Just as Google has evolved over the past few years, Bing has also made major advancements in its AI search reach and capabilities. In 2025 and beyond, optimizing for Bing SEO is more crucial than ever, as Bing powers ChatGPT’s live search rankings—directly impacting which brands are recommended in generative AI answers.
With more users relying on ChatGPT for commercial queries—such as brand recommendations or comparisons—businesses that rank well on Bing gain a competitive edge, increasing their chances of being surfaced as trusted sources in AI-generated search results. 
Why Marketers Need to Optimize for Bing & SearchGPT?
While it might seem that Bing simply aims to copy many of Google’s features, there are some key differences and ranking factors all marketers should keep in mind when strategizing their Bing SEO strategy. By focusing on best practices for Bing SEO, businesses can enhance their visibility not only in search results on Bing.com (and its search partners, like Yahoo! and AOL), but also in AI-generated answers on ChatGPT, driving more traffic and conversions in an increasingly AI-first digital landscape
ChatGPT and Bing Market Share in 2025 vs Google
The chart below illustrates the Cross-Platform Share of Search per a recent study conducted by SimilarWeb, Sparktoro, and Datos. While it shows Google’s dominant market share at 83.54%, alternative search platforms, particularly ChatGPT (4.33%) and Bing (1.97%), collectively hold 6.33% of the search market, which is growing rapidly due to the rise in popularity of ChatGPT and AI. YouTube (6.79%) also plays an important role in search behavior.
AI Chats are used to find information
Not convinced yet? According to a study by NP Digital, Google ChatGPT has gained 30% in market share growth in terms of “question keywords” and is chipping some of that away from Google.
Here are the key takeaways as to why you should pay more attention to Bing (and ChatGPT) in your SEO strategy.
AI-Driven Search is Expanding: ChatGPT’s 4.33% share signals a gradual shift toward AI-driven search experiences. More users are turning to ChatGPT for answers, product recommendations, and commercial queries, reducing reliance on traditional search engines. Some studies show that 30% of searchers turn to AI Chats when they search for questions online.
Bing’s Role in AI Search: While Bing itself holds 1.97%, its integration with ChatGPT means businesses optimizing for Bing SEO will gain visibility in both Bing search results and ChatGPT-generated responses.
Challenges to Google’s Dominance: While Google remains the leader, the rise of ChatGPT and Bing suggests search behavior is diversifying. Businesses must now optimize across multiple platforms—including AI-driven search—to capture audiences beyond Google.
A Guide Bing SEO
Now that you understand the “why,” it’s time to dive into the “how.” Check out our Bing SEO Guide—your ultimate playbook for ranking at the top, not just on Bing, but also on ChatGPT’s AI-driven search results.
From desktop-first indexing to the importance of verifying your website on Bing Webmaster Tools, there are a few fundamental differences in SEO for Bing you need to know about.
But the biggest opportunity is to leverage data from other sources, such as Google, to inform which transactional keywords are crucial to rank in top 10 on Bing, and also in AI chats.
An example of a particularly effective Bing SEO strategy we are leveraging to future-proof our client’s success includes
Identifying the top-converting keywords on Google (via Google Search Console + Google Ads) and analyzing the rankings on Bing (via Bing Webmaster Tools)
Integrate your Google data to identify your transactional keywords and optimize them for Bing and ChatGPT.

Read on to learn:
- How Bing rankings power ChatGPT recommendations
- What to know about OpenAI’s new crawler: OAI-SearchBot
- How is Bing different from Google’s search engine?
- Who uses Bing search?
- What are the key Bing Ranking factors
- What are the most effective Bing SEO optimization strategies
- How to execute a Bing SEO strategy based on your time and resources
Bing SEO Rankings Power Chat GPT Live Search Recommendations
One big update was the creation of ChatGPT Search. You can now go directly to ChatGPT and press a new “Search” button, which will pull up ChatGPT results with citations from the web. Below is an example of how it looks when you use ChatGPT Search:
As you can see, Chat GPT’s search features are primarily powered by Bing Search. The citations given by ChatGPT are also the top search results that appear in Bing’s search browser and rich features.
OpenAI’s New Crawler: OAI-SearchBot
Another big update is that OpenAI has launched a new crawler called OAI-SearchBot, aimed at improving its search functions within ChatGPT. You don’t need to do anything to be included. This could enhance your site’s visibility in search results within OpenAI features, such as ChatGPT.
While we don’t recommend this option, if you prefer to block OAI-SearchBot from indexing your site, you can disallow it in your robots.txt. This will prevent the OpenAI crawler from accessing your site if you have a valid reason to be excluded. If you want OAI-SearchBot to index your website, ensure there is no disallow directive for it in your robots.txt.
It’s important to differentiate this new bot from GPTBot, which OpenAI uses for content understanding and training its models. OAI-SearchBot is specifically for indexing content to be displayed in search tasks and not for training its model.
