TL;DR: What's new in the latest version of Bing Places

Microsoft has moved Bing Places for Business to bing.com/business with a UX redesign, AI recommendations, and Copilot integration. Bing accounts for about 4% of search in France according to StatCounter (2025), a less saturated traffic source that deserves your listing.

Key points
  • New URL bing.com/business, existing listings automatically migrated
  • AI recommendations and alerts for missing information integrated into the dashboard
  • Copilot and Bing Maps integration: your listing feeds Microsoft's generative answers
  • Bing captures 4% of FR searches (StatCounter, 2025), but 100% of ChatGPT search traffic via the Bing index
  • Setup in 15 min, postal or phone verification within 7 days

What is Bing Places for Business in 2026?

Bing Places for Business is Microsoft's equivalent of Google Business Profile: a free service that allows businesses and professionals to manage their local listing on Bing Search, Bing Maps, and now Copilot. According to Microsoft Learn, the Bing index also powers DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and ChatGPT Search.

Specifically, you declare your business name, address, hours, business categories, photos, and services. This data then appears in local search results, the knowledge panel, and mapping. The platform targets both independent restaurateurs and multi-location chains.

Why Bing remains relevant despite Google

In France, Google dominates with approximately 90% market share according to StatCounter (2025). But Bing powers the entire Microsoft ecosystem: Edge, Windows Search, Outlook, Teams, and now Copilot and ChatGPT Search. Microsoft confirmed in 2024 in an official post that Bing processes over 100 billion queries per year.

What's new in the latest version?

The 2025-2026 redesign abandons the old URL bingplaces.com in favor of bing.com/business, integrated directly into the Bing ecosystem. According to the Bing Blogs announcement, the update aims to reduce listing management time by 30% and push contextual recommendations via AI.

A modernized interface

The new dashboard groups all listings into a single view. Critical fields (name, address, phone, hours) appear at the top with a completeness score. Agencies managing multiple accounts can switch between clients without logging out, which was sorely missing in the old version.

Personalized AI recommendations

Microsoft has added an assistant that scans your listing and suggests concrete actions: add a photo, complete a field, link your website, enable online ordering for restaurants. These suggestions are inspired by the Google Business Profile model but adapt to the declared sector.

Copilot and generative AI integration

This is the real fundamental change. When a user asks Copilot about "best Italian restaurant Lyon 6", the assistant draws from Bing Places listings. According to Microsoft News, Copilot has over 100 million monthly active users in early 2025. A well-optimized listing therefore gains visibility in conversational search.

How to create or claim your Bing Places listing?

Creation takes approximately 15 minutes according to the official Bing Places documentation, followed by postal verification (5-7 days) or phone verification (immediate depending on the country). The service is 100% free, with no paid options, unlike Google Business Profile which pushes Google Ads as an upsell.

Step 1: Connection and account type

Go to bing.com/business and log in with a Microsoft account (personal or professional). Then choose "Single business owner" if you manage one establishment, "Chain business" for 10 or more locations, or "Agency" to manage client listings.

Step 2: Search and import from Google

Bing offers to import your data from Google Business Profile. This feature, documented by Microsoft Advertising Learn, copies name, address, hours, and categories. A real time-saver, especially for multi-location networks.

Step 3: Complete and verify

Add high-resolution photos (logo, facade, interior, team), a long description, services offered, and social links. Then launch verification: a code will arrive by mail within 5 to 7 days in France, or by automated call. Once validated, the listing appears within 24 to 72 hours on Bing and Bing Maps.

Bing Places vs Google Business Profile: what are the differences?

Google Business Profile captures approximately 90% of local traffic in France according to StatCounter (2025), but Bing Places covers the Microsoft ecosystem, ChatGPT Search, and DuckDuckGo. BrightLocal also reports that 21% of US consumers read Bing reviews before a local purchase.

Volume vs. traffic quality

The differential is massive in terms of volume, but Bing traffic has a more B2B and senior profile according to Semrush. The median age of the Bing audience exceeds 45, and 40% of users have an annual income over $75,000 (Microsoft Advertising data 2024).

Compared features

Google remains ahead on reviews (volume, moderation, Q&A), editorial posts, and messaging. Bing is catching up on multi-account management, automated import, and Copilot integration. For an e-commerce or retail site, keeping both listings synchronized costs little and captures residual ChatGPT/Edge traffic.

