access summary of useful information
- Link through to your website so users can find more information
- Help customers get directions to your shop or office (if relevant)
- Showcase images of your business
- Showcase reviews from happy customers
- Boost trust and credibility
- Gain visibility in the increasing AI search landscape
How to Get A Free Bing Places for Business Listing
A Bing business listing is easy to set up. In fact, if you already have a Google Business listing, then you can transfer most of the data from that platform with a single click. Learn how to set up Google Business Listing if you have neither but would like both.
1. Create a Microsoft Account
If you already use Microsoft’s tools, then you may already have a login that you can use. If you don’t, it’s simple enough to create one, and you don’t even have to have a Microsoft account.
Similarly, if you have a Google account, you can use that to create a corresponding Microsoft account.
Firstly, go to the Bing Places for Business homepage and select Get Started and then Don’t have an account? Create one. You can also log in from here if you already have one of the above accounts.
At this point, follow the instructions to create an account. You can either create a completely new Microsoft email address, or you can use your current business email address, even if it’s not a Microsoft one.
2. Claim or Create a Listing
Once you have created an account, you may have to go back to the Bing Places for Business homepage and log in again. Then you should be presented with two options: Import from Your Google Business Profile and Create Your Bing Profile in Three Steps.
If you already have a Google Business Profile, select the first option and follow the steps. You will need to log into a Google account that is linked to the business profile. When you’ve transferred the data from Google, jump to adding your business details.
If you’re starting completely from scratch, select the second option and keep reading.
Bing may have already created a basic profile from data readily available on the internet, so first type in your business name and check you’re not already listed.
If it already exists, select your business listing and claim it. If no one has claimed it yet, you’ll be taken through some verification steps and then to your admin dashboard.
If you’re listed but someone else has already claimed the business, you will have to request access from them. This could mean that someone else has set up a listing for you, or that you’ve claimed it yourself under a different email address.
If the business isn’t listed at all, you’ll be given the option to create a listing.
3. Add Basic Details and Verify
The next steps are straightforward: just enter some very basic business details such as your business name, address and telephone number. Then you’ll need to wait a few days for the verification process, which is usually via post.
4. Add Business Details
It’s best practice to add as much information about your business as possible. The more detail added, the more comprehensive the listing and the more easily users can find the information they need. A complete listing will also benefit SEO, as it helps confirm the authenticity of your business, and adds more context to your overall web presence.
If you don’t have time to complete everything right away, you can make a start and come back to it at a more convenient time. Data to enter includes:
- Contact details
- Opening hours
- Images – these could be your physical location, staff members, products, or any other visuals that are relevant to what you do.
- A business description. Describe clearly what you do or sell, who you serve, and any other pertinent information.
- Social profiles
- On-site amenities
If you have synced your listing with Google Business Manager, you will find a lot of the information already filled. However, it’s worthwhile checking for accuracy and adding anything missing: Google and Bing aren’t carbon copies of one another. Going forward, you can ask Bing to sync with Google every few weeks so any updates on Google will automatically transfer over.
5. Keep Your Profile Updated
Like a website, a Bing Places for Business profile is most beneficial to SEO when the information is accurate, up-to-date and fresh. That means you should regularly check your information and update as required.
Keep the profile fresh by regularly adding new images or Announcements. Announcements could be events or limited-time offers.
Conclusion
A Bing Places for Business listing is a free tool to enhance your SEO, and your business and AI visibility. Straightforward and quick to set up, it showcases key information about your business, makes you stand out in search listings, and helps users more easily find you. Creating a profile is a quick and easy win for your SEO.