At a time when generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity are shaping the way we search for and consume information, ranking on Bing is becoming an essential strategic lever. Far beyond its market share, Bing now powers numerous AI engines. Not being well indexed, there risks disappearing from the results generated by these intelligent assistants.
Key points:
- Bing is the primary index source for ChatGPT, Copilot, and other AI tools: if your content isn’t indexed on Bing, it’s invisible to these tools.
- Fast indexing via IndexNow or the Submission API is essential: these methods allow for almost immediate presence in AI engines.
- SEO for Bing is different from SEO for Google: it places more emphasis on exact keywords, structured markup, and social signals.
- GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is becoming a new SEO discipline: optimizing for AI engines is now a necessity.
Bing: The Invisible Heart of AI Engines
Since 2024, Bing has been more than just Microsoft’s search engine. It has become the backbone of many AI assistants. OpenAI has confirmed that ChatGPT Search relies heavily on Bing’s index. Tests have shown that if a page isn’t indexed on Bing, it won’t appear in ChatGPT’s results, even if it has a strong presence on Google.
Additionally, tools like Perplexity, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and Ecosia also use Bing’s index to provide answers. As you can see, being absent from Bing means being invisible to a multitude of AI tools!
IndexNow: The Secret Weapon for Fast Indexing
Traditionally, search engines discover new pages through crawling or sitemaps. However, these methods can be slow. With IndexNow, developed by Microsoft and Yandex, you can notify Bing directly of new pages or updates.
Expert Olivier Duffez has also demonstrated that by using IndexNow, a new page can be indexed on Bing in just 8 minutes, and appear on ChatGPT and Perplexity a few hours later, without these AIs even having crawled the page. Another reason to be proactive in indexing your pages!
GEO: the new SEO for AI engines
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and its offshoot, GEO Local, is emerging as a new SEO discipline to integrate into your practice. It is now a matter of optimizing your content not only for traditional search engines but also for generative AI.
GEO best practices:
- Use structured markup (schema.org): This helps AI understand content and use it effectively.
- Favor clear and precise titles and meta tags: Bing values ​​exact keywords in these elements.
- Adopt semantic writing: AIs better understand well-structured, information-rich content.
- Ensure fast indexing via IndexNow or the Submission API, so that content is quickly available to AI.
By integrating these different practices, you increase your chances of appearing in AI-generated responses, thus strengthening your visibility.
Bing SEO: specific features to master
Optimizing for Bing requires a slightly different approach than optimizing for Google. Here are some key points to remember:
- Exact Match Keywords: Bing places a premium on exact match keywords in titles and meta tags.
- Social signals: Social media shares and interactions can influence rankings on Bing.
- Quality backlinks: Inbound links from reputable sites are valued.
- Multimedia content: Bing handles multimedia content, such as images and videos, better than Google.
By adapting your SEO strategy to these different specificities, you improve your positioning on Bing and, by extension, your visibility on AI engines that rely on its index.
Bing indexing: a new strategic priority for your SEO
With the rise of generative AI, ranking well on Bing is no longer just an option but a necessity. By adopting tools like IndexNow and adapting your SEO strategy to Bing’s specificities, you ensure an optimal presence on AI engines. Failure to do so risks missing out on a growing audience that uses these tools to search for information!
