Using the Bing (Microsoft) Ad Location Tool to Check Microsoft / Bing Local SEO

Bing (https://www.bing.com/) sucks; OK, I said it. It is allegedly the #2 Search Engine on the Internet (though I would argue that Amazon and YouTube are far more important “search engines.”) But still, some people use Bing – like Grandma, Grandpa, people who don’t like Google, and two people on some distant desert island who have bad WiFi.

That said, you “might as well” focus on Bing. You want to rank your company, product, or service for Bing, just as you do for Google. And then you want to check your rank on Bing (or monitor your ads). In some situations, the Bing results will vary by geo location. You might see one results for “veterinarian near me” in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and another for “veterinarian near me” in New York City.

Video: Using the Bing (Microsoft) Ad Location Tool to Check Microsoft / Bing Local SEO

How can you monitor your Bing results without getting in your car and driving from location to location? Enter the Bing advertising tool. Here’s how –

1. Log in to the Bing Advertising platform at https://ads.microsoft.com/. (Create an account if you don’t already have one; you don’t need to advertise).
2. Click into a sub account (You probably just have one; since I am an agency, I have more than one).
3. Top right > click on Tools, and then “Ad Preview and Diagnostic Tool“.  (You have to be signed in to click on that link!)
4. Click into “Location” and change this to a city such as New York City.
5. Change to “mobile device” as the tool ONLY works for mobile locations. (Remember: Bing sucks).
6. Enter your keyword (e.g., “Veterinarian near me”).
7. Look at the results
8. Vary your city, as in change it to Boston, Massachusetts.

Now, admittedly, Bing isn’t exactly a successful search engine and it is far, far more successful on the desktop. But this is one way to see the world via Bing’s eyes “as if” you were in New York City or Boston, etc.

Tips and To-dos

• Try to out Bing! Yes, it’s kinda lame but it is the #2 search engine.
• Ask yourself – or, better yet, do some “marketing research” – are your customers using Bing? Like any of them? Like 5% or 10%?
• If even a small minority of customers is using Bing, check it out. And if they are “local,” check out using the tips above how Bing searches vary based on user location

Happy Binging!