What Is Microsoft Advertising?
Microsoft Advertising, formerly Bing Ads, is the pay-per-click platform that places search and shopping ads across the Microsoft Search Network, including Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and AOL. It works much like Google Ads: you bid on keywords, write text ads, and pay when someone clicks. Because the network reaches an older, higher-income desktop audience and competition is often lighter, cost per click tends to be lower, making it a useful complement to Google Ads for many local businesses that want to reach searchers Google alone would miss.
- What it is
- Microsoft's pay-per-click ad platform, formerly called Bing Ads
- Network reach
- Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, AOL, and syndicated partner sites (Microsoft Advertising)
- Audience
- Skews older, more educated, and higher household income, heavy desktop use (Microsoft Advertising)
- Typical CPC
- Often lower than the same keyword on Google due to lighter competition (U.S. range, 2026)
- Import tool
- One-click import of existing Google Ads campaigns
- Conversion tracking
- Uses the Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag
What Microsoft Advertising is #
Microsoft Advertising is Microsoft's pay-per-click advertising platform, and until 2019 it was called Bing Ads. It lets businesses show text, shopping, and display ads to people searching on Bing and across Microsoft's partner network. The model mirrors Google Ads closely: you group keywords into campaigns and ad groups, write ads with headlines and descriptions, set a daily budget, and bid on how much you will pay for a click. Ads are ranked by a combination of bid and quality, so relevance matters, not just money. For a small business already running search ads, Microsoft Advertising is best understood as a second, complementary channel rather than a replacement, and it pairs naturally with the work on our /services/google-ads-management page. Because the platform shares so much structure with Google Ads, teams that manage one can usually run the other with a modest learning curve, and the landing pages built on our /services/ppc-landing-pages page serve both networks equally well.
Where your ads appear #
Your ads run across what Microsoft calls the Microsoft Search Network. That includes Bing itself, plus Yahoo search, DuckDuckGo, AOL, and a range of syndicated partner sites that use Bing to power their results (Microsoft Advertising). This reach is larger than many owners expect, because searches happen inside Windows, the Edge browser, and Microsoft products where Bing is the default engine. Some AI-assisted search experiences powered by Microsoft also draw on this inventory. The practical point is that a single Microsoft Advertising campaign can put you in front of searchers who never touch Google, which is the whole reason the channel is worth considering. You can target by keyword, location, device, day, and audience much as you would elsewhere. For local businesses, tight location targeting matters most, and getting that setup right is part of the campaign work we handle alongside our /services/local-seo page so paid and organic visibility reinforce each other in the same markets.
Who you reach on the network #
The audience profile is one of Microsoft Advertising's biggest selling points. Microsoft reports that its network skews toward older, more educated, and higher-household-income users, with a large share of activity on desktop computers during working hours (Microsoft Advertising). For businesses selling considered purchases, professional services, B2B offerings, or higher-ticket local work, that demographic can convert well. Someone researching a law firm, an accountant, or a home-improvement contractor on a work PC is often closer to a real decision than a casual mobile browser. This does not mean the audience is better in every case; younger, mobile-first consumer brands may find volume thin here. The honest framing is that the network reaches a specific slice of the market efficiently, and you should judge it by your own conversion data rather than assumptions. Feeding that data back into your targeting is exactly the kind of measurement we set up on our /services/analytics-tracking page so spend follows the audiences that actually buy from you.
How bidding and the auction work #
Microsoft Advertising runs an auction every time someone searches. When your keyword matches a query, the system weighs your bid against your ad's quality and expected performance to decide whether and where your ad shows. A higher-quality, more relevant ad can outrank a higher bid, which rewards tight keyword grouping and well-written copy. You choose a bidding strategy, from manual cost-per-click to automated options that target conversions or a set cost per acquisition, and you set match types that control how loosely keywords trigger ads. Broad match reaches more queries but wastes spend if unmanaged; exact and phrase match keep things focused. Because competition on the network is often lighter than on Google, the same position can cost less, though this varies by industry and location (U.S. range, 2026). Managing negatives, bids, and match types is ongoing work, not a set-and-forget task, and it is central to the campaign management on our /services/google-ads-management page, which covers Microsoft too.
Importing from Google Ads #
One reason Microsoft Advertising is easy to try is its built-in Google Ads import tool. Rather than rebuilding campaigns from scratch, you connect your Google account and Microsoft copies over your campaign structure, keywords, ads, budgets, and many settings in a few clicks. This dramatically lowers the effort of testing the channel, since you can mirror a proven Google campaign and adjust it for Microsoft's audience. It is not perfectly one-to-one; some Google features, extensions, or bid strategies do not map exactly, so an import should be reviewed rather than trusted blindly. Budgets and bids in particular often need tuning, because Microsoft's lower typical click costs and different audience mean your Google numbers are a starting point, not a final answer. Scheduling regular re-imports keeps the two accounts aligned as you make changes. We use this workflow to launch Microsoft campaigns quickly for clients, then optimize them independently, and we make sure the destination pages from our /services/ppc-landing-pages page are ready to convert the incoming traffic.
