When most people consider paid search advertising, they focus solely on Google AdWords. And while that makes sense to some extent, you should not leave out Bing. Sure, the online search market is dominated by Google, but Bing has at least a billion unique monthly visitors. Thus missing out on Bing ads means missing out on 1 /8th of the world’s population. So, it’s only right to wonder how to advertise with Bing.
And guess what? We’re going to guide you through the entire procedure of launching an ad campaign on Bing, so read on to find out!
How is Bing Different from Google Ads? -Advertise with Bing
Bing ads are just Microsoft’s version of Google Ads and a great alternative to them as well. Google allows you to advertise on Google’s search engine and partner networks, and Bing does the same thing but for Bing and its partner networks. Additionally, the format of the ad campaigns is also quite similar for both platforms. You bid on keywords, determine search volume and chances of ranking as per your budget, and finally launch an optimized campaign. In fact, you can even sync your AdWords campaigns to Bing because, yes, they’re that similar.
Nevertheless, the platforms still differ in some aspects, such as the following:
Search Volume
Google hosts about 63% of all searches on the internet, while Bing hosts about 23%. So, Google has a higher potential for impressions, clicks, and conversions. However, don’t give up on Bing just yet.
Competition
Now while search volume means more traffic and a wider audience, it also means more competition. You can expect about one-half to one-third the competition on Bing in comparison to Google, which accounts for better ad placement, and less comparison shopping which, of course, could translate to better results for your brand.
Cost-per-click
Bing has a much lower cost-per-click rate which is approximately 34-42% less than that on AdWords. Obviously, the exact cost will depend on the specific keywords you’re targeting, but typically, Bing tends to be more cost-effective. So much so, lawyers can even save up to $100 per click on Bing! Thus, we recommend testing out both to see what works best for your business.
Control
Bing ads allow you to assign campaigns to different search partner targeting, time zones, and demographic targeting. Therefore, it’s much easier for you to determine where your traffic is coming from and eventually adjust your campaigns accordingly.
Why Use Bing Ads? -Advertise with Bing
Since Bing is Microsoft’s search engine and thus the default Windows search engine, it redirects traffic to Bing through your computer’s search bar as well as Cortana. Plus, Bing has a lot of growth potential. According to Wordstream, the CTR for Google ads is about 0.86%, while that for Bing ads is almost 1.25%.
Moreover, according to Microsoft itself:
- Bing has about 137 million regular users
- Bing users spend 36% more money when shopping online
- The platform hosts about 6 billion searches every month
- Almost 35% of all searches in the USA are hosted by Bing
This means that missing out on Bing advertising could potentially cost you. And thus, it’s only right to look into how to advertise with Bing.
How to Advertise with Bing- Step-by-Step
Now that you know why you should advertise on Bing let’s dive into how to advertise with Bing!
Create a Bing Ads Account
This is pretty self-explanatory and also relatively easy. Just head on over to the Bing Ads website and click the ‘Sign up’ option in the top right corner. But you’ll need a Microsoft account for that, so if you don’t already have one, register on Microsoft first. To sign up on Bing, you’ll need to put in your information like first and last name, company name, contact information, time zone, etc. You must also specify if you’re going to use the account to promote your business or to provide promotional services to other companies. And once you’re done with all that, you just need to accept the terms and conditions and click create account- and you’re done!
Import Your Google Ads Campaign
Once you’ve set up your Bing Ads account, you can either import existing campaigns from Google Ads to Bing or simply create a new one. For importing a campaign, you’ll need to sign in to your Google account, and then you can import any of the following:
- Tracking templates
- Bids and budgets
- Ad extensions
- Landing page URLs
Additionally, you can also schedule imports so that your ad campaigns are automatically imported to Bing on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Research the Best Keywords
Keywords dictate your chances of success, and thus, you need to be very careful when making a selection. You can use the Bing Ads Keyword Planner to identify potential keywords by inputting a website, phrase, or category. Plus, it will also help you plan your budget and get valuable insights like average monthly searches, suggested bid amount, and competition.
Launch Your Campaign
Go to your Bing Ads dashboard and select Create campaign. Here you’ll have to choose your campaign goals like website visits, phone calls, business visits, website conversions, product sales, or dynamic search ads. Once you select the appropriate goal, you can add text, headlines, and URLs to create your ad. Now you will also be required to enter the keywords you selected in the previous step. Plus, you’ll have to specify match type and bid for each keyword as well:
For the match type, you have five options:
- Broad match – your ad is displayed when users search for the words in your keyword in any order, or even if they search for related terms
- Phrase match– your ad is displayed if user searches match all the words in your keyword
- Exact match– your ad is only shown if a user searches for your exact keyword
- Negative keywords– your ad will not be displayed if users use certain words along with your keywords, so these are the keywords you don’t want to rank for
- Close keyword variation– this is for catering to users who might make punctuation or spelling errors.
Of course, different match types will cost different bid amounts, an estimate of which will also be provided at this step. Define your target demographic and click Save. Finally, add payment to launch your campaign.
Track Your Bing Ads
Bing also has a built-in tool to help you track your ad’s metrics. You can find impressions, CPC, CTR, and conversions in the ‘Campaigns’ tab. This will help you decide if your business is getting enough coverage or whether you need to change certain elements of your ad campaign.
Advertise with Bing Through Summit Multi-Media!
Bing ads are very underrated, but still, they might not be for everyone. So, if you can’t decide if Bing ads are for you, get in touch with an ad agency like Summit Multi-Media! They’ve helped hundreds of clients with Bing advertisements, and if you’re looking to learn more about how to advertise with Bing, our team of skilled marketers is always here to help!
So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with us here !
