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Search engine optimization (SEO) isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. There are important differences between SEO for Bing and Google that you need to know in order to maximize your search engine performance and rankings. 

In this guide, we'll break down the key distinctions between these two leading search engines.

Algorithm Differences.

Although both Bing and Google use algorithms to rank pages, the way in which those algorithms operate differs significantly. 

Google’s algorithm is much more complex and relies on more than 200 different ranking factors to determine a website’s position. 

Bing, on the other hand, relies on fewer signals —including user feedback—to determine rankings. Because of this, SEO efforts taken for Bing don’t necessarily translate over to Google. 

As such, it’s important to understand the specific differences between SEO for each search engine in order to make sure your efforts are optimized for each one.

Keyphrase Matching.

With Bing, one of the most important factors for SEO is keyphrase matching. This means you should have multiple variations of each keyword that you use and target them with different content. 

Whereas Google primarily looks at the meaning of content when it comes to keywords, Bing looks first and foremost for exact-word matches. This is why having multiple variations in keyphrases can greatly improve your rankings on Bing.

Structured Data Markup Standards.

Structured data markup is another key factor for SEO success on Bing. This involves tagging the various elements on a web page with additional metadata that search engines use to understand the content more accurately. 

Although Google uses structured data as well, its markup standards may not automatically be compatible with Bing’s standards, so it is important to ensure your structured data is designed to work well on both platforms.

Long Tail Search Queries.

In addition to developing content for short, keyword-rich queries, it is important for SEOs to consider long-tail search queries. Long tail searches come from more specific queries that are less competitive and draw fewer results. 

On Bing, these more detailed searches that focus on intangibles like emotion and opinion often have a higher click-through rate (CTR) than shorter searches on both Bing and Google.

Optimizing your site’s content to capture these longer tail keywords is essential to standing out among the competition.

Page Speed Optimization.

Page speed optimization is important for both Google and Bing, but while Google may penalize sites with slow page speeds, Bing rewards them. 

When optimizing a site for Bing, you should focus on keeping the size of the page and loading time to a minimum. This will improve user experience, allowing users to access information quickly and easily. 

To accomplish this it is important to minimize code and removes unnecessary elements throughout the page. Keeping this extra content out will reduce load times and capture more attention in search results.

Stay consistent

Stay up to date with the newest Google SEO trends that will rank your content and keep increasing your website traffic. Contact Google SEO today to see how we can help your website rank.