Author’s Note: Bing Ads is now known as Microsoft Advertising.

There’s no question that Google dominates search traffic, paid and organic. As an advertiser, you might ask yourself, why use Bing Ads at all? Let’s weigh the pros and cons of whether Bing Ads is an appropriate channel for your business.

USA: Search Advertising Logo - 150x40

Who uses Bing?

Estimates of Bing’s share of the search market vary. Not surprisingly, Bing has been the most generous with itself. In 2017, Microsoft claimed that Bing accounts for 33% market share in the US. The claim was met with some deserved skepticism. Even if overstated, however, remember that the vast majority of new computer sales are for Windows devices that come preloaded with Bing-defaulting browsers (previously Internet Explorer, now replaced with Microsoft Edge).

If you’re fairly web-savvy, it’s hard to imagine computer users who don’t immediately download a different browser like Chrome or Firefox. But imagine it, because even if less than the 33% market share claimed, it is a sizeable chunk of web traffic. I think of it as an audience that’s less cynical than we might be. I don’t have hard numbers to back this up, but a non-cynical person who happily uses the pre-installed programs is also less hesitant to click on paid ads instead of organic results. And probably less hesitant to convert.

This tracks with Bing’s claim that its audience spends 34% more online when shopping from their desktop computers than average internet searchers.

I don’t want to box the Bing audience as a bunch of Luddites stupidly clicking around the internet and buying stuff. But it is true that they don’t suffer from browser snobbishness. And as you approach your paid search strategy, perhaps you shouldn’t, either.

Why advertise on Bing? One good reason is you need to meet your customers where they are. Even if you don’t use Bing, they might.

Where do Bing Ads appear?

Bing’s search network consists of three parts:

  1. Bing Ads appear along search results on Bing.com, AOL.com, and Yahoo.com, as well as sites owned and operated by Bing, such as MSN.com.
  2. Bing also operates a network of syndicated search partner sites. These third-party sites use Bing and Yahoo search results.
  3. Recently, Bing introduced Microsoft Audience Ads to its search network. These non-search native ad placements are shown beside articles on sites including MSN, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Edge, and other partners. According to Bing,

We use consumer intent signals, which include search history, browse history, page content, and demographic information [to understand user interests]. These signals, combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, provide highly relevant content to users and determine which ads to display. Microsoft Audience Ads also conform to your search ads’ existing targeting and negative-keyword settings.

As an advertiser, you have the ability to set which of these three components within the Bing Ads search network your ads appear. By default, all three are included. (The Google search network is all-or-nothing, so this is an important difference between the platforms).

Are clicks on Bing Ads cheaper than Google?

Bing Ads has a reputation for lower costs-per-click than Google, in large part because of less competition. For one of my clients, the average CPC last month on Google Search was $3.96, but only $2.15 for identical keywords in Bing Ads, and Bing gave us higher ad positions. Similarly, Wordstream found that of its managed services clients, Bing CPCs were 33% lower than Google CPCs. However, depending on your keywords, you may find that Bing Ads CPCs are comparable to CPCs on Google Search. Overall costs will likely be lower simply because Bing Ads will bring you fewer clicks than Google Ads. Like I already stated, however, fewer clicks doesn’t mean worthless clicks.

To help you estimate CPC, Bing has its own Keyword Planner tool within the Bing Ads dashboard.

If you’re new to Bing Ads, you can get $100 in search advertising when you spend $25 through this link for even further savings.

Why use Bing Ads? Clicks might be cheaper than Google Ads.

How do Bing and Google differ?

Bing and Google are similar offerings. In fact, one of the best features of Bing is you can import your Google Ads campaigns and launch Bing Ads quickly. However, once your campaigns go live, the two platforms do behave differently.

For instance, you may find that the keywords that bring you the most clicks on Bing are not the same keywords that bring you the most clicks on Google. Each platform has its own algorithms to rank advertisers, so you may be surprised by what performs best.

I’ve also found that Bing is not as sophisticated with its language settings. One of my clients advertises in both English and Spanish. On Google, we see huge traffic on our Spanish keywords, but almost none from Bing.

The most important difference to note: if your traffic from Bing Ads is substantially lower than Google, a single conversion can have an outsized impact on conversion rates and performance data. I call these “onesy-twosy” conversions, and they can make it difficult to draw conclusions and make informed decisions. For instance, if you make a sale through Bing Ads and this month’s conversion numbers suddenly look amazing, you might not see that performance repeat itself next month. That one conversion was basically a fluke, and you need to be careful not to read too much into it.

Of course, the same can be said for any Google campaign that doesn’t gather a lot of data, so the disproportionate conversion issue is not unique to Bing.

As you advertise on both Bing and Google, you’ll surely find other quirks and differences between the two networks.

Why use Bing Ads? You can easily import your Google Ads campaigns so that your keywords, ad text, and targeting settings stay the same.

Should I advertise on Bing?

Bing Ads is one of those overlooked gems in an advertiser’s arsenal. Though the platform is smaller than Google, its users are often more engaged. Clicks may be less expensive on Bing than on Google. You can easily import your Google campaigns. And, by ignoring Bing, you may be missing out on customers looking for exactly what you have to offer.

If you’re new to Bing Ads, use this link to get $100 in search advertising when you spend $25.

And feel free to get in touch with Charles Ave Marketing for Bing Ads campaign management, an account audit, or PPC consulting.

Kim Kohatsu
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