1What FoxPlug reads from Bing Webmaster Tools
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| Search statistics for one site | one request for the site's query statistics: per search, the query text, impressions, clicks and the day each row belongs to; the site is the address you typed, sent exactly as typed |
| Page statistics for the same site | one more request for the site's page statistics, with the same fields per page (the page address is read from the field Bing labels as the query) |
| The last 28 days against the 28 days before | rows are sorted by their date into two windows counted back from today: 0 to 28 days old, and 28 to 56 days old; rows with no readable date or older than 56 days are dropped; clicks and impressions are added up per search and per page |
| Totals and changes worked out from the rows | clicks and impressions for each window, the change in percent, the number of searches that are new, up to 5 examples of new searches with their impressions, and at most one climbing page |
| A saved snapshot on your connection | the site, the time of the read and the numbers above are kept on your own connection so the app can show them |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Bing Webmaster Tools worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
5 or more searches got at least 3 impressions in the last 28 days and none in the 28 days before
The moment is titled like this: example.com is ranking for 9 new searches
A made-up site, example.com, shows up in Bing for 9 searches it did not appear for in the 28 days before. The moment reads 'example.com is ranking for 9 new searches' and its line names three of them in quotes. The moment's id includes the week, so reading again the same week does not add it twice.
a page has 10 or more clicks and is up by half or more on the 28 days before
The moment is titled like this: A page is climbing on example.com
The page example.com/guide went from 8 to 22 clicks. FoxPlug writes 'A page is climbing on example.com' with the line 'went from 8 to 22 clicks in 28 days. Write the next post on the same topic.' It is marked as a card for the Today brief and is never posted.
you have several projects and the moment names a site
The moment is titled like this: no moment is filed under a default project
Each moment carries the site's host. It is filed under the project whose site or route matches. If none matches, the moment is held out of the way instead of going into a default project.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Bing Webmaster Tools. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Five or more searches your site now shows up for that it did not show up for in the 28 days before (at least 3 impressions each) become an update, 'ranking for N new searches'. Bing uses the same rule as Google Search Console. How the brain decides
- A page with 10 or more clicks that is up by half or more on the 28 days before becomes a 'write the next post on that topic' card in the Today brief. It is never posted. How the brain decides
- Bing is read-only and uses your own API key. Nothing is read until you press Read my searches. How the brain decides
- It reads when you press Build the brief or Check for what's new, never in the background for someone who is not looking. How the brain decides
4Set up Bing Webmaster Tools in a few steps
Access: your Bing Webmaster API key (pasted once) plus the site address in a second box. What to give it: Bing Webmaster API key; the second box takes the site exactly as you added it in Bing Webmaster Tools, including https:// and the final slash.
- Open bing.com/webmasters and sign in.
- Make sure your site is added and verified there.
- Click the gear icon (Settings), then API access.
- Press Generate API Key and copy it. Bing keeps the key visible on that same page, so you can copy it again later.
- Paste the key into FoxPlug, and your site address in the second field exactly as it appears in Bing, then press Connect.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Two requests per read (queries, then pages), each cut off after 30 seconds.
- Windows are counted back from the moment you press, so unlike Google Search Console there is no 3 day gap at the end.
- A post needs 5 new searches with at least 3 impressions each.
- Only one climbing page is reported, the one with the biggest gain, and it needs 10 or more clicks.
- Totals of clicks and impressions are added up from the query rows only.
- A refused key (401 or 403) stops the read with a 'the API key was refused' message; any error code from Bing is passed on as the failure reason.
- The site address is required; without it the read stops before any request.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Anything beyond the two statistics requests: only a query statistics request and a page statistics request are made, so no sitemap, crawl, backlink or URL submission request exists in the reader
- Anything written back to Bing: the reader only sends read requests and has no write call
- Your Microsoft account password or sign-in (the connection is the API key only)
7How Bing Webmaster Tools differs from the tools next to it
Google Search Console uses a Google sign-in, asks Google for 1000 rows per window and ends each window three days ago; Bing Webmaster Tools uses your own API key and Bing's query and page statistics, split by date into two 28 day windows ending today.
8Questions
What does FoxPlug do with my Bing data?
It compares the last 28 days with the 28 before. A burst of new searches becomes an update, and a page whose clicks are climbing becomes a write-next idea in the Today brief.
Can FoxPlug change anything in Bing Webmaster Tools?
The reader sends only read requests for search and page statistics. The connect panel says FoxPlug only reads search statistics.
Why does it ask for the site address as well as the key?
Bing's statistics are per site, so every request carries the address. It has to match the site as you added it in Bing, including https:// and the final slash.
What if I lose the API key?
Open Settings, API access in Bing Webmaster Tools and copy it again; Bing keeps it visible there.
Does it read all the time?
No. It reads only when you press Read my searches or Check for what's new.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.