The following list of instructions is here to help get you started if you’re new to Bing Webmaster Tools. The first two sets of instructions are there to get you up and running. The final two steps are non-compulsory, but are very much recommended.

Creating a Big Webmaster Tools Account

Bing Webmaster Tools has a ‘sign-in or sign-up’ page where you can start an account for free. A Microsoft, Google or Facebook account can be used to sign up or you can create a Microsoft account as part of your sign-up process to Webmaster tools. To do this, all you need to do is click on Microsoft as the convenient account and then select the ‘create one’ button during the next step.

Adding and Verifying Your Website

As soon as you have your Bing Webmaster Tools account set up, you can start to add sites to it. This is possible by adding your site’s URL into the ‘add a site’ input box and selecting ‘add.’ Once this has been done, you will need to verify that you are the owner of that website. To do this, you will have to select one of the three options that will be provided in a list. Next, you will attain a verification code to your site or your CNAME record, then you have to click ‘verify.’ A green checkmark at the top and a verification message will show if verification has been successful. If not, a red cross will show. If this happens, it is advised to go back and recheck your information.

Creating and Uploading Sitemaps

A great way to inform Bing about URLs on your site is by using sitemaps. There are various tools available to help with creating sitemaps. A list will be available to help get you started and it will help you choose the product that is the best match to your needs. After the sitemap has been uploaded to the server, you can use the Bing Webmaster Tools account to inform them about. On the main Dashboard page, there will be a section that showcases sitemap-related information. Click ‘submit a sitemap’ below, enter your sitemap’s URL into the input box and select submit.

Creating a Search Optimisation Plan

Starting up a search optimisation plan using your Bing Webmaster Tools account is pretty straightforward.  There will be two areas inside Webmaster Tools which can help you. One is located under ‘reports and data’ and is named ‘SEO Reports.’ Another one can be seen under ‘diagnostics and tools’ and is named ‘SEO analyser.’ Every other week, SEO Reports automatically run on any domain that has been verified in your account. This means that fresh reports that contain suggestions on which items you should address for SEO will be visible around twice monthly. On the other hand, the SEO Analyser is an on-demand tool that scans a single page and will very quickly be able to generate a SEO report for you.

In conclusion, using Bing’s Webmaster Tools is a straight forward procedure when you know what you are doing. It is a free and reliable service that can easily make you successful in Bing searches.