What about advertising?

Bing Places does not offer advertising, unlike Google Business Profile which is linked to Google Ads. For the paid part, Microsoft separates the tool with Microsoft Advertising, whose CPCs are on average 30 to 60% cheaper than Google Ads according to WordStream (2024).

How to optimize your listing for local SEO?

A 100% complete listing gains on average 7 times more views than a partial listing, according to BrightLocal benchmarks (2024) on Google, applicable by analogy to Bing. The optimization logic remains similar: consistent NAP, precise categories, regular photos, solicited reviews.

NAP and citation consistency

Name, address, phone: these three pieces of data must be strictly identical across your website, Google, Bing, Facebook, Yellow Pages, and industry directories. NAP inconsistency causes local ranking to drop according to Moz Local SEO Guide. This is the most common and costly error.

Photos and update frequency

Add at least 10 high-resolution photos (1200 px minimum), and publish new content every month. Bing crawls slower than Google, allow 2 to 4 weeks for your changes to appear. Listings updated monthly appear more often in the local pack according to Search Engine Journal recommendations.

Customer reviews: solicit them

Bing displays aggregated Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Facebook reviews. Work on your review strategy on these third-party platforms: a volume greater than 25 reviews with an average rating above 4.2 correlates with a better ranking, as shown by Whitespark in its annual study of local ranking factors.

Why Bing Places is becoming strategic with AI?

ChatGPT Search, launched in October 2024, uses the Bing index as its primary source according to OpenAI. With 200 million weekly ChatGPT users (OpenAI report, 2024), your Bing listing potentially feeds the generated responses in a significant portion of AI-assisted search traffic.

The AEO pivot: Answer Engine Optimization

Local SEO is evolving towards AEO: optimizing so that an AI assistant cites your establishment when a user asks "a good hairdresser near me". An up-to-date, structured, and complete Bing Places listing becomes a privileged input for Copilot, ChatGPT, and Perplexity. Our growth marketing team now integrates Bing Places into every B2B and B2C local visibility strategy.

The opportunity cost of ignoring Bing

Claiming a Bing listing takes 15 minutes. Maintaining it, 30 minutes per month. For this effort, you capture 4% of traditional French search plus a fraction of ChatGPT, Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo traffic. For the local SEO projects we support, it's one of the best effort-to-impact ratios currently available.

FAQ

Is Bing Places really free?

Yes, Bing Places for Business is 100% free, with no paid plans or pushed advertising in the interface, as confirmed by the official FAQ. Microsoft's monetization comes through Microsoft Advertising, a separate product. No credit card is required to create or manage your listing.

How long does it take to appear on Bing after verification?

Allow 24 to 72 hours after successful verification for a listing to appear on Bing Search and Bing Maps, according to Bing Places documentation. Subsequent modifications (hours, photos) are generally taken into account within 2 to 4 weeks, as Bing's crawl is slower than Google's.

Does Bing Places replace Google Business Profile?

No, it's complementary. Google captures approximately 90% of search in France (StatCounter, 2025) and remains a priority. Bing Places adds Microsoft coverage (Edge, Windows, Outlook), DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, and the ChatGPT/Copilot ecosystem. For 30 minutes a month, you double your local visibility surface.

How do I import my Google Business Profile listing to Bing?

Bing offers native import from Google: log in to bing.com/business, choose "Import from Google" and authorize access to your Google account. According to Microsoft Learn, the transfer takes a few minutes for a single listing, longer for multi-location chains.

Are my Google reviews visible on Bing?

No, Bing does not display Google reviews. The platform aggregates Yelp, Tripadvisor, Facebook, and some industry directory reviews instead. To maximize your Bing rating, structure a multi-platform review strategy. BrightLocal indicates that 76% of consumers regularly read reviews before a local purchase.

Conclusion: act before the window closes

The new version of Bing Places transforms a long-secondary tool into a local visibility hub connected to Copilot, ChatGPT Search, and the Microsoft ecosystem. The effort is minimal, the cost is zero, and the potential grows with each Microsoft AI deployment. Claim your listing, connect it to your local SEO strategy, and treat it as a natural extension of your Google Business Profile, not as a duplicate.

To go further on managing your local and AI acquisition, take a look at our artificial intelligence agency content and Uclic blog. The battle for local visibility is now being fought on two fronts: Google and generative AI. Bing Places covers both.