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Microsoft retires Bing PubHub submission platform

Microsoft ends publisher submission system for Bing News, shifts to automated content discovery.

Luis Rijo

• 8 min read
Bing News search results showing small publishers face discovery challenges after PubHub retirement affects visibility.
Bing News search results showing small publishers face discovery challenges after PubHub retirement affects visibility.

Microsoft has announced the retirement of its Bing PubHub submission platform, marking a significant shift in how the search engine discovers and indexes news content. The decision, outlined in official Microsoft documentation, represents a fundamental change in the company's approach to news content curation and distribution across its ecosystem.

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According to Microsoft's official announcement, "Bing PubHub is being retired" as the company adopts "new approaches to enhance Bing News index coverage and visual content without depending on PubHub submissions." The platform, which previously allowed publishers to submit their content directly for inclusion in Bing News and Windows feeds, will no longer accept new submissions.

The retirement affects content distribution across multiple Microsoft properties, including Bing search results, Microsoft Start, Windows operating system feeds, Edge browser, and Office applications. Publishers who previously relied on PubHub submissions to ensure their content reached these platforms must now depend on Microsoft's automated discovery systems.

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Despite the platform retirement, Microsoft maintains strict eligibility requirements for news publishers seeking inclusion in its index. According to the documentation, sites must avoid being "designed primarily to market products or services" and cannot have "a primary purpose of unauthorized news or content aggregation." Publishers must also demonstrate consistent publication frequency and adhere to "basic standards of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, spelling and word usage."

For non-news publishers targeting Windows feed distribution, the criteria extend further. Microsoft excludes "sites publishing unvetted UGC (user generated content) including but not limited to profiles, forums, social media posts, wikis, comments" and content that is "not informative or descriptive including but not limited to ecommerce list, product list, job listings."

The technical requirements reveal Microsoft's emphasis on content quality over submission methodology. Publishers must ensure their content meets these standards regardless of how Microsoft's systems discover it.

Automated evaluation replaces manual submissions

Microsoft's new strategy centers on automated content discovery and evaluation. According to the company's documentation, "News content from publishers that comply with our content policies is automatically evaluated by our systems for inclusion in Bing News. This evaluation is based on factors such as authority, originality, relevance, freshness, location, and language."

This algorithmic approach eliminates the manual submission process that characterized PubHub. Publishers can no longer directly influence their inclusion through submission protocols but must rely on Microsoft's automated systems to discover and evaluate their content.

The evaluation criteria encompass six key factors that determine content inclusion. Authority measures the publisher's credibility and reputation within their domain. Originality ensures content represents primary source material rather than aggregated information. Relevance determines whether content matches user interests and search patterns. Freshness prioritizes recently published material. Location considers geographic relevance to users. Language compatibility ensures content matches user linguistic preferences.

Market entry barriers and competitive concerns

The transition raises significant concerns about market accessibility for new and emerging publishers. Unlike established media organizations with extensive digital footprints, smaller publishers may struggle to achieve the authority metrics required for algorithmic discovery. This creates substantial barriers to entry that could limit competitive diversity in the news ecosystem.

The automated evaluation system particularly disadvantages startup publications and niche content creators who lack the historical authority signals that Microsoft's algorithms prioritize. These publishers previously could use submission platforms to demonstrate their editorial standards and content quality directly to platform operators.

This shift parallels Google's similar restrictions on new publications in Publisher Center, implemented in April 2024. According to Google's announcement, "Publishers can no longer manually add publications" to their system, forcing reliance on automated discovery mechanisms.

The convergence of Microsoft and Google policies creates a duopoly effect that significantly restricts market entry opportunities. New publishers face algorithmic gatekeeping from both major search platforms simultaneously, eliminating alternative pathways to audience discovery.

Impact on existing publisher agreements

Publishers with existing PubHub agreements face different outcomes based on their current indexing status. Microsoft clarifies that "if your site is already signed up as a publisher, it's included in the Bing News index, so there's no need to worry about any agreements with PubHub. On the other hand, if your site isn't part of the Bing News index, the PubHub protocol won't apply to you."

This distinction creates two categories of affected publishers. Those already indexed continue receiving distribution benefits without action required. Publishers not currently indexed lose their submission pathway and must rely entirely on algorithmic discovery.

The documentation emphasizes that "PubHub membership does not influence Bing News ranking." Microsoft's ranking system evaluates content based on "relevance, freshness, authority, and newsworthiness" regardless of submission method. However, PubHub agreements previously granted "rights to use appropriately sized images" for news thumbnails meeting specific size requirements.

Alternative solutions for image optimization

Publishers concerned about thumbnail display can implement technical alternatives. Microsoft recommends using "the Open Graph Protocol to specify thumbnail images for their articles." This approach allows publishers to maintain visual presentation standards without PubHub agreements.

