Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads)

Bing Ads—now officially known as Microsoft Advertising—are pay-per-click (PPC) ads that appear on the Bing search engine as well as Yahoo, AOL, and Microsoft’s partner networks. These ads allow businesses to bid on keywords relevant to their products or services, and only pay when a user clicks on their ad.

Where do Bing Ads appear?

Bing Ads appear on Microsoft’s Search Network, which includes Bing, Yahoo, and AOL. This gives advertisers access to millions of users across the UK and globally. They can also appear on Microsoft’s Audience Network, which shows ads on high-quality partner sites and apps.

How does the bidding work?

Microsoft Advertising works through an auction system. You choose keywords you want to target and set a maximum bid. When someone searches using one of those keywords, Microsoft’s system ranks all eligible ads based on a combination of bid amount, ad relevance, and expected click-through rate. The highest-ranking ads are shown to the user, and you pay only when someone clicks your ad.

What makes Bing Ads different from Google Ads?

Although Bing and Google Ads operate similarly, Bing Ads often come with lower cost-per-click (CPC) rates and face less competition. Bing also allows more control over demographics, especially with LinkedIn profile targeting, which is integrated into Microsoft Advertising. Moreover, the Bing user base tends to skew older and more affluent—ideal for certain B2B or high-end products and services.

Is Bing Ads a worthwhile investment?

Absolutely. While Bing doesn’t dominate the UK search market like Google, it still holds a significant share—especially on desktop. In many cases, advertisers find that Bing Ads deliver better return on ad spend (ROAS) due to the lower competition and more qualified leads.

At Doublespark, we recommend Bing Ads as either a complementary platform to your Google Ads campaigns or as a standalone channel for specific industries and regions. When used correctly, Microsoft Advertising offers a cost-effective way to reach new customers, drive traffic, and generate real business results.

There is no fixed cost to running a Bing Ads campaign—the platform operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. However, the total cost will depend on several factors, including your industry, the competitiveness of your keywords, your campaign structure, and your bidding strategy.

Factors influencing Bing Ads cost

• Keyword competition: Popular keywords cost more due to increased demand.
• Geographic targeting: Targeting high-cost areas like London may raise CPC.
• Ad quality score: Higher relevance can lower your CPC through better ad rank.
• Bid strategy: Manual vs automated bidding can impact how aggressively you spend.
• Campaign settings: Targeting specific devices, times or audiences can also affect spend.

Is Bing Ads more affordable than Google Ads?

In many cases, yes. Bing Ads generally has lower CPCs due to reduced competition. This doesn’t necessarily mean lower quality, though. Bing’s user base includes high-intent searchers, often on desktop, making them valuable leads in B2B and local service markets.

How to control your Bing Ads budget

Microsoft Advertising allows full control over your daily and monthly budgets. You can also set bid caps, exclude high-cost keywords, and schedule ads during your most profitable hours. Working with a professional agency like Doublespark ensures your campaigns are optimised for cost-efficiency without sacrificing performance.

Ultimately, the cost of Bing Ads can be highly competitive, especially for those looking to diversify away from saturated platforms like Google.

While Google Ads often receives the lion’s share of attention, Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) offers unique advantages that make it a smart investment—particularly when paired with the right strategy.

Less competition = lower CPCs

One of the most attractive benefits is the reduced competition. Fewer advertisers using Bing means less bidding wars over keywords, resulting in lower cost-per-click (CPC) and potentially higher return on ad spend (ROAS).

Access to an affluent, desktop-heavy audience

Bing users in the UK tend to be older and more affluent, with a high percentage using desktop computers. This demographic is ideal for certain industries—particularly B2B, professional services, and high-value consumer goods.

Better device and demographic control

Microsoft Advertising gives advertisers detailed targeting options, including device type, age, gender, and even job function through its LinkedIn integration. This level of segmentation is superior in some respects to what Google currently offers.

Complementary to existing campaigns

If you’re already running Google Ads, adding Bing to your mix allows you to expand your reach without duplicating cost. The two platforms often work best together, with Bing filling gaps left by Google in desktop-heavy and regional audiences.

In short, Bing Ads isn't a second-tier platform—it’s a smart, strategic tool for advertisers looking to diversify and reach new markets.

Starting with Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) involves several steps, from setting up your account to launching your first campaign. At Doublespark, we help you through the entire process so you can focus on results, not guesswork.

Step-by-step setup process

1. Create or access your Microsoft Advertising account
2. Identify your goals (sales, leads, website traffic)
3. Conduct keyword and competitor research
4. Segment your ad groups based on user intent
5. Write compelling ad copy with strong calls to action
6. Set up conversion tracking and analytics
7. Launch and monitor your campaign

Importing from Google Ads

If you're already advertising on Google, Microsoft makes it easy to import your campaigns directly. This gives you a head start and saves setup time. However, optimising for Bing’s unique features is still necessary.

Professional campaign management

Doublespark provides fully managed Bing Ads services. From campaign architecture to ongoing A/B testing and reporting, we ensure your campaigns deliver measurable, scalable results.

Getting started is quick, easy, and potentially very profitable when done correctly—especially with a trusted partner on board.

What types of ads can I run with Microsoft Advertising?

Microsoft Advertising supports a diverse range of ad types to suit different business objectives. Choosing the right format depends on your goals—whether it’s to drive traffic, generate leads, or increase sales.

Main ad formats include:

• Text Ads: The classic search ad format shown alongside Bing search results.
• Responsive Search Ads: Automatically adjust headlines and descriptions for best performance.
• Shopping Ads: Show product images, pricing, and merchant info for ecommerce businesses.
• Multimedia Ads: Visual ads that appear in prominent positions on the SERP.
• Dynamic Search Ads: Automatically match content from your website to relevant search terms.
• Audience Ads: Display ads shown on Microsoft’s native advertising network.