How is Bing Different From Google’s Search Engine?
Bing and Google are similar on the surface with common features such as Local Packs, Rich Snippets and even AI features. However, there are some key differences between presentation and information that can offer insight into how Bing operates.
Use of AI: As we expanded upon in the first section, Bing uses OpenAI’s GPT-4. Google does not, although Google has Gemini and its own proprietary AI capabilities. Chat GPT is more widely used than Gemini. ChatGPT currently holds 59.2% market share in the generative AI chatbot space, while Google Gemini only holds a 13.5% share (source).
Maps: While Google Maps generally predicts longer travel times, it provides more comprehensive information about your chosen route compared to Bing Maps.
Image Results: Google features a broader array of images, but Bing’s images are of higher quality and include more detailed information.
Special SERP Features: Google offers specialized SERP features like Google Scholar, adding value to its search capabilities.
Broader Local Search Radius: In terms of local search, Bing scans a broader mile area , while Google focuses on closer, more proximate listings to the user.
Voice Search: Regarding voice search capabilities, Google Assistant demonstrates better understanding of linguistic nuances, whereas Microsoft’s Cortana excels in speech recognition accuracy.
VPA’s: Voice-powered assistant (VPA) responses on devices like Google smart speakers exclusively utilize Google search results, whereas Bing powers the responses for Siri, Cortana, and Alexa.
SERP Ads: Bing displays fewer ads on its search engine results pages compared to Google.
Example SERP Differences Between Google and Bing:
Bing Search Example: “SEO Services” keyword searched from Miami
I am given local pack results for 6 locations and some as far away as 30+ miles.
We are also given Bing’s version of “People also Ask” which actually starts with Voice SEO as the top question.
Google Search Example: “SEO Services” keyword searched in Miami
We can see some differences on Google – we get 3 local pack results from Google and they are mostly concentrated on the EAST part of the city where the top ranking result is within 10 miles.
The top question in the people also ask section is “What is an SEO service?
Takeaways:
Empirically, we can see that Bing gives vastly different Local SEO results and also offers different top 10 search results with different topics being prioritized over others. This is only one example, but it showcases how different search results can be across the same keyword. Ranking well on Google is not a guarantee of good rankings on Bing.
Who uses Bing search?
As of January 2025, Microsoft Bing’s search engine market share was 12.23% globally on desktop computers, according to Statista. In the United States, Bing’s market share was 7.85% in February 2024. Bing’s market share in the United States has increased slightly since 2021, when it was 5.97%.. Statcounter GlobalStats reported, however, that Google’s market share was 91.62% globally, while Bing’s was 3.31%, so much smaller compared to other studies.
Traffic on Bing comes primarily from English-speaking countries, particularly the US, with users typically being educated professionals aged 35-54 with $75,000+ household income(source). In April 2024 Bing announced that its search engine has 140 million daily active searchers. While its main market is the US, it is also popular in other English-speaking countries with the exception of non-English speaking countries like Eastern Europe or Asia.
Bing Search Engine’s Key Ranking Factors
Desktop First Indexing Approach; This is in sharp contrast to Google’s mobile-first indexing. Bing uses a desktop-first indexing approach, which means it prioritizes desktop versions of websites.
Bing search powers the Microsoft Search Network, which is a group of search services, including Microsoft sites, Bing.com, Yahoo!, and AOL, Inc. These searches use Bing Search technology and are combined into a single data set below.
(Source: seranking.com)
Page Load Time: Similar to Google, Bing values the speed at which pages load, recognizing its importance for a good user experience.
User Engagement: Bing analyzes user interaction metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of search results.
Backlinks and Referring Domains: Bing assesses both the quantity and quality of backlinks. Links from reputable and relevant sources can significantly enhance Bing rankings, while black hat SEO practices like link farming can lead to being removed from Bing’s index. Similar to Google, Bing favors keyword usage in the anchor text for backlinks.
Content Quality and Relevance: For Bing, the relevance, quality, and credibility of content are critical. They have their own quality rater guidelines as well.
Content Uniqueness: Bing prioritizes content that is both fresh and unique. Content created solely to manipulate rankings, especially if machine-generated at scale or without human review, is deemed malicious and may result in penalties.
Local Factors: When delivering search results, Bing takes into account local relevance, such as the pertinence to local searches, the presence of local business information on Bing Places, and the credibility of local directories.
Bing SEO Optimization Strategies
Improving your site’s rankings on Bing requires a more focused strategy than you might use with Google. For example, you may prioritize keywords that you are already ranking highly on Bing to increase visibility on ChatGPT, and you may also want to be sure you are ranking highly on Bing on your top-converting Google keywords. Start by analyzing your ranking data on Bing and then compare it against your Google rankings. Bing’s Webmaster Tools provide unique insights and diagnostics that can help fine-tune the aspects of your SEO strategy tailored to Bing.
