Advertising on Bing Ads, now known as Microsoft Advertising, involves creating and managing search, display, and shopping ads within the Microsoft ecosystem, which includes the Bing search engine, Yahoo, and AOL. Unlike Google Ads, this platform operates in a less competitive environment, resulting in lower costs per click and audiences with high purchasing power. For digital marketing agencies, Microsoft Advertising represents a real opportunity to diversify their clients’ paid traffic without proportionally increasing the budget.
What is Bing Ads and what is it used for?
Microsoft Advertising is Microsoft's advertising platform that allows you to display ads on Bing, the world's second-most-used search engine, and on its network of partner sites. It operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, with formats that include text ads, shopping ads, display ads, and responsive ads.
For a digital marketing agency, this platform is used to:
- Diversify sources of paid traffic for clients and reduce reliance on Google.
- Capture existing demand in search queries with less competitive pressure.
- Reach B2B audiences through native integration with LinkedIn data.
- Make more efficient use of advertising budgets in high-cost niches on Google.
- Scale proven campaigns in Google Ads without having to build the structure from scratch.
Why You Should Consider Bing Ads in Your Paid Media Strategy
Less competition and lower CPC
Most advertisers focus their spending on Google Ads. This creates excess demand for keywords, driving up the cost per click (CPC) in sectors such as insurance, legal services, technology, and finance. On Microsoft Advertising, that same demand exists but with fewer advertisers bidding, which lowers the average cost. According to figures reported by account managers, the CPC on Bing can be 20% to 40% lower than Google’s in comparable categories, although this figure varies by industry and market.
Audience with high purchasing power
The demographic profile of Bing users differs from that of Google. Microsoft data indicates that a significant proportion of its users are over 35 years old, have above-average incomes, and prefer desktop devices. This profile is particularly valuable for B2B campaigns, financial services, insurance, healthcare, and real estate.
Segmentation based on LinkedIn data
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016, and that asset is directly reflected in the advertising platform. Microsoft Advertising allows you to target audiences by job title, role, company, and industry using LinkedIn data—a capability no other search platform offers. For agencies managing B2B accounts, this feature can make a significant difference in the quality of the leads generated.
Direct import from Google Ads
If you already manage campaigns in Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising lets you import them directly. The import tool transfers the structure of your campaigns, ad groups, keywords, extensions, and bids. This reduces the time needed for initial setup and allows you to quickly activate the channel for your clients.
Types of campaigns available in Microsoft Advertising
Search campaigns
These are the main ad format. They work the same way as in Google Ads: the ad appears when a user searches for a keyword that matches the ones you’ve defined. They support broad, phrase, and exact match, as well as negative keywords.
Shopping campaigns
Ideal for e-commerce. They display the product, price, and image directly in search results. They connect to the product catalog via Microsoft Merchant Center.
Audience campaigns
They allow you to display display and native ads on sites in the Microsoft network, including MSN and Outlook. They use behavioral signals and LinkedIn segments to refine targeting.
Performance Max campaigns
Similar to Google's format, this automated campaign automatically distributes the budget across all Microsoft channels, optimizing for a specific conversion.
| Campaign type | Main objective | Best use case |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Lawsuit filing | Services, lead generation |
| Shopping | Product sales | E-commerce with a product catalog |
| Audiences | Recognition and remarketing | B2B, insurance, finance |
| Performance Max | Automated conversions | Accounts with a conversion history |
Step-by-Step Guide to Advertising on Bing Ads
- Create an account on Microsoft Advertising. Go to ads.microsoft.com and sign up with a Microsoft account. If you manage multiple clients, set up a Master Client Account (MCC) right from the start.
- Define the campaign's objective. Choose from website traffic, conversions, product sales, or brand awareness. The objective determines the available optimization options.
- Set up conversion tracking. Install Microsoft's Universal Event Tracking (UET) on the client's website. This tag is equivalent to a tracking pixel and is required for conversion optimization.
- Import your Google Ads campaigns (optional). Use the “Import from Google Ads” feature in the tools menu. Select the campaigns, adjust the bids if necessary, and review the imported extensions.
- Conduct keyword research. Use Microsoft's Keyword Planner to identify estimated search volumes and CPCs. Prioritize terms with high commercial intent.
- Create responsive text ads. Write between 3 and 15 headlines and between 2 and 4 descriptions. Microsoft automatically combines these elements to maximize performance.
- Set up audience segmentation. Enable LinkedIn segments if the client operates in the B2B sector. Also, create remarketing lists using the UET installed in step 3.
