Bing Ads vs Google Ads
When looking to improve your advertising strategy, you’re often faced with the choice between Bing Ads and Google Ads. Each platform has its benefits and is suited to different audiences. Google Ads, with its massive reach and variety of formats is the big player in the search space, especially on mobile devices, and appeals to a younger, tech-savvy audience.
On the other hand, Bing Ads or Microsoft Advertising attracts an older, more affluent demographic. It’s cost-effective, with less competition and cheaper clicks. When deciding between these two platforms, you must consider ad formats, budget efficiency, audience demographics, and integration capabilities. Read on to find out more!
The Platforms
To get the most out of your ad campaign, you need to understand the platforms you’re using. Google Ads and Bing Ads or Microsoft Advertising are two big players in digital marketing, each with its features and benefits.
What is Google Ads?
Google Ads is a robust online marketing platform by Google that enables businesses to promote their products or services through various ad formats, including search ads, display ads, video ads, and shopping ads.
Google Ads operates on a pay-per-action pricing model, typically cost-per-click (CPC). It has two main advertising networks: the Google Display Network (GDN) and the Google Search Network. These networks offer businesses massive reach and flexibility to target their desired audience. If that sounds overwhelming, you can always seek professional help.
What are Bing Ads?
Bing Ads or Microsoft Advertising allows businesses to show ads on Bing’s search results and Microsoft properties. Known for its broad reach and cost-effective advertising options, Bing Ads processes over 5.4 billion searches monthly, reaching more than 63 million searchers not reached by Google AdWords. With multiple targeting options, Bing Ads is a great alternative for businesses targeting an older, more affluent demographic.
Reach & Audience
Understanding each platform’s reach and audience is key to adjusting your advertising strategy to your business goals. Here are some stats:
Platform Reach
Google Ads has a massive 76% share of the search market; it’s the big player in digital advertising. On the other hand, Bing Ads has a 34% share of the global desktop search market. Learn more about the benefits of advertising on Google here.
While Google Ads is great for engaging users across multiple platforms, especially on mobile, Bing Ads gives you access to an older, more educated audience, 63 million searchers not reached by Google AdWords.
Audience Demographics
Each platform’s user demographics can impact your ad campaigns’ effectiveness. Google’s user base is younger, more likely to work in white-collar roles, and more tech-savvy. Microsoft’s users are generally older, blue collar and have more purchasing power. So Bing Ads targets a specific demographic: older, wealthier users, mostly in the US.
Ad Formats & Features
The ad formats and features of each platform can impact your advertising strategy.
Ad Format Options
Google Ads has multiple ad formats: search ads, display ads, video ads, Google shopping ads, and app ads. Bing Ads has search ads, shopping campaigns, and app install ads. Responsive search ads are the most popular choice for advertisers on both platforms as they offer flexibility.
Each platform has its own unique features to help with your advertising. Google Ads has a full suite of campaign options: Smart Campaigns and Performance Max assets.
Plus, Bing has its own advantage with LinkedIn integration for B2B targeting exclusive partnerships and expanded text ads, which allows more space to communicate your message.
Cost & Budget Efficiency
Evaluating the cost and budget efficiency of each platform is key to optimizing your ad spend.
Costs
On average, Google Ads have a 33% higher CPC than Microsoft Ads. With less competition for advertisers to bid on, Bing Ads are cheap, and you get more for your dollar. In fact, the average cost per click on Bing Ads can be up to 70% lower than that of Google Ads.
Budget Efficiency
Both Google Ads and Bing Ads have their own advantages in terms of cost and budget efficiency. Bing Ads is more budget-friendly and is great for targeting specific audiences, like affluent users in the US. Google Ads is better for broad reach and engaging with a wider audience.
Performance & Conversions
Performance and conversion rates are key metrics to look at when measuring your ad campaign success. Here’s more:
Conversion Rates
Google Ads performs well across its networks, with an average conversion rate of 4.40% for search ads. Microsoft Ads is slightly lower, with an average conversion rate of 2.94% across all industries. Bing Ads saw a big increase in Click-Through Rate (CTR), which was 26% year over year in 2023.
Click-Through Rates
The average CTR on Google is 34% higher than on Microsoft Ads. However, Bing Ads has a higher CTR for shopping and financial services search verticals. Google Ads has a higher CTR for search ads, so it’s a good choice for businesses that want high engagement. So, for most businesses, it’s the better option.
Ease of Use & Integration
How easy to use and integrate each platform will impact your overall advertising experience. Here’s more:
Ease of Use
Microsoft Ads is designed to look like Google Ads so users are familiar with the interface. Google Ads has more features and options, but the interface is more complex. Bing Ads is, for most people, easier to use, with fewer fields to fill in and less complexity.
Integration
Integration can impact your advertising strategy. Google Ads integrates with many tools and platforms like Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and various CRM systems so you can track and measure performance. This integration allows you to fine-tune campaigns based on real-time data.
Bing Ads also has integration options for its users, especially with Microsoft products like LinkedIn and Microsoft Dynamics. This is great for B2B campaigns and allows for a more targeted audience.
Both platforms integrate with Shopify to enhance e-commerce capabilities by streamlining the process of managing and tracking ad campaigns. But these should be managed by pros so none of your ad spend goes to waste.
The Verdict
Bing Ads vs Google Ads depends on your business goals and target audience. Google Ads is for businesses that want to reach a wider audience with more ad formats and features. Good for broad reach and engagement across multiple platforms.
Bing Ads is budget friendly with cheaper clicks and less competition. Good for targeting older, more affluent demographics, especially in the US. Consider reach and audience demographics, ad formats and features, cost and budget, performance and conversions, and ease of use and integration.
Each has its own strengths, so knowing those will help you optimize your PPC to get the best results. And having someone professional help you with this decision is the best decision since they know how to make the right one.
Call Digital Engage for Bing Ads & Google Ads
At Digital Engage, we offer a full range of services to help you advertise on both Bing Ads and Google Ads platforms. Our PPC Campaign Management service will have your campaigns expertly managed, optimizing ad spend and maximizing return on investment across both Google and Bing networks.
Also, our SEO Optimisation service is made to help you improve your search engine rankings, improve your online visibility, and drive traffic to your site. Moreover, we offer analytics and reporting services to give you valuable insights and help you make better, more informed decisions. Ready to improve your advertising?
Contact Digital Engage today, and let us help you achieve your business goals with effective ad campaigns and expert guidance!
