Introduction

When managing a website, encountering errors in search engine webmaster tools can be frustrating. One such error is the “429 Too Many Requests” error when submitting a sitemap to Bing Webmasters. This error can prevent Bing from crawling and indexing your site properly, which may negatively impact your search rankings.

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What is the 429 Sitemap Error in Bing Webmasters?

The 429 error occurs when Bing’s crawler receives too many requests from a website in a short period. This is Bing’s way of preventing excessive server load or abusive crawling behavior.

If you see this error when submitting your sitemap.xml, it means Bingbot is being rate-limited by your server or your website’s hosting provider.

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Causes of the 429 Error When Submitting a Sitemap

There are several possible reasons why Bing Webmasters displays a 429 error when handling your sitemap:

Server Rate Limiting — Your web server is restricting Bing’s requests due to high traffic or security settings.
Firewall or Security Plugins — Some security settings may block or limit bot traffic, mistaking Bingbot for malicious activity.
Hosting Limitations — Shared hosting plans often have strict request limits, causing 429 errors when limits are exceeded.
Incorrect Sitemap Submission Frequency — If you frequently submit a sitemap or request indexing manually, it may trigger rate limiting.
Excessive Crawling Requests — Other search engines and bots might be overwhelming your site along with Bing, leading to restrictions.

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How to Fix the 429 Sitemap Error in Bing Webmasters

1. Reduce the Crawl Rate in Bing Webmaster Tools

Bing allows you to control how often it crawls your website. If your server is overloaded, reducing the crawl rate can help prevent 429 errors.

Steps to Adjust Crawl Rate:

Log in to Bing Webmaster Tools.
Select your website from the dashboard.
Click on “Configure My Site” → “Crawl Control”.
Adjust the crawl speed to a lower setting (e.g., set it to “Fewer requests”).
Save changes and monitor for improvements.

2. Check Server Logs and Adjust Rate Limits

Your server logs can provide insight into why requests are being blocked. Look for excessive requests or rate limits and adjust settings accordingly.

How to Check Server Logs:

If using cPanel, check the Raw Access Logs.
If using an Apache server, check the error log (usually found at /var/log/apache2/error.log).
For Nginx, use /var/log/nginx/error.log.

If you find Bingbot requests are being rate-limited, modify your server configuration to allow more requests.

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3. Whitelist Bingbot in Security Plugins & Firewall

Security plugins or firewalls may mistakenly block Bingbot, leading to the 429 error.

How to Whitelist Bingbot:

If using WordPress, check security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, or iThemes Security.
For Cloudflare, go to the Firewall Rules section and create a rule to allow Bingbot.
Modify your .htaccess file to allow Bingbot:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} bingbot [NC]
RewriteRule .* - [L]

4. Increase Server Resources or Upgrade Hosting

If you are on a shared hosting plan, your server may not have enough resources to handle search engine crawlers efficiently.

Solutions:

Upgrade to VPS or Dedicated Hosting — This provides more control over rate limits and server configurations.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) — Services like Cloudflare or Akamai help distribute traffic efficiently.
Optimize Server Performance — Reduce server load by enabling caching, compressing images, and using a lightweight theme.

5. Submit Sitemap at Off-Peak Hours

Try submitting your sitemap.xml when your website traffic is lower to avoid exceeding request limits.

Best Practices:

Avoid submitting the sitemap too frequently (once a day is usually enough).
Schedule sitemap submissions during low-traffic periods (e.g., late night or early morning hours).
Ensure that your sitemap follows Bing’s guidelines and does not contain excessive URLs.

6. Verify Your Sitemap’s Validity

An incorrectly formatted sitemap can cause submission errors. Use online sitemap validators to check for errors or inconsistencies.

Steps to Validate Your Sitemap:

Use Google’s Search Console Sitemap Validator.
Use third-party sitemap testers like XML Sitemap Validator.
Ensure your sitemap follows XML standards (UTF-8 encoding, valid URLs, proper syntax).

7. Contact Your Hosting Provider

If none of the above solutions work, your hosting provider may be blocking Bingbot requests. Contact your hosting support and request:

Increased server request limits.
Whitelist Bingbot’s IPs.
Adjust firewall rules to prevent accidental blocks.

FAQs

1. What does the “429 Error” mean in Bing Webmaster Tools?

Answer: A 429 Too Many Requests error occurs when Bingbot requests too many resources in a short period, causing the server to block further requests temporarily.

2. Why is Bing showing a 429 error for my sitemap?

Answer: This happens when Bingbot exceeds the request rate limit, and your server responds with a 429 status code to prevent overload.

3. How can I check if my site is returning a 429 error?

Answer: You can check using:

Bing Webmaster Tools (under crawl errors)
Server logs to identify excessive Bingbot requests
Google Search Console (if similar errors exist)

4. How can I reduce the frequency of Bingbot requests?

Answer: You can adjust crawl settings in Bing Webmaster Tools:

Go to Bing Webmaster Tools
Select your website
Navigate to “Crawl Control”
Lower the crawl rate to reduce requests

5. Can I fix the 429 error using robots.txt?

Answer: No, robots.txt cannot directly fix a 429 error. Instead, use “Crawl Delay” in robots.txt:

User-agent: bingbot  
Crawl-delay: 10

This tells Bingbot to wait 10 seconds between requests.

6. Is my hosting provider blocking Bingbot?

Answer: Some shared hosting providers limit requests to prevent server overload. Contact your hosting provider to check if Bingbot is being blocked.

7. How can I optimize my sitemap to avoid 429 errors?

Answer:

Keep your sitemap under 50,000 URLs
Host the sitemap on a fast server
Use gzip compression to reduce load
Ensure your sitemap is accessible (status code 200)

8. Can I manually submit my sitemap to Bing?

Answer: Yes! In Bing Webmaster Tools:

Go to “Sitemaps”
Enter the sitemap URL
Click “Submit”

9. How long does it take for Bing to process the sitemap after fixing the error?

Answer: It may take a few days for Bing to recrawl your sitemap after fixing the issue. Use Bing Webmaster Tools to monitor progress.

10. What if the 429 error persists?