- Set your budget and bidding strategy. You can use manual bids for greater control or automated strategies such as target CPA or target ROAS once you have accumulated enough conversion history.
- Launch the campaign and monitor its performance. Track key metrics such as CTR, CPC, conversion rate, and cost per conversion during the first two weeks. Adjust bids, schedules, and targeting based on the data.
- Include the channel in your consolidated report. Integrate data from Microsoft Advertising with Google Ads and other platforms into a unified dashboard to show the client how each channel is performing relative to the others.
Bing Ads vs. Alternatives for Search Advertising
| Criterion | Microsoft Advertising (Bing) | Google Ads | Apple Search Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search volume | Medium (approx. 6–9% of the total market share) | High (approx. 90% of the total share) | Bass (App Store only) |
| Average CPC | Lower than Google | The tallest on the market | Varies by category |
| B2B Segmentation | Nativa, based on LinkedIn data | Limited search | Not available |
| Main hearing | 35+, office worker, high income | All profiles | iOS users |
| Import from Google | Yes, native | Not applicable | No |
| Learning curve | Skip this if you're familiar with Google Ads | Medium-high | Download |
Frequently Asked Questions About Advertising on Bing Ads
Are Bing Ads and Microsoft Advertising the same thing?
Yes. Microsoft rebranded the platform as Microsoft Advertising in 2019, but the name “Bing Ads” is still commonly used. The platform doesn’t just cover Bing: it also includes Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft’s network of partner sites, which expands the actual reach of campaigns.
What is the minimum budget required to get started with Microsoft Advertising?
The platform does not set a mandatory minimum daily budget. In practice, budgets as low as $5 per day can yield initial data; however, for campaigns aimed at optimization, we recommend allocating at least $15 to $30 per day per campaign to accumulate a sufficient volume of conversions within a reasonable timeframe.
Is it worth using Bing Ads if the client already uses Google Ads?
Yes, especially if the client operates in industries with high CPC on Google, targets an audience over 35, or works in B2B. Bing Ads doesn’t replace Google, but it does complement the strategy by capturing similar searches with a lower investment. The direct import feature reduces the activation time to just a few hours.
How does segmentation using LinkedIn data work in Microsoft Advertising?
In the Audiences section of Microsoft Advertising, you can apply professional profile segments such as job title, job role, company name, company size, and industry. These segments are sourced from LinkedIn profiles. They can be used as bid adjustment layers for search campaigns or as targeting audiences for display and audience campaigns.
Which metrics should I prioritize when evaluating the performance of a Bing Ads campaign?
The key metrics are: click-through rate (CTR), cost per click (CPC), conversion rate, cost per conversion, and return on ad spend (ROAS), if applicable. For lead generation campaigns, cost per lead and lead quality are the most relevant indicators. Comparing these metrics with those from Google Ads allows you to assess the relative efficiency of the channel.
Can I import Google Ads campaigns into Bing Ads without losing my settings?
The import transfers campaign structures, ad groups, keywords, text ads, extensions, and bidding strategies. However, some elements, such as custom audiences or image extensions, may require manual configuration afterward. We recommend reviewing the imported campaign before activating it to adjust bids based on actual Bing CPCs.
How does an agency report Microsoft Advertising results to its clients?
The common challenge is that Microsoft Advertising generates its own reports that are separate from those of other platforms. Tools like Master Metrics allow you to integrate Microsoft Advertising data with Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and other sources into a unified dashboard, making it easier to show clients the overall performance of their advertising investment without having to manually create reports on each platform.
Conclusion
Microsoft Advertising is an advertising channel that offers specific advantages for agencies managing clients in competitive industries or with B2B audience profiles. Lower CPC, integration with LinkedIn, and the ability to import campaigns from Google reduce both the barrier to entry and the cost of activation. This isn’t about abandoning Google Ads, but rather about strategically diversifying to get more out of the client’s total budget.
The main operational challenge for an agency is managing multiple platforms simultaneously: each channel generates its own data, reports, and metrics. When Microsoft Advertising, Google Ads, Meta, and LinkedIn are all combined into a single account, the time spent consolidating information can easily exceed the time spent optimizing campaigns. Master Metrics solves this problem by centralizing data from all platforms into an automated dashboard, eliminating manual reporting work and allowing the team to focus on what generates real value for clients.
Many agencies put off activating Bing Ads due to a lack of knowledge or operational inertia. The steps outlined in this article allow you to set up the channel in just a few hours and start collecting data from day one. With the right reporting infrastructure in place, comparing performance across channels becomes a simple process that strengthens the agency’s value proposition to its clients.
