All Google and Bing products for SEO in 2026
Clear definitions of every Google and Microsoft/Bing tool used in digital marketing, their use cases and their native integrations in Pulsar.
Why know all these tools in 2026
A modern SEO and digital marketing strategy typically uses 8 to 15 Google and Microsoft tools in parallel: position tracking, traffic measurement, ad management, local presence, behavioural analytics, generative AI. Knowing what each tool does and when to use it has become a prerequisite for steering visibility.
This page lists all Google and Microsoft/Bing products relevant to SEO, digital marketing and AEO, with for each: its definition, its main use case, and its integration with Pulsar.
Google products
The Google ecosystem covers organic search, analytics, advertising, local presence and generative AI.
What is Google Search Console (GSC)?
SEO measurementGoogle Search Console is Google's free dashboard for website owners. It provides the official Google data on a site's organic search performance: number of impressions, clicks, average position, click-through rate, keywords driving traffic. It also allows you to submit a sitemap, request URL indexing, detect crawl errors, check mobile compatibility and report security issues. It is the mandatory basic tool for any site that wants to be tracked in Google. Pulsar integration: 1-click OAuth connection that synchronises queries, clicks, impressions and pages daily into the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Google Analytics 4 (GA4)?
AnalyticsGoogle Analytics 4 is the 4th version of Google's analytics tool, launched in October 2020 and made mandatory in July 2023 (replacing Universal Analytics). It measures visitor behaviour on a site or app: number of users, sessions, duration, journeys, conversions, acquisition sources (organic, paid, social, email, direct). GA4 uses an event-based model (vs sessions/pageviews in UA) and includes built-in machine learning for predictions. Pulsar integration: OAuth connection that aggregates users, sessions, conversions, sources and top-viewed pages into the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Google Ads?
AdvertisingGoogle Ads is Google's advertising platform. It allows you to deliver ads on Google search results (Search Ads), the Display Network (partner sites), YouTube (Video Ads), Gmail, Discover, and in apps. Dominant model: cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) bidding. Google Ads is the most profitable tool in the world for acquiring targeted traffic in B2B and e-commerce, with CPCs ranging from EUR 0.30 to EUR 50+ depending on industry competition. Pulsar integration: tracking all Google Ads KPIs (impressions, clicks, conversions, ROAS, cost) in the dashboard, cross-referenced with other channels.
Site officielWhat is Google Business Profile (GBP, formerly Google My Business)?
Local SEOGoogle Business Profile (renamed in 2021, formerly Google My Business) is the free business listing that appears in Google Maps and local search results (the "Local Pack"). It contains business name, address, hours, photos, customer reviews, posts, services, products, and allows customers to book, call or get directions in one click. It is the pillar of local SEO: a business without an optimised GBP listing is invisible on geo-located searches. Pulsar integration: tracking of views, searches, clicks, calls, direction requests and reviews directly in the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Google Tag Manager (GTM)?
TrackingGoogle Tag Manager is a free tool that lets you manage all tags (tracking scripts, pixels, beacons) on a website from a single interface, without modifying the code. Instead of placing a GA4 tag, a Meta pixel, a Hotjar script and a LinkedIn tag directly in the HTML, you install a single GTM beacon and configure the tags from the panel. Handy for marketers who want to deploy trackers quickly without depending on a developer. It is also essential for tracking custom events (conversions, clicks, scrolls).
Site officielWhat is Google Keyword Planner?
Keyword researchGoogle Keyword Planner is the free keyword research tool integrated into Google Ads. It provides approximate monthly search volume, competition level (low, medium, high), indicative CPC bids and related keyword suggestions. It is the official source of Google volumes, although since 2020 the exact figures have been replaced by ranges for small-budget Ads accounts. Remains the reference tool to validate keyword research hypotheses, often used alongside Ahrefs, SEMrush or SE Ranking.
Site officielWhat is Google Trends?
Trend monitoringGoogle Trends is a free tool that shows the popularity evolution of a query over time, on Google Search, YouTube, Google Shopping or Google Images. You can compare up to 5 terms simultaneously, filter by country, period and category. Useful for detecting seasonal trends, emerging topics, anticipating demand peaks and choosing the angle of editorial content. Data is normalised (0-100) and not absolute, so useful for comparing trends but not for raw volumes.
Site officielWhat is Google Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio)?
