Submit sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools: import from Google or verify by DNS
Bing runs its own index, and getting an Anticode site into it takes two things: proof you own the site and the address of its sitemap. If the site is already verified in Google Search Console, Bing can import both in one step. Otherwise, verify with a DNS record on your own domain and add the sitemap that every Anticode site serves at /sitemap.xml.
Why bother with Bing
Bing is a separate search engine with its own crawler and its own view of your site. Registering is quick once you've done Google, and Bing Webmaster Tools then reports crawl errors and search queries for that index specifically. It's worth doing at launch rather than when you notice you're missing.
Route one: import from Search Console
This is the fastest route, and it brings the sitemap with it. As described in Bing's announcement of the import feature:
- Sign in to Bing Webmaster Tools.
- On My Sites, choose Import.
- Sign in with the Google account that owns the Search Console property and grant Bing access to your verified sites and sitemaps.
- Pick the site and choose Import. It's added as verified, with its sitemaps.
Bing keeps checking ownership by syncing with Search Console, so leave that access in place. If you revoke it later, Bing will need the site verified another way. Traffic data for a newly added site can take up to 48 hours to appear. If you haven't set up Google yet, the Search Console page covers verifying with a TXT record first.
Route two: verify directly
Bing's add and verify guide lists five methods. Which ones an Anticode site can use:
| Method | Works? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| XML file | No | You can't place your own file at the site's root |
| Meta tag | No | The code editor doesn't keep added markup in the page head |
| CNAME record | Yes, on your own domain | A DNS record at your DNS provider |
| Import from Search Console | Yes | Uses Google's verification |
| Domain Connect | If your DNS provider supports it | Bing adds the record through the provider |
All the DNS-based methods need a domain you control, so on a free name.anticode.dev address only the import is left, and that needs Google to have verified the property, which it can't do for that address either. In practice, a free address can't be verified on Bing. Connecting your own domain (see custom domains) makes everything simpler. Bing gives you the exact CNAME name and target when you choose that method; add it at your DNS provider next to Anticode's own CNAME, then choose verify.
Add the sitemap
If you imported, the sitemap is probably already there; check the site's sitemap list. Otherwise, in the site's Sitemaps section, add the full address: https://www.yourbusiness.com/sitemap.xml. Use your own domain's version rather than the anticode.dev one, so the URLs Bing collects are the ones you want people to use.
Anticode builds that sitemap each time it's requested, from what's actually published: the home page, every separate page, and each CMS collection and entry, with last-changed dates. The site's robots.txt allows all crawlers and names the same sitemap, which is how crawlers that never see your Webmaster Tools account still find it. You don't need to resubmit after publishing a change.
What you'll see in Anticode
Anticode's analytics count page views per site per day without cookies, and count AI and search crawlers separately from people, so a visit from Bing's crawler shows up as crawler activity rather than inflating your visitor numbers. Search queries, impressions and indexing status aren't in Anticode; those stay in Bing Webmaster Tools.
Limits
- No guarantee of indexing. A sitemap tells Bing what exists; it doesn't oblige Bing to include it.
- No push notifications to search engines. Anticode doesn't ping Bing when you publish; crawlers come back on their own schedule.
- One address per property. The anticode.dev address keeps serving the site too, so share your own domain consistently.
Troubleshooting
- The import list is empty
- The Google account you signed in with doesn't own a verified property. Verify in Search Console first, or sign in with the right account.
- CNAME verification fails
- The record is at the wrong host, or the DNS panel added your domain twice to the name. Check it with a DNS lookup.
- Sitemap shows an error
- The domain isn't live in Anticode's Domains section yet, or the address has a typo. Open it in a browser first.
For the files themselves, see sitemap and robots.txt; for AI assistants, Anticode also serves an llms.txt per site. The sitemap and robots guide explains how crawlers use both.
Questions people ask
Do I have to verify again if I imported from Google?
No, as long as Bing keeps its access to your Search Console account. If you remove that access, verify another way.
Can I verify my free anticode.dev address on Bing?
Only through the Search Console import, and Google can't verify that address either, because both need a DNS record or a file you can't add there. Use your own domain.
Which sitemap address should I submit?
The one on your own domain, ending in /sitemap.xml. It lists your domain's URLs.
Does submitting to Bing help with Google?
No. They are separate indexes. Submit to each.