Tracking conversions with the UET tag #
Microsoft Advertising measures conversions using a small piece of JavaScript called the Universal Event Tracking, or UET, tag, which you place on every page of your site much like a Google tag. Once installed, you define conversion goals, such as a form submission or a purchase, and the tag reports them back so bidding can optimize toward real leads. Here is the basic UET snippet.
<script>
(function(w,d,t,r,u){
var f,n,i;
w[u]=w[u]||[],f=function(){
var o={ti:"12345678", enableAutoSpaTracking:true};
o.q=w[u], w[u]=new UET(o), w[u].push("pageLoad");
};
n=d.createElement(t), n.src=r, n.async=1;
n.onload=n.onreadystatechange=function(){
var s=this.readyState;
s&&s!=="loaded"&&s!=="complete"||(f(),n.onload=n.onreadystatechange=null);
};
i=d.getElementsByTagName(t)[0];
i.parentNode.insertBefore(n,i);
})(window,document,"script","//bat.bing.com/bat.js","uetq");
</script>When it makes sense for local businesses #
Microsoft Advertising is rarely a business's first paid channel, but it is a strong second. For local companies it makes the most sense when your customers skew older or more affluent, when you sell professional or considered services, or when Google click costs in your market have grown expensive. Because competition is frequently lighter, you can sometimes capture qualified clicks at a lower cost and stretch a modest budget further. It also adds resilience: relying on a single ad platform leaves you exposed to that platform's price and policy swings, while a second channel spreads the risk. The catch is volume. Search demand on the network is smaller than Google's, so it supplements rather than replaces your main campaigns. The right approach is to test it deliberately, measure cost per lead against your other channels, and scale only where the math works. We help clients weigh that trade-off as part of planning on our /services/ppc-landing-pages page and broader paid strategy.
Budgets and what clicks cost #
There is no fixed price for Microsoft Advertising; like all pay-per-click platforms, you set a daily budget and pay per click, and costs depend on your industry, keywords, location, and competition. In many markets, average cost per click runs lower than the equivalent Google Ads term because fewer advertisers compete for the same inventory, though high-value professional and legal keywords remain expensive everywhere (U.S. range, 2026). A small local business can start meaningfully with a modest monthly test budget, enough to gather conversion data without overcommitting. The metric that matters is not click cost but cost per lead or sale, since a cheap click that never converts is no bargain. Track that end to end, connect it to real revenue, and let the numbers guide how much you invest. Setting up that measurement properly is exactly the work on our /services/analytics-tracking page, and improving the pages those clicks land on is covered by our /services/conversion-optimization page.
Common mistakes and our recommendation #
The most common mistake is treating a Google Ads import as finished work. The import is a starting point; budgets, bids, and audience settings all need tuning for Microsoft's different traffic. Another error is ignoring the channel entirely because it seems small, and missing qualified, lower-cost clicks from a distinct audience. Some advertisers also forget to install or verify the UET tag, then fly blind without conversion data. Our recommendation is measured: if you already run Google Ads and have room in your budget, import a proven campaign, tune it, confirm tracking works, and judge Microsoft Advertising on its own cost per lead over a few weeks. Keep it if the numbers justify it, pause it if they do not. Because the platform shares so much with Google, the same team and landing pages usually serve both, which is how we run it on our /services/google-ads-management page. Start small, measure honestly, and let results decide, then revisit /free-website-audit to keep the funnel healthy.
FAQ
Is Microsoft Advertising the same as Bing Ads?
Yes. Microsoft Advertising is the current name for the platform that was called Bing Ads until 2019. The rebrand reflected its wider reach beyond Bing, since ads also run on Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, AOL, and partner sites. The tools, auction model, and account structure are essentially the same platform under a broader name.
Is Microsoft Advertising cheaper than Google Ads?
Often, but not always. Because fewer advertisers compete on the Microsoft Search Network, average cost per click is frequently lower than the same keyword on Google. However, competitive, high-value terms in fields like law or insurance stay expensive everywhere. The metric that matters is cost per lead, so compare real conversion results, not just click prices.
Can I copy my Google Ads campaigns to Microsoft?
Yes. Microsoft Advertising has a built-in Google Ads import tool that copies your campaigns, keywords, ads, and many settings in a few clicks. It is a huge time-saver, but treat the result as a draft. Budgets, bids, and audience settings usually need adjusting for Microsoft's different traffic and lower typical click costs before performance is optimal.
Who sees ads on the Microsoft Search Network?
People searching on Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, AOL, and partner sites, plus users of Windows and the Edge browser where Bing is the default. Microsoft reports the audience skews older, more educated, and higher-income, with heavy desktop use. That profile can suit professional services and considered purchases especially well.
Do I need a website to run Microsoft Advertising?
Yes. Ads send clicks somewhere, so you need a functioning landing page or website that loads fast and guides visitors to act. Sending paid traffic to a weak page wastes money regardless of the platform. Strong, focused landing pages, like those we build on our /services/ppc-landing-pages page, protect your ad spend.
How do I track conversions in Microsoft Advertising?
You install the Universal Event Tracking, or UET, tag, a small JavaScript snippet, on every page of your site, then define conversion goals such as form submissions, calls, or purchases. The tag reports those actions back to your account so you can see which keywords and ads drive real leads rather than only clicks.
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