Google Ads vs. Bing Ads: Which Is Right for Your Business?

Key Takeaways

• Google Ads and Bing Ads are the two major pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platforms, with Google Ads being much larger.
• Google Ads provides access to the world’s most popular search engine and its extensive display network. Bing Ads targets Microsoft’s Bing search engine.
• Google Ads costs tend to be higher due to more competition for keywords, but they offer a bigger reach. Bing Ads has lower competition and costs but less reach.
• Google Ads interface is more robust, while Bing Ads is simpler. Both allow for keyword research tools, ad customization, and tracking.
• Businesses with limited budgets may benefit more from Bing Ads, while those wanting maximum reach and targeting options should use Google Ads.
• Consider testing both platforms to see which provides better results based on factors like competition, targeting capabilities, and costs that fit your budget.

Google Ads vs. Bing Ads: A Quick Comparison

Google Ads Overview

• Access to Google Search: Ads appear on Google Search alongside organic results when people search for keywords related to your business.
• Google Display Network: In addition to Search, Google lets you show ads on thousands of partner websites, videos, and apps.
• Wide reach: Google processes over 3.5 billion searches per day and owns the majority of the search engine market share.
• Powerful targeting: You can target by location, language, device, audience, and more. More advanced options are available.
• Automated bidding: Google Ads uses automated bidding to optimize costs and ad placement based on your goals.
• Extensive ad formats: Text, images, video, and more. Some appear directly in search results.
• Robust interface: Lots of options for keyword research, split testing, tracking, optimizing campaigns, and more.

Bing Ads Overview

• Bing Search: Ads show alongside organic results when keywords are searched on Bing. Available globally.
• Microsoft Audience Network: Additional placement on Microsoft partner sites like MSN and Outlook.
• Smaller reach: Bing has around 6-8% of the search engine market share globally, but it still accounts for millions of searches.
• Demographic and intent targeting: Options to target gender, age, interests, customer intent signals, and more.
• Automatic bidding strategies: These help optimize bids to achieve conversions or target CPA. They are not as advanced as Google’s.
• Similar ad formats include text, product, video, app install, and other ads. Automated ad extensions are available.
• Easy-to-use interface: Simple campaign setup and management options. Integrates with other Microsoft ads products.

Reach and Audience

• Google Ads provides a significantly larger reach to potential customers. It captures over 90% of global search traffic compared to Bing’s 6-8%.
• Bing primarily reaches people in North America, while Google goes worldwide. This makes Google better for businesses targeting international markets.
• Both networks go beyond search with display and partner website networks. Google’s is much more extensive.
• Bing may provide better targeting for some North American demographics, which are skewed toward women and higher income.
• <h3>Targeting Capabilities</h3>Google offers very robust targeting options: geographic, language, device, remarketing, custom affinity & in-market, demographic, ad schedule, and more.
• Bing has improved targeting based on gender, age, interests, intent, remarketing, etc. However, it still needs to be at the scale and depth of Google.
• Google lets you tightly control which websites, pages, apps, videos, and placements your ads appear. Great for niche targeting.
• Bing makes it easy to target the Microsoft Audience Network. Google is better for targeting outside the search ecosystem.

Targeting Capabilities

• Google offers very robust targeting options: geographic, language, device, remarketing, custom affinity & in-market, demographic, ad schedule, and more.
• Bing has improved targeting based on gender, age, interests, intent, remarketing, etc. However, it still needs to be at the scale and depth of Google.
• Google lets you tightly control which websites, pages, apps, videos, and placements your ads appear. Great for niche targeting.
• Bing makes it easy to target the Microsoft Audience Network. Google is better for targeting outside the search ecosystem.

• Competition is much higher on Google for valuable keywords, which leads to higher costs per click. Less demand on Bing keeps costs down.
• Advertisers pay an average cost-per-click (CPC) of around $2 in Google Ads, while the average CPC in Bing Ads is around $0.60.
• Less competition in Bing means it’s easier to attain a high ad position for targeted keywords.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS) can sometimes be higher with Bing if targeting is solid despite the smaller reach.

Tools for Managing Campaigns

• Google Ads Editor provides robust options for keyword research, bid adjustments, split testing, reporting, and optimizing at scale.
• Bing Ads interface is more straightforward for launching and managing campaigns without advanced optimization.
• Both platforms offer easy ad creation processes and templates. Google offers much more ad customization and functionality.
• Google’s automated rules, bidding strategies, and ad extensions provide advanced optimization at the account and campaign levels.

Ads Format Options

• Text, display, shopping, video, and mobile app ads are all available in both Google Ads and Bing Ads.
• Google offers rich media ads like Lightbox, cinematographic, and interactive carousel formats to stand out.
• Better ad customization, tracking, and performance optimization with Google’s robust ad options and features.
• Bing automates ad extensions and ad copy optimization nicely. Google offers these auto-features plus more control over them.

Tracking and Analysis

• Google offers robust conversion tracking and attribution modeling options to optimize for conversions throughout the funnel.
• Bing has improved conversion tracking and automated bid strategies focused on conversions. It is less customizable than Google.
• Both platforms provide strong reporting options. Google Ads offers more segmentation and insight capabilities.
• Google ties into Google Analytics for deeper analysis. Bing can import Google Analytics goals to track conversions.
• Bing simplified reports are nice for quick monitoring. Google provides a deeper dive while requiring more expertise.

When Google Ads Is a Better Fit

Google Ads makes more sense in these cases:

• Your business has national or international target markets.
• You want the maximum possible reach and impressions.
• Targeting niche audiences or demographics is crucial.
• You manufacture high-cost products with long sales cycles.
• Your keywords have high commercial intent.
• You sell B2B services or software with long decision processes.
• Your business can afford higher PPC costs and extensive management.
• It would help if you had advanced optimization, tracking, attribution, and analytics.

When Bing Ads Is a Better Fit

Consider Bing Ads when:

• Your business focuses mainly on North American markets.
• You want to test PPC without spending too much.
• Your products or services cater more to higher-income demographics.
• You have a limited monthly PPC advertising budget.
• You want to drive conversions from a focused audience.
• Your business is highly competitive on Google for core keywords.
• You sell low or mid-priced products with shorter purchase cycles.
• You need more resources to manage and optimize large, complex PPC campaigns.
• Your business already advertises on the Microsoft Audience Network.
• You are new to PPC advertising and want a straightforward setup.

Best Practices for Both Platforms

While Google and Bing have their differences, some best practices boost performance no matter which PPC platform you choose:

• Research keywords thoroughly and regularly update targeting.
• Use negative keywords to reduce irrelevant clicks and costs.
• Optimize ad copy for conversion rates with unique selling propositions.
• Develop text, display, and video ads tailored to different audiences.
• Set specific campaign budgets aligned with performance goals.
• Use location, device, remarketing, and other targeting features.
• Let the platforms automatically set bids to maximize conversions within budget.
• Closely track ROI and tweak campaigns to improve it over time.
• Take advantage of available advertising report dashboards and analytics.

Frequently Asked Questions