Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads) has always felt like the ugly duckling compared to the more popular and most used search platform, Google Ads. At M3, we’ve never seen it this way and have always tested our B2B activity in both platforms when budget allows.
In this post, we’ll show you the raw data of our clients when comparing the platforms to showcase the opportunity of switching your precious media spend across from Google to Microsoft Ads.
Background and industry-wide stats
Whilst it’s common knowledge Bing has significantly less market-share of total users globally (20%), what businesses should be focussed on is demographics of which the market share is made up by.
Bing's user demographic leans towards blue-collar compared to Google. Over 70% of users are aged 35 or older and the average age of Bing users is 45 years old. Nearly half (46%) of users are married.
It’s also worth noting that Bing users in the majority are using it as a desktop-first platform, which tends to increase overall conversion rates in the B2B market.
Bing Ads vs Google Ads
Edge – the default browser of Microsoft – plays a big part in the use of Bing and Microsoft engines alike with 12.87% global usage (and growing…) vs Google Chrome browser usage of 66.33% and Safari at 17.96%.
Cost comparison: Bing Ads is up to 189% cheaper than Google!
When comparing like-for-like campaigns across a range of clients and industries, we can see generic campaigns (product or service keywords) on average were 65% cheaper on Bing when compared to Google.
Interestingly, Brand campaigns were only 32% cheaper, but we did see in the B2B and Ecommerce categories some campaigns were up to 30% more expensive. When looking at the auction insights, some clients were experiencing more competition on Bing than when compared to Google.
| Generic | Brand | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market | Bing | Diff | Bing | Diff | ||
| B2C | £2.26 | £3.27 | -45% | £1.89 | £4.46 | -136% |
| B2B | £0.62 | £1.30 | -110% | £1.56 | £1.09 | 30% |
| Leisure | £0.68 | £0.74 | -9% | £1.90 | £2.04 | -7% |
| Ecommerce | £0.45 | £1.30 | -189% | £1.23 | £1.11 | 10% |
Overall comparison
If you’re a decision-maker, we’ve put together the below comparison to gain quick insight into whether you should focus on Google or Bing or ideally both platforms.
| Feature | Google Ads | Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) |
|---|---|---|
| Market Share | ~85-90% of search market share globally | ~10-15% of search market share, higher in certain demographics |
| Audience Reach | Larger audience across Google Search, Display Network, YouTube, and partner sites | Smaller audience but covers Bing, Yahoo, and AOL search engines |
| Cost (CPC) | Typically higher CPC due to competition | Lower CPC due to less competition |
| Ad Placement | Google Search, Display Network, YouTube, Shopping, Discovery, and Performance Max campaigns | Bing, Yahoo, AOL, LinkedIn and Microsoft-owned partner sites |
| Demographics | Broad user base, younger demographic | Older, higher-income audience (tends to be professionals and decision-makers) |
| Targeting Options | Advanced options including audience segments, in-market, affinity, and detailed demographics | Similar options but allows targeting by LinkedIn profile attributes (industry, job function, company) |
| Ad Extensions | Many options (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, price extensions, etc.) | Offers similar extensions, sometimes with higher visibility |
| Conversion Rate | Often higher due to larger audience and refined targeting | Can be higher in B2B sectors due to professional audience |
| Integration & Features | Seamless integration with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Looker Studio | Integration with LinkedIn data for B2B targeting, but limited analytics compared to Google |
| Automation & AI | Strong machine learning for bidding, recommendations, and ad optimisation | Good automation but not as advanced as Google’s AI-driven tools |
| Importing Campaigns | Native platform with full control over campaign setup | Can import campaigns directly from Google Ads for easier setup |
| Best For | Broad reach, high-intent search queries, eCommerce, video ads, and remarketing | B2B, professional services, older demographics, and budget-conscious advertisers |
Looking for a specialist Bing partner?
Are you missing out on an untapped audience?
We can get you live on Bing within 10 days with our fast-track onboarding trial.
We also have a special offer for all new partners to get up to £2,500 FREE media spend when spending their first £500 on Bing Ads. Offer subject to change.
Agency fees apply and minimum trial period of 3 months.
At M3, we’re nosy, intuitive and built for today. Strengthen your services with Birmingham’s leading digital agency and get in touch today.
