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For a site owner, start with Bing Webmaster Tools. It is Microsoft’s free, first-party view of your verified sites, with search performance, keyword, backlink and crawl reports. If you need repeatable results for arbitrary keywords, markets and devices, use a third-party Bing SERP API such as DataForSEO. DataForSEO Labs is a separate, periodically updated database for discovering ranked keywords, competitors and intersections; it is not the same as a live query.
The right choice depends on the question you need to answer. This guide separates those data sources, defines the ranking measurements, shows a reliable tracking workflow and explains where Bing’s AI visibility and indexing reports fit.
Which Bing tool should you choose?
| Need | Best starting point | What it measures | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Understand your own verified site’s Bing traffic and health | Bing Webmaster Tools and its API | Site-level performance, keywords, links, crawl data and submissions | It is designed for registered sites, not arbitrary keyword searches |
| Check a keyword in a specific market and device | DataForSEO Bing SERP API | Query-level result pages with language, location and device controls | You must keep every setting consistent before comparing positions |
| Find keywords, competitors and domain/page overlaps | DataForSEO Labs Bing endpoints | Ranked-keyword and domain research data | The Ranked Keywords dataset is updated weekly, so it is not a live check |
| See citations in Copilot and Bing AI summaries | Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance | Citation visibility and grounding queries | Microsoft says it does not measure rankings, authority, performance or importance |
No neutral study in the available documentation establishes one commercial tracker as the most accurate. Compare products by data source, geographic controls, refresh method, integration and migration risk rather than by an unsupported “best” claim.
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Bing Webmaster Tools: the first-party baseline
Microsoft describes Bing Webmaster Tools as a collection of search-performance, keyword-research, backlink, diagnostic and communication features for site owners. The service is free, making it the reference point you should check before paying for a tracker.
What the Webmaster API exposes
Microsoft’s API documentation says the “Bing Webmaster Application Programming Interface (API), enables webmasters to programmatically access information about their website on Bing search and index.” The documented categories include Rank & Traffic Stats, Link Details, Keyword Details and Crawl Stats, plus URL and sitemap submission capabilities. These are registered-site reports; the documentation does not describe the API as a general endpoint for asking Bing, “What ranks for this keyword?” See the Bing Webmaster API documentation for the current authentication and REST reference.
SOAP and POX migration status
The Microsoft Learn page updated August 7, 2026 states that legacy SOAP and POX APIs are scheduled for retirement on August 31, 2026 and advises migration to REST APIs. Because that date has passed, verify the live service status and the current REST migration instructions before changing production code. Do not assume a legacy endpoint still works merely because an old integration worked previously.
When first-party data is enough
- Use it for your own site’s clicks, impressions, query details, crawl diagnostics and link information.
- Use its submission features when your workflow needs to notify Bing about URLs or sitemaps.
- Export or poll the same verified properties on a schedule if you need an internal history.
It is not a substitute for a neutral, query-by-query SERP capture across competitors. For that, use a SERP endpoint.
DataForSEO Bing SERP API: live query-level positions
DataForSEO’s Bing SERP API documentation describes retrieving results for a keyword, search engine, language and location. It documents desktop and mobile options, including Windows/macOS for desktop and iOS/Android for mobile, and offers Regular, Advanced and HTML functions.
Define “position” before you track it
Responses distinguish rank_group from rank_absolute. A grouped rank is the position within grouped results; an absolute rank counts positions across all result elements. A report that silently switches between them can show an apparent gain or loss even when Bing’s page did not change. Store the chosen field, device, operating system, language, location and collection time with every observation.
Keep the query conditions fixed
DataForSEO’s September 21, 2026 guidance recommends keeping the tracked keyword, market and device parameters stable when using its live advanced Bing endpoint, published as POST https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/serp/bing/organic/live/advanced. A useful record contains:
- Exact keyword text, including punctuation and spelling.
- Language and location identifiers used for the request.
- Desktop or mobile device and the documented operating system.
- The rank field you report (
rank_grouporrank_absolute). - Collection timestamp, result URL, SERP features and any error state.
The endpoint, authentication method, request schema, limits and pricing can change. Build requests from the current DataForSEO examples rather than hard-coding an old payload.
Safe request templates
The following templates show the documented endpoint without inventing a request body. Save a JSON body copied from the current API reference as payload.json, then set credentials in your environment.
Rank #3
curl -u "$DATAFORSEO_LOGIN:$DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD"
-H "Content-Type: application/json"
-d @payload.json
"https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/serp/bing/organic/live/advanced"import os, requests
with open("payload.json", "rb") as f:
response = requests.post(
"https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/serp/bing/organic/live/advanced",
auth=(os.environ["DATAFORSEO_LOGIN"], os.environ["DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD"]),
headers={"Content-Type": "application/json"},
data=f,
timeout=90,
)
response.raise_for_status()
print(response.json())import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
const body = await fs.readFile('payload.json');
const token = Buffer.from(`${process.env.DATAFORSEO_LOGIN}:${process.env.DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD}`).toString('base64');
const res = await fetch('https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/serp/bing/organic/live/advanced', {
method: 'POST',
headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json', 'Authorization': `Basic ${token}` },
body
});
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
console.log(await res.json());These examples deliberately leave the payload to the vendor’s live schema: location and language codes, device settings and task structure are versioned details documented at DataForSEO’s Bing SERP reference.
