For a long time, Google Ads has dominated the paid search market, with the majority of people searching on the internet using Google as their chosen search engine. But with the mass release and rollout of Windows 10 and Surface devices, which use Bing as their default search engine, Bing is taking a larger share of the search market.

Similarly, the Windows 10 Mobile and Windows Phone operating systems are also pre-installed to have search results powered by Bing. In addition to this, they are also syndication partners with Amazon devices, Apple’s Siri and Spotlight search.

With this in mind, don’t be too quick to dismiss the power of Bing, which currently holds over 20% of the market. It is always worth testing some of your advertising budgets with Bing ads…you may get a pleasant surprise.

Audience

Google still obviously has a larger audience, so if you want to drive a lot of traffic very quickly to your website, Google has the potential to do that. However, you may find there is less competition on Bing which gives you an edge over your competitors. Of course, all market sectors are different so results will vary depending on your business. Be aware that if your geographical target area is small, you will get a lot less impressions, but may find you get a better CTR and more conversions. Consider running Google and Bing ads simultaneously and monitoring conversion rates.

Cost per Click

Bing is very much a cheaper option, the cost per click is on average about 33% cheaper than it is on Google. When comparing the same ads on Google and Bing, the Bing ads also had better positions and a better click-through rate. Again, this will vary depending on the sector, careful testing and monitoring are advised.

Sitelinks and Ad Extensions

Bing enables you to add explanatory text to your site links, which make the ad in the top position much larger. Google show more structured snippets for the ad in top position, but they don’t have additional text under site links.

Bing has also enabled Ad Extension Scheduling meaning you can have much better control over when extensions are running to optimise conversions.

Image Ad Extensions

Most of the Ad extensions are the same on Bing as they are on Google, however, Bing has added an Image extension, which enables you to use a picture in your advert. Google will be unlikely to do this as it will interfere with the Google shopping feature which contains pictures.

Search Partners

Search partners are very basic in Google Ads. There is only the option to switch them on or off and there is no way to see which partners Google is selecting. On some campaigns in Google, I have seen ‘search partner clicks’ on reports where we have had search partners switched off – so a little flakey.

Bing, however, allows you to set search partners at Ad Group level and by running a report you can see who the search partners were. If you don’t like a partner or network you can singularly remove it from being used in that ad group/campaign going forward.

Import Campaigns

Bing has a nifty tool to import campaigns from Ads or from a file. I would advise checking imports from Ads thoroughly though, as it can change match types or target geographical areas.

Time Zones

Bing enables you to set time zones at the campaign level, this is particularly useful if you are running campaigns globally and need this flexibility.

Should I try Bing Ads?

Absolutely yes. Using Bing ads should become part of any online marketing strategy. The benefits are plain to see and why cut out a potential 5th of online searches by dismissing it? I think Bing ads will be one to watch over the coming year.

If you would like advice or help with any aspect of using Bing or Google Adwords in your marketing strategy, give one of our friendly team a call on 01285 50 55 50.