guide 12 min read

Bing SERP API for Developers: Why You Shouldn't Ignore 30% of Enterprise Search

Complete guide to Bing SERP API integration. Learn why Bing matters for B2B, how to access Bing search data, and compare affordable Bing API providers. Code examples included.

Sarah Martinez, Developer Advocate at SERPpost
Bing SERP API for Developers: Why You Shouldn't Ignore 30% of Enterprise Search

Bing SERP API: The Enterprise Search Engine You’re Missing

Everyone builds for Google. Makes sense—it’s 92% of consumer search. But here’s something I learned the hard way: ignoring Bing cost us a $45K enterprise deal.

Turns out, when you’re selling SEO tools to companies with Office 365, they care a lot about Bing. Who knew?

The Bing Reality Nobody Talks About

Market Share by Audience

SegmentGoogleBingBing’s Value
Consumer92%3%Low
Enterprise Desktop55%30%High
Education70%25%Medium
Government40%35%Very High

Source: StatCounter + internal analysis of 50M searches

Why Enterprise Users Search on Bing

  1. Default on Windows: Edge + Windows = Bing by default
  2. Office 365 Integration: Built into Microsoft ecosystem
  3. IT Policies: Many companies lock users into Microsoft defaults
  4. Microsoft Rewards: Points actually drive usage

Real impact: Our B2B SaaS client saw 40% of their target customers searching on Bing. Not tracking Bing? Missing 40% of the picture.


What Makes Bing SERP API Different

1. Different Search Intent

I ran 500 B2B keywords on both engines. The results surprised me:

“CRM software”

  • Google: Consumer reviews, comparison sites
  • Bing: Enterprise vendors, Microsoft Dynamics prominently placed

“API monitoring tools”

  • Google: Dev blogs, Stack Overflow
  • Bing: Enterprise solutions, Azure-integrated tools first

Takeaway: Bing’s algorithm favors enterprise, official, and Microsoft-ecosystem results. For B2B tracking, you need both.

2. Unique SERP Features

Bing has features Google doesn’t:

// Bing-specific SERP features
{
  "microsoft_products": [...],  // Office, Azure, etc.
  "related_people": [...],      // LinkedIn integration
  "visual_search": [...],       // Different from Google Images
  "conversations": [...]         // Reddit, forums (different ranking)
}

3. Less Competitive

Average CPC comparison (100 B2B keywords):

  • Google: $12.50 average
  • Bing: $8.30 average

Lower ad costs = different organic competition. Smart SEOs track both.


How to Access Bing SERP Data

Option 1: Official Bing Search API

Microsoft’s Web Search API:

import requests

url = "https://api.bing.microsoft.com/v7.0/search"
headers = {"Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key": "your_key"}
params = {"q": "enterprise software", "count": 50}

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers, params=params)

The Reality:

  • �?Official, reliable
  • �?Expensive ($7/1K for cheapest tier)
  • �?Limited SERP features
  • �?Different auth system than Google APIs
  • �?More complex integration

Option 2: SERPpost (Unified Google + Bing)

// Same API, just change the engine parameter
const api = new SERPpost('your_key');

// Google search
const google = await api.search({
  s: 'enterprise software',
  t: 'google',
  loc: 'United States'
});

// Bing search - same code!
const bing = await api.search({
  s: 'enterprise software',
  t: 'bing',
  loc: 'United States'
});

// Compare rankings
compareRankings(google, bing);

Why this works better:

  • �?One API key for both engines
  • �?Consistent response format
  • �?70% cheaper ($3/1K vs $7-10/1K)
  • �?Same auth, same code pattern
  • �?Web scraping included

Option 3: Build Your Own Scraper

Don’t. Bing’s anti-bot is aggressive, and you’ll spend weeks maintaining it. Ask me how I know.


Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: B2B Rank Tracking

The Problem: SaaS company selling to enterprises wasn’t tracking Bing. Competitors dominated Bing results.

The Solution:

import serppost

client = serppost.SERPpost('api_key')

keywords = [
    'enterprise crm software',
    'b2b sales automation',
    'team collaboration tools'
]

def track_rankings(keywords, domain):
    results = {}
    
    for keyword in keywords:
        # Check both engines
        google_rank = get_ranking(
            client.search(s=keyword, t='google'), 
            domain
        )
        bing_rank = get_ranking(
            client.search(s=keyword, t='bing'), 
            domain
        )
        
        results[keyword] = {
            'google': google_rank,
            'bing': bing_rank,
            'diff': abs(google_rank - bing_rank)
        }
    
    return results

# Run weekly
rankings = track_rankings(keywords, 'yourcompany.com')

Result: Found 15 keywords where they ranked #1 on Google but #8+ on Bing. Optimized for Bing. Revenue from enterprise clients up 23%.

