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Issue #109 · standard

Issue 109

What is this issue?

This issue checks whether your website has a valid Bing Webmaster Tools verification method in place, typically via a <meta name="msvalidate.01"> tag on the homepage.

A passing implementation includes one of the following verification methods:

  • A <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="[token]"> tag in the homepage <head>
  • A BingSiteAuth.xml file at the domain root

Example of correct implementation:

<meta name="msvalidate.01" content="A1B2C3D4E5F6789012345678ABCDEF01" />

Without verification, you cannot access Bing Webmaster Tools data including crawl reports, keyword performance, and backlink analytics.

Why does it matter?

Bing Webmaster Tools verification is important for SEO monitoring, especially for reaching Bing and Yahoo users:

  • Rankings: Bing has a significant search market share (especially on Windows devices). Access to Bing Webmaster Tools helps you optimize for this audience.
  • Indexability: Bing Webmaster Tools shows which pages are indexed in Bing, helping identify indexation issues specific to Bing.
  • Crawlability: The Crawl Information report shows how Bing crawls your site, helping identify crawl issues.
  • Backlink data: Bing provides backlink reports that can complement Google Search Console data.
  • Keyword performance: Understanding which keywords drive traffic from Bing can inform your SEO strategy.

Resolving this issue improves your SEO health score by enabling access to Bing-specific SEO data and ensuring you can monitor and optimize your site's presence in Bing Search.

How to fix it

Follow these steps to verify your site with Bing Webmaster Tools:

  1. Add your site to Bing Webmaster Tools: Go to Bing Webmaster Tools and add your website property.

  2. Choose a verification method (any one of these):

    Method 1: HTML Meta Tag (Recommended)

    • In Bing Webmaster Tools, select the "Meta tag" verification method
    • Copy the provided meta tag (e.g., <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="...">)
    • Paste it into the <head> section of your homepage
    • Redeploy your site.

    Method 2: XML File Upload

    • Download the BingSiteAuth.xml file from Bing Webmaster Tools
    • Upload it to the root directory of your website
    • Ensure it returns HTTP 200 when accessed at https://example.com/BingSiteAuth.xml

  3. Verify in Bing Webmaster Tools: Click "Verify" in Bing Webmaster Tools to confirm the verification method is working.

  4. Monitor verification status: Periodically check that verification is still active, especially after site redesigns or migrations.

Note: Bing Webmaster Tools verification is separate from Google Search Console verification. You should verify your site with both search engines.

Examples

Example 1: Correct Implementation with Meta Tag

Scenario: A properly verified site with meta tag verification.

Correct State (Passes):

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
  <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="A1B2C3D4E5F6789012345678ABCDEF01" />
  <title>Home Page</title>
</head>

Example 2: Missing Verification

Scenario: Site has no Bing Webmaster Tools verification.

Problematic State (Fails):

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
  <title>Home Page</title>
</head>

Why it fails: Without verification, you cannot access Bing Webmaster Tools data.

Corrected State (Passes):

<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8" />
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
  <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="A1B2C3D4E5F6789012345678ABCDEF01" />
  <title>Home Page</title>
</head>

Example 3: Invalid Token Format

Scenario: Verification meta tag has invalid token.

Problematic State (Fails):

<head>
  <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="invalid-token" />
  <title>Home Page</title>
</head>

Why it fails: The token format is invalid. Bing verification tokens are 32-character hexadecimal strings.

Corrected State (Passes):

<head>
  <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="A1B2C3D4E5F6789012345678ABCDEF01" />
  <title>Home Page</title>
</head>

Example 4: Using XML File Verification

Scenario: Site uses XML file verification instead of meta tag.

Correct State (Passes):

  • BingSiteAuth.xml file exists at https://example.com/BingSiteAuth.xml
  • File returns HTTP 200 when accessed
  • File contains the correct verification token

Example 5: Both Methods Present with Conflicting Tokens

Scenario: Both meta tag and XML file exist but with different tokens.

Problematic State (Fails):

<head>
  <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="TOKEN1..." />
</head>

And https://example.com/BingSiteAuth.xml contains TOKEN2...

Why it fails: Conflicting tokens can cause verification to fail if one method is removed.

Corrected State (Passes):

  • Update both methods to use the same token
  • Or remove one method and keep only the other

How PixyScan detects this

PixyScan performs the following checks to detect this issue:

  1. Homepage fetch: The crawler fetches the homepage of the registered site (following redirects to the canonical URL).

  2. Meta tag search: It looks for a <meta> tag with the attribute name="msvalidate.01" in the <head> section.

  3. Token validation: If the tag is found, PixyScan:

    • Extracts the content attribute value (the verification token)
    • Validates the token format (Bing tokens are 32-character hexadecimal strings)

  4. Alternative method detection: The crawler also checks for:

    • BingSiteAuth.xml file at the domain root (checks HTTP status)
    • Whether the XML file token matches the meta tag token (if both exist)

  5. Pass/Fail determination:

    • Passes: If at least one valid verification method is detected (meta tag or XML file)
    • Fails: If no verification method is found, or if the detected method is invalid

The detection focuses on whether the site is verifiable by Bing Webmaster Tools, not on whether the specific token matches a particular account.

References