BING PLACES FOR PLUMBERS. THE FREE LISTING EVERYONE IGNORES.
Google gets all the attention. But Bing handles 1 billion searches per month and most plumbers aren't even listed. Here's how to fix that in 10 minutes.
Dear Plumber,
You've heard of Bing, right?
Microsoft's search engine? The one that comes pre-installed on every Windows computer? The one your parents probably use because they never changed the default browser?
Yeah. That Bing.
Most plumbers completely ignore it. "Nobody uses Bing," they say. And then they go back to fighting over the same Google rankings as every other plumber in town.
Here's the thing though. "Nobody" is actually about 100 million daily users in the US alone.
that's a lot of nobodies
Why Bing Matters More Than You Think
Let's look at the real numbers:
- Bing handles about 1 billion searches per month globally
- It has approximately 9% of the US search market share
- Bing powers Yahoo Search, DuckDuckGo, and Alexa/Cortana voice results
- It's the default search engine on every Windows PC, Xbox, and Microsoft Edge browser
- Bing users tend to be older, wealthier homeowners (a.k.a. your ideal customer)
That last point is important. Bing's demographics skew toward an older audience with higher household incomes. These are homeowners who own property, have plumbing problems, and can afford to fix them.
They're literally your perfect customer. And you're invisible to them because you never claimed your Bing Places listing.
What Is Bing Places?
Bing Places is Bing's version of Google Business Profile. It's a free listing that shows your plumbing business on Bing Maps and in local search results.
When someone searches "plumber near me" on Bing, the results pull from Bing Places. Just like Google pulls from Google Business Profile.
If you're not on Bing Places, you don't exist on Bing. Simple as that.
How to Set Up Bing Places (10 Minutes)
This is stupid easy.
Step 1: Go to bingplaces.com
Step 2: Sign in with a Microsoft account (create one if needed, it's free)
Step 3: You have two options: - Import from Google. This is the fastest. Bing can pull your Google Business Profile data and import it directly. Takes about 2 minutes. - Add manually. Fill out your business information from scratch. Takes about 10 minutes.
Step 4: Verify your business. Bing will send a verification code via phone, text, or mail. Enter the code and you're live.
Step 5: Fill out your profile completely. Hours, services, photos, description, the works.
That's it. You now exist on Bing.
What to Include in Your Bing Places Profile
The same stuff you'd put on your Google Business Profile:
Business name. Your actual legal business name. No keyword stuffing.
Address. Exact match with your website and Google listing. Character for character.
Phone number. Correct and current. Match it exactly across all platforms.
Hours. Accurate hours including holidays.
Categories. "Plumber" as primary. Add relevant sub-categories.
Description. A clear, keyword-rich description of your business. Who you are, what you do, where you serve.
Photos. Upload your best photos. Team, truck, completed work, before-and-afters.
Website URL. Link to your website.
The Import Trick
If your Google Business Profile is already optimized (and it should be), use the import feature. Bing will pull most of your information directly from Google.
This means you can set up your Bing listing in under 2 minutes.
Just double-check everything after the import. Sometimes phone numbers or hours get formatted differently. Make sure it all matches.
Bing and Voice Search
Here's something most plumbers don't realize.
Microsoft's Cortana uses Bing for search results. Amazon's Alexa uses Bing for search results. Any smart home device running on Microsoft or Amazon pulls from Bing.
When someone says "Alexa, find me a plumber," the results come from Bing.
If you're not on Bing Places, Alexa won't find you. Cortana won't find you. That's a whole segment of voice-search users who can't reach you.
The SEO Bonus
Having a complete Bing Places listing also helps your overall local SEO. Here's how:
Citation consistency. Google uses citations (mentions of your business across the web) as a ranking signal. A consistent listing on Bing Places is another citation that tells Google your business information is legit and consistent.
Backlink. Bing Places includes a link to your website. That's a free backlink from a high-authority domain. Not a massive boost, but every little bit helps.
Multi-platform visibility. Being on both Google AND Bing means you're covering the vast majority of search traffic. Some customers only use Bing. If you're not there, your competitor is.
What About Bing Ads?
While we're talking Bing, their advertising platform (Microsoft Advertising) is worth knowing about.
Bing Ads (PPC) typically cost 30-50% less per click than Google Ads. Less competition. Lower costs. Same type of high-intent search traffic.
If you're already running Google Ads and you're happy with the results, duplicating those campaigns on Bing can get you extra leads at a lower cost.
But that's a topic for another day. For now, just claim your free listing. That's the easy win.
The 10-Minute No-Brainer
Let me put this bluntly.
Bing Places is: - Free (costs nothing to set up) - Fast (10 minutes, or 2 if you import from Google) - Reaching 100 million+ users (including your ideal demographic) - Powering voice search (Alexa, Cortana) - Helping your overall SEO (citation + backlink)
And you haven't done it yet?
That's like finding a $100 bill on the ground and stepping over it because you were too busy looking for $20 bills.
Pick up the money. Set up your Bing listing. And while you're at it, don't forget to claim your Apple Maps listing too. Then make sure your website is ready for the traffic. See what a conversion-ready plumbing website looks like.
Get Your Free Online Presence Audit
Want to know where all your listings stand? Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp, and more? Get a free website audit and we'll check everything.
We'll find the gaps, fix the inconsistencies, and make sure you're showing up everywhere your customers are searching.
P.S. Your dad uses Bing. Your customers' parents use Bing. That property manager with 20 rental units? She uses whatever browser came pre-installed on her Dell laptop. Which means she uses Bing. Stop ignoring a free platform that reaches millions of your potential customers. Ten minutes. That's all it takes.