Set Up Microsoft Advertising for Your Business

What Exactly is Microsoft Advertising?

Microsoft Advertising is the paid search platform that shows ads across Bing, Yahoo, MSN, DuckDuckGo, and the Microsoft Audience Network.

When someone searches on Bing for a product or service you offer, your ad can appear at the top of their results — just as a Google Search Ad would appear on Google. You set a budget, choose the keywords you want to appear for, write your ads, and pay only when someone clicks.

The Microsoft Audience Network extends this further. It places ads in display and native formats across Microsoft properties including MSN, Outlook, and the Microsoft Edge browser — reaching people while they read the news, check their email, or browse the web.

Because Microsoft Advertising is often overlooked by smaller businesses, competition levels on many keywords are noticeably lower than on Google. This means your ads can appear in front of high-intent searchers at a lower cost per click — and in some cases, a lower cost per lead.

 

How the Setup Works

Step 1 — A Microsoft Advertising account is created and structured correctly from the start, with the right account settings, billing, and campaign architecture in place before any ads are written.

Step 2 — Keyword research is conducted to identify the search terms your target customers are using on Bing and its partner networks. If you are already running Google Ads, your existing keyword data is used as a starting point and adapted for the Microsoft platform.

Step 3 — Campaigns are built with a clear structure — organised by service, product, or location — so your ads are shown to the right audience with the right message. Ad copy is written for each campaign, including headlines and descriptions aligned with what your customers are searching for.

Step 4 — Ad extensions are configured to give your ads more presence on the results page. These include sitelinks, callout extensions, phone numbers, and location extensions depending on your business type.

Step 5 — Conversion tracking is set up using the Microsoft Clarity tag or UET (Universal Event Tracking) tag, so you can measure exactly which clicks are turning into enquiries, calls, or purchases on your website.

Step 6 — Bidding strategies and daily budgets are configured to match your goals, and the campaigns are reviewed before going live to confirm everything is set up correctly.

 

Why Microsoft Advertising Matters

Every business running paid search ads wants to reach people who are actively searching for what they offer. Google makes this possible — but Google is not the only place people search.

Microsoft’s search network handles billions of searches every month. The audience using it is distinct from Google’s. Studies consistently show that Bing users tend to be older, earn higher incomes, and are more likely to be in decision-making roles at work. For businesses selling to professionals, offering higher-value services, or targeting customers with disposable income, this is a meaningful difference.

Because fewer businesses advertise on Microsoft Advertising compared to Google, the auction for most keywords is less competitive. Lower competition typically means lower cost per click and lower cost per acquisition. Many businesses that add Microsoft Advertising to their existing paid search strategy find they are generating leads at a meaningfully lower cost than on Google for comparable keywords.

Microsoft’s integration with AI through Copilot has also changed the search landscape. More people are using AI-assisted search on Bing and Microsoft products, which increases the relevance of appearing across the Microsoft network.

 

The Audience Your Google Ads Are Missing

Most businesses set up Google Ads, see results, and never look beyond it.

The logic is understandable. Google has the largest share of search traffic, so it is the obvious starting point. But defaulting to Google alone means defaulting to one audience — and leaving a separate, often highly qualified audience untouched.

Bing’s user base is not simply a smaller version of Google’s. It skews differently. A higher proportion of Bing users are over 35, are employed in professional roles, or are searching from a work computer running Windows and using Microsoft Edge as their browser. For businesses in industries like finance, legal services, healthcare, B2B, home improvement, or professional services, this demographic often aligns closely with the ideal customer.

In addition, Google’s market dominance means nearly every competitor is already advertising there. The auction is crowded. Microsoft Advertising gives you a channel where the competition is thinner and where, in many cases, you can appear at the top of search results at a fraction of the Google Ads cost.