ReportingGoogle Looker Studio (renamed in October 2022, formerly Google Data Studio) is a free visualisation and reporting tool. It allows you to create custom dashboards by connecting data sources (GA4, GSC, Ads, Sheets, BigQuery, etc.). Very flexible and powerful for technical users, but requires several hours of setup per dashboard and does not natively cover non-Google sources (Meta, LinkedIn) which require paid third-party connectors (Funnel.io, Supermetrics).
Site officielWhat is Google Search (organic search)?
EngineGoogle Search is Google's main search engine, launched in 1998. It indexes about 50 billion web pages and handles roughly 8.5 billion queries per day (2026). Ranking uses over 200 signals (content quality, backlinks, user experience, search intent, etc.) constantly adjusted by updates (quarterly Core Updates, spam updates, helpful content). In 2026, Google still holds about 78% global market share on commercial queries (vs 92% in 2022), eroded by the rise of LLMs.
Site officielWhat is Google AI Overviews (formerly SGE)?
Generative AIGoogle AI Overviews is Google's generative AI answer that displays at the top of certain SERPs, generally rolled out in 2024 (formerly called Search Generative Experience or SGE in beta). It summarises an answer in a few paragraphs drawing on several web sources. SEO impact: on queries where AI Overview triggers, position-1 CTR drops by 32% on average (SISTRIX study, 2026). In June 2026, AI Overview appears on roughly 12.4% of French SERPs, in constant growth. Pulsar integration: automatic detection of SERPs with AI Overview for your tracked keywords.
Site officielWhat is Google Gemini (formerly Bard)?
Conversational AIGoogle Gemini is Google's LLM (Large Language Model), launched in March 2023 under the name Bard then renamed Gemini in February 2024. It exists in Gemini Nano (mobile), Pro (general) and Ultra (high performance) versions. Accessible via gemini.google.com for free, integrated into Google Workspace, and used by AI Overview in the backend. It is one of the 3 main LLMs alongside ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Claude (Anthropic). Pulsar integration: weekly tracking of your brand's citation rate in Gemini responses for target prompts.
Site officielWhat is Google Discover?
DiscoveryGoogle Discover is the personalised news feed that appears on the Google app home screen and below the search bar on Chrome mobile. It surfaces content without an explicit search, based on history, interests and location. A major traffic source for media sites and content with a strong visual component (large images, catchy headlines). Can generate massive traffic spikes (100,000+ views per article) if Google decides to push a piece of content.
Site officielWhat is the Google Knowledge Graph?
Structured dataThe Google Knowledge Graph is Google's structured knowledge base, launched in 2012. It powers the "Knowledge Panels" (the information cards on the right of results), direct answers ("How old is X?"), and feeds Gemini and AI Overviews. Built from Wikipedia, Wikidata, and structured sources (Schema.org). For a brand, appearing in the Knowledge Graph requires a compliant Wikipedia page, Organization structured data on the site, and editorial presence on third-party sources.
Site officielWhat is Google News?
NewsGoogle News is Google's news aggregator, launched in 2002. It indexes authorised media sites (via Google News Publisher Center) and presents articles grouped by topic. Important traffic source for media and editorial sites. Indexing in Google News requires an inclusion request + a site with regular journalistic content, identified authors, and a clear editorial structure. From 2025, Google News also integrates AI-generated summaries.
Site officielWhat is Google Merchant Center?
E-commerceGoogle Merchant Center is the platform dedicated to e-commerce stores that wish to broadcast their products in Google Shopping and Google Ads product ads. You submit a product feed (CSV or XML) with title, description, price, availability, images. Essential for e-commerce sites that want to appear on the "Shopping" and "Buy" tabs. Since 2024, free listings allow organic exposure without ad budget.
Site officielWhat is YouTube (and its link to Google)?
VideoYouTube is the video platform acquired by Google in 2006. With 2.7 billion monthly users (2026), it is the 2nd-largest search engine in the world after Google Search. YouTube SEO: optimised titles, rich descriptions, relevant tags, attractive thumbnails, watch time, engagement rate. YouTube shares its recommendation algorithm with Google. Pulsar integration: tracking of channel KPIs (subscribers, views, engagement) and per-video performance in the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Google Maps?
MappingGoogle Maps is Google's mapping service, launched in 2005. It indexes over 200 million physical establishments via Google Business Profile. For local SEO, it is the main interface where customers find and choose a business. Local ranking criteria: relevance (keywords in the GBP listing), distance (user geolocation), prominence (number and quality of reviews, seniority).
Site officielWhat is PageSpeed Insights?
