When it comes to advertising online using different digital advertisement options, Google ads have always come out on the top when it comes to measuring performance using PPC (Pay Per Click). But with the advertising industry growing and Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads) have grown by over 56% in the last five years, the comparison of Bing ads vs Google ads is not simple.
With over $260 billion being spent on digital advertising alone every year, for any business owner the dilemma lies in choosing what’s not only the best in terms of cost but also in terms of delivering results. To help you make the right choice for your business we will look at Bing Ads and Google Ads side by side in a comparative manner so that by the end of this read you know where to invest your money.
What are Bing Ads?
Bing Ads are owned by Microsoft and in certain media, they are also referred to as Microsoft Ads. Bing, as we know, is a search engine and it is owned by Microsoft along with two other search engines i.e., AOL and Yahoo. The beauty of advertising using Bing Ads lies in the fact that advertising on Bing lists your advert on the other two platforms as well and as well as on other websites that have partnered with Microsoft.
Additionally, as demonstrated in the example below Bing Ads uses a very organic placement for advertisements as you can see that a simple search for running shoes has returned different listings which are advertisements.
Source: bing
What are Google Ads?
Google Ads previously known as Google AdWords are advertisements that appear when users so for a particular term on the Google search engine. These ads appear in search listings when a user initiates a search query using certain keywords. These ads appear in two different realms of the Google search engine. The first is the Google “Search Network” where these ads appear when a search for certain phrases or keywords is initiated.
On the other hand, the second realm is the Google “Display Network”, comprising of over 2.2 million websites across the globe. These ads also appear on these websites while a user is browsing for a certain item or service. An example of the Google ads appearing in the Google display network can be seen here.
Source: google
Bing Ads vs. Google Ads – What Should You Choose?
Now that we have developed basic know-how of how Bing Ads and Google Ads advertising, we will now look at them through a set of characteristics that will eventually be critical in helping you as a business owner determine the right kind of advertising platform for your desired results, between these two.
Market Share and Reach
The reach of an advertising platform along with the market share that it has captured in its lifetime is very critical in determining which one is the right fit for your business. After all, a platform might be offering you the best possible rates in terms of cost.
But if those advertisements that you’re going to be putting out using that online platform are not reaching out to your target market especially because the platform that you have chosen does not enjoy that kind of market share in your target, then the cost factor loses its charm.
Google Ads takes the lead when it comes to a market share of over 77% in the search network category whereas Microsoft Bing Ads only enjoys a market share of 6.5% in this category.
But this does not mean that Google Ads wins in this category because Bing Ads offers certain features in terms of reach that are not offered by Google Ads. With Bing, you can reach over 55 million desktop searchers, a feature that Google Ads does not offer.
Demographics
When choosing between Bing Ads and Google ads you should also keep in mind the kind of demographics that their audience is made up of.
While the users of Bing Ads comprise mostly married individuals earning a stable amount of income and belonging to the upper-middle-class income groups, the demographics for the Google Ads audience lean on the much younger side, made up of single young adults, who are starting in life.
Therefore, when choosing between the two you should keep in mind the kind of audience you want your product or service to appeal to and their availability on these online advertising platforms.
Audience Targeting
Now we are looking at targeting the audience and which of these platforms is better at it. When it comes to Bing Ads it only offers audience targeting using accepted demographics, location profiles, age groups, etc. but yes it offers the added advantage of using LinkedIn as one of its targeting mechanisms especially when it comes to business or account-focused advertising.
But here Google Ads takes the lead because not only does it target the audience based on demographics, age, and similar audience preferences but it also uses keyword targeting where it reaches out to market segments based on their search histories as well as the kind of search terms and queries, they have been showing interest in their online lifetime.
Ad Format
Here we will look at the different options as well as limitations that Bing Ads and Google Ads are subjected to when it comes to using these platforms for advertisement. Both these platforms use a text-based advertising ad format wherein you must put in texts as headings along with certain descriptions within a certain amount of word limit assigned to you.
In terms of the word limit assigned and the flexibility of using that word limit into a few sentences, Google Ads takes the lead because its ad format options are not only more customizable but also provide a certain ease of use to marketers and businesses owners alike.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate refers to how successful you were in achieving the objective that you had laid out for your advertisement. That objective could be anywhere from having a customer walk into your brick and mortar store to learn more about your product or maybe just make an online purchase right away.
The average conversion rate for Bing Ads is 2.96% whereas for Google Ads it is 3 .74%. No doubt Google Ads takes the lead here when it comes to conversion rate, but it is also very important to note that when we’re talking about sales funnel along with conversion rate, lead generation also has a great impact and importance.
Therefore, depending on the audience that you’re trying to target Bing Ads can be more fruitful in terms of final purchase, if your audience has a bigger presence on that platform and thus can help generate more leads. To further bifurcate into the integrities of lead generation, market segmentation, and conversion rate, we suggest that you approach experts to help you choose between these two platforms.
Cost
In the world of online marketing using search engine-based platforms such as Bing Ads and Google Ads, the cost is measured in terms of CPC (Cost per click). While the cost per click of Bing Ads is on average $1.54, Google Ads has a CPC of $1 to $2. No doubt Bing Ads seem more attractive here based on the cost factor alone but you as a business owner must never sacrifice the integrity of our advertising campaign and the quality of results based on cost alone.
The final decision should solely be made on how effective these ads can be in driving a lead generation system and finally a conversion cycle, irrespective of the cost.
Bing Ads vs. Google Ads – What should you choose?
The wider reach of Google Ads might be tempting you to choose it, but the cost factor of Bing Ads seems tempting as well. In the Bing Ads versus Google Ads debate, the final choice that you would be making as a business owner should solely be focused on one important factor, which is which of these platforms is the most suited to your business needs and advertising objectives.
There is no right or wrong choice because every business had different needs and strategy differences. For a product marketed towards a more age-wise mature and financially stable audience, Bing Ads might seem like the reasonable choice whereas if you’re targeting a service that will help young adults in managing their finances then obviously Google Ads seem the right option.
Conclusion
While both Bing Ads and Google Ads have their pros and cons, the final choice should be that which is a synchronized match with your business framework and objectives. Deciding and choosing between these might seem like a detailed decision at this point but once done in the right manner keeping in view the right factors, the results will be nothing short of excellence whether in terms of sales, lead generation, or brand awareness.
