Not sure how to submit your sitemap to Bing? You’re in the right place. In this guide, I’ll walk you through setting up Bing Webmaster Tools, verifying your site, and submitting your sitemap the right way.
You’ll also learn why this matters now more than ever, and how to avoid common mistakes along the way. By the end, you’ll have your sitemap submitted and your site on Bing’s radar 💃
Prefer a video tutorial? I got you 👇
Why Submit Your Sitemap to Bing?
Think of a sitemap as a clear road map of your website. It tells search engines which pages exist and how they connect. When you submit your sitemap to Bing, you make it easier for Bing’s bots to crawl your content and add it to the index.
And if you’re like “who the hell cares about BING?!?!?!”
Bing is becoming more relevant again. It was a surprise to me too LOL
At the time of me writing this, ChatGPT Search is using a combo of Google’s AND Bing’s index to pull results. That means your content can show up in more places when Bing knows your website exists.
If you wanna learn more about how ChatGPT Search uses Bing, this overview on SearchGPT using Bing’s index is a helpful explainer.
Why this matters for online businesses:
- Improves site crawling.
- Increases chances of appearing in Bing-powered searches.
- Complements Google SEO efforts.
The Role of Bing in Modern Search
Even if you focus on Google, adding your site to Bing widens your reach. With tools like ChatGPT pulling from Bing too, visibility is no longer a one-platform play. Submit your sitemap, keep your data clean, and give Bing the signals it needs to find and understand your content.
- Better indexing across search ecosystems.
- Broader reach beyond Google’s results.
- More consistent brand visibility as Bing starts become relevant again LOL.
Getting Started with Bing Webmaster Tools
To begin, sign into Bing Webmaster Tools and get your website set up. The process is pretty straightforward, and you can use an existing login to keep things simple.
- Visit the Bing Webmasters URL.
- Choose your sign-in method (I usually suggest signing in with a Google account.)
- Complete any prompts to land in the dashboard.
Open the tool here: Bing Webmaster Tools
New accounts may see a clean dashboard with prompts to add a site. If you already manage sites, you’ll see a dropdown with a list of properties and an option to add more.
Benefits of Linking with Google Search Console
If you already use Google Search Console, you can import your settings into Bing and save time. If you don’t use it yet, it’s worth setting up a free Google Search Console account first, then importing into Bing.
- Saves time by pulling in site data.
- Syncs key properties, which simplifies setup.
- Makes verification easier in many cases.
If you want a walkthrough on Google Search Console, check out this tutorial Google Search Console setup.
Adding Your Site to Bing Webmaster Tools
From your Bing dashboard, click “Add a site.” The simplest way to add the correct URL is to open your website on the front end, copy the URL directly from your browser, and paste it into the “Add a site” field.
This makes sure that you add the correct version of your site.
Why does this matter?
There are 4 common versions of a domain. Some include www, some don’t, and some use http while others use https.
For example, for my website, the 4 versions are:
- https://www.mariahmagazine.com
- https://mariahmagazine.com
- http://www.mariahmagazine.com
- http://mariahmagazine.com
You want the version that loads by default for visitors. Copying from the front end makes sure you’re using your primary domain name.
After pasting your URL, click “Add.”
Troubleshooting if the URL doesn’t look right:
- Check if your domain includes www or not.
- Confirm you’re using https if your site has an SSL certificate.
- Paste the URL in a new browser tab to test it first.
Choosing the Right Addition Method
You can add your site manually or import it from Google Search Console. Manual is best if you don’t use Google yet. Importing is faster if you do have a Google Search Console account.
If you’re manually adding your site, you’ll be prompted to verify ownership before you can access all the Bing Webmaster Tools features.
Verifying Your Site Ownership
If you’re not importing from GSC, Bing will need to confirm that you own the site you’re adding. You’ll see a few verification methods:
- Upload an XML file to your site.
- Add a CNAME record to your DNS through your domain provider, like GoDaddy or Namecheap.
- Add an HTML meta tag to your site’s header.
The HTML meta tag approach is common & quick. Here’s how to do it:
- Copy the meta tag that Bing provides.
- Log into your site platform, such as Squarespace, WordPress, or Shopify.
- Navigate to the header section where custom code can be added. For example, in Squarespace, go to Pages, then Custom Code, then Code Injection.
- Paste the meta tag into the header area and save.
- Return to your Bing dashboard and click “Verify.” If it doesn’t work right away, wait a few minutes and try again.
If you’re on Squarespace, the Code Injection area is where you’ll paste the tag into the header field. On other platforms, you can usually search for “how to add code to the header” in their help docs.
If you’re on WordPress and need a quick guide, this tutorial on how to add meta tags in WordPress walks through plugin options and placement.
Troubleshooting Verification Issues
It’s normal for verification to take a few minutes. Sometimes it takes longer.
- Make sure the meta tag is in the head area of the site.
- Confirm you added it to the live site, not a staging site.
- Clear your cache, then try verifying again.
- If it still fails, try the DNS method or the XML file method.
- If you’re stuck, reach out to your platform’s support or hosting provider.
Submitting Your Sitemap to Bing
Once your site is verified, it’s time to submit your sitemap. A sitemap is usually an XML file that lists your pages for search engines.
Usually, you’ll find it at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. Type that into your address bar and confirm it loads. You should see a page with code-like content on it (this is an XML) with URLs associated with your website.
The exact URL can vary by platform, so always double-check that it resolves and shows XML content.
Here are the ones I’m aware of, based on platform + plugin:
- WordPress w/ Yoast: domainname.com/sitemap_index.xml
- WordPress w/ Rankmath: domainname.com/sitemap.xml
- Squarespace: domainname.com/sitemap.xml
- Showit: domainname.com/siteinfo.xml (and then Showit will also have the WP one too!)
In Bing Webmaster Tools:
- Go to Sitemaps in the left sidebar, or use the prompt on your dashboard.
- Click “Submit a sitemap.”
- Paste the full URL to your sitemap.xml.
- Click submit.
After submitting, you may see a “Processing” status. Refresh the page after a few minutes. If everything looks good, you’ll see a success status. Sometimes it can take a few hours or a few days for the status to update.
What to Expect After Submission
You usually don’t need to submit your sitemap more than once unless your URL changes or you make a bunch of changes on your website. Bing will crawl it on a schedule.
- Refresh your Sitemaps page to check status updates.
- If you see errors, recheck the URL and try again.
- If your site structure changes, your sitemap should update automatically if it’s generated by your platform or plugin.
What You Can Explore Next Inside Bing Webmaster Tools
Once your sitemap is in, you’ll see more value by using the rest of the dashboard. You can review indexed pages, monitor crawl issues, and track search performance. It’s a solid complement to your Google Search Console data and helps you spot technical issues early.
Ideas for what to check next:
- Crawl stats to see how often Bing visits your site.
- Index coverage to see what pages are included.
- Inbound links for visibility and opportunities.
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Conclusion
Submitting your sitemap to Bing is a quick win that supports your broader search strategy. You set up your account, verify the site, submit sitemap.xml, and let Bing do the crawling.
With Bing powering more experiences across the web, this small task can help people find you in more places. Keep building on this momentum, and keep your site healthy with consistent updates and clean technical setup.
Ready for more? Grab the free SEO assessment & scorecard and keep going with confidence.