Use Case 2: Competitive Intelligence

The Setup:

async function compareCompetitors(keyword, competitors) {
  const [google, bing] = await Promise.all([
    api.search({ s: keyword, t: 'google' }),
    api.search({ s: keyword, t: 'bing' })
  ]);
  
  const analysis = {};
  
  for (let competitor of competitors) {
    const googleRank = findRank(google, competitor);
    const bingRank = findRank(bing, competitor);
    
    analysis[competitor] = {
      google_rank: googleRank,
      bing_rank: bingRank,
      bing_advantage: googleRank - bingRank  // Positive = they win on Bing
    };
  }
  
  return analysis;
}

// Example output:
// {
//   "competitor-a.com": {
//     "google_rank": 5,
//     "bing_rank": 2,
//     "bing_advantage": 3  // They're crushing us on Bing!
//   }
// }

Insight: If competitors rank better on Bing, they’re likely targeting enterprise. Time to optimize.

Use Case 3: Content Gap Analysis

def find_content_gaps(topic):
    """Find keywords where Google/Bing show different results"""
    
    keywords = generate_keyword_variations(topic)
    gaps = []
    
    for keyword in keywords:
        google_results = client.search(s=keyword, t='google')
        bing_results = client.search(s=keyword, t='bing')
        
        # Compare top 10 URLs
        google_urls = [r['url'] for r in google_results['organic'][:10]]
        bing_urls = [r['url'] for r in bing_results['organic'][:10]]
        
        # Find URLs unique to Bing
        bing_unique = set(bing_urls) - set(google_urls)
        
        if len(bing_unique) >= 5:  # Big difference
            gaps.append({
                'keyword': keyword,
                'unique_to_bing': list(bing_unique),
                'opportunity': 'high'
            })
    
    return gaps

# Use this to find enterprise-focused content opportunities

Cost Comparison: Bing API Providers

For 100K Searches/Month

ProviderGoogle+Bing CostBing-Only CostNotes
Microsoft Bing APIN/A (Google separate)$700Official but expensive
SERPpost$150$150 (both included)Best value
SerpAPI$1,000+ (Google only)Need separate subNo Bing support
ScraperAPI$500+ (Google only)Not availableNo Bing

Reality: Most providers don’t do Bing. Those that do charge extra. SERPpost includes it at no additional cost.


Best Practices for Bing SERP API

1. Don’t Just Clone Google Strategy

// �?Bad: Same keywords, same analysis
const googleKeywords = ['consumer keyword 1', 'consumer keyword 2'];
const bingResults = await api.search({ s: googleKeywords[0], t: 'bing' });

// �?Good: Analyze Bing-specific patterns
const enterpriseKeywords = [
  'enterprise software solution',
  'business intelligence platform',
  'corporate team collaboration'
];

// Bing favors formal, business-focused terms

2. Track Bing-Specific Features

def analyze_bing_features(keyword):
    results = client.search(s=keyword, t='bing')
    
    features = {
        'has_knowledge_panel': 'knowledge_panel' in results,
        'linkedin_integration': 'related_people' in results,
        'microsoft_products': 'microsoft_products' in results,
        'enterprise_ads': count_b2b_ads(results['ads'])
    }
    
    return features

# Use this to understand Bing's SERP layout for your niche

3. Localization Matters More on Bing

Bing’s localization is more aggressive than Google’s:

// Test different locations
const locations = [
  'United States',
  'United Kingdom', 
  'Germany',
  'Japan'
];

for (let loc of locations) {
  const results = await api.search({
    s: 'business software',
    t: 'bing',
    loc: loc,
    lang: getLanguage(loc)
  });
  
  // Bing shows very different results per location
  // More local results than Google
}

4. Cache Strategically

const cache = new Map();
const BING_CACHE_TTL = 3600000; // 1 hour

async function cachedBingSearch(keyword) {
  const cached = cache.get(keyword);
  
  if (cached && Date.now() - cached.time < BING_CACHE_TTL) {
    return cached.data;
  }
  
  const results = await api.search({ s: keyword, t: 'bing' });
  
  cache.set(keyword, {
    data: results,
    time: Date.now()
  });
  
  return results;
}

// Bing results change less frequently than Google
// Longer cache TTL = cost savings

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Assuming Bing = Less Important

Cost: Lost enterprise customers who primarily use Bing.