PerformancePageSpeed Insights is Google's free web performance analysis tool. It assesses page loading speed on mobile and desktop, gives a score of 0 to 100, and lists the optimisations to perform (image compression, CSS/JS minification, lazy loading, etc.). Uses the "Core Web Vitals" as key metrics: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID/INP (Interaction to Next Paint), CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift). These metrics are direct SEO ranking signals since 2021.
Site officielWhat is Google Lighthouse?
Technical auditGoogle Lighthouse is the automated audit tool built into Chrome DevTools. It assesses 5 dimensions: Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, SEO and PWA. More comprehensive than PageSpeed Insights (which only assesses performance), it is used by developers and technical SEOs to identify structural problems on a page. Generates an exportable HTML/JSON report, integrable in CI/CD for continuous monitoring.
Site officielWhat is Google Search Central (formerly Webmaster Central)?
DocumentationGoogle Search Central (renamed in 2021, formerly Google Webmaster Central) is Google's official documentation portal for SEOs and webmasters. You find the official documentation (guidelines, best practices), Core Update announcements, the Search Central blog, the Search Central Live YouTube videos, and official help. Absolute reference source for everything related to Google SEO: if information contradicts Search Central, Search Central wins.
Site officielMicrosoft and Bing products
The Microsoft/Bing ecosystem offers free or more accessible alternatives to several Google products, with strengths in behavioural analytics and AI.
What is Bing Search?
EngineBing Search is Microsoft's search engine, launched in 2009 (successor to Live Search). It is the default engine on Microsoft Edge, Windows and used by DuckDuckGo and Yahoo Search. Global market share: about 4-5% in 2026 (vs 78% for Google), but much higher on Windows enterprise computers. Important: Bing also powers ChatGPT browsing (via the OpenAI-Microsoft partnership), so ranking well in Bing indirectly influences visibility in ChatGPT.
Site officielWhat is Bing Webmaster Tools?
SEO measurementBing Webmaster Tools is Bing's equivalent of Google Search Console, free and accessible to any site owner. It provides official Bing data on a site's search performance: impressions, clicks, average position, keywords, indexed pages, crawl errors. Often overlooked, although it is essential in 2026: Bing powers ChatGPT browsing, optimising for Bing improves visibility in LLM responses. Also includes a very complete free keyword research tool (Bing Keyword Research). Pulsar integration: API connection that synchronises queries, clicks, impressions and positions in the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads)?
AdvertisingMicrosoft Advertising (renamed in 2019, formerly Bing Ads) is Microsoft's advertising platform to deliver ads on Bing Search, Yahoo Search, AOL, MSN, Microsoft Edge, LinkedIn and the Microsoft Audience Network. Advantages vs Google Ads: CPCs often 30-50% cheaper, more mature demographics (30+ years), strong B2B presence thanks to LinkedIn. Particularly effective in B2B SaaS, professional services, finance, real estate. Often underused but excellent ROI. Pulsar integration: tracking of all Microsoft Ads KPIs in the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Microsoft Clarity?
UX analyticsMicrosoft Clarity is Microsoft's free behavioural analytics tool, launched in 2021. Direct (and free) competitor to Hotjar and FullStory. It records user sessions with click heatmaps, scroll heatmaps, detection of "dead clicks" (clicks on non-clickable elements), "rage clicks" (repeated clicks signalling frustration), and "quick backs" (rapid returns). Excellent complement to GA4: GA4 says what happens, Clarity says why. No session limit, no credit card required. Pulsar integration: API connection that surfaces sessions, dead clicks, rage clicks and top pages in the dashboard.
Site officielWhat is Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat)?
Conversational AIMicrosoft Copilot (renamed in November 2023, formerly Bing Chat) is Microsoft's conversational LLM, based on OpenAI's GPT-4 (exclusive partnership). Accessible via copilot.microsoft.com, integrated into Edge, Windows 11, Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Outlook). Particularity: it can perform a real-time Bing search to answer, which makes it more up-to-date than free ChatGPT (whose knowledge cutoff is older). It is one of the 4 main LLMs to track for AEO (with ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity).
Site officielWhat is Bing Maps?
MappingBing Maps is Microsoft's mapping service, integrated into Bing Search and Windows. Less used than Google Maps in the consumer space, but important for companies with a strong Windows / Microsoft 365 presence (the "3D building view" mode and integration with Office tools are pluses). Bing Places for Business is the free equivalent of Google Business Profile for managing your establishment on Bing Maps: create a free account + validate the address to appear on Bing Maps and in Bing local results.
