Top 7 Reasons to Run Bing Ads Alongside Google Ads

One of the most frequently asked questions about paid ad campaigns is, “Should I be running Google Ads and Bing Ads simultaneously?” That’s a fair question. Most businesses gravitate towards Google because of its sheer gravity and market dominance. But Bing isn’t small potatoes by any stretch of the imagination. Additionally, there are many things Bing and Google do differently, or that one does better than the other. So what is the answer? Well, the answer is yes. You should be running Google Ads and Bing Ads at the same time.

So let’s talk about the main reasons you should run your Bing Ads alongside your Google Ads. We’ll also go over the things Google Ads do better than Bing Ads, and things Bing Ads do better than Google Ads.

1. Google Ads and Bing Ads are both PPC Advertising Platforms

Google Ads and Bing Ads are both PPC advertising platforms designed to reach targeted audiences. Therefore, using both platforms will broaden your reach, drive more traffic, and increase your revenue.

2. Google and Bing Both Offer Multiple Networks

Google offers two advertising networks, the Search Network, and the Display Network. Bing is owned by Microsoft, which owns Bing, Yahoo, AOL (yes, AOL is still around–for now), and Duck Duck Go. That means when you advertise on one platform, your ads are seen across each of their other networks.

3. Google and Bing Both Use Display URLs

Google and Bing both use display URLs underneath their ad headlines. The only difference is that Bing uses bold highlighting for their URLs, and Google doesn’t. Displaying the URL makes it easier for the user to find your website. This is because they just click the linked URL rather than having to search for your website’s address.

4. Bing PPC Ads Are Cheaper Than Google PPC Ads

Bing has a lot less advertiser competition than Google, making Bing PPC ads cheaper. So it makes sense to spread out your marketing budget. Using both means, you broaden your audience and your marketing spend, meaning you will get more advertising for your marketing dollar because the Bing ads are cheaper.

5. Both Have Unique Characteristics

Google and Bing both have unique characteristics that complement each other. Google has enormous search volume, and Bing has less competition. So with Bing, your clicks will have a lower PPC rate and will generally have higher positioning. But with Google, you will get more search volume.

6. Description Text and Keyword Research Tools

Google and Bing both now allow a maximum of 80 characters for the description text. And both offer keyword research tools with broad match and negative keyword capabilities. Having more characters to describe what your content is about gives you more of a chance to convince the user to click on your content versus your competitor’s content.

7. Google and Bing Both Offer Sitelink Extensions

Both Google and Bing offer advertisers the opportunity to add additional information to their ads. The ability to add extra links enables an advertiser to highlight important information such as pricing, free trials, demos, and downloads. And, since this information is much larger than the surrounding text, it is more likely to catch the readers’ attention.

8. Bing Ads Is Growing Rapidly

Bing Ads is one of the fastest growing advertisement platforms in the world. Microsoft has been able to successfully maintain its market share and grow its customer base. The platform is gaining appeal because it provides advertisers with more than just a search engine. The addition of innovative advertising tools like Sponsored Links, Display Banners, and Video Advertisements have given advertisers more options for reaching their target audience.

Here are some of the things Google Ads does better than Bing Ads.

• Google has a larger audience.
• Google Ads convert better than Bing Ads.
• The Google interface is easier to use than the Bing interface.
• The Google interface is more flexible than the Bing interface.
• Google offers more options for automated bidding.
• Google offers more headline (1-3 potential headlines) flexibility than Bing (1-2 potential headlines).

Google Ads has its cons as any other digital marketing tool, but that doesn’t make it wrong. The key to running successful campaigns is to learn how to close the gap and optimize your ads appropriately. Below are some weaknesses of running a Google Ads campaign.

Competitive Market

The competitive market for Google Ads is intense. In other words, many competing advertisers are trying to get their ads seen and clicked on. It might be more difficult for your business to grow online.

Time to invest needed

Google Ads requires a lot of time to set up and learn. Anyone who uses Google Ads will need to invest a lot of time learning how it works, especially if they are new to online advertising. If your objective is to see immediate results, this might be a double-edged sword for your business.

Potential Poor Quality Leads

Another weak spot of Google Ads is the potential to acquire poor quality leads. You must be very specific with the keywords you are targeting and excluding from your ads. Otherwise, you might end up attracting the wrong target audience.

Here are some of the things Bing Ads do better than Google Ads.

• Even though Google has a large market share, so does Bing.
• Microsoft owns Bing Ads, so when you advertise on Bing, your ads are also advertised on all three of their networks (Bing, Yahoo, AOL), broadening your market reach at a lower cost. It also enables you to reach users you wouldn’t have if you had just advertised on Google.
• Bing ads have a lower cost-per-click, so it’s less expensive to run ads on Bing than Google.
• Bing offers a wide variety of ad styles (dynamic search, multimedia ads, product ads, responsive search ads.
• Advertising on Bing means you will have less competition for keywords and visibility.
• Bing offers features that Google doesn’t. For example, Bing offers Device Targeting, Ad Group Targeting, Google Ads, and Importing.
• It offers unique filter options and social extensions.
• Bing ads typically appear higher on the search results page.

We’ve previously discussed the disadvantages of Google Ads. Now, let’s cover some Bing Ads weaknesses.

Less traffic

Bing has fewer users compared to Google ads, meaning that you won’t be acquiring as many leads as with Google. However, if targeted correctly, you might attract high-conversion rate users.

Lower click-through rate

Less traffic results in less clicks for your ads as opposed to a Google search. Nonetheless, the chances of getting high-converting leads are greater.

Available in fewer countries

Currently, Bing Ads is not available for all countries, which limits your scope if you have a business that target international markets or one of the restricted countries.

As you can see, both Bing and Google ads have both their pros and cons, however, that doesn’t make them bad tools. All the opposite, you should be running both for your business to cover each one’s gap while making sure you make the most of your paid search advertising.

Would you like help to make your Google and Bing ad campaigns more effective? If so, please Contact the Realtop Digital Marketing Agency. We are a full-service, done-for-you digital marketing agency that offers search engine marketing for local, national, and international companies on the Google and Microsoft Ads platforms. Let us show you just how effective your Google and Bing ad campaigns can be. Get your Free Marketing Plan today!

Best regards, Nik Tsoukales, CEO

Direct Line: 617-315-1138

Main Line: 617.741.9972

Skype: nikitastsoukales

Email: nik@realtop.com 

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Are Bing Ads worth it?

The answer is yes. Bing Ads have less competition. Meaning is an excellent alternative if you plan on targeting a particular market segment that competitors are not paying attention to. It also has cheaper cost-per-clicks compared to Google Ad campaigns which will help you make the most out of your investment while improving your chances of attracting Bing users to your company.

Do Google Ads run on Bing?

Yes. There’s a feature that allows you to import Microsoft advertising campaigns from Google Ads, meaning that you can run your ads in both search engines.