How to Advertise on Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads)
Key Takeaways
Target a Unique Audience: Microsoft Ads connects you with older, affluent consumers and corporate decision makers who are often completely missed on Google.
Lower Cost Per Click: Because fewer brands advertise on Bing, you face much less competition. This leads to cheaper clicks and a higher return on your marketing spend.
Expert Management: Running campaigns across multiple search engines is complicated. A specialist team like One Day Agency seamlessly manages your budget across both Google and Microsoft to maximise your total sales.
When planning a search strategy, most brands focus entirely on Google. However, ignoring Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) means missing out on millions of high-income users and corporate buyers. This guide explains the clear benefits of the Microsoft network and provides a straightforward plan for launching successful campaigns.
Available Ad Formats
Microsoft offers a familiar set of search options, allowing you to capture high-intent traffic when users are ready to buy.
Search and Shopping Ads: Just like Google, you can place text adverts and product listings at the top of the search results on Bing, Yahoo, and AOL. You capture the user exactly when they are searching for your product or service.
The UK Desktop Audience: The Microsoft network is incredibly strong on desktop computers. According to Microsoft Advertising data, their search network holds a massive 31.5 percent PC market share in the UK. This gives you direct access to over 41 million unique PC users, making it a highly strategic environment for reaching office workers and affluent home users.
LinkedIn Profile Targeting: A major advantage of Microsoft Ads is its direct link with LinkedIn. You can target search ads based on a user's company, job function, or industry, making it an unbeatable tool for B2B digital marketing.
Platform Limitations
Before splitting your budget, you must understand the practical limits of the Microsoft network.
Lower Search Volume: Microsoft holds a smaller share of the global search market than Google, especially on mobile phones. You will not get the same massive volume of traffic, meaning it works best as a secondary channel rather than your only search strategy.
Older Demographic Skew: The audience on Bing leans heavily toward users aged 45 and over. If you are selling trendy fast fashion to teenagers, this platform will likely deliver poor results.
Import Errors: While Microsoft offers a tool to copy your Google campaigns over directly, it is not perfect. Bidding strategies and targeting rules often break during the transfer, requiring manual fixes to avoid wasting money.
How to Advertise on Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads)
How to Access the Platform
Getting your ads live on Bing and the wider Microsoft network is highly accessible.
Self-Serve Platform: Any business can create a free Microsoft Advertising account, set a daily budget, and build their search or shopping campaigns directly in the dashboard.
Google Import Tool: You do not have to start from scratch. You can sync your existing PPC advertising campaigns directly from Google, saving hours of manual data entry.
Agency Management: Running two separate search networks takes twice as long. A media buying agency handles this for you. We manage the budgets across both Google and Microsoft, ensuring your money is always spent where it gets the best results.
"Microsoft Ads is not about replacing Google; it is about capturing a highly lucrative, mature demographic that your competitors are actively ignoring. The lower competition means your budget stretches significantly further, securing premium clicks for a fraction of the cost."
Benjamin Higgins, Senior PPC Manager, One Day Agency
Building Your Campaign Strategy
A successful Microsoft Ads campaign relies on understanding its specific user base.
Targeting the Right Buyer
We focus on the platform's strengths. If you are a B2B software company or a luxury travel brand, we bid aggressively on Microsoft because the older, higher-income audience perfectly matches your ideal customer.
Mixing Media Channels
Microsoft Ads should never be your only channel. We run your Bing campaigns alongside standard Google search and paid social ads to ensure you capture every possible buyer across the internet.
Tracking Performance
We do not just look at clicks. We monitor your cost per acquisition. Because clicks on Microsoft are often cheaper, we track the data closely to show you exactly how much money you are saving compared to your other search campaigns.
Why Use an Advertising Agency
Managing multiple search engines in-house is complicated and time-consuming. It often leads to ignored campaigns and wasted budgets. An agency brings everything together. When you contact our team, we handle the complex campaign imports, utilise exclusive features like LinkedIn targeting, and ensure your Microsoft Ads perfectly complement your broader marketing goals.