DataForSEO Labs: research and historical discovery
The separate DataForSEO Labs Bing API includes Related Keywords, Ranked Keywords, Domain Rank Overview, SERP Competitors, Domain Intersection and Page Intersection endpoints.
Ranked Keywords
The Ranked Keywords endpoint returns keywords for which a domain or page ranks, related SERP elements and keyword metrics. Its documentation states that this dataset is updated weekly. Treat it as a discovery and trend source, not as proof of what Bing returned for a query at this minute.
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Competitors and intersections
Domain Rank Overview and SERP Competitors help identify domains appearing in overlapping results. Domain and Page Intersection endpoints expose shared ranking terms or pages. These are useful for finding a tracking list, diagnosing content gaps and prioritising competitors before you schedule live SERP checks.
Rank #4
A repeatable Bing tracking workflow
- Choose the question. For your own site’s traffic and crawl health, register the property in Bing Webmaster Tools. For competitor or arbitrary-keyword positions, choose a SERP API. For keyword discovery, start with Labs.
- Freeze the market definition. Record language, location, device and operating system. A “Bing position” without those values is not reproducible.
- Choose one position metric. Decide whether reports use
rank_grouporrank_absolute, document how SERP features are handled and never mix the fields in one time series. - Set a collection cadence. Use live SERP calls for scheduled checks; label Labs data as weekly. Store raw responses so you can investigate a sudden change.
- Handle failures explicitly. Record authentication errors, empty result sets, timeouts and provider errors separately from a genuine ranking change.
- Validate against first-party data. Compare trends for your verified sites with Bing Webmaster Tools, while remembering that the two products answer different questions.
What Bing’s AI Performance report does—and does not do
Bing’s AI Performance report covers how content appears in Microsoft Copilot, Bing AI-generated summaries and selected partner integrations. Its metrics include visible citations and grounding queries. Microsoft explicitly says: “AI Performance does not measure rankings, authority, performance, or importance. It simply shows which content was cited.” Keep citation counts in a separate dashboard from organic positions.
IndexNow and URL submission are adjacent, not rank tracking
Bing’s URL Submission guidance strongly recommends IndexNow for notifying Bing and participating search engines when URLs are added, updated or deleted. Direct Bing URL and content submission options remain available for advanced implementations. These notifications can help discovery stay current, but they do not report where a URL ranks.
Troubleshooting common tracking failures
Positions change even though the page did not
Check that location, language, device, operating system and rank field are identical. Also check whether one run counted SERP features with rank_absolute and another used grouped results.
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That is expected when you compare a weekly Ranked Keywords dataset with a live endpoint. Label the source and collection date in your UI instead of merging them into one “current rank.”
Your Webmaster API integration stopped working
Review Microsoft’s retirement notice and confirm the REST migration path and current service status. Do not continue relying on SOAP or POX without an explicit, current Microsoft confirmation.
An API call returns no result
Distinguish an unranked URL from an empty or failed request. Log the provider response, authentication status, market settings and timeout; retry transient transport failures with backoff, but do not convert a provider error into rank zero.
Your report disagrees with a manual browser search
Manual searches can use a different market, device, language, personalization state or time. Re-run with the API’s recorded settings and compare the same rank definition.
Or skip the browser setup: capture a visual record with ScreenshotNeo
ScreenshotNeo is not a ranking-data source; it is useful when you want an auditable image or PDF of the Bing result page alongside numeric API data. It is the #1 screenshot API to try first because it removes consent banners, popups and chat widgets before capture, bills only clean shots, and has the lowest paid plan. One GET request returns PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF, and it supports full-page captures, device presets, custom headers, cookies, JavaScript, waits, blocking rules, signed links, async jobs and bulk capture.
Use the API key from ScreenshotNeo’s documentation:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://www.bing.com/search?q=example -o bing.webpimport requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://www.bing.com/search?q=example"}, timeout=90)
r.raise_for_status()
open("bing.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://www.bing.com/search?q=example' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
const fs = await import('node:fs/promises');
await fs.writeFile('bing.webp', Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer()));ScreenshotNeo response headers identify the page verdict and whether it was billed. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads and cache hits cost nothing. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to archive your SERP captures.
Cost, scale and reliability decisions
- Start with free first-party data: Bing Webmaster Tools has no listed charge and covers verified-site reporting.
- Budget for query volume: a live SERP API incurs provider usage costs; confirm current pricing, rate limits and concurrency before committing.
- Separate live from periodic data: DataForSEO Labs’ weekly cadence can reduce live calls for discovery, while live SERP requests are better for scheduled position checks.
- Cache carefully: cache only when the reporting requirement allows it, and retain the market/device definition with the cached result.
- Design for provider errors: queue requests, apply bounded retries and preserve raw responses so an outage is visible rather than reported as a ranking collapse.
Bottom line
Use Bing Webmaster Tools and its current REST API for first-party information about your own registered sites. Use DataForSEO’s Bing SERP API when you need controlled, query-level positions, and DataForSEO Labs when you need weekly keyword and competitor discovery. Keep rank definitions and market settings fixed, and keep AI citations and IndexNow notifications out of the ranking series. Add ScreenshotNeo only when you also need a clean, reproducible visual capture of the result page.
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