Automation & marketing
Microsoft Ads
Search ads on Bing and beyond, often at a lower cost per click than Google.
Microsoft Advertising runs search ads across Bing, Yahoo and the wider Microsoft network, including results built into Windows and Edge. It works much like Google Ads but usually with less competition, which can mean a lower cost per click and strong value for the right business. HDC uses Microsoft Ads to capture extra high-intent search traffic Google alone misses, and to stretch a paid budget further.
Where it shines
- Reaches searchers Google Ads doesn't, on Bing, Yahoo and across Windows and Edge
- Often a lower cost per click thanks to less advertiser competition
- High-intent traffic, people actively searching for what you offer
- Google Ads campaigns can be imported, so setup is fast
- A demographic that skews toward desktop, older and higher-income in some markets
- The same conversion tracking discipline as Google, so results are measurable
Trade-offs to weigh
- Smaller total search volume than Google, it complements rather than replaces it
- Needs its own tracking tag (UET) installed correctly to measure conversions
- Like all search ads, it only pays back with a fast, relevant landing page behind it
What Microsoft Advertising is
Microsoft Advertising, once known as Bing Ads, is a paid-search platform that places your ads across Bing, Yahoo and the wider Microsoft network, including the searches built into Windows and the Edge browser. The mechanics mirror Google Ads: you choose the search terms you want to appear for, write ad copy, set bids and budgets, and pay when someone clicks. The difference is where the ads show and who sees them.
Its appeal is reach Google doesn’t have, at prices Google often can’t match. Bing carries a meaningful share of searches, and because far fewer advertisers compete there, the cost per click is frequently lower. In some markets its audience also skews toward desktop and older, higher-income users, which can be exactly the buyer a business wants.
How HDC uses Microsoft Advertising
We use Microsoft Ads to capture extra high-intent demand and stretch a paid budget:
- We run it alongside Google Ads, often importing proven campaigns so setup is quick and consistent.
- We install the UET tracking tag correctly and consent-gate it, so conversions are measured and the bidding can optimise, not guess.
- We point clicks at fast, matched landing pages, the same conversion-first pages we build for every paid channel.
- We judge it on cost per enquiry, keeping spend where the leads are genuinely cheaper, and pulling back where they aren’t.
Why we apply it
Not everyone searches on Google. A real slice of high-intent searches happens on Bing and across Microsoft’s network, and those people are just as ready to buy. Ignoring them leaves qualified enquiries on the table. Microsoft Advertising lets a business reach them, and because competition is lighter, each of those clicks often costs less than the equivalent on Google.
For a local or growing business on a finite budget, that efficiency matters. Adding Microsoft Ads can lower the blended cost per lead across a paid programme, capturing demand Google alone would miss without simply paying more for the same crowded auctions.
How Microsoft Advertising fits our stack
Microsoft Ads is part of our intent-capture layer, running next to Google Ads, while Meta Ads creates demand on social. Whichever channel earns the click, it lands on a fast, conversion-built Astro page, and the enquiry flows into the same automated follow-up. The UET tag and Google Analytics together make the traffic measurable, so budget can be moved to whatever is producing the cheapest, best-quality enquiries.
When Microsoft Advertising isn’t the right tool
Microsoft Advertising isn’t a replacement for Google, its total search volume is smaller, so on its own it usually can’t carry a whole paid strategy. It’s a complement: best used to extend reach and improve efficiency once the fundamentals, tracking, landing pages, follow-up, are in place. And like any search channel, it only pays back when a fast, relevant page and quick follow-up sit behind the click. Where a business already has genuine search demand, adding Microsoft Ads is one of the easiest ways to win more of it for less.
Worked example
Capturing the searches Google alone misses
Picture a professional-services firm already running Google Ads and doing well, but capped by budget and competition. We import their best campaigns into Microsoft Advertising, install the UET tracking tag so conversions are counted, and point the ads at the same fast landing pages. Because fewer rivals bid on Bing, each click often costs less, and the traffic skews toward exactly the desktop, decision-maker audience they want. They pick up extra qualified enquiries that Google alone was never going to reach, without inflating their overall cost per lead. (Illustrative, every account is scoped to your goals and budget.)
Better together
How Microsoft Ads fits with the rest of our stack
Microsoft Ads: your questions answered
What is Microsoft Advertising?
Microsoft Advertising (once called Bing Ads) is a paid-search platform that shows your ads on Bing, Yahoo and the wider Microsoft search network, including searches built into Windows and the Edge browser. It works much like Google Ads, you bid to appear for relevant search terms, but reaches a different slice of searchers.
Is Microsoft Advertising worth it if I already run Google Ads?
Often, yes. Bing carries meaningful search volume that Google Ads simply doesn't reach, and because fewer advertisers compete there, the cost per click is frequently lower. You can import your Google campaigns to start quickly. It won't replace Google, the volume is smaller, but it's a cost- effective way to capture extra high-intent traffic and stretch a budget.
How is Microsoft Advertising different from Google Ads?
The mechanics are very similar, keywords, bids, ad copy, conversion tracking, so skills transfer directly. The differences are reach and audience: Bing has less total volume but also less competition, and its users skew somewhat more toward desktop and, in some markets, an older, higher- income demographic. For the right business that audience is a real advantage.
Do I need separate tracking for Microsoft Ads?
Yes. Microsoft uses its own tracking tag, called UET (Universal Event Tracking), which must be installed on your site to record conversions and let its bidding optimise. We set the UET tag up correctly and consent-gate it, exactly as we do Google's tags, so your Microsoft Ads results are measurable and honest rather than a black box.
Why does HDC use Microsoft Advertising?
Because it captures genuine, high-intent search demand that Google Ads alone misses, usually at a lower cost per click, which makes a paid budget go further. Run alongside Google and paid social, with proper tracking and a fast landing page behind it, Microsoft Ads is a smart way to win extra qualified enquiries without paying premium search prices.
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