In order to grow your business and be found in more search results, it’s important to claim your Bing business listing. It’s really simple to do this by just going to the Bing Business Portal on http://www.bing.com/businessportal.
Search for your business to check to see if you have a listing already, and if you do, claim it. If not, choose Create. You’ll enter your business name, address, and phone number. Then you’ll be prompted to create a Microsoft account or sign into your existing Microsoft account. It is usually an @live.com or an @hotmail.com email address.
Don’t be put off that you need to do this; it is no different than having to create a Google account for Google Places. Plus, you can use a Hotmail account, Xbox LIVE, Windows Phone, SkyDrive and other services with one single Microsoft account. So if you already have one of those accounts, you can sign in with that to add your business to Bing business listing.
After signing into your account you’ll go to the Dashboard of your Business Portal where you’ll see your businesses. You can have more than one business listed for free. You’ll also be able to list what you sell, events, deals, users (so others can manage your account), marketing and more for each separate business.
You can include as much or as little information as you desire. However, it is recommended that you give a lot of thought to each word you put in descriptions, details, your profile and all areas so that you garner more search results. If you’ve completed keyword research, you’ll know what keywords will do best within your profile.
You can choose to display the address of your business or not, though you do have to include it. This is great for businesses that are solely online because while you’ve included your address for verification purposes, you do not have to reveal it within the search. You’ll put your business email, which is probably different from your Microsoft account info, and your business website if you have one. Upload a logo, and include your Facebook and Twitter address for social media integration.
As you move through the areas of Details, More Details, Profile, Mobile, Photos, Preview, Verification and finally Create, you’ll want to fill out all areas that you can. The more information for your customers to find you, the better. Choose your languages, hours of operation, payment type accepted, fill in your tag line and more.
You’ll also have the option to create a Free mobile website and QR code from your entries. You can even create specials and list all your top sellers on the mobile website. Do as much as you like because the more content you put on the Bing business listing, the better.
Once you preview everything you’ll need to verify everything. Choose the method you’d like to verify. They will send you a PIN and then you will enter it into the verify area. Once you’ve verified, then your business listing will be live and published. Another really neat aspect of Bing Portal is that you can even, using your logo as the color options, create business cards, posters, and mailers right from your portal. Get started today creating your Bing business listing!