7 Microsoft Advertising Tips to Boost Your Results

In the digital advertising landscape, Google Ads might be the king of the jungle, but there is another powerful player that is often overlooked: Microsoft (Bing) Advertising. Did you know that Bing has the highest conversion rate among all advertising channels? In fact, our clients typically see 5-10% of their revenue generated directly from Microsoft Ads. With the right strategies, you can tap into this less competitive yet highly profitable platform. Read on to discover our top 7 Microsoft Advertising tips that can give your campaigns the boost they need for optimal results.

Table of Contents:

1. 7 Microsoft Advertising Tips to Boost Your Results
   • Turn off Google Ads auto-import
   • Test different bidding strategies
   • Experiment with match types
   • Turn off the Audience Network in search campaigns
   • Utilize all types of extensions
   • Optimize Bing Places for Business
   • Revive struggling campaigns
2. Conclusion

7 Microsoft Advertising Tips to Boost Your Results

1. Turn off Google Ads auto-import

   Microsoft Ads makes it easy to import Google Ads campaigns, ads, and extensions with just a few clicks. This can save you hours of time by allowing you to move your existing campaigns to Bing without starting from scratch.

   

   However, it is important to note that the behavior of campaigns on Google Ads and Microsoft Ads can be different. The campaign settings that work well on Google Ads may not work as well on Microsoft Ads. This is due to a number of factors, including the behavior of bidding strategies, audiences, targeting options, and algorithms available on each platform.

   For this reason, we recommend you run a one-time import of your Google Ads campaigns to Microsoft Ads. Once the import is complete, carefully review all of your campaigns and make any necessary adjustments to ensure they are optimized for success on Bing.

   Here are some additional tips for importing Google Ads campaigns to Microsoft Ads:

   • Use the Advanced Import option to choose which campaign settings you want to import. This can help you save time by only importing the settings you need.
   • Review the Import Summary carefully before approving the import. This will help you catch any errors or unexpected changes.
   • Once the import is complete, carefully review all of your campaigns and make any necessary adjustments.

   

2. Test different bidding strategies

   There are a variety of bidding strategies available on Microsoft Ads. If you launch new campaigns on Microsoft Ads, starting with a manual bidding strategy is the best option. The eCPC (enhanced cost per click) bidding strategy gives you more control over your bids but it also requires more time and effort. Once campaigns generate a healthy number of conversions, you can experiment with automated bidding. It is also important to be patient when testing different bidding strategies. It may take some time to find the right strategy for your campaign.

   In our experience, Bing’s automated bidding strategies are not as smart as Google’s. This is likely due to the fact that Bing has a smaller market share than Google. As a result, less data is available to train Bing’s bidding algorithms.

   After testing different bidding strategies across the accounts, only manual bidding eCPC strategy generates the most number of campaigns and the best results. Manual bidding gives you the most control by adjusting your bids based on such factors as keyword competition, conversion rate, and budget.

3. Experiment with keyword match types

   The exact and phrase match types of keywords are the best options if you start with Bing Ads and want to reach the most relevant audiences. It is important to use negative keywords to prevent your ad from showing for irrelevant searches. Otherwise, you could quickly spend your budget on clicks that are not converting. If you are serious about getting the most out of your Bing Ads campaigns, you can start experimenting with broad-match keywords. Be prepared to monitor search terms daily when experimenting, as broad matches can quickly spend your budget on irrelevant things.

4. Turn off the Audience Network in search campaigns

   Over the last several months, Microsoft Ads changed how the Audience Network works in your search campaigns. Many advertisers started to see weaker performance because they could not turn off the Audience Network and even bid down on these placements. They were wasting much ad spend, getting nothing in return, and dropping the efficiency.

   The search campaigns are automatically included in the Audience Network, and you are not allowed to opt out of this solution. In most cases, the results from the Audience Network are terrible.

   

   But we have a solution for how to get rid of these placements and stop wasting your budget. All you need to do is to exclude a list of placements where Bing serves your search ads.

