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Bing Ads

Paid search advertising software
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Pricing from
Pay-as-you-go
Free Trial
Free version unavailable
User corporate size
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User industry
  1. Banking and insurance
  2. Professional services (engineering, legal, consulting, etc.)
  3. Public sector and nonprofit organizations

What is Bing Ads

Bing Ads (now branded as Microsoft Advertising) is a paid search advertising platform used to create, manage, and optimize search ads across Microsoft’s search network. It is primarily used by advertisers and agencies to run keyword-based campaigns, manage bids and budgets, and measure performance with conversion tracking and reporting. The platform supports importing campaigns from other major search ad platforms and provides audience targeting options tied to Microsoft identity and partner inventory.

pros

Native Microsoft search inventory

The product provides direct access to Microsoft-owned and partner search placements, enabling paid search coverage beyond a single dominant search engine. Advertisers can run keyword-driven campaigns with standard search ad constructs (campaigns, ad groups, keywords, match types). This can be useful for incremental reach and diversification of paid search spend.

Cross-platform campaign import

It supports importing campaigns from other major paid search platforms, including structures such as keywords, ads, and extensions. This reduces migration effort for teams that already manage search programs elsewhere. Import workflows can help maintain parity across platforms while allowing platform-specific adjustments after import.

Built-in measurement and controls

The platform includes conversion tracking, UET tagging, and reporting for common performance metrics (clicks, spend, conversions, CPA/ROAS where configured). It supports automated bidding strategies and budget controls to manage performance at scale. Account and user management features support agency and multi-account use cases.

cons

Smaller search volume

Compared with the largest search advertising ecosystem, Microsoft’s search network typically delivers lower overall query volume in many markets. This can limit scale for high-growth acquisition programs and may constrain learning for automated bidding in smaller accounts. Performance can be more sensitive to niche audience sizes and keyword coverage.

Ecosystem and integrations vary

While it integrates with common analytics and tag-based measurement approaches, the breadth of third-party integrations and add-ons can be less extensive than broader marketing suites. Some organizations rely on external tools for cross-channel reporting, experimentation, or workflow automation. Integration depth can vary by region and product area.

Feature parity not guaranteed

Imported campaigns may require adjustments because ad formats, policy rules, targeting options, and automation features do not always match those of other search platforms. Certain newer capabilities can arrive at different times across platforms, affecting standardization for teams managing multiple ad ecosystems. Ongoing monitoring is often needed to keep settings aligned after imports.

Plan & Pricing

Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go (auction-based PPC/CPM).

Free tier/trial: Promotional credit available for new customers (see details below).

Free tier (permanently free plan): Not offered — accounts are free to set up but running ads incurs charges when clicks or billable impressions occur.

Example costs / notes:

  • CPC (cost-per-click): Variable — advertisers set max CPC bids in auctions and are charged when ads are clicked (no fixed platform CPC).
  • CPM (cost-per-1,000 impressions): Microsoft’s Microsoft Audience Network CPM guidance reports average CPMs in the ~$2 to $6 range (actual CPM depends on targeting, inventory, and bid).

Billing & payment options: Prepay (add funds), Postpay threshold (card charged at billing date or when threshold is reached), and Monthly invoicing (by qualification/credit). Payment thresholds, accepted payment methods, and available invoice terms depend on country/region and currency.

Promotions / free-trial-style offers: Microsoft Advertising has an official promotional credit offer (example: $500 advertising credit after spending $250 for eligible new U.S. customers — see terms on the Microsoft Advertising site).

Discount / enterprise options: Tiered/negotiated pricing and credits are available for large/contractual customers (volume/commitment discounts and custom invoicing/terms via sales/agency channels).

Seller details

Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, Washington, United States
1975
Public
https://www.microsoft.com/
https://x.com/Microsoft
https://www.linkedin.com/company/microsoft/

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