In discussions regarding ecommerce SEO, Google usually dominates the conversation; seeing as it holds the majority of search share, it’s only natural to consider it first. But completely ignoring other major search engines, like Bing, is a mistake, especially if you are targeting U.S. shoppers.
Bing powers searches on Yahoo and DuckDuckGo, and even with assistants like Alexa, in addition to having a strong foothold in desktop searches and among older demographics. With that in mind, you need to address Bing in your SEO strategy just as you would Google.
To that end, the following guide explores how to manage ecommerce crawl index control and unpacks the key technical differences between the two search engines.
Key Differences Between Google and Bing SEO
Google and Bing share core ranking factors, such as relevance, crawlability, and mobile usability. Be that as it may, they diverge in several ways that directly impact ecommerce operators. Chief among these differences are the following:
Crawl Frequency and Depth
Google’s crawl is aggressive, using signals like backlinks, sitemaps, and updated content frequency. In contrast, Bing’s crawl is more conservative, sometimes requiring explicit help via ecommerce sitemaps and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Ranking Signals
Google emphasizes mobile-first indexing, Core Web Vitals (CWVs), and intent-based content, while Bing puts more weight on domain age, exact-match keywords, and structured metadata.
Search Engine Result Page (SERP) Enhancements
Whereas Google favors schema markup for products, reviews, and FAQs, Bing surfaces multimedia content more prominently, rewarding image optimization and video schema.
Altogether, you’ll still want to prioritize Google due to the sheer volume of search traffic that originates from the platform, but it’s also crucial to optimize elements that Bing uses for ranking purposes to ensure visibility on both platforms.
Ecommerce Crawl Index Control
Crawl budget waste is one of the most common ecommerce SEO issues, especially on platforms like BigCommerce, Shopify, and Magento. And that’s primarily because things like filters, faceted navigation, and dynamic parameters generate near-infinite URLs.
Here are some steps to take to improve your ecommerce crawl index control:
- Audit Faceted Navigation:
- Identify parameterized URLs
- Use rules in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to control parameter handling
- Use Robots Directives:
- Apply noindex and follow tags for pages that shouldn’t appear in SERPs but still need link equity
- Update ecommerce robots.txt files to block the crawl of irrelevant filters, like sort by popularity
- Optimize Sitemaps:
- Keep sitemaps clean, only including canonical product, category, and landing pages
- Separate sitemaps for products, categories, and blogs to improve discoverability
- Canonicalization Strategy:
- Ensure canonical tags always point to clean, crawlable URLs
- Test canonicals on both Google and Bing, since interpretation can vary slightly
Taking these measures will help you eliminate crawl waste and climb the rankings. And though doing so can be admittedly tedious at first, it is nevertheless worth the effort.
Platform-Specific Considerations
You’ll need to fine-tune your Bing and Google optimization strategies based on the platform that you use to run your ecommerce store.
Say, for instance, that you operate a Shopify store. In that case, you’ll want to prioritize native sitemaps for Google, but be wary of duplicate tag/collection URLs. Bing is less forgiving of duplicate content, which means you may be suppressed in the rankings unless you explicitly canonicalize everything.
BigCommerce is another popular ecommerce platform that Google and Bing approach differently. The former handles faceted parameters if canonicals are clean, while the latter requires more direct robots.txt rules to avoid wasting crawl budgets.
Lastly, if you are running on Magento and want to appeal to Google, provide strong support for structured data and layered navigation. Bing is more likely to over-index filters, so you’ll need to manually curate your sitemap.
The Importance of Technical SEO: Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Ecommerce operators often over-optimize for Google, unintentionally hurting their Bing performance in the process.
Both engines share common ground when valuing crawlability, content quality, and structured data, but the way they interpret technical signals diverges in important ways. If you optimize exclusively with Google in mind, Bing may struggle to fully understand and index your ecommerce site.
Additional hurdles you may experience (as well as how to fix them) include the following:
Overreliance on JavaScript Rendering
Modern ecommerce platforms rely heavily on JavaScript to power interactive product grids, faceted filters, and personalized content. Googlebot has made huge strides in handling JavaScript, but Bingbot is still less sophisticated; pages that depend entirely on client-side rendering often appear incomplete or fail to index properly on Bing.