   Step 1: Find the list of placements your search ads appear besides Bing Ads:

   • Click “Reports” in the navigation bar
   • Default reports
   • Performance
   • Website URL (publisher)

   

   Step 2: Exclude placements with poor performance from the campaigns. After copying websites from the Bing Audience Network, you can easily exclude them in the setting of each search campaign.

   

   Keep monitoring the campaigns’ performance and Audience Network websites to prevent wasting your ad spending on inefficient areas.

5. Utilize all types of extensions

   Bing offers a variety of extensions that can be added to your ads to make them more informative and engaging. These extensions can help you improve your click-through (CTR) and conversion rates.

   We will not spend our time on basic extensions like sitelinks, price extensions, etc. Bing has several types of extensions unavailable on Google Ads, and we highly recommend testing them out.

   Action extensions allow you to add a call to action button to your ad. This can be used to encourage users to take a specific action, such as booking a hotel, shopping for a gift, or signing up for a newsletter.
   To set up action extensions in your account, go to the Ad Extensions tab and choose Action Extensions from the dropdown. You should test multiple action extension variants against each other to see what performs best.

   

   By adding review extensions, you can share positive reviews from a reputable third-party source about your website in your ads with a review extension. You can paraphrase or use an exact quote from the source.
   To set up a review extension, go to the Extensions tab and select Review Extensions from the dropdown. You can then create a review extension at the account, campaign, or ad group level.

   Each campaign and ad group can have up to 20 review extensions associated with it. The review extension will not always show with your ads as with other extensions.

   

   Video extensions can be a great way to improve the click-through rate (CTR) of your search ads. They can also help you to stand out from your competitors and attract more attention by making your ads more visually appealing and engaging.

   Bing Ads has a way to show that you offer free shipping. It can be set up if free shipping is available for your entire store, and all you need to do is specify the minimum purchase required. In general, the setup process is similar to Google Ads. But the main bonus here is that these extensions can appear on search results via Automated Promotion Extensions, like in this example:



6. Optimize Bing Places for Business

   Bing Places for Business is a free online local business directory. Listed businesses appear on the top or right side of the Bing search results page. And contains information like address, contact details, customer reviews, and operating hours. Though it may not be as popular as Google My Business, do not underestimate this alternative channel to gain more conversions.

   Your business listing can increase your brand’s online visibility through improved local Bing and Bing Maps search rankings. It also helps prospective customers make informed decisions, increasing the likelihood of conversion. Adding photos or videos to your listing can give potential customers a better sense of what to expect from your business, making them more likely to convert.

   Positive reviews and ratings can significantly impact a user’s decision to engage with your business. Bing Places allows you to manage and respond to customer reviews, enhancing your business’s credibility.

   A verified listing can positively impact your branded campaigns and organic results by providing additional information and making it easier for customers to find what they are looking for.



7. Revive struggling campaigns

   The Bing Ads algorithm is a complex system that considers various factors to determine the ranking of search ads. But it definitely differs from the Google algorithm. In our client’s account, several similar situations happened when the Bing campaigns got stuck and stopped delivering positive results. Neither bids, budget updates, nor keyword reviews help them to start performing as they used to.

   But we found a way to revive the performance and get great results again. All you need to do is to recreate your campaigns manually from scratch. That’s a mystery, but absolutely the same new campaigns started delivering much better results than the old ones. Let’s take a look at the proof below:

   

   

   If you see that Bing Ads and separate campaigns stopped working despite bids and keyword optimizations, don’t give up. You need to try different things until you find the solution that fixes the problem.

Conclusion

Each platform has unique features and benefits, and it can be challenging to determine which will deliver the best results for your specific goals. Keep a closer eye on Microsoft Ads than Google. Bing is cheaper, but it is also very fickle. By following these tips above, you can manage your Microsoft Ads campaigns effectively and improve your results on the platform. Are you feeling overwhelmed or need more tailored advice? Do not hesitate to book a one-on-one consultation with our Microsoft experts.