Site officielWhat is Bing Places for Business?
Local SEOBing Places for Business is Bing's equivalent of Google Business Profile, free for local businesses. It allows you to create an establishment listing that appears in Bing Search and Bing Maps, with photos, hours, services, reviews. Often overlooked but essential for complete local SEO: customers who use Edge, Windows or DuckDuckGo see Bing Places results, not Google. Setup in 10 minutes, verification by email or postal mail.
Site officielWhat is Bing News?
NewsBing News is Microsoft's news aggregator, partly powered by MSN News. For a media site to appear in Bing News, it must submit a candidacy via Bing Webmaster Tools and respect quality guidelines (original content, publication frequency, identified authors). Smaller traffic than Google News but often more B2B and more mature audience.
Site officielWhat is Bing Image Search?
Image searchBing Image Search is Microsoft's image search engine, integrated into Bing. Often considered superior to Google Images for visual result quality and licence filters (filtering of royalty-free images). Important for image SEO: descriptive alt text, consistent file names, Schema.org ImageObject markup. Bing also uses machine learning to recognise visual image content beyond metadata.
Site officielWhat is Bing Shopping?
E-commerceBing Shopping is Bing's e-commerce tab, the equivalent of Google Shopping. E-commerce stores list their products via Microsoft Advertising (equivalent to Google Merchant Center). CPCs often 30-40% cheaper than on Google Shopping for similar conversion rates. Particularly interesting for B2B e-commerce or sectors with a mature audience (luxury, real estate, automotive).
Site officielWhat is the Microsoft Audience Network?
Display advertisingThe Microsoft Audience Network is Microsoft's equivalent of the Google Display Network: a network of premium partner sites (MSN, Outlook, Edge, third-party sites) where advertisers can deliver display and native ads. Particularly powerful thanks to LinkedIn integration (Microsoft owns LinkedIn): targeting by job title, industry, company size, seniority. Excellent B2B lever.
Site officielWhat is LinkedIn (and its link to Microsoft)?
B2B socialLinkedIn is the professional network acquired by Microsoft in 2016 for USD 26 billion. 1 billion users in 2026, absolute leader in B2B. On the marketing side: LinkedIn Pages (organic brand presence), LinkedIn Ads (advertising with job/sector targeting), LinkedIn Sales Navigator (prospecting). Integration with Microsoft Advertising allows you to use LinkedIn targeting in Bing Ads (major advantage in B2B). Pulsar integration: tracking of LinkedIn Page KPIs (subscribers, posts, engagement) and LinkedIn Ads in parallel.
Site officielWhat is Microsoft Advertising Editor?
Agency toolMicrosoft Advertising Editor is the free desktop software to manage Microsoft Advertising campaigns in bulk. Equivalent to Google Ads Editor. Lets you modify thousands of keywords, ads, bids offline and then sync. Essential for agencies managing large campaigns (50,000+ keywords). Available on Windows and Mac.
Site officielWhat is Bing Translator?
TranslationBing Translator (also called Microsoft Translator) is Microsoft's automatic translation service, equivalent to Google Translate. Supports 100+ languages, integrated into Edge, Bing, Office, Skype. Free API up to 2 million characters/month (vs Google Translate which requires a credit card). Useful in international SEO for initial page translations to be validated by a native human afterwards.
Site officielWhat is Microsoft Search Central / Bing IndexNow?
IndexingBing IndexNow is a fast indexing protocol launched in 2021 by Microsoft (and adopted by Yandex, Naver, Seznam). It allows a site to notify compatible search engines instantly that a URL has been created, modified or deleted, instead of waiting for the crawler to discover it. Advantage: pages indexed in minutes instead of several days. Open-source and free, simple to integrate (API key + ping endpoint). Not yet adopted by Google but a de facto standard on other engines.
Site officielHow Pulsar aggregates these tools
Pulsar centralises data from 10 native Google and Microsoft sources in a unified dashboard: GSC, GA4, Google Ads, Google Business Profile, YouTube, Bing Webmaster Tools, Microsoft Advertising, Microsoft Clarity, and the Pulsar Ranking engine which queries Bing in addition to Google SERPs.
Connection via 1-click OAuth for each. Automatic daily synchronisation. Cross-channel view that combines SEO, Ads, Local and AI in a single monthly PDF reporting, without having to open 10 tabs.
Frequently asked questions
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Which are essential for SEO?
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