Microsoft Ads vs Google Ads: Which Platform Delivers Better Results?

If you’re already advertising on Google Ads, there’s a good chance you’ve considered trying Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads). After all, Microsoft Ads gives businesses another opportunity to capture search traffic, generate leads, and increase sales without rebuilding campaigns from scratch.

But while Microsoft Ads and Google Ads may look similar on the surface, they operate quite differently behind the scenes. Campaigns that perform brilliantly on Google won’t always behave the same way on Bing.

In this article, we’ll explore the major differences between Microsoft Ads and Google Ads, including traffic volume, campaign imports, keyword matching, ad extensions, audience behaviour, AI integration, and more.

How Much Traffic Does Microsoft Ads Generate?

The biggest difference between Google Ads and Microsoft Ads is volume.

Google dominates the search engine market, while Bing handles a much smaller percentage of searches worldwide. In most cases, advertisers can expect Microsoft Ads to generate around 3% to 8% of the traffic they receive from Google Ads.

However, this varies significantly depending on:

• Industry
• Location
• Audience demographics
• B2B vs B2C focus

For example:

• In the UK, Microsoft Ads often delivers around 4% of Google’s traffic volume.
• In the US, it can reach 8% or more.
• In some B2B industries, advertisers report seeing 10%+ of Google’s traffic volume.

Why B2B Campaigns Often Perform Better on Bing

One interesting trend is that Bing tends to perform especially well for B2B advertising.

Many businesses use Microsoft products by default, including:

• Microsoft Edge
• Windows devices
• Microsoft Office
• Corporate IT systems

Employees working on company devices often use Bing simply because it’s the default search engine. This creates additional opportunities for B2B advertisers targeting professionals during working hours.

Importing Google Ads Campaigns Into Microsoft Ads

One of Microsoft Ads’ biggest advantages is how easy it is to get started.

Microsoft fully understands that most advertisers begin with Google Ads, so they’ve built a robust import system designed specifically to copy campaigns from Google into Bing.

This allows advertisers to import:

• Keywords
• Ads
• Targeting settings
• Extensions/assets
• Bidding strategies
• Campaign structures

Essentially, you can replicate your Google Ads campaigns inside Microsoft Ads within minutes.

Automatic Synchronisation

An especially useful feature is scheduled syncing.

You can configure Microsoft Ads to automatically import updates from Google Ads on a daily basis. This means:

• New negative keywords transfer automatically
• Ad copy updates stay synced
• Campaign changes replicate across platforms
• Management time is reduced

For advertisers managing large accounts, this can save a huge amount of time.

The Biggest Problem With Microsoft Ads: Keyword Matching

Although importing campaigns is easy, there’s an important issue advertisers need to understand.

Microsoft Ads generally has looser keyword matching than Google Ads.

Even with the same match types, Microsoft tends to:

• Match search terms less accurately
• Trigger broader close variants
• Show ads for less relevant searches

This means campaigns imported directly from Google often require significant optimisation before they perform properly.

Negative Keywords Become Even More Important

Many advertisers notice that campaigns on Microsoft Ads need substantially more negative keywords than Google Ads.

A campaign that feels tightly controlled on Google may suddenly start generating irrelevant traffic on Bing.

As a result:

• Search term reports need closer monitoring
• Negative keyword lists grow faster
• Match types often need tightening

Recommended Match Type Adjustments

Many advertisers find success by using stricter match types on Microsoft Ads:

Google Ads Match Type	Microsoft Ads Equivalent
Broad Match	Phrase Match
Phrase Match	Exact Match
Exact Match	Exact Match

Microsoft’s matching behaviour simply isn’t as refined as Google’s, so tighter targeting is usually necessary.

Unique Microsoft Ads Extensions You Can’t Use on Google

Interestingly, Microsoft Ads offers some unique ad extensions (now called assets) that Google Ads doesn’t currently provide.

These features can help improve visibility and increase conversions.

Flyer Extensions

Flyer Extensions allow advertisers to create digital promotional flyers directly within ads.

These can include:

• Images
• Offers
• Promotions
• Sales messaging

When users click the flyer, they’re taken directly to the associated landing page.