Which ad type is right for me?

If you're selling products online, Shopping Ads are ideal. Service providers benefit from search and responsive ads. Brand-focused campaigns may work best with multimedia or audience ads. Doublespark helps you identify the best mix based on your sector, objectives, and budget.

Using the right ad types is crucial for performance—and we tailor your campaigns to ensure every impression drives value.

Yes, Microsoft Advertising provides comprehensive tracking tools to help you measure performance and return on investment (ROI). When set up correctly, you can track everything from impressions and clicks to phone calls, online sales, and form submissions.

Conversion tracking

Bing Ads allows you to implement Universal Event Tracking (UET) tags. These small snippets of code are added to your website and monitor user behaviour post-click. You can track goals such as form fills, purchases, button clicks, and even time on site.

Phone call tracking

Phone calls can be an important conversion for local and service-based businesses. Microsoft Advertising supports call extensions, which can be linked to call tracking tools. At Doublespark, we integrate call tracking platforms so you can tie leads directly back to your ads.

Offline conversions

For businesses that generate leads online but close sales offline (like B2B or high-ticket services), Bing Ads supports offline conversion tracking. You can upload data from your CRM to match leads with their original ad interaction.

ROI analysis and reporting

Understanding ROI goes beyond looking at clicks. We build tailored dashboards using Looker Studio and Bing’s built-in reports to show you which keywords and ads are driving conversions, revenue, and profit. We also analyse cost-per-lead, conversion rate, and average order value.

When managed properly, Bing Ads gives you total visibility over your PPC investment—helping you make data-led decisions that grow your business.

Remarketing on Microsoft Advertising is a powerful way to re-engage users who have already interacted with your website. It allows you to target previous visitors with tailored ads as they browse Bing or partner websites, helping to improve conversion rates by staying top-of-mind.

Setting up remarketing audiences

Using UET (Universal Event Tracking) tags, you can segment visitors based on the actions they took on your website—such as viewing a product, visiting a service page, or abandoning a cart. These audiences are then used to show customised ads across Microsoft’s network.

Where are remarketing ads shown?

Remarketing ads can be displayed on the Microsoft Search Network (like Bing and Yahoo) or on the Microsoft Audience Network. This gives your brand extended reach on sites like MSN, Outlook.com, and other high-traffic platforms.

Benefits of Bing remarketing

• Re-engage warm traffic and boost conversion likelihood
• Show tailored offers or messages based on user behaviour
• Build segmented campaigns to target different user types
• Lower your cost-per-acquisition by improving relevance

Doublespark sets up and manages Bing remarketing campaigns that focus on ROI—turning missed opportunities into real business.

Almost any business can benefit from Bing Ads, but some industries see particularly strong performance due to the platform’s demographic and device characteristics.

Top performing sectors on Bing

• B2B and SaaS: With more desktop traffic and LinkedIn integration, Bing is great for professional targeting.
• Legal and Financial Services: High-value services aimed at older, affluent users perform well.
• Healthcare and Private Clinics: Bing's detailed targeting helps attract informed decision-makers.
• Luxury Goods and Home Improvement: Older demographics with disposable income respond well.
• Educational Services: Institutions looking to attract mature students or parents can benefit from Bing’s targeting options.

Is it suitable for ecommerce?

Yes—especially when Shopping Campaigns are implemented. While Google dominates the retail PPC space, Bing Shopping Ads are often less competitive, allowing ecommerce brands to achieve solid ROAS with a smaller budget.

At Doublespark, we tailor Bing Ads strategies to suit your industry, using data from your niche to inform decisions and maximise performance.

Absolutely. In fact, diversifying your PPC strategy to include Bing Ads can help you lower your cost-per-lead and reach audiences you’re missing on Google. The two platforms work well together and offer different benefits that, when combined, provide a more holistic paid advertising strategy.

Reach new audiences

Bing has a different user base—often older, more affluent, and more likely to be using desktop devices. Many of these users don’t use Google regularly or at all, meaning you can capture leads Google simply can’t deliver.

Fill gaps in performance

If your Google Ads campaigns are approaching saturation or have high CPCs, Bing allows you to maintain visibility at a lower cost. This can improve overall campaign efficiency and broaden your reach without inflating your budget.

Shared learning

You can apply insights from Google Ads (such as best-performing keywords or ad copy) to Bing, and vice versa. This synergy often results in stronger overall campaign performance across both platforms.

At Doublespark, we often manage multi-platform PPC strategies to ensure you’re not relying too heavily on a single source of traffic—and that your advertising works harder across the board.

While it’s possible to run Bing Ads campaigns yourself, partnering with an experienced agency like Doublespark provides major benefits—especially when it comes to performance, efficiency, and ROI.

Expert strategy & setup

We don’t just build campaigns—we craft them. From the initial research phase to campaign architecture and tracking setup, we design every element to maximise conversion and minimise waste.

Continual optimisation

PPC is never “set and forget.” We constantly monitor your Bing Ads campaigns, making adjustments to bidding, keywords, targeting, and creatives to stay ahead of changes in user behaviour and platform updates.

Advanced tools and data insights

We use advanced analytics platforms, conversion tracking systems, and custom dashboards to provide you with actionable insights. This means better decisions and better results over time.

Save time and reduce costly errors

Running campaigns in-house can be time-consuming and prone to mistakes. From poorly structured ad groups to missed negative keywords, small errors can drain your budget. With us, you avoid those pitfalls.

Ultimately, a professional Bing Ads agency ensures your investment is working as hard as possible—freeing you up to focus on your business, while we focus on the growth.