Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads)
Reach the 30% of UK searchers your Google-only competitors are missing.
Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) puts your business in front of 13 billion monthly searches across Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and MSN — with an audience that is older, wealthier and converting at a lower cost per click than Google. As a managed Microsoft Advertising service, AdSpark® builds, optimises and scales your campaigns so every pound works harder.
Why Microsoft Ads
What makes this channel work
for your business.
A third cheaper per click — same buyer intent
The average cost per click on Microsoft Ads in the UK is approximately £1.17 versus £2.00+ on Google — a saving of around 33% for comparable search terms. Bing users are not a different audience; they are the same purchase-ready searchers on a different browser. That cost gap translates directly into a lower cost per lead for the same campaign budget.
LinkedIn profile targeting — unique to Microsoft Ads
Microsoft owns LinkedIn. That means Microsoft Ads is the only paid search platform that lets you layer B2B demographic targeting — job title, industry, seniority, company name — onto search intent. A solicitor targeting in-house legal counsel, or a SaaS business targeting IT directors, can precision-target in a way Google Ads simply cannot replicate.
Older, higher-income, desktop-dominant audience
The average Bing user is 45+, earns above the UK median, and spends 32% more online than the average web user. Bing holds 14% of UK desktop search — the device category where B2B research, high-value purchases and considered decisions happen. If your customers are professionals buying at work, Microsoft Ads deserves serious budget allocation.
What we do
How AdSpark manages
Microsoft Ads for you.
Campaign setup and Google Ads import
We build Microsoft Ads campaigns from scratch or clone your existing Google Ads account using Microsoft's native import tool — saving weeks of setup time and giving us a proven structure to optimise from day one. Every campaign is restructured to account for Bing-specific match type behaviour and audience demographics before launch.
- Full keyword research tailored to Bing search behaviour and match types
- Google Ads import with Bing-specific restructuring and negative keyword review
- Ad copy written to Microsoft's editorial standards with A/B variants from launch
LinkedIn profile targeting and B2B audience layers
We configure Microsoft's LinkedIn integration to layer professional targeting on top of keyword intent — so your ads reach not just people searching relevant terms, but specifically the job titles, industries and company sizes you want to convert. This is the single most powerful B2B differentiator in the Microsoft Ads platform.
- Job title, seniority, industry and company targeting configured per campaign
- Bid adjustments by LinkedIn segment based on historical conversion data
- Audience Ads across MSN, Outlook and Edge targeting professional demographics
Shopping campaigns and product listing ads
For ecommerce businesses, Microsoft Shopping puts your products — with image, price and reviews — above the text ads in Bing search results. We manage your Merchant Center feed, product group structure and bid strategy to maximise return on ad spend across your catalogue.
- Microsoft Merchant Center setup and product feed optimisation
- Smart Shopping campaigns with automated bidding and audience signals
- Performance Max equivalent campaigns across Bing and the Audience Network
Conversion tracking, reporting and ongoing optimisation
We install and verify Microsoft Ads UET (Universal Event Tracking) tags, configure goal values and connect conversion data back into automated bid strategies. Monthly plain-English reports show exactly what your budget generated — cost per lead, conversion rate, impression share and next-month actions.
- UET tag installation with form, call and ecommerce conversion events
- Automated bid strategies (Target CPA, Maximise Conversions, Enhanced CPC)
- Monthly reporting on leads, cost per lead and campaign-level performance
Is this right for you?
Microsoft Ads works best for
these types of business.
B2B businesses targeting professionals
If your customer is a business buyer — a director, manager or procurement lead — Microsoft Ads' LinkedIn profile targeting and desktop-dominant audience make it the most precise B2B paid search channel available. Ideal for SaaS, professional services, legal, financial and IT sectors.
Ecommerce brands seeking lower acquisition costs
Retailers running Google Shopping campaigns can extend reach onto Bing's network at a fraction of the cost per click. Microsoft Shopping requires minimal additional management effort via Google import, delivering incremental revenue at a lower blended CPA.
