A Bing Places listing is free, and you can set one up in a single sitting. Go to bing.com/forbusiness, sign in, search for your business, claim the match or create a new listing, then verify it. If you already have a Google Business Profile, you can import it instead of retyping everything. This guide covers each step, what to prepare, how long verification takes, and how to keep the listing accurate afterward.
TL;DR
- Bing Places for Business is Microsoft's free tool for managing how your business appears in Bing Search and Bing Maps.
- Search for your business first. Claim the existing listing if there is one, and create a new one only if there is not.
- Importing from Google is the quickest route, and Bing may verify an imported listing automatically.
- Verification arrives by phone, text, email or postcard. A U.S. postcard typically takes 5 to 6 business days.
- Keep your name, address, phone number (NAP), hours and categories identical to your Google listing and website.
Table of Contents
- What a Bing Places listing is and what it costs
- What to prepare before you start
- How to add your business to Bing Places
- How verification works
- What happens after you submit
- Optimize the listing so it does some work
- Keep it accurate after launch
- Common problems and quick fixes
- Let us handle the website and local search side
- FAQ
- Sources
What a Bing Places listing is and what it costs
Bing Places for Business is a free platform where businesses create and manage listings that appear in Bing search results and Bing Maps. Think of it as Microsoft's counterpart to Google Business Profile. Same idea: a verified record of your name, address, hours, photos and website that shows up when someone searches for what you do nearby.
Microsoft announced a redesigned Bing Places in October 2025, with dashboards, bulk editing, real-time status updates and a recommendation tool. If you tried the old version years ago and gave up, it is worth another look.
The listing itself costs nothing. You may see prompts for advertising inside the dashboard, but Microsoft Advertising is a separate product. You do not need it to have a listing in Bing's local results.
Why a Cincinnati business should bother
Most of your local traffic probably still comes through Google. But your Bing listing can feed more places than the Bing search box. Microsoft says its support page that listings can show up across Microsoft products and partner products, and the October 2025 announcement describes Bing Places as the source for business information in Bing Maps and Bing Search. Having a clean, verified record there costs you about an hour. A missing or wrong one means customers on those surfaces see outdated details or none at all.
It also works as one more consistent citation of your business information on the web. If you want the background on why that matters, our guide to local SEO citations explains how listings like this reinforce each other.
What to prepare before you start
Microsoft's guidance is that the owner or an authorized representative should claim or manage the listing. Have the following ready, and keep it identical to what you use everywhere else:
- Business name: the real name customers see on your sign, invoices and website. Skip extra keywords or city names, which can get a listing flagged.
- Address: a real physical location. Microsoft notes that availability can vary by country or region, and a virtual office will not qualify. If you travel to customers and do not serve people at your location, look at the service-area options in the setup flow.
- Phone number: a local number you can answer. It may be used for verification.
- Website URL: the page you want customers to land on.
- Primary and secondary categories: pick the ones that describe what you sell, not what you would like to sell.
- Hours: including any holiday or seasonal differences.
- Description: two or three plain sentences about your services, who you serve and what sets you apart. No pricing promos or all-caps.
- Photos: your storefront, interior, team and work. Real photos, not stock.
A Microsoft account is needed to sign in. Use one that belongs to the business, not a personal address of an employee who might leave. That choice matters later, because the PIN must be entered from the same account that requested verification.
How to add your business to Bing Places
Here is the sequence that Microsoft's support page describes, with practical notes on each step.
- Go to bing.com/forbusiness and sign in. Use the Microsoft account you chose for the business.
- Search for your business. Select the country, then type your business name and location. Do this even if you are sure you have never been listed. Bing often already has a record, built from public data.
- Pick the matching listing. If several results appear, choose the one with your exact address. Select it to claim it.
- Or choose Create a new business. Use this when there is no match. Also use it if you moved: if your business has relocated, add the new address as a new business rather than claiming the old record.
- Fill in the details. Work through name, address, phone, website, categories, hours, description and photos.
- Submit and verify. Covered below.
The shortcut: import from Google
If your Google Business Profile is already verified and accurate, import it. Microsoft's current Bing Places supports importing from Google, and the October 2025 announcement says the import preserves important attributes such as business name, hours and contact details.
This is the easiest path for most owners, and it removes the chance of typos creating two versions of your business. If your Google profile is not in good shape yet, fix that first. Our list of first moves on a Google Business Profile is a good place to start, and if you suspect a second profile exists, see how to find and fix a duplicate Google listing.
One thing to know about imports: if the listing stays synced with Google, some fields may be locked in Bing. When that happens, Microsoft Q&A guidance says the listing has to be claimed and managed directly in Bing Places. Stubborn locks may need a Bing Places support request. Decide up front whether you want Bing to follow Google automatically or want to control it separately.
How verification works
Bing has to confirm you are really connected to the business before changes go live. Microsoft says it sends a unique PIN or another verification request by an available method: phone, text, email or postcard. Which options you see depends on the business.
Typical timing for a U.S. business, per Microsoft's guidance:
| Method | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Phone or text | Code should arrive within 15 minutes |
| Postcard (U.S.) | Typically 5 to 6 business days |
| Still nothing | Microsoft recommends waiting at least 12 days after requesting before contacting support |
A few habits save headaches:
- Enter the PIN from the same account that requested it. A code entered from a different Microsoft account is a common reason verification fails.
- Do not request a second postcard right away. Wait out the window first.
- Check the mailing address. If mail to your suite number is unreliable, fix that before you request a card.
- Chains can ask for bulk verification. That request is subject to Microsoft's support review.
If you imported a verified Google listing, Bing may verify it automatically, which can skip the wait entirely.
