Bing Places listing
Bing Places is Microsoft's business directory. Registration is free, and if you already have a Google Business Profile most of the setup happens by import — a shortcut no other directory on this list offers.
Open the signup page- Cost
- Listing is free
- Verification
- Phone, email or postcard
- Time to live
- A few days when verified by phone
- Where it matters
- US, UK, Canada, Australia and other Bing markets
Why
Why Bing Places still matters
Bing's search share is small next to Google's, and saying otherwise would be dishonest. But Bing Places data does not only surface in Bing: Windows search, Microsoft's map, and several AI assistants that use Bing as a source all read the same record. Because the listing is one-off and free, the cost is close to zero even when the return is modest — it should not be judged by the same standard as the paid directories on the list.
Steps
How to get listed
- 1
Sign in at bingplaces.com with a Microsoft account. A personal Outlook account is enough; a work account is not required.
- 2
Use "Import from Google My Business". If you have a Google Business Profile, the name, address, phone, hours and categories come across directly.
- 3
Check the imported fields line by line. The import does not always map categories correctly, and a wrong category means showing up for the wrong searches.
- 4
Pick a verification method: phone, email or postcard. Phone verification takes minutes; a postcard takes weeks.
Watch out: the import is a one-time snapshot
Importing from Google does not LINK the listing to Google. When you change your phone number or hours in Google Business Profile, Bing Places does not follow; the old details simply stay there. This is exactly where citation consistency breaks, and nobody notices, because business owners do not search for themselves on Bing.
Questions
Questions about Bing Places
- Does Bing Places cost anything?
- No. Listing, verification and updates are free. Bing Ads is a separate product and is not required for your listing.
- What if I do not have a Google Business Profile?
- You enter the details by hand; the import is only a shortcut. For ranking purposes it makes more sense to set up the Google side first — that is where the overwhelming majority of searches happen.
More
Other directories in the guide
The free guide carries source lists for six countries: which are free, how verification works, and what order to submit in.