Most small to medium businesses focus almost entirely on Google, yet Bing remains a strong and often underused source of high-quality traffic in South Africa. With Windows computers, Microsoft Edge, and many office networks defaulting to Bing, it still drives a large amount of commercial search activity.
Recent Windows updates also reinforce this by setting Edge and Bing as the default browser and search engine, further increasing exposure for businesses that optimise for Bing.
The advantage is simple: competition on Bing is far lower. If your website is clean, well-structured, and written clearly, you can rank faster and more consistently than on Google.
Bing favours websites that are simple, literal, and technically solid, making it ideal for small to medium businesses that want predictable, long-term visibility.
1. Build Simple, Crawlable Pages
Bing relies heavily on visible HTML content. If your important text is hidden behind heavy JavaScript, Bing may not index it properly.
- Use real headings such as <h1>, <h2>, and <h3>
- Use standard links with <a href=””>
- Ensure content is visible in the page source
Good example:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/services/
Bad example:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/?p=52&type=service
Clear URLs help Bing immediately understand what each page is about.
2. Use Clear and Literal Page Titles
Avoid marketing slogans in your titles. Bing prefers accuracy over creativity and often gives preference to pages that include the town name or “South Africa” along with the main keyword.
Bad:
Helping Your Business Grow Online
Good:
Digital Marketing Services in Cape Town | Your Business
Plumbing Services in South Africa | Your Business
Your H1 should closely match the title and also include the location if possible:
<h1>Digital Marketing Services in Cape Town</h1>
Bing’s algorithm favours literal, exact keywords combined with locations. While Google also considers location signals, Bing is more sensitive to having the town or region explicitly in the title, H1, and URL. Including this makes your pages more likely to appear for local searches.
Here are some practical tips for using locations effectively:
- Include the town or city in the title, H1, and URL for each main service page.
- Mention the location naturally in the first paragraph of the page.
- Include nearby suburbs or service areas if relevant — for example, “serving Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and surrounds.”
This approach aligns with Bing SEO best practices for small to medium businesses and helps your pages rank more effectively in local search results.
3. Structure URLs for Meaning
Your URLs should describe the service or topic clearly.
Good:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/website-design/ https://yourbusiness.co.za/seo-services/ https://yourbusiness.co.za/social-media-marketing/
Bad:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/page?id=12
4. Create Fewer, Stronger Pages
Bing prefers depth over quantity.
Instead of many small pages:
/seo-tips/ /seo-help/ /seo-guide/
Create one strong page:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/complete-seo-guide-for-small-business/
- 1,000 to 2,500+ words where appropriate
- Answer real customer questions
- Include pricing guidance and timelines
- Feel complete and final
5. Use Meta Keywords for Topic Classification
While they do not directly affect rankings, Bing still reads meta keywords for classification.
<meta name="keywords" content="small business marketing, seo services south africa, website design company, online advertising">
6. Strengthen Internal Linking
Bing still values exact anchor text.
Good:
<a href="https://yourbusiness.co.za/seo-services/">SEO services</a>
Bad:
<a href="https://yourbusiness.co.za/seo-services/">click here</a>
7. Register with Bing Webmaster Tools
Submitting your website to Bing Webmaster Tools is essential if you want to rank well. It gives you control over how Bing crawls and indexes your pages, lets you monitor performance, and helps you fix technical issues quickly.
Here’s what you should do:
- Submit your sitemap: This helps Bing discover all your pages efficiently. If you use WordPress with Yoast SEO, your sitemap is usually located at
https://yourbusiness.co.za/sitemap_index.xml. Yoast automatically updates the sitemap whenever you publish or update posts. - Inspect important pages: Check how Bing sees your key pages and make sure they are being indexed correctly.
- Fix crawl errors: Monitor for broken links, missing pages, or blocked URLs and correct them promptly.
- Monitor indexing: Keep an eye on which pages are indexed, their impressions, clicks, and any penalties or warnings.
If your website is built on WordPress, it is highly recommended to install the Bing Webmaster Tools plugin. Once installed, it can automatically submit links to Bing whenever you publish a new post or update existing content. This ensures faster indexing and keeps Bing aware of your latest content without manual submissions.
Example sitemap URL:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/sitemap_index.xml
By combining sitemap submission, regular inspections, and automated link notifications via the plugin, you give your website the best chance of being crawled quickly and ranked appropriately in Bing search results.
8. Build Strong Trust Signals
Bing places a strong emphasis on business legitimacy. Unlike Google, which can often rely on broader signals, Bing actively rewards sites that clearly demonstrate they are a real, operating business. This is especially important for small to medium businesses targeting local customers.
Key trust signals to include on your website:
- About page: Share your company story, experience, and values. Include photos of your team or office if possible to humanise your business.
- Contact page: Provide multiple ways for customers to reach you, including a contact form, email, and phone number.
- Physical address: List your actual office or store location. Bing gives extra weight to businesses with a verifiable local presence.