SMEs wanting Google Ads results without Google Ads prices
Smaller businesses with limited PPC budgets often cannot compete for top Google positions in competitive markets. Microsoft Ads delivers the same search intent — people actively looking for your product or service — at CPCs typically 30–40% below Google, making budgets go further.
FAQs
Questions about
Microsoft Ads.
Is Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads) actually worth it in the UK?
Yes — with caveats. Bing holds 14.4% of UK desktop search market share, which means roughly 1 in 7 desktop searches happen outside Google. For businesses targeting professionals, older demographics or B2B buyers, the Microsoft Ads audience is proportionally more valuable. CPCs are consistently 30–40% lower than Google for the same keywords. The honest caveat: Bing's mobile share is very low (~0.5%), so if your customers convert primarily on mobile, volume will be limited. We will tell you clearly whether the channel suits your audience before you spend a penny.
What is the difference between Microsoft Ads and Bing Ads?
They are the same platform. Microsoft rebranded Bing Ads as Microsoft Advertising in 2019. Ads on the platform appear across Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, MSN and the Microsoft Audience Network (Outlook, Edge, MSN articles). The rebrand reflected the broader reach of the platform beyond Bing search alone.
How much does Microsoft Ads management cost?
AdSpark® charges a fixed monthly management fee — we do not take a percentage of your ad spend, which means our incentive is to make your budget work harder, not to grow it. Ad spend budget is set separately based on your market and goals. We will recommend a sensible starting ad budget on your free discovery call. There are no long-term contracts — we work month to month.
Can you import my existing Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Ads?
Yes. Microsoft Ads has a native import tool that replicates your Google Ads structure — campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads — directly into a new Microsoft Ads account. We use this as a starting point, then restructure for Bing-specific behaviour: adjusting match types, reviewing negative keywords that behave differently on Bing, and applying LinkedIn profile targeting where relevant. This significantly reduces setup time.
What is LinkedIn profile targeting and how does it work in Microsoft Ads?
Because Microsoft owns LinkedIn, Microsoft Ads allows you to layer LinkedIn's professional data — job title, industry, company, seniority — onto your search campaigns as audience targeting. This means you can bid higher (or exclusively) when a search comes from, say, an HR Director at a company with 200+ employees. No other paid search platform offers this. It is particularly powerful for B2B businesses where the search term alone does not tell you whether the searcher is the right buyer.
How does Microsoft Ads compare to Google Ads?
Google has ~85% of UK search market share; Microsoft (Bing) has ~14% of desktop share. Google wins on volume and mobile reach. Microsoft wins on CPC efficiency (30–40% lower), B2B targeting via LinkedIn, and lower competition in most sectors. The platforms are not mutually exclusive — most of our clients run both, using Google for volume and Microsoft for efficiency. If you only have budget for one, we will advise based on your specific sector, audience and budget.
What campaign types does Microsoft Ads support?
Microsoft Ads supports Search Ads (text ads on Bing/Yahoo/DuckDuckGo), Shopping/Product Listing Ads (Bing Shopping), Display Ads via the Microsoft Audience Network (MSN, Outlook, Edge), Dynamic Search Ads (auto-generated from your website), and Remarketing (re-targeting past website visitors). LinkedIn profile targeting can be applied to search and audience campaigns.
How quickly will I see results from Microsoft Ads?
Search Ads can generate enquiries within the first week of going live. The first 2–4 weeks involve the platform's learning phase for automated bidding strategies. By weeks 4–8 we have sufficient conversion data to make meaningful optimisations. If you have an existing Google Ads account, we can import and launch faster — sometimes within days of account setup.
Find out what Microsoft Ads could deliver for your budget.
Book a free discovery call and we will audit your current paid search activity, identify whether Microsoft Ads suits your audience and give you a clear cost-per-lead projection — no obligation, no jargon, no long-term contract.