Part of: PPC
Microsoft Ads management for ecommerce
Microsoft Ads shows your search ads on Bing and partner sites, to a smaller audience than Google. We usually build it from your Google Ads account, check what carried over, and report on it separately so you can judge whether it earns its place.
Is this right for you?
Who it is for
Stores already running Google Ads that want to reach a smaller, separate audience, and whose customers are likely to use Bing or Edge.
When it is not
Stores that have not yet got Google Ads working, stores with a very small budget that would be spread too thin, or stores whose customers rarely use Bing. Get Google right first.
What is included
- Importing and checking your Google Ads campaigns
- Conversion tracking set up for Microsoft separately
- Shopping campaigns where your product data allows
- Search term reviews and negative keywords
- Separate reporting, so the channel can be judged on its own
Microsoft Ads is a way to show search ads to people using Bing. That is a smaller audience than Google’s, and often a different one. We build it from your Google Ads account, check what carried over and report on it separately. The product’s official name is Microsoft Advertising.
This page is part of PPC. That page helps you choose between channels. This one explains the work.
Who uses it
Microsoft’s search ads appear on Bing, across Microsoft’s own products and on partner sites. Where ads show beyond Bing changes often, so we check the current list for the UK when we set up.
How the import works
Microsoft lets you bring Google Ads campaigns across rather than starting from scratch. The import covers Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, audience ads and your Merchant Center feed. We check what came across, because settings don’t always match.
Importing saves time, but it is not a perfect copy. After the import we check:
- keywords and match types, because they can behave differently on each platform
- locations, languages and budgets
- ad text, including any that was cut short
- conversion tracking, which we set up using Microsoft’s own tag rather than assuming Google’s will count
- anything that did not come across, which we rebuild by hand
Shopping campaigns depend on your product data, so they need the same care as on Google. See Google Shopping. Microsoft Merchant Center can import your Google Merchant Center feed automatically.
What to expect
Expect lower volumes than Google. A small audience means a small account, and a small account can take longer to give a clear answer. We start with a modest budget and report Microsoft Ads separately. If it is only sharing sales you would have made anyway, we tell you.
We do not promise any particular cost per click or return. Competition changes, and so do the platform’s features.
What we measure
- orders and revenue recorded in your store, not only what Microsoft reports
- cost to win a customer, compared with Google Ads
- whether sales are new or would have come through another channel
- search terms, and the negatives we have added
What it costs
We usually price this as an addition to Google Ads management, and your ad spend is paid to Microsoft separately. See the pricing page.
How we do it
Every project is different, so timings depend on its size and complexity. You get a realistic timeline in writing before work starts, and we never promise results by a date.
Step 1: Check Google first
We confirm the Google Ads account is healthy, because anything we import will carry its problems with it.
Step 2: Import and review
We bring campaigns across, then check keywords, match types, locations, budgets and ad text, because not everything carries over cleanly.
Step 3: Set up tracking
We add Microsoft's own conversion tracking, so results are recorded rather than assumed.
Step 4: Launch small and compare
We start with a modest budget and report the channel on its own, so you can see whether it adds sales or only shares them.
What it costs
Retainers start from £500 per month and cover our services only. They do not include your ad spend, or any software or other subscription costs. One-off optimisation projects are priced by current need or an agreed hourly rate. Our pricing page has the detail.
Questions people ask
Is Microsoft Ads worth it for my store?
It depends on who your customers are. The audience is smaller than Google's, so volumes are lower. For some stores it brings sales at a good cost, and for others it adds little. We start small and report it separately, so you can see which applies to you.
Is Microsoft Ads cheaper than Google Ads?
Clicks are often cheaper where there is less competition, but that is not guaranteed, and fewer searches means fewer sales. Judge it by what it costs to win a customer, not by the price of a click.
Can you just copy my Google Ads campaigns across?
Mostly, yes, and it saves time. But some settings, features and audiences do not carry over the same way, so we check the result rather than trusting it. We also add Microsoft's own conversion tracking.
Can you promise a return on ad spend?
No. Results depend on your products, prices, competitors and how well the store converts. We report what happened and what we suggest.
Should I start with Microsoft Ads instead of Google?
Usually not. Google has the bigger audience, and most of what we learn from running it carries over. Microsoft Ads is normally an addition once Google Ads is working.
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