What is Bing Ads ?
Bing Ads is a digital advertising service offered by Microsoft, in search engines and properties such as Bing, AOL and Yahoo, with a pay-per-click (PPC) payment structure similar to Google AdWords.
Why choose Bing Ads ?
It’s Growing
While Google’s market share is actually diminishing, Bing is growing at a pretty astounding clip.
There Is Less Competition
There are still far fewer businesses advertising on Bing than on Google, so competition is much less.
You Have More Control
Ad scheduling is far easier and more customizable by allowing different campaigns to run in different time zones or languages within an ad group level.
It Offers More Transparency
With paid search partner advertising (advertising with Bing on third-party affiliates), Bing allows businesses to see which search partners are sending traffic to your site. Additionally, their reporting allows you to identify unproductive or inappropriate search partnerships.
You Can Do Exact Keyword Match
Google changed their exact keyword matches to include slight variations and misspellings. Most users reported a negative impact on the quality of their traffic. Bing still allows exclusive exact keyword match options.
It’s Cheaper
Because of the lower competition, it’s also cheaper to market on Bing. Plus, it’s easier to get in top positions on the results.
Types of Bing Ads
Audience Ads
This new feature allows businesses to get high-quality traffic from non-search advertisements. These ads are integrated into articles and other online content and offer more visually appealing images. A common location for these is in Microsoft’s browser, Edge. When a user opens a new tab they’re likely to see a list of various articles including some sponsored Audience Ads.
Dynamic Search Ads
As of 2020 limited to only certain countries (including the U.S.), dynamic searches look the same as expanded text ads, but are automatically created to target users based on the content of your business’s website. These help reduce time spent creating ad content and help users identify missed opportunities.
App Install Ads
These are similar to text ads but feature a link that goes directly to your business app. If the user already has the app the button will automatically open the app for continued use. If they don’t, the link will take them to the app store. The ads also automatically detect the users operating system so it can direct them to the appropriate app store.
Product Ads
In addition to text ads at the top of SERPs, product ads appear as images on the right side of SERPs. Product ads are also only available in limited locales and in English only.
Responsive Search Ads
Part of the challenge of navigating a successful ad campaign is the trial and error and A/B testing. It’s hard to narrow in on a single best ad. Responsive ads do this for you by cycling through various headlines and descriptions as the ad runs. After a while, you’re able to see the results and determine which option converted the best. Keep your top performers running and pause those that weren’t converting.
Expanded Text Ads
This ad is made up of four parts: title, text, display URL, and final URL. The title can be up to 30 characters and text up to 90 characters. These can be previewed for desktop, mobile and tablets.
Smart Search Ads
Another newer addition, Smart Search is formatted for touch navigation and offer a full preview of the destined landing page.