The Open Graph Protocol provides standardized metadata tags that social media platforms and search engines use to display content previews. Publishers can specify og:image tags to control how their articles appear in news feeds and search results across Microsoft's platforms.

Verification methods for publishers

Microsoft provides tools for publishers to verify their indexing status. The company recommends conducting searches using the query format "site:domain.com" where publishers replace "domain.com" with their website address. This method allows publishers to determine whether Microsoft's systems are discovering and indexing their content.

Publishers can also access the Bing Webmaster Tool to "review the status of their submissions" and monitor their site's performance within Microsoft's search ecosystem. These tools become increasingly important as publishers lose direct submission capabilities.

Timeline

The retirement announcement appears in current Microsoft documentation without specifying exact closure dates for existing submissions. Publishers seeking clarification can "contact us through our Support channel" for personalized assistance regarding their specific situations.

Microsoft's documentation indicates that existing indexed publishers maintain their status automatically. The transition primarily affects publishers who were planning to use PubHub for initial indexing or those seeking to expand their distribution through manual submissions.

Strategic implications for content discovery

The shift from manual submissions to automated discovery reflects broader industry trends toward algorithmic content curation. Microsoft's approach aligns with search engine preferences for organic content discovery over publisher-initiated submissions.

This change places greater emphasis on traditional search engine optimization practices. Publishers must ensure their content meets technical standards for automated discovery, including proper site structure, metadata implementation, and consistent publishing schedules.

The retirement also suggests Microsoft's confidence in its automated systems' ability to discover relevant news content without manual intervention. This approach reduces administrative overhead while potentially improving content quality through algorithmic filtering.

Comparison with Google's parallel restrictions

Microsoft's PubHub retirement mirrors Google's recent Publisher Center restrictions, creating an industry pattern that significantly limits publisher access to major search platforms. According to Google's April 26, 2024 announcement, the company discontinued manual publication creation, stating that "Publishers can no longer manually add publications" and would transition to "automatically generating publication pages later in 2024."

Google's transition, completed in March 2025, eliminated publisher controls over custom sections, logos, publication titles, and geographic distribution settings. According to Google's February 10, 2025 announcement, "All publication pages in Google News will be generated automatically. Google News will no longer use RSS feeds or web locations that were submitted in Publisher Center."

The parallel timing and similar automated approaches suggest coordinated industry consolidation around algorithmic gatekeeping. Both platforms now require publishers to meet authority thresholds determined by automated systems rather than demonstrating editorial quality through direct submission processes.

This convergence creates unprecedented barriers for market entry. New publishers must simultaneously satisfy algorithmic requirements from both Google and Microsoft without access to submission mechanisms that previously provided alternative pathways to audience discovery.

Market concentration effects

The elimination of submission pathways consolidates market power among established publishers who already possess the authority signals required for algorithmic discovery. Startup publications and independent journalists face insurmountable discovery challenges when major platforms restrict access to automated evaluation systems.

Research indicates that algorithmic authority metrics typically favor larger organizations with extensive link networks and social media presence. Smaller publishers lack these institutional advantages, creating systematic disadvantages that perpetuate market concentration among established media companies.

The policy convergence between Microsoft and Google effectively creates a cartel structure that determines market access based on algorithmic criteria rather than content quality or editorial standards. This represents a fundamental shift from merit-based evaluation to authority-based gatekeeping.

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Marketing community implications

The PubHub retirement significantly impacts digital marketing strategies for news publishers and content creators. Marketing professionals must adjust their distribution tactics from direct submission methods to search engine optimization approaches focused on algorithmic discovery.

Content marketing teams need to prioritize technical SEO elements that facilitate automated discovery. This includes implementing structured data markup, optimizing site architecture for crawler accessibility, and maintaining consistent publication schedules that demonstrate site authority and freshness.

Marketing budgets previously allocated to submission-based strategies require reallocation toward technical optimization and content quality improvements. Publishers must invest in SEO expertise rather than submission management processes.

The change also affects measurement and attribution strategies. Marketing teams lose direct submission tracking capabilities and must rely on organic search performance metrics to evaluate their content distribution effectiveness.

The parallel restrictions across Google and Microsoft platforms force marketing teams to develop authority-building strategies that satisfy both algorithmic systems simultaneously. This requires substantial resource investment that many smaller publishers cannot sustain, further consolidating market advantages among established media organizations.

Timeline

  • February 9, 2022: Microsoft introduced Bing News PubHub as part of Bing Webmaster Tools
  • April 26, 2024: Google restricts new publications in Publisher Center, begins transition to automated pages
  • 2024-2025: Microsoft announces Bing PubHub retirement through official documentation
  • February 10, 2025: Google announces complete transition to automated publication pages
  • March 2025: Google completes transition, eliminates all manual publisher controls
  • June 2025: Documentation confirms Microsoft's automated evaluation system replaces manual submissions
  • Current status: Both platforms require algorithmic discovery, blocking new market entrants

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