Bing Maps, along with the Bing Places for Business service, provides additional space for promoting your local business. It is worth using even if you already have a Google Business Profile account. The online business card within the Microsoft ecosystem helps you reach new customers. Read the article to learn about its features and capabilities.
What is Bing Places for Business? What does this service entail?
Bing Places for Business is a Microsoft tool that allows companies to create and manage profiles in the search engine and on Bing Maps. The service increases a company’s visibility in local search results, so you can use it as a source for acquiring customers.
Is the Bing Business service free of charge?
The profile on Bing Places for Business is completely free. After logging in and verifying, the user gains access to all the platform’s features. This means you can add photos, update opening hours, and pinpoint on the map exactly where the entrance to your business is located.
Is Bing Places the same as a website?
A business profile on Bing is a listing in the Bing search engine and on Bing Maps. It does not replace a website, as it only contains basic information about the company—such as the address, opening hours, photos, and reviews. Think of it as an addition to your online business presence.
Does Bing Places operate worldwide?
A company’s listing on Bing is available in 31 countries worldwide, including Poland, the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. Franchised companies can manage multiple profiles through a single dashboard.
Why is it worth creating a Business Profile on Bing?
A Bing business listing increases your visibility on Microsoft’s search engine, which holds about a 7.28% share of the Polish market (source: https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/poland). This percentage might not seem very impressive, but in terms of actual users, it translates to over two million internet users per month—assuming around 27.7 million Poles use the Internet (source: https://www.bankier.pl/wiadomosc/30-mln-internautow-w-Polsce-Trzy-czwarte-czasu-w-sieci-spedzamy-za-posrednictwem-telefonow-8880112.html).
How does Bing Places affect local SEO?
Bing Places helps with local SEO. The search engine or maps app recognizes the user’s location and shows nearby places when they enter keywords such as restaurant or library. In addition, the Business Profile also appears when searching for local phrases (e.g., Kraków restaurant).
Competition among Business Profiles on Bing is lower than on Google Business Profile. Since fewer companies from your category show up in the search results, you have a better chance of reaching potential local customers.
How does Bing Places for Business work and what does it offer?
On your Bing Places for Business Profile, you can describe your business using keywords and industry categories. You can also add, among others:
- the company name,
- address,
- phone number,
- website,
- opening hours,
- up to 100 business photos and a logo,
- visualizations of products and services.
Additionally, you can connect your profile with Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google Business Profile. Bing Places does not allow adding reviews directly on the listing, but it monitors reviews appearing on other sources. This makes it easier for you to track what is being said about your business. Moreover, the platform offers a simple analytics tool—it shows statistics of profile views and clicks on your website’s address or phone number. You can also promote your Bing Profile with Microsoft Advertising campaigns to support organic traffic with paid advertising on maps. They are cheaper than Google Ads—the average cost per click is about 43% lower (source: https://driftlead.com/blog/google-ads-vs-bing-ads-2024-a-complete-comparison/).
How do you create a profile on Bing Places for Business? To do this, log in to your Microsoft account. Then fill in your business information. You can do this by quickly importing data from a verified Google Business Profile or by entering it manually.
Google Business Profile and Bing Places for Business – How Do They Differ?
Bing Places for Business and Google Business Profile are twin platforms. They primarily differ in reach and target audience. Google’s product dominates in terms of the number of users; its global market share is nearly 90% (source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1381664/worldwide-all-devices-market-share-of-search-engines/). Despite this advantage, it is worthwhile to be present on both platforms simultaneously because Bing Places for Business reaches a specific group of users: Xbox console users and those within the Microsoft ecosystem, including corporate clients using Office 365 and the Edge browser.
The platforms complement each other. Google provides a massive reach, while Bing helps you connect with a more niche audience, which consists of Microsoft Maps users. In the Bing search engine, there is less competition and lower advertising costs. Additionally, appearing on this platform does not require a significant amount of effort, as you can create a Business Profile in Bing Places by importing data from your Google Business Profile.
Who needs a business profile on Bing Places?
Bing Places for Business was created for companies and professionals with a physical location, such as restaurants, shops, and local service providers. Creating a Business Profile is free, so the only investment required is the time to enter the essential information. The profile will reach people who use the default search engine installed on the Windows operating system, allowing you to gain a new source of customer acquisition.
Bing Places for Business – is it worth adding your business to Bing Maps?
Bing Places for Business is Microsoft’s free tool that increases the visibility of businesses in local Bing search results and on Bing Maps. Although its reach is smaller than that of Google Business Profile, the platform has over two million users in Poland (source: https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/poland). Using this service helps you reach supporters of the Microsoft ecosystem, including corporate clients. It is worth using it as a complement to GBP.
Sources:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1381664/worldwide-all-devices-market-share-of-search-engines/ [06.02.2025]
- https://magecomp.com/blog/bing-statistics/ [06.02.2025]
- https://driftlead.com/blog/google-ads-vs-bing-ads-2024-a-complete-comparison/ [06.02.2025]
- https://www.bingplaces.com/ [06.02.2025]
- https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/poland [06.02.2025]
- https://www.bankier.pl/wiadomosc/30-mln-internautow-w-Polsce-Trzy-czwarte-czasu-w-sieci-spedzamy-za-posrednictwem-telefonow-8880112.html [06.02.2025]