Fix: Track both engines for B2B keywords. Make it a standard metric.

Mistake 2: Using Google Ranking Factors for Bing

Bing’s algorithm is different:

  • Values older domains more
  • Weighs exact match domains higher
  • Social signals matter more
  • Page speed less critical

Fix: Separate SEO strategy for each engine.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Bing Webmaster Tools

# Submit your sitemap to Bing
# Many devs forget this step
https://www.bing.com/webmasters/

# Also submit via IndexNow (Bing loves it)
curl -X POST https://api.indexnow.org/indexnow \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "host": "yoursite.com",
    "key": "your_indexnow_key",
    "urlList": ["https://yoursite.com/page1"]
  }'

Mistake 4: Not Testing Response Formats

Bing and Google return different JSON structures:

# �?Bad: Assume same format
def parse_results(results):
    return results['organic_results']  # Works for Google, fails for some Bing fields

# �?Good: Check engine and parse accordingly
def parse_results(results, engine):
    if engine == 'google':
        return parse_google(results)
    elif engine == 'bing':
        return parse_bing(results)
    
# Or use SERPpost's normalized format (same structure for both)

Getting Started Checklist

Ready to add Bing to your SERP tracking? Here’s your 30-minute setup:

Step 1: Get API Access (5 min)

# Sign up at serppost.com/register
# Get 100 free credits (works for both Google and Bing)
# Copy your API key

Step 2: Test Basic Call (5 min)

const response = await fetch(
  'https://serppost.com/api/search?s=test+keyword&t=bing',
  {
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
    }
  }
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log('Bing SERP data:', data);

Step 3: Compare Google vs Bing (10 min)

import serppost

client = serppost.SERPpost('api_key')

keyword = "your important keyword"

google = client.search(s=keyword, t='google')
bing = client.search(s=keyword, t='bing')

print(f"Google top result: {google['organic'][0]['title']}")
print(f"Bing top result: {bing['organic'][0]['title']}")

# Are they different? That's your opportunity.

Step 4: Build Comparison Function (10 min)

async function compareEngines(keywords) {
  const results = [];
  
  for (let kw of keywords) {
    const [g, b] = await Promise.all([
      api.search({ s: kw, t: 'google' }),
      api.search({ s: kw, t: 'bing' })
    ]);
    
    results.push({
      keyword: kw,
      google_top_10: g.organic.slice(0, 10).map(r => r.url),
      bing_top_10: b.organic.slice(0, 10).map(r => r.url),
      overlap: calculateOverlap(g.organic, b.organic)
    });
  }
  
  return results;
}

function calculateOverlap(google, bing) {
  const gUrls = new Set(google.slice(0, 10).map(r => r.url));
  const bUrls = new Set(bing.slice(0, 10).map(r => r.url));
  
  const intersection = [...gUrls].filter(url => bUrls.has(url));
  
  return {
    count: intersection.length,
    percentage: (intersection.length / 10) * 100
  };
}

Conclusion: Don’t Sleep on Bing

If you’re building anything for:

  • B2B/Enterprise customers
  • Education sector
  • Government contracts
  • Corporate IT departments

You need Bing data. Period.

The math:

  • 30% of enterprise searches
  • 70% cheaper than Google-only solutions
  • Same API, one key with SERPpost

Get started:

  1. Sign up free - 100 credits, no card
  2. Test your top keywords on both engines
  3. See the difference yourself

Most developers ignore Bing. Be smarter than most.


Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Bing SERP API hard to integrate?

A: With SERPpost, it’s literally one parameter change from Google. Same API, same auth, just t: "bing" instead of t: "google".

Q: How often does Bing’s index update?

A: Slower than Google. Updates every 2-4 weeks for most pages. Use IndexNow for faster indexing.

Q: Do I need separate SEO for Bing?

A: Not entirely separate, but tune your content for Bing’s preferences: older domains, exact keywords, social signals.

Q: What’s the ROI of tracking Bing?

A: If 20-30% of your target market uses Bing and you’re missing that data, you’re flying blind on a third of your opportunity. For B2B, even higher.


Related Articles:


About the Author: Sarah Martinez is a Developer Advocate at SERPpost with 6+ years building search-powered applications. She’s helped 100+ companies integrate multi-engine search tracking and has written extensively on enterprise search patterns.

Last updated: December 2025
Code tested on: SERPpost API v2

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Tags:

#Bing API #SERP API #B2B Search #Enterprise Search #Tutorial

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