Just like Google, Bing offers its own business listing service for those using Edge as their main browser. And, just like claiming your Google listing gives you tons of options to help your business get noticed, claiming your Bing listing opens up a variety of new services and options for
you to customize your online presence.
While not as heavily-used as their well-known competitor, Microsoft’s browsers (Edge and IE) combine to claim the #2 spot in the listing of browser market share, with around 14% of daily users (as of July 2019 data). That translates to thousands of customers who are looking for businesses like yours. And, with most business owners having a limited amount of time to claim listings and enhance their business’s internet presence, those that make the effort to claim and personalize their listings with Bing’s services will easily stand out from the crowd.
Claiming your local business listing on Bing allows you customize the information to best fulfill your customers’ needs. Once you’ve claimed your business listing, you’ll be able to post hours (and even set special hours for holidays), add events, and show off new products and specials as they happen. You can also respond to reviews, create paid ads, upload photos, and view insights about who’s looking at your business and how they’re finding you.
Now that you know why it’s important, let’s talk about HOW to do it.
First, be sure you’re using Edge or Internet Explorer! Then, find out if your business is currently active on Bing’s search listing. Type your business name and location into the search bar. If your business does not have a listing, start at step 1. If it does, skip ahead to step 2.
1. Create a Bing Places Account for Your Local Business
If your business is not listed, head over to Bing Places to get started. When you get there, you have two options: to log in as an existing user or new user. Select your option and follow the prompts. Bing has an awesome video right there on the page that walks you through the whole process. I won’t repeat everything they say, but I do want to point out a few key features that I love, which I’ll do in step 3.
2. Verify Your Business's Existing Listing
If your local business has an active listing, all you’ll have to do is claim it and edit it. Scroll to the bottom of the listing and click “Is this your business?” as in the screenshot below.
Follow the prompts and fill in all your business’s information. Bing guides you through the whole process to be sure you fill out every step. I won’t repeat the process here, but I will point out some key features that I love in Step 3.
Remember that Bing will need to verify your listing before the changes go live. If you are editing an existing listing, it will also need to verify your account by phone, SMS, email, or snail mail, using the contact information that is already in place for your business.
3. Awesome features of Bing Places
These are a few key things that I love about Bing’s listing service:
1. You can import your data from Google! Not only does this make setting up your small business listing easier, it ensures that the information is identical from one platform to the next.
2. You can easily pinpoint the entrance of your store or location by dragging the pin on the map of your local area. This is great if you are part of a shopping mall or have an entrance that’s on a different street than your main address.
3. You can add more than just social media links; you can add links to Yelp and TripAdvisor. These sites are worth their weight in gold to local businesses. Your listing will even populate with reviews from these sites one they are verified!
4. You have the option to add special hours for holidays or special events right there on the page when you set up your listing. This makes it easy to be certain your customers always have the most up-to-date information.
The process of claiming your small business’s local listing on Bing can be a time-consuming one, but it is well worth the effort. However, if you’re having some trouble, or would prefer to have someone walk you through the process, contact Local-Social today. We love helping small businesses get found on the web!