Bing ads explained

How does it work, how much does it cost, and who owns it?

Microsoft Advertising offers advertisers an alternative to Google Ads. With Bing Ads, you can reach millions of searchers through Bing, Yahoo, and AOL, and take advantage of unique targeting options.

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What you get with Bing Ads

Launch a campaign in just one day

Pay only for clicks (cost per click, CPC) or impressions (cost per mille, CPM)

Take advantage of lower costs per click than on Google, although the exact CPC may vary by industry and competition

Use LinkedIn data for targeted B2B ads

See your growth potential

Why should I consider Bing ads?

Many advertisers focus exclusively on Google. As a result, they miss out on an audience that uses Bing, Yahoo, and AOL, often a demographic consisting of adults with high purchasing power. Bing Ads can provide additional reach and, depending on your settings, may lower the total cost of your search engine marketing.

Conversions by campaign and channelExample

18Leads

27Purchases

9Calls

5Quotes

What is Bing ads?

Bing Ads is Microsoft's search engine advertising service, now known as Microsoft Advertising. The platform allows you to create text and multimedia campaigns that appear on Bing, Yahoo, and AOL.

You only pay for clicks (cost per click, CPC) or impressions (cost per mille, CPM); there are no fixed monthly fees.

The average CPC is usually 10 to 30% lower than on Google Ads; this is because Bing Ads faces less competition in certain sectors and uses a different auction model, depending on the industry and level of competition.

who owns Bing ads?

Microsoft Corp. owns and operates the platform. The advertising services run on the same infrastructure as the Bing search engine and integrate with other Microsoft products, such as LinkedIn.

How does advertising with Bing ads work?

You create an account, set a budget and bids, and select keywords or target audiences. As soon as a user enters a relevant search query, the system displays your ad based on relevance and your bid.

Steps to create a Bing ads account

To create a Bing ads account, follow these steps:

Go to ads.microsoft.com and click "Sign In."

Enter your company name, email address, and phone number.

Select a billing method (credit card or invoice).

Verify your identity via email or phone.

Set up your first campaign or use a template.

More features of Bing ads

Unique features of Bing ads

Targeting based on LinkedIn profiles: Job title, company size, and industry are used to define B2B target audiences.
In-market audiences for users who are actively searching for specific products.
Ad extensions: Location, phone numbers, sitelinks, and more.
Multimedia ads, including images and video formats.

Audience Profiling

You can refine your target audience based on age, income, industry, job title, and company size.

These criteria are selected via the “Audiences” tab in the Bing Ads interface, allowing you to target your ads to the most relevant users.

Conversion tracking and metrics

To measure the performance of your campaigns, set up conversion tracking through Microsoft Advertising.

You can track conversions, return on ad spend (ROAS), and other KPIs, and integrate the data with Microsoft Clarity or Google Analytics for more in-depth analysis.

CTR Definition

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of clicks relative to the number of times your ad is displayed.

For search ads, a typical CTR ranges from 1% to 3%, but this varies by industry and ad quality.

Budget, risks, and compliance

Start with a daily budget of €5 to 10 to monitor the cost per acquisition (CPA). Use automated bidding strategies to adjust bids based on your goals (e.g., maximum clicks or target CPA).

Although Bing Ads offers a cost-effective alternative, you should be aware of the potential risks of overspending due to improper bidding strategies, a smaller reach than Google, and the need to comply with privacy regulations (such as the GDPR).

However, the platform offers options for setting budget limits and managing privacy settings.

Microsoft complies with GDPR requirements. When you use LinkedIn data for targeting, only aggregated profile fields (job title, company size, industry) are used, without any personally identifiable information, so that your campaigns remain compliant.

Where does Bing Ads fit into your strategy?

Bing Ads works in tandem with Google Ads; it can expand your overall search engine marketing reach and, thanks to its additional targeting options, lower your average cost per click in some scenarios.

Comparison with Google Ads and Yahoo

The following table compares Bing ads with Google ads and yahoo. comparison of reach, average CPC, audience, and unique targeting between Bing ads, Google ads, and yahoo.

Range

Bing Ads: ~ 30% of all searches in the U.S.
Google Ads: ~ 70% worldwide
Yahoo: ~ 10% (via the Bing network)

Average CPC

Bing Ads: 10 to 30% lower (depending on the industry)
Google Ads: Default
Yahoo: Similar to Bing

Target Audience

Bing Ads: Adults, higher income
Google Ads: Wide
Yahoo: Broader, less demographically filtered

Unique Targeting

Bing Ads: LinkedIn data, in-market audiences
Google Ads: Google audiences, remarketing
Yahoo: Limited

What our customers say about us

Reviews of companies that advertise with us on Bing.

5.0★★★★★Based on 2 reviewsSee on Google

Massehuis Auto’s★★★★★

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Daarnaast kijken ze ook actief naar de volledige digitale ‘reis van de klant’ achter de schermen. Hierdoor krijgen wij beter inzicht in waar onze klanten vandaan komen en kunnen we veel gerichter bepalen waar we ons advertentiebudget inzetten. Dat geeft echt meer grip op onze marketing en voorkomt onnodige kosten.

Onze website ziet er professioneel uit en sluit perfect aan bij onze doelgroep. Bovendien denken ze continu mee over groei en optimalisatie, wat voor ons een grote meerwaarde is.

Kortom: een betrouwbare partij die doet wat ze beloven en nét dat stapje extra zet. Zeker een aanrader voor ondernemers die hun online aanwezigheid serieus willen aanpakken.

Emi4082★★★★★

Your own advertising team

A single team that manages and optimizes your campaigns across multiple search engines.

Google PartnerYouthCommerce is a certified Google Partner.

GDPR-compliantFully compliant with EU privacy legislation (GDPR).

Advertise more broadly, with confidence

Work directly with an experienced performance marketing partner. Transparent, compliant and focused on results

Uncover your growth

The tools behind our Bing Ads campaigns

Successful Search Engine Advertising requires the right "stack." we manage accounts with strict adherence to policy, brand safety, and privacy (GDPR/TCF). by correctly implementing Consent Mode and server-side tagging, we ensure that campaigns continue to perform consistently and measurably. we work with proven platforms and tools for analytics, automation, and management:

Google Ads

Microsoft Advertising, formerly Bing Ads

Search Ads 360

Google Merchant Center

Google Analytics 4

Google Tag Manager

Looker Studio SEMrush

SEMrush Ahrefs

Ahrefs

Frequently asked questions about Bing ads

Is there a minimum spending requirement?

No. You set your own daily budget, starting as low as €5.

How soon can my first ad go live?

Once your account has been verified and your campaign has been set up, your ad can appear within a few hours.

Can I import my Google campaigns?

Yes. Microsoft Advertising offers an import tool for copying Google campaigns.

What happens to my data if I stop using the service?

You can pause or completely delete campaigns. Historical reports remain available as long as your account is active.

Is there a customer service department for Dutch advertisers?

Microsoft offers support via email, chat, and phone, including Dutch-language help centers.

Bing ads explained