Bing Indexing Issues: Why Your Website Might Not Appear After a Hosting Migration

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Bing Indexing Issues: Why Your Website Might Not Appear After a Hosting Migration

Bing indexing issues after hosting migration? Explore a complete technical guide explaining why your site disappears from Bing and how to restore indexing efficiently.

Migrating a website to a new hosting provider is a standard practice for webmasters looking to improve performance, security, or scalability. However, a common and often frustrating issue arises: your website may disappear from Bing search results entirely. Even if the website appears fully functional, optimized for SEO, and indexed correctly in Google, Bing may temporarily block or delay indexing. This article delves into the technical causes, offers detailed analysis, and provides step-by-step solutions to ensure your site is properly indexed by Bing.

Understanding Bing Indexing Issues: Why Your Site Disappears

After migrating your site to a new hosting provider or changing DNS settings, Bing may treat your website as “new”. This triggers several consequences:

1. Bing Re-evaluates Your Site

Bing uses a trust-based algorithm; significant changes like hosting migration may prompt Bing to reassess your website’s content quality and reliability.
Sites that were previously indexed might temporarily drop from results until Bing confirms that the website is safe and high-quality.

2. Robots.txt Issues

The robots.txt file informs search engines which areas of your site can be crawled. A misconfiguration can prevent Bing from accessing crucial pages.

Example of a minimal robots.txt file optimized for Bing and Google:

User-agent: *
Disallow:
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml

Notes:

Older configurations might include entries like:

Disallow: /wp-content/uploads/wpo/wpo-plugins-tables-list.json

This prevents indexing of internal plugin files. Its absence does not affect SEO or content visibility, as Bing ignores JSON files irrelevant to end users.

3. Meta Robots Tags and Bing Indexing Issues

Individual pages or posts may include a meta tag that controls indexing:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

Pages with noindex are marked as Blocked in Bing Webmaster Tools.
Changing this to index, follow allows Bing to crawl and index the content properly.

4. Verification in Bing Webmaster Tools

After migrating hosting, old verification tokens might become invalid.
Without verification, Bing cannot index your site, regardless of its content quality.
Verification methods include <head> meta tag, HTML file upload, or DNS TXT record.

5. Technical or Potential Malware Concerns

Files like .json or .php in /wp-content/uploads/ may be flagged by Bing for caution.
This is usually a preventive measure and not an indication of malware.
Bing focuses on pages with user-relevant content, so internal plugin files are deprioritized.

Step-by-Step Solutions to Fix Bing Indexing Issues

Here is a practical guide for webmasters facing this issue:

Step 1: Verify robots.txt and Sitemap

Ensure robots.txt allows crawling for all bots:

User-agent: *
Disallow:
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml

Including the sitemap directs Bing to all URLs for faster indexing.

Step 2: Confirm Meta Robots on All Pages

Inspect your pages’ source code for noindex tags.
Correctly configure SEO plugins (Yoast / Rank Math) to allow indexing:
- Yoast → Post → Advanced → “Allow search engines to show this post in search results” → Yes
- Rank Math → Post Meta → Robots → index

Step 3: Re-verify Your Site in Bing Webmaster Tools

Add verification using one of these methods:
1. <meta> tag in <head>
2. HTML verification file uploaded to root directory
3. DNS TXT record for the domain

Step 4: Submit or Update Sitemap

Submit the updated sitemap through Bing Webmaster Tools: Sitemaps → Add URL.
Ensure all pages and posts are included.

Step 5: Use URL Inspection for Key Pages

Use the URL Inspection tool for critical posts:
- Request indexing to accelerate Bing’s crawling.
- Monitor status to confirm pages are no longer blocked.

Step 6: Monitor Crawl Reports

Check Bing Webmaster Tools → Crawl/Index reports.
Identify errors or warnings for pages that may still be blocked.
Address issues such as broken links, server errors, or temporary restrictions.

Step 7: Import Data from Google Search Console

Bing allows importing indexing data from Google Search Console.
This helps Bing trust your site faster, improving indexing speed for pages already recognized by Google.

Free Rank Math Plugin and the Correct Settings

Practical Tips to Prevent Bing Indexing Issues

Always verify your site in Bing after hosting changes.
Ensure no article has a noindex meta tag unless intentionally excluded.
Keep robots.txt clean and updated with sitemap references.
Submit sitemaps and individual URLs promptly for new or updated content.
Monitor indexing and crawl reports weekly to catch issues early.

FAQ

Q1: Does removing a Disallow for technical plugin files affect SEO?
A: No. These files are typically internal and irrelevant to end users, so Bing ignores them for ranking purposes.

Q2: How long does Bing take to re-index after a hosting migration?
A: Usually 1–4 weeks, depending on site size, sitemap submission, and content updates.

Q3: My pages were blocked previously but now appear allowed. Why?
A: After correcting verification, meta robots tags, and submitting the sitemap, Bing re-crawled the pages and updated their status.

Q4: Can hosting restrictions affect Bingbot?
A: Yes. Some hosting firewalls or security rules may block Bingbot. Always confirm with your hosting provider.

Q5: What should I do if my site remains invisible after all steps?
A: Submit a reconsideration request through Bing Webmaster Tools and ensure all technical settings are correct. Continuous monitoring and URL submission are key.

Conclusion

Bing indexing issues are a common challenge that can affect any webmaster after a hosting migration. By understanding the interplay between robots.txt, meta robots tags, sitemap submissions, and verification, webmasters can restore proper indexing. Following a structured, step-by-step approach, including monitoring, URL inspection, and technical checks, ensures that your website regains visibility quickly and reliably.