Everyone’s busy optimizing for Google, but here’s the truth: Bing Visual Search is quietly becoming one of the most overlooked goldmines in modern SEO. While marketers obsess over keywords and backlinks, Bing has been building a powerful visual discovery tool that blends AI, image recognition, and search intent all in one seamless interface.
And guess what? It’s not just a novelty. With over one billion monthly users on Bing and visual search adoption growing across devices, brands that optimize for Bing Visual Search now are getting early-mover advantage before the competition even realizes what’s happening.
In this article, we’ll uncover why Bing Visual Search matters in 2025, how it actually works, and what smart SEOs and content creators can do to optimize for visibility in a visual-first search world. If your business relies on images think fashion, food, furniture, or even DIY you can’t afford to ignore this.
Let’s zoom in on the untapped potential of visual search and why Bing might just be the backdoor to your next traffic breakthrough.
Table of Contents
What Is Bing Visual Search and How Does It Work?
Bing Visual Search is a tool powered by Microsoft’s AI that allows users to search the web using images rather than keywords. You can upload a photo, use a screenshot, or select a part of an image to trigger a search. Bing then returns visually and contextually relevant results. This changes how users interact with content and opens up new SEO channels beyond text-based queries.
Visual search engines like Bing’s work by combining computer vision, object detection, and machine learning to identify elements within an image. Instead of relying solely on metadata, Bing interprets objects, text, colors, and image structure to provide results.
Core Capabilities of Bing Visual Search:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Image Upload | Users can drop an image to find similar items or sources. |
| Object Detection | Identifies specific objects within a photo. |
| Text Recognition | Extracts and uses text within images for context. |
| Crop & Zoom Search | Lets users highlight only part of the image to search. |
We at Pixolv started experimenting with Bing Visual Search for a retail client in 2024. After optimizing product images for discoverability, we saw a 12% increase in non-branded Bing traffic within 90 days. It was a surprise channel we hadn’t fully tapped before.
Why Is Bing Visual Search Important for SEO in 2025?
Search is no longer just about typing. As mobile usage and camera capabilities have improved, people now often search with photos. Bing Visual Search supports this shift, and Microsoft has invested heavily in integrating visual AI into its ecosystem—from Windows to Edge to Microsoft Designer.
Key Reasons It Matters:
- Lower Competition: Few brands optimize for visual search, giving you early access to traffic.
- User Intent: Visual search often signals high buyer intent (e.g., someone snapping a product they want).
- Cross-device Integration: It works across mobile, desktop, and browser extensions.
- SERP Visibility: Optimized images may appear in carousels or featured snippets.
At Pixolv, we noticed that image-rich blog posts optimized for visual elements began appearing in Bing’s image-first results, often ahead of traditional keyword pages. We documented this on our SEO blog to share the findings.
How Can You Optimize Content for Bing Visual Search?
To optimize for Bing Visual Search, you need to think beyond alt text. Microsoft’s AI crawls images for contextual and visual signals.
Optimization Tips:
- Use high-resolution, original images.
- Name image files descriptively (e.g., “blue-leather-handbag.jpg”).
- Write detailed alt text that includes context and keywords.
- Add schema markup like
ImageObjectandProductfor e-commerce. - Ensure fast image loading speed via WebP or compression tools.
- Avoid stock photos when possible—AI is getting better at detecting generic assets.
- Include captions under your images when context is needed.
Example Alt Text Comparison
| Poor Alt Text | Better Alt Text |
| “Shoes” | “Red women’s running shoes with white sole, Nike logo” |
One of our clients in the furniture niche doubled image impressions on Bing by implementing structured data and compressing image sizes—a tip we refined through Pixolv’s SEO services.
What Types of Businesses Benefit Most from Bing Visual Search?
Certain industries are naturally aligned with visual discovery:
- E-commerce (fashion, furniture, accessories)
- Food and beverage
- Travel and tourism
- DIY and crafts
- Real estate
If you sell a product that can be photographed and compared visually, Bing Visual Search gives you a new front door to your site.
At Pixolv, we worked with a jewelry brand that ranked on Google but gained traction on Bing once we optimized lifestyle product images. Visual clicks led to a 30% increase in page dwell time, showing users were highly engaged.
What Are Common Mistakes to Avoid with Bing Visual Search?
Some of the biggest mistakes brands make:
- Relying only on generic stock images
- Skipping structured data for visual content
- Ignoring Bing Webmaster Tools reports
- Using image carousels that load slowly or break indexing
- Not testing how images appear in mobile view
To support visual SEO, we recommend also checking how your images perform on mobile SERPs. If you need help optimizing your image strategy, contact us.
How Does Bing Visual Search Compare to Google Lens?
While Google Lens gets more attention, Bing Visual Search holds its own:
| Feature | Google Lens | Bing Visual Search |
| Ecosystem | Android, Chrome, Search | Windows, Edge, Bing |
| Visual Commerce | Strong | Growing |
| SERP Integration | Deep | Moderate |
| Desktop Experience | Limited | Robust |
Bing Visual Search excels in desktop usage, which is often ignored. It’s more integrated into Microsoft’s Edge browser, offering a seamless visual search experience.
Is Visual Search Part of a Larger Trend in AI Search?
Yes—Bing Visual Search is part of a broader shift toward multimodal AI search, where users interact using images, voice, and text interchangeably. This trend also shows up in AI content creation tools, like those we use in our AI-powered social content service.
Expect to see:
- More SERPs led by image-based queries
- AI tools that generate visual search-ready metadata
- Visual discovery expanding into product recommendations and local results
Can Bing Visual Search Help Drive Local Business?
Absolutely. If you optimize images tied to location-specific queries (e.g., “vintage chairs in Brooklyn”), Bing may surface them in local visual results. Include:
- Geotags in image metadata
- City names in file names and alt text
- Storefront images, menus, or service snapshots
One Pixolv client in the salon industry started appearing for queries like “best balayage near me” after we optimized their visuals and listed them via our local SEO tools.
How Do You Measure the Impact of Bing Visual Search Traffic?
It’s tricky but possible. Tools to use:
- Bing Webmaster Tools for crawl, index, and impression data
- Microsoft Clarity for heatmaps and visual engagement
- UTM parameters on image links
- Image click tracking in Google Analytics (even for Bing traffic)
Also monitor conversion events on image-rich landing pages. A/B testing visual layouts helped Pixolv increase lead form submissions for one campaign by 22%.
What Tools Can Help You Optimize for Bing Visual Search?
Here are a few helpful tools:
| Tool | Use Case |
| Screaming Frog | Image audits & alt text extraction |
| Microsoft Clarity | User behavior analysis |
| Bing Webmaster Tools | SEO insights, crawl status |
| Schema.org Generator | Structured data creation |
| TinyPNG | Image compression |
Combine these with your traditional SEO stack. And don’t forget to supplement image efforts with email marketing campaigns to boost visibility.
References
Bing Visual Search – Microsoft Support
Conclusion
Bing Visual Search isn’t just a novelty it’s a powerful and underutilized SEO tool. At Pixolv, we’ve seen real results by optimizing visual content early. As search becomes more image-driven, brands that act now will gain visibility while competitors play catch-up.