 

You Need Microsoft Advertising When

• You are already running Google Ads and want to extend your reach without proportionally increasing your budget
• Your target customers are professionals, business owners, or older adults who are more likely to use Bing or Microsoft products
• You are in an industry where Google Ads cost per click is high and you want to test a more cost-efficient alternative
• You want to advertise on DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, or MSN without managing multiple platforms — Microsoft Advertising covers all of these through a single account
• You are entering a new market or launching a new service and want to test paid search at lower risk before committing to a larger Google Ads budget

 

What We Need From You to Set Up Microsoft Advertising

To set up and launch your campaigns, the following is required.

• Your website URL and the specific pages you want to send traffic to
• A description of your main products or services and who they are for
• Your target geographic locations — whether local, national, or international
• Your monthly advertising budget
• Access to your existing Google Ads account, if you have one — campaigns can often be imported and adapted rather than built from scratch
• Confirmation of the actions you want to track as conversions, such as form submissions, phone calls, or purchases

If you are unsure about budget or targeting, this can be worked through on a call before setup begins.

 

What We Will Do During Your Microsoft Advertising Setup

• Create and configure your Microsoft Advertising account with the correct settings and structure
• Conduct keyword research to identify the most relevant and cost-effective search terms for your business on the Microsoft network
• Build campaigns with a clear, logical structure organised by product, service, or location
• Write ad copy for each campaign, including headlines and descriptions aligned with search intent
• Set up ad extensions including sitelinks, callouts, phone numbers, and location details where appropriate
• Install Microsoft’s UET tracking tag to measure conversions accurately across your website
• Configure bidding strategies and daily budgets in line with your goals
• Review and test all campaigns before going live
• Provide a summary of the account structure, campaigns, and settings for your reference

 

When You Should Set This Up

Microsoft Advertising works best as a complement to an existing paid search strategy. If you are already running Google Ads and seeing a reasonable return, adding Microsoft Advertising is a natural next step — you can often import your existing campaigns and adapt them in a matter of days, giving you immediate coverage across the Microsoft network.

If you are not yet running any paid ads, Microsoft Advertising can also serve as a lower-cost starting point to test paid search before committing to a larger Google Ads investment. The lower cost per click means your initial budget goes further, and the data you collect informs your broader strategy.

Set this up when your website is ready to convert visitors, your conversion tracking is in place, and you have a clear idea of what actions you want people to take. Paid search on any platform requires a functioning landing page — launching ads before that is in place wastes budget regardless of which platform you use.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Google Ads account before setting up Microsoft Advertising? No. Microsoft Advertising can be set up as a standalone account. However, if you already have Google Ads campaigns, you can import them directly into Microsoft Advertising and adapt them, which significantly speeds up the setup process.

Is the audience on Bing large enough to make this worthwhile? It depends on your industry and target customer. In many sectors — particularly professional services, B2B, finance, and home improvement — Bing holds a meaningful share of search traffic and the user profile matches a higher-value customer. The lower competition also means your budget often goes further than it would on Google. For most businesses already running Google Ads, the cost of adding Microsoft Advertising is low relative to the potential return.

Will I need to manage Microsoft Advertising and Google Ads separately? Yes, they are separate platforms. However, for most businesses the Microsoft Advertising account is simpler to manage because campaigns are often modelled on existing Google Ads structure. Once set up, the ongoing management is straightforward.

 

Want Your Microsoft Advertising Set Up Correctly?

Setting up Microsoft Advertising effectively requires more than creating an account. The keyword strategy, campaign structure, ad copy, extensions, and conversion tracking all need to be in place from the start — or you risk spending budget on clicks that are not generating any measurable return.

At 10x Marketing Lab, the setup is handled end-to-end by a paid search specialist. The account structure, keywords, and ads are built to match your business and your audience. Conversion tracking is confirmed before any budget is spent.

You will not be handed a live account and left to figure out whether it is working. The setup is reviewed before going live, and you receive a clear summary of how the account is structured and what each campaign is targeting.