How Can I Use Bing to Search for Exact Phrases

When using Bing to search for exact phrases, there are several strategies and search operators you can employ to refine your search results and ensure you find the exact information you are looking for.

Using Quotation Marks

One of the most straightforward methods to search for exact phrases on Bing is by enclosing your search terms within quotation marks. For example, if you are searching for information on "technical SEO audit," you would enter the phrase as “technical SEO audit” in the search bar. This tells Bing to look for web pages that contain the exact phrase "technical SEO audit" in that order[2][3][5].

Using the Plus Sign

The plus sign (+) is another useful operator, although it is specific to Bing and does not work on Google. You can use the plus sign in two different ways:

With a Space: When you use the plus sign with a space between the keywords, it ensures that both terms are included in the search results, but they do not have to be in the exact phrase order. For example, seo + audit will display web pages that contain both "seo" and "audit," even if they are not adjacent to each other[1][3].
Without a Space: If you use the plus sign without a space, it functions similarly to using quotation marks. For instance, seo+audit will return results that contain the exact phrase "SEO audit"[1][3].

Boolean Operators

Boolean operators such as AND and OR can also be useful in refining your search. However, it's important to note that Bing defaults to an AND search, so you typically do not need to use AND unless you are combining it with other operators.

AND: This operator ensures that both specified phrases or terms are included in the search results. For example, “technical SEO audit” AND “content audit” or “technical SEO audit” & “content audit” will return pages that contain both exact phrases[1][3].
OR: If you want to find results that contain either of the specified terms, you can use the OR operator or the pipe symbol (|). For example, wearables OR Fitbit or wearables | Fitbit will return results that include either "wearables" or "Fitbit"[3].

Parentheses

Using parentheses can help you create more complex queries. For instance, if you want to find marketing articles about either Instagram or Facebook, you can search for marketing (Instagram OR Facebook). This will return results that include "marketing" and either "Instagram" or "Facebook"[3].

Domain-Specific Searches

If you need to search within a specific domain, you can use the domain: operator, although this is specific to Bing and does not work on Google. For example, domain:moz.com will return results only from the moz.com domain[1].

Common Pitfalls and Considerations

While these methods can help you achieve more precise search results, there are some common issues to be aware of:

Exact Phrase Matching Issues: Some users have reported difficulties in getting exact phrase matches using quotation marks, especially when using the Bing API. In such cases, adding a plus sign to the query or using the DisableQueryAlterations option in the API might help[4][5].
Stop Words and Punctuation: Bing, like other search engines, ignores common stop words (such as "a," "and," "the") unless they are enclosed in quotation marks or preceded by a plus sign. Punctuation is also generally ignored[2][3].

By leveraging these search operators and techniques, you can significantly improve the accuracy and relevance of your search results on Bing when searching for exact phrases.