- Phone number: Include a landline or mobile number clearly on your site, ideally in the header or footer for easy access.
- Email address: Use a professional business email, not a generic Gmail or Yahoo address.
- Privacy Policy: Outline how you handle visitor data and comply with local regulations like POPIA in South Africa.
- Terms & Conditions: Include standard website terms to demonstrate professionalism and reliability.
Example URLs for these pages:
https://yourbusiness.co.za/about-us/ https://yourbusiness.co.za/contact/ https://yourbusiness.co.za/privacy-policy/
Additional tips for building trust:
- Include testimonials or client logos where relevant to reinforce credibility.
- Display professional certifications, awards, or memberships in trade associations.
- Ensure your website loads securely over HTTPS.
- Keep content accurate and up-to-date, including opening hours, services offered, and team information.
By establishing these trust signals, Bing can more confidently index your site and rank it higher in search results, particularly for local queries.
9. Optimise Images for Bing
Images are an important part of your website and can drive traffic through Bing Image Search. Optimising them correctly not only improves accessibility but also boosts your chances of ranking for relevant queries.
Key tips for image optimisation:
- Use descriptive file names: Name your image files based on what they show and include keywords if relevant. Avoid generic names like
IMG1234.jpg. Example:office-team-meeting-johannesburg.jpg. - Write accurate alt text: Alt text helps Bing understand what the image is about and improves accessibility for users with screen readers. Make it descriptive and natural:
alt="Small business team meeting in a Johannesburg office". - Prefer original images: Original photos of your team, office, or worksite are more valuable than stock images because they signal authenticity to Bing.
- Optimise file size: Compress images without losing quality to improve page load speed, which Bing considers for ranking.
- Context matters: Place images near relevant text and headings so Bing can understand their relevance to your content.
- Use structured data when possible: For products, services, or events, adding schema markup to images can help Bing display rich results in search.
Example of properly optimised image HTML:
<img src="office-team-meeting-johannesburg.jpg"
alt="Small business team meeting in a Johannesburg office"
width="800" height="600">
By following these steps, your images become more discoverable in Bing search, enhance the overall user experience, and contribute to stronger SEO for your small to medium business website.
10. Improve Click-Through Rates
Bing pays close attention to how users interact with search results. If people see your listing and click it more often than others, Bing takes this as a strong signal that your page is relevant and useful. Clear, specific titles usually outperform vague or marketing-style titles.
Better:
Accounting Services for Small Businesses in Cape Town
Worse:
Professional Financial Solutions
The first example works better because it:
- Clearly states the service being offered (Accounting Services).
- Specifies the target market (Small Businesses).
- Includes the location (Cape Town).
This makes it immediately obvious to the searcher that the page matches their needs.
Additional tips to improve click-through rates:
- Use exact service names that people actually search for.
- Include your town, city, or “South Africa” where relevant.
- Avoid generic words like “solutions”, “innovative”, or “professional” without context.
- Match your title closely to the content on the page to avoid disappointment after clicking.
- Keep titles clear and readable, ideally under 60–65 characters.
When your titles are direct, descriptive, and location-focused, they stand out in Bing search results and attract more qualified clicks from potential customers.
11. Build Local Service Pages
https://yourbusiness.co.za/accounting-services-cape-town/ https://yourbusiness.co.za/web-design-johannesburg/ https://yourbusiness.co.za/it-support-durban/
- Mention local suburbs
- Include local case studies
- Reference local business environments
- Write each page uniquely
12. Earn Backlinks Bing Trusts
Backlinks are still important for Bing, but the platform values quality and relevance more than sheer quantity. For small to medium businesses in South Africa, focusing on local and industry-specific links can make a significant difference in rankings.
Bing prefers backlinks from:
- South African websites: Links from .co.za domains signal local relevance and trust.
- Local business directories: Listings on reputable directories can boost visibility and authority.
- Industry associations: Memberships in trade organisations or professional bodies add credibility.
- Chamber of commerce listings: Local business chambers provide authoritative backlinks and improve trust signals.
Examples:
https://www.businessdirectory.co.za/listing/your-business/ https://www.chamberofcommerce.co.za/members/your-business/
Additional tips for building backlinks that Bing values:
- Seek guest posts on relevant South African blogs in your industry.
- Collaborate with local suppliers or partners and link to each other’s websites.
- Create high-quality content (guides, case studies, resources) that naturally attracts links.
- Submit press releases for notable events, product launches, or awards to local media outlets.
- Engage with local community or charity initiatives that feature your business on their websites.
Focus on real, trustworthy sites rather than automated or spammy networks. Bing values authenticity, so every genuine backlink counts more than dozens of low-quality links.
Final Thoughts
For small to medium businesses, Bing offers one of the best opportunities for fast, stable search visibility. It rewards:
- Clean website structure
- Literal keywords
- Clear service descriptions
- Real business information
- Practical, complete content
With far less competition than Google, Bing can become a reliable source of leads and enquiries for South African small to medium businesses that invest in solid, straightforward SEO.
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