Microsoft has relaunched Bing Places for Business with a cleaner home at bing.com/forbusiness. This relaunch includes a recommendation tool for high-impact listing fixes, faster Google Business Profile imports, dashboards and bulk-edit workflow, and an automatic migration for existing Bing users, according to Search Engine Journal.
With these updates, if you manage local listings for clients (like we do at KARMA jack), you should view this as not just a “nice to have” update, but as an operational opportunity. Bing still represents a significant portion of non-Google local search traffic, and Microsoft has clearly built features aimed at agencies and multi-location brands. To make the most of these changes, let’s break down why they matter and what actionable steps agencies should consider. This guide is written for busy agency teams who want to make an impact without the busywork.
Why this matters to your clients
- Easy discovery on Bing Search & Maps. A fully optimized Bing Places profile surfaces in Bing Search and Bing Maps, which drives calls, direction clicks, and website visits for local queries. Claiming and maintaining accurate listings helps control that customer experience.
- Less duplicate work. Microsoft has improved the Google Business Profile import flow to preserve names, hours, and contact details, while adding dashboards, bulk edits, and real-time status updates. This means you can onboard or sync many locations far faster than before.
- Actionable recommendations. The new Recommendation Tool evaluates listing health and highlights specific fields (photos, hours, category items, menu links for restaurants) so teams can prioritize the high-impact changes that typically move the needle.
What agencies should do — 6 tactical next steps
These are simple, prioritized actions your team can implement this week.
- Log in to bing.com/forbusiness and import client GBPs. The redesigned import is explicitly built for multi-location brands and agencies. Start with your highest-traffic clients and confirm that key attributes (NAP, hours, website, categories) carried over correctly.
- Run the Recommendation Tool and triage fixes. Use Microsoft’s recommendations to create a short action list: photos to add, missing services, hours inconsistencies, and schema gaps.
- Use dashboards & bulk edits for scale ops. If you manage 5+ locations, bulk edits can be a time-saver. Push consistent updates (holiday hours, temporary closures, or category tweaks) with fewer manual clicks and a clear audit trail.
- Keep Google and Bing in sync, but don’t blindly copy. Importing GBP data is useful, but every search ecosystem has nuances. After import, verify category choices, service attributes, and menu or booking links — these fields can appear differently in Bing and may need fine-tuning.
- Build a reporting column for Bing metrics. Add Bing actions (calls, directions, profile views) into your local reporting dashboards. Even modest incremental traffic is valuable for local clients, showing the opportunity helps justify management fees.
- Prepare for deeper integrations. Microsoft has signaled upcoming feature rollouts, including deeper Bing Maps and Copilot integrations, and expanded agency support. That means new ways to automate, surface insights and potentially run richer map experiences for clients. Plan to test new features when they arrive.
Messaging & content tips that convert on Bing
- Lead with local intent. Ensure your clients’ primary service and location live in the business title and first 1–2 lines of the description because Bing uses these fields for local queries like Google.
- Images and items matter. The Recommendation Tool will push missing photos or menu links. Use high-quality, contextually tagged photos (interior, exterior, staff, and product shots) to improve click-through.
- Callouts for differentiators. If a client offers vet-supervised boarding, curbside pickup, or guaranteed same-day service, add those as service attributes and call them out in the place page — they help with discovery and conversion.