Fortunately, solving the issue involves a pretty easy fix. Pre- or server-side render your critical ecommerce content, such as category text, product specifications, and metadata. The goal is to ensure both bots receive a fully rendered HTML snapshot, and a hybrid approach maintains interactive UX for users while guaranteeing crawlable, indexable content for both engines.
Mobile-First vs. Desktop Optimization
Google’s switch to mobile-first indexing means the mobile experience now acts as the single source of truth for crawling and ranking. Many ecommerce operators have been following Google’s lead in the following ways:
- Focusing heavily on responsive design
- Prioritizing mobile load speeds
- Optimizing mobile CWVs
While you should certainly do these things to improve your rankings on Google, you can’t neglect Bing, which still sees a significant share of its user base browsing from desktop workstations. As such, if you optimize solely for mobile, your desktop templates may contain rendering quirks, missing schema, or formatting issues that directly affect Bing visibility.
The solution involves testing both your mobile and desktop experiences with things like Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights. Bing Webmaster Tools will also provide insights into your store’s compatibility with the platform.
Taking a balanced approach ensures that mobile users get the streamlined experience Google rewards, in addition to soundly providing desktop users with a robust interface that Bing expects.
Schema Testing and Validation Gaps
Structured data has become table stakes for ecommerce SEO. Google’s Rich Results Test is widely used to validate schema for products, reviews, and breadcrumbs. The problem, though, is that many teams stop there, failing to recognize that just because their schema passes Google’s validation, it will not necessarily work universally.
Google emphasizes structured data, like reviews and product availability, for enhanced SERPs. And though Bing does accept schema.org markup, it integrates it differently, relying more on metadata and shopping integrations.
Therefore, relying solely on Google’s validator may cause Bing to ignore or misinterpret certain markup. For instance, if your shipping schema or product availability isn’t aligned with Bing’s interpretation, your items may fail to surface in Bing’s shopping carousel.
Ultimately, you’ll need to assess things in both environments. Use Google’s Rich Results Test and Schema Markup Validator, but also validate with Bing Webmaster Tools. The goal is to confirm that your key ecommerce schema, such as product, offer, and aggregateRating, renders cleanly across both engines.
Measurable Outcomes for Ecommerce SEO
Creating a technical SEO strategy for both Google and Bing requires measurable targets. Instead of chasing vanity metrics like “indexed pages” or “organic traffic volume,” focus on the fundamentals, which include the following:
- A max crawl depth of three or less
- Zero indexable parameter pages
- A Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) of less than 2.5 seconds on mobile
- Zero Rich Results warnings
- Complete (100%) sitemap submission
Hitting these thresholds means you’ve created a technical foundation that satisfies Google’s algorithm as well as Bing’s strict interpretation of crawl/index signals.
Your Step-by-Step Action Plan
In sum, climbing the rankings on Google and Bing involves these key steps:
- Benchmarking your current visibility
- Cleaning up sitemaps and robots
- Aligning canonicals
- Validating CWVs
- Performing structured data and testing
Admittedly, taking on all of these tasks alone can be daunting, but the good news is that you don’t have to. With the help of technical SEO pros at Net Profit Marketing, you can implement these strategies with ease and improve your visibility on both Google and Bing in little time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does Bing Matter for Ecommerce SEO?
Bing accounts for a relatively small percentage of search traffic, but its audience is nevertheless valuable. It primarily consists of an older demographic that has plenty of disposable income for online shopping, making them a prime target for your store.
Should I Create a Separate Strategy for Google and Bing?
A strategy that focuses on aspects like crawlability, fast site speed, and structured data applies to both search engines. Still, you’ll need to make small adjustments, such as using exact-match keywords in titles, to appeal to Bing.
Does Schema Work the Same in Both?
Both engines consume schema. Google uses it to enrich its SERPs with visual features, while Bing integrates it more subtly into product searches and shopping feeds.
Take the Next Steps With Net Profit Marketing
Regain your ecommerce crawl index control for both Google and Bing by contacting Net Profit Marketing today and discussing a technical SEO audit with our pros.
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