Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, offers an advertising platform that lets you display ads on a network of sites including Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo. Bing allows ecommerce marketers to promote their products via targeted ads based on keywords the user enters into its search engine. Like Google, these ads work on an auction system where marketers bid for a chance to have their ad appear in search results pages, and you’ll pay a small fee for every click.
How do Bing Ads work?
Like Google AdWords, Bing ads are keyword-based and impressions are purchased via auction. An ecommerce vendor would be able to list their bid amount for each keyword, and then pay each time a visitor clicks on an ad and is brought to their site.
Microsoft offers precise and flexible targeting features, such as location, language, device, time of day and week and audience demographics. For example, you can adjust your campaign settings to serve your ads when your intended audience is most active, or target users who are specifically on mobile. You can also target purchase intent, by asking Bing to display your ecommerce store’s product image and price in the search results instead of a traditional text ad. And if you already use Google Ads, you can import your settings from past campaigns easily.
How much does Microsoft Ads cost?
Just like Google, Bing ads have an auction-based, scalable pricing scheme based on price per click (PPC). You’ll be able to set a fixed maximum cost per month for your ad campaign, which will then show until the upper limit is reached. Typically speaking, Bing ads are more cost-effective for ecommerce advertisers, and according to Instapage, can be up to 70% cheaper than Google AdWords.
Why choose Bing ads?
Whether you’re just starting out or are an ecommerce veteran, there’s no doubt that Google Adwords has a bigger audience. However, by advertising on both platforms, you’ll maximise your gains. Millions of users still prefer Bing, so by taking advantage of its cheaper PPC cost, you’ll soon be able to grow your sales.
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