So working in SEO I have learned quit a bit about how search engines work. I have seen many, many, many changes over the past 10 years and every time I’ve had to learn what the changes were and how to compensate for them. Bing is no exception, or is it? There are certain rules that Bing (MSN, LIVE) have followed that no other SE follows.

Rule #1 – The domain is king! It doesn’t matter if you have a url like this www.cashforclunkers.com or www.cash–for–clunkers.com, as long as the domain has the same words as the search. This used to be the case with Google but it really isn’t any longer. Sure the domain name does have a lot of weight, but Google will automatically discount any double hyphenated domains and treat them as SERP spam. Bing will allow these domains to appear in the results as long as the content matches the domain.

Rule #2 – Weigh the site down with your keywords from the top of the page right on down to the bottom. Repeat it in as many places as you can. With the other search engines this tactic will NOT work. Bing loves to see an exact match for the search keyword and thinks that if it’s repeated on the page that the page must be relevant.

Rule #3 – Just like with any other search engine you need to make sure that there is a sufficient amount of site content. As I am sure you have already looked at Bing and it’s results you will notice that almost every top listed site, no matter  the topic, has a list of pages that appear when you hover over a result. These extra links do exactly as Bing claims on their newest ad campaign, it gives answers. When you have a topic for your site , even a one paragraph topic, make sure to create a page and title it properly, this way it will show up in the side bar of the rollover. This will give you a much better chance of getting the potential client to convert. If you answer their questions they will take action.

Rule #4 – Remember to keep you site up to date. Bing is a “fast” engine. What I mean by that is, Bing doesn’t have results in their top 10 for that long if the site is not updated. I have had sites disappear from Bing if the content is not up to date or the site hasn’t been touched in a month. Usually it takes about 30 days for the site to go away if you haven’t updated it, so be sure to at least put a constantly updating feed on the home page or a rotating text of some kind.

By following these couple rules, you should have NO problem making it to the top of Bing and staying there.