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People don’t realise that there are currently over 400 million monthly searches in the UK on the Microsoft network, and Bing is the second most used search engine on desktop devices.
With this many searches per month, can you afford to ignore it? So let’s dig a bit deeper to cover some of the questions you may have about Bing Ads.
WHAT IS MICROSOFT ADVERTISING NETWORK?
An excellent place to start is learning about the Microsoft advertising network. In a nutshell, this is where ads will appear when advertising on Bing Ads. By advertising on Bing Ads, your ads are shown in front of people across platforms owned, operated by or partnered with Microsoft.
They’re millions of searches each month using familiar search engines like Bing and Yahoo. Using Bing Ads, you can show your ads in front of these users on the Microsoft search network. The Microsoft search network isn’t just limited to these; you can be found by their search partners as well!
The Microsoft Advertising Network isn’t just limited to search; you can also be found on native placements, part of the Microsoft Network. This network is home to familiar names such as MSN and Outlook.
WHERE DO MICROSOFT ADS SHOW?
When you advertise on Bing Ads, you don’t just get found on Bing. Instead, you can be found on three different platforms (Bing, Yahoo and AOL); this means your Microsoft Ads campaign is visible on three search engines, all from just one platform. Microsoft also allows you to be found on their syndicated search partners, expanding your reach from just one location.
If you promote your ads on the search network, your ads will appear at the top and bottom of the search engine result page (SERP). It’s also worth mentioning that ads don’t just show on the first page, so your ads can show if a user decides to go beyond the first page results, although most traffic will come from the first page results.
If you promote your ads on the audience network, your ads will show on Microsoft native placements.
DOES MICROSOFT HAVE DISPLAY ADS?
No. Microsoft doesn’t support display ads like Google Ads supports Google display. However, Microsoft does offer a possible alternative with audience campaigns.
Audience campaigns allow you to promote your ads across native placements across the Microsoft network, similar to what Google does with their display ads on the Google display network.
They’re a few differences between them; for example, with the ads being shown on the Microsoft network, ads will be delivered in different placements, targeting settings are different along with the ad itself having additional requirements, but it does show a visual ad while users aren’t actively searching for your service like Google display.
ARE BING ADS WORTH IT?
Bing Ads provides the opportunity to reach new users who wouldn’t be served brand messaging through marketing channels. Although there are higher search volumes on other popular platforms, Google, for example, it it is worth considering Bing Ads to reach different user groups, especially when the lower cost of placements is considered.
Due to the reduced cost, we’ve seen advertisers get a better ROI on Bing instead of Google. However, like Google Ads, it’s possible to waste budget on irrelevant traffic without ongoing management and support from platform experts.
In summary, Bing Ads can help drive more traffic to your website, drive more brand awareness and help increase the enquiries/sales received each month. So is it worth it? We’d say yes.
IS BING ADS CHEAPER THAN GOOGLE ADS?
Yes. We have managed Bing ads campaigns that are over 40% cheaper than Google Ads! As many advertisers ignore Bing, there is less competition meaning the cost per click (CPC) is often much cheaper than other platforms.
Bing Ads can provide a more cost-effective campaign, delivering the same amount of clicks as Google. Importantly, if your conversion rate remains similar to Google, Bing ads could be the more cost-effective PPC platform for generating positive ROI.
WHY YOU SHOULD USE MICROSOFT ADS?
Microsoft Ads Features
Microsoft Ads gives you complete control of your account, which means you control what type of searches you can get found for, how much you want to spend, how much you’re willing to pay for each click and more!
The platform has features that are exclusive to Microsoft, examples being Automotive ads, Linkedin profile targeting, Multimedia Ads. All this helps enhance your business’s promotion online.
As mentioned earlier, if you already run Google Ads, you can import your existing campaigns in Microsoft Ads and automatically apply changes you make in Google Ads to Bing Ads. Time-saving features like this allow marketers to quickly and efficiently reach new audiences without spending time starting from scratch.
Demographic
On Microsoft ads, you target a unique demographic. People searching on Microsoft are of a different segment of society compared to other platforms. Typically, users who search on Bing are older; you can reach a new audience that isn’t always active on different channels. Business or corporate users can often be found on Bing as organisational restrictions on software can mean that Bing is the default search engine on their computer.
We’ve found that 2/3 of our spend on Microsoft are on Desktop devices showing that Microsoft is a desktop-first platform. In contrast, we’ve observed channels, such as Google, are dominated by mobile search. All this makes Microsoft a network with a unique audience.
We have also found that 47% of traffic through Bing Ads use Edge; this is due partly due to Bing being the default search engine on Edge so some users may not realise they use Bing or don’t change the default search engine.
By advertising on Microsoft, you get to reach this different audience.
Value for money
As we mentioned earlier, Bing Ads offers traffic nearly half the cost as Google giving better value for money.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ADVERTISE ON BING?
Bing Ads is similar to Google Ads with regards to budgeting. Bing Ads allows monthly budgets between a small £4 up to a vast £20 million; these are set at the campaign level.
The budgets are usually set over a daily interval (e.g. £10 per day), but they can be charged monthly if you prefer.
The different budget options allow you to control the Bing Account spending in a way that best fits your requirements.
Microsoft occasionally offers promotional codes; this could give you some free additional ad spend, so it’s worth keeping your eye out for them. Each offer will have different requirements, and the amount of accessible credit will vary depending on the conditions, so make sure to read the terms carefully if you find one.
HOW DO YOU ADVERTISE ON BING?
The first thing to do is to sign in to your Microsoft account; if you don’t already have one, you’ll be required to create one.
Once created, sign up for a Microsoft Ads account on ads.microsoft.com; this will provide you with an account shell to make your Microsoft Ads campaign. Here, you can create your Microsoft Ads campaign by selecting the keywords you’d like to bid for, creating your Ads, selecting what areas you’d like to show your ads, budget, and more!
Already run Google Ads? Bing Ads allows you to import all your existing campaigns from Google directly into the account. This will enable you to save time creating your campaigns from scratch and allows you to automatically import any changes made on Google Ads into Bing Ads.
READY TO EACH YOUR AUDIENCE?
In summary, Bing Ads can play a crucial role in your marketing strategy; whilst you may not be able to reach as many users as with Google, Bing can represent a cost-effective alternative and valuable addition to your marketing strategy, one which shouldn’t be ignored.
If you’re looking to make an impact using Bing Ads and want to maximise your budget, it’s worth engaging with a Paid Media specialist like Black Lab. Specialists like Black Lab, can build, manage and optimise your campaigns to deliver fantastic returns. With years of experience, success can be fast-tracked, ensuring the nuances of running these campaigns on Bing Ads receive the required attention.