Additionally, Moz highlights that Bing values clear keyword signals more than Google, which leans towards context and user intent. Ensuring that titles, meta descriptions, and content are keyword-rich and clearly reflect the site’s purpose is crucial for Bing SEO as well.
Utilizing Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools is an essential resource for anyone serious about Bing SEO. It provides tools and reports that help you measure your site’s search performance, along with insights into issues that might impact your rankings. Regularly reviewing these tools can give you a significant edge in optimizing your site for Bing’s search engine. In contrast to Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools gives more detailed error messages and recommendations for on page content.
Search Performance is a key feature you want to tap into on Bing Webmaster Tools to get insights into the keyword performance and rankings specifically for Bing.
Submitting an XML Sitemap
One of the first things the Bing Webmaster Tool website mentions when discussing ranking factors is submitting an XML sitemap to your Bing Webmaster Tool dashboard. This is even more significant in Bing than in Google, as it seems that Bing goes here first to identify your links and site hierarchy. Verifying your site and submitting a well thought out XML sitemap allows Bingbot (Bing’s crawler) to more easily crawl the site.
Target the Top Performing Keywords from Google
Identifying the top-converting keywords on Google (via Google Search Console + Google Ads) and analyzing the rankings on Bing (via Bing Webmaster Tools) is the biggest ROI quick win you can imagine when optimizing for Bing.
Step 1: If you are running a Google Ads campaign, download your non-brand keywords report to identify the top conversion keywords (Hint: Make sure you use “Search query reports” or “Exact match” to pinpoint the exact phrase used to generate the conversion).
Step 2: Look up your Google and Bing rankings on these keywords using tools such as Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Step 3: Optimize underperformers on Bing to boost the performance of your transactional content.

Pay Attention to On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is critical when optimizing for Bing. It involves ensuring that all HTML aspects of your page, such as title tags, meta descriptions, and headers, are optimized with relevant keywords that accurately describe your content. Bing values these elements to better understand what the page is about, thus improving your chances of ranking higher.
Claim Your Business on Bing Places
For local businesses, Bing Places offers a robust platform to claim your business and optimize it for local searches. By accurately listing your business, updating contact information, and adding details like business hours and photos, you can enhance your local SEO efforts on Bing significantly. Bing also seems to pull in Local information from Trip Advisor for things like reviews, so claiming and optimizing your trip advisor listing can also influence Bing SERP’s.
(source bingplaces.com)
Bing places significant importance on local SEO, perhaps even more so than Google. For businesses, this means ensuring that location details are accurate, local keywords are incorporated, and local listings are optimized.
The Influence of Social Signals
Bing openly acknowledges the role of social signals in its ranking algorithm, unlike Google, which remains ambiguous about social media’s direct impact. Social signals are the cumulative likes, shares, and overall social media presence that can be traced back to your site. As said by Search Engine Journal, marketers should leverage this by ensuring their Bing SEO strategy includes robust social media integration like share, visible likes, and especially the presence on platforms like Twitter and Facebook can enhance rankings and visibility on Bing. Make sure you have optimized and complete profiles for all social media platforms you are using and also consider guest blogging as another social signal.
“Exact Match Domains” and “Exact Match Keyword Usage”
Bing places a notable emphasis on exact match keywords and domains in content, distinguishing its algorithm from Google’s. This emphasis means that domains which exactly match a search query can receive a ranking boost, making it an essential consideration for businesses targeting specific keywords.
Backlink Strategies for Bing
While Google has evolved to prioritize backlink quality over quantity, Bing still values the number of backlinks, though the emphasis on quality is increasing. According to the Bing Webmaster Tools website, acquiring a good volume of credible backlinks from older, high authority domains can substantially boost your Bing SEO strategy. Ideally these links should be organic or reciprocal links, since Bing also distrusts link schemes and paid backlinking strategies.
Bing’s Specific Content Quality Guidelines
Bing’s guidelines stress the importance of high-quality, original content. Content that offers real value to users is favored, which includes well-researched, well-written, and easy-to-understand information. Ensuring your content meets these quality guidelines can significantly enhance your rankings on Bing. These rater guidelines are very similar to Google’s, although not as detailed as their rater guidelines.
Charting your course in executing a Bing SEO strategy
As the tides of online search ebb and flow, Bing remains a vital opportunity for those willing to navigate its unique currents. While many principles of good SEO practice are universal, the nuances of Bing’s algorithm require marketers to adapt their strategies to ensure they are not only found but also favored in Bing’s search results.
While the potential rewards of Bing SEO are clear, it’s important to consider the effort versus payoff, especially for smaller businesses. Allocating resources to optimize for Bing means dividing attention from Google, which still dominates search engine usage globally. Is the potential traffic from Bing worth the divided focus? We think yes, but that is ultimetly for you to decide.
Matthew Capala is a seasoned digital marketing executive, founder/CEO of Alphametic, a Miami-based digital marketing agency, author of “The Psychology of a Website,” dynamic speaker, and entrepreneur.