What happens after you submit
New listings and edits go through quality checks before they publish. Microsoft's API documentation lists statuses such as QualityCheckInProgress, QualityIssueFound, PublishInProgress, Published and Dropped, and says quality checks may take up to 24 hours. The dashboard shows real-time status, so you do not have to guess.
If you see a quality issue, read the message, correct the field it names (usually a category, a name with extra keywords or an address format) and resubmit. If a listing is dropped, treat it as a prompt to review it against your real-world details and file it again with accurate information.
Optimize the listing so it does some work
A bare-minimum listing gets you on the map. A complete one gives Bing more to match against what people ask. Start with the dashboard's recommendation tool: Microsoft says it suggests photos, missing details such as website links, hours and social media links, and suggestions specific to your business segment.
Beyond that, focus on these:
- Consistency. Spell your name, street and phone number the same way on Bing, Google, Apple, your website and every directory. Abbreviations like "St." versus "Street" are the kind of small differences that create duplicates.
- Categories that match what you actually do. A broad but accurate primary category beats a clever one.
- Real photos, added regularly. Fresh images signal that the business is active.
- A truthful description. Services, specialties and the neighborhoods you serve, written for a person.
- Current hours. Update them before holidays, not after a customer shows up to a locked door.
- A website that backs the listing up. The page you link should have the same name, address and phone, clear services and a fast mobile layout. Our checklist of website page checks for local SEO covers what to fix first.
If you want a broader grounding in how local search, AI answers and listings fit together, these local SEO, AEO and GEO guides are a reasonable next read once the listing is live.
A note on reviews
Bing Places does not run its own native review system the way Google does. Reviews you see on a Bing listing are typically pulled from third-party platforms. So the review effort that pays off is the one you are already making on Google and the other review sites your customers use. Keep asking happy customers, and respond to what they write.
Keep it accurate after launch
Listings drift. A phone number changes, a service is added, a holiday closure gets forgotten. To edit, sign in to Bing Places, select the listing and choose Edit. Microsoft's API documentation also describes stale business data as information that has not been reviewed or changed for six months or more, so a quick check twice a year is a sensible habit.
A simple routine:
- Every quarter, open the listing and compare it with your website and Google profile.
- Add two or three new photos.
- Update hours ahead of any schedule change.
- After a move, rebrand or phone change, update Bing the same day you update everything else.
If you operate several locations, each needs its own accurate record. Our guide to multi-location local SEO lays out how to keep branches from competing with each other. And if you are working through the other major map platforms, here is how to add your business to Apple Maps for free.
Common problems and quick fixes
The business already exists and someone else claimed it. Start the claim flow and follow the prompts for disputed ownership, then contact Bing Places support if it stalls.
No verification code arrived. Check spam folders, confirm the phone number, and make sure you are signed in with the account that started the request. For postcards, wait out the window described above.
Two listings for the same location. Claim the correct one, and work with support to remove the duplicate rather than creating a third.
Fields are locked after you turned off Google sync. As noted earlier, claim and manage the listing directly in Bing Places. Leftover locks may need support.
Wrong info keeps reappearing. Bing aggregates data from many sources. Fix your core listings and your website so every source says the same thing.
Our take on Bing Places
We build and maintain websites for Cincinnati businesses, and we see the same pattern all the time: owners put everything into one platform and leave the rest half finished. A Bing listing is small, free and quick, and it works best when it matches the rest of your online presence exactly.
That is why we think of listings as part of the website, not a side chore. Your site is hand-coded, fast and clear about who you are, where you are and what you do. Your listings point at it and repeat the same facts. When those facts agree, search engines and the AI tools that draw on them have less reason to get you wrong.
Our advice: set up Bing Places once, carefully, import from a clean Google profile if you have one, and put a quarterly reminder on the calendar. Then spend your real energy on the things that bring customers in: a site that loads fast on a phone, accurate listings and a steady flow of genuine reviews.
Yoshua
Let us handle the website and local search side
If you would rather not juggle listings, site updates and review requests yourself, that is what we do for Cincinnati businesses. Our Website plan is $99 per month, with hand-coded, mobile-responsive pages, hosting, SSL, your domain and unlimited content updates included. See the details on our pricing page.
For businesses that want help with visibility beyond the site, our Local SEO plan is $299 a month and covers Google Business Profile management, citation building and on-page optimization. You can read more about Google Business Profile management in Cincinnati. Google Review Automation is $99 per month. Most of our offerings run on a 12-month agreement.
FAQ
Is a Bing Places listing really free?
Yes. Creating, verifying and editing a listing costs nothing, and Bing Places for Business is described by Microsoft as a free platform. Advertising credits shown in the dashboard belong to a separate, optional product.
How do I add my business to Bing if it is already on Google?
Sign in at bing.com/forbusiness and use the import option for Google listings. Microsoft says the import carries over key details such as name, hours and contact information. Review everything after the import, then complete verification if Bing does not do it automatically.
How long does Bing Places verification take?
Phone codes should arrive within 15 minutes, and U.S. postcards typically take 5 to 6 business days. Microsoft advises waiting at least 12 days after requesting before you contact support. After verification, edits also pass quality checks that can take up to 24 hours.
Can I have a Bing Places listing without a storefront?
Often, yes, if you serve customers at their locations and have a qualifying address or service-area setup. A virtual office location will not work. Follow the service-area prompts in the setup flow and use accurate address details.
Does Bing Places have reviews?
It does not have its own native review system. Reviews on a Bing listing come from third-party platforms, so the reviews you earn on Google and other major sites are the ones worth building.
Sources
- Add and manage your business listing, Microsoft Support
- Introducing the New Bing Places for Business, Bing Blogs
- Verification in progress, Microsoft Q&A
- Bing Places listing fields still locked after disabling sync, Microsoft Q&A
- Bing Places PIN verification fails, Microsoft Q&A
- Bing Places for Business API documentation