This format works particularly well for:

• Retail promotions
• Seasonal offers
• Local campaigns
• E-commerce sales

The downside is that Flyer Extensions are currently only available in the United States.

Action Extensions

Action Extensions are another unique Microsoft Ads feature.

These allow advertisers to add dedicated call-to-action buttons directly inside ads, including options such as:

• Book Now
• Get a Quote
• Call Now
• Learn More
• Sign Up

Each action can link users directly to a relevant landing page.

For example:

• “Book Now” can send users straight to a booking form
• “Get a Quote” can direct traffic to a quote request page

This creates a smoother conversion path and can improve click-through and conversion rates.

Understanding the Microsoft Partner Network

Unlike Google, Microsoft relies heavily on its partner network to increase traffic volume.

This is another major difference advertisers need to understand.

Google vs Microsoft Search Partners

Google generates such enormous search volume that search partners contribute only a small percentage of traffic.

Microsoft Ads, however, depends much more heavily on partner websites and search engines.

These include well-known names such as:

• Yahoo
• MSN
• AOL
• DuckDuckGo
• Ecosia

Because Bing itself is smaller, these partners help advertisers achieve meaningful scale.

Should You Use Microsoft Search Partners?

In many cases, yes.

While advertisers are often cautious with Google Search Partners, Microsoft’s partner traffic can actually perform quite well due to the quality of some partner platforms.

However, performance should still be monitored carefully.

Some advertisers may find:

• Higher CPA from certain partners
• Lower conversion quality
• Strong results from niche audiences

Testing is essential.

Bing Users Tend to Be Older and Wealthier

One of the most interesting differences between Bing and Google is audience demographics.

Bing users generally skew older than Google users.

This happens partly because many people simply continue using the default browser and search engine installed on their devices.

Why This Matters for Advertisers

Older audiences often have:

• Higher disposable income
• Greater purchasing power
• Higher average order values
• Stronger conversion rates

As a result, many advertisers notice:

• Better conversion rates on Bing
• Higher average transaction values
• More profitable traffic despite lower volume

This is especially common in e-commerce campaigns targeting higher-income audiences.

Of course, results vary by industry, but Microsoft Ads often delivers surprisingly strong ROI even with relatively small traffic volumes.

Microsoft Ads and AI: A Different Approach to Google

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in digital advertising.

Both Google and Microsoft are integrating AI heavily into campaign creation and management — but they’re taking slightly different approaches.

Google’s AI Integration

Google uses Gemini AI across various campaign types and setup processes.

Importantly, Google usually allows advertisers to choose whether they want to use AI-generated recommendations.

Microsoft’s AI Integration

Microsoft Ads uses OpenAI technology, including ChatGPT-powered features, during campaign setup.

Unlike Google, Microsoft makes AI assistance largely mandatory during campaign creation.

When setting up a campaign, Microsoft automatically generates:

• Headlines
• Descriptions
• Ad copy suggestions

based on your landing page URL.

While this can speed up setup, many advertisers still find the generated copy lacks quality and requires significant editing.

Fortunately, Microsoft does allow users to quickly remove AI-generated assets if needed.

Is Microsoft Ads Worth Using?

For most advertisers already succeeding with Google Ads, the answer is yes.

Microsoft Ads may not deliver Google-level volume, but it can still provide:

• Additional conversions
• Incremental revenue
• Lower competition
• Stronger ROI in some niches
• Higher-value customers

The platform is especially valuable for:

• B2B advertisers
• E-commerce brands
• Service businesses
• Advertisers targeting older demographics

Final Thoughts

Google Ads remains the dominant search advertising platform, and for most businesses it should remain the primary focus.

However, ignoring Microsoft Ads entirely could mean missing out on profitable opportunities.

While Bing traffic is smaller, the platform offers several advantages:

• Easy campaign imports
• Lower competition
• Unique ad extensions
• Strong B2B performance
• Older, wealthier audiences
• Additional conversion volume

That said, advertisers should be prepared to actively optimise campaigns rather than simply importing Google Ads and expecting identical results.

With proper management, Microsoft Ads can become an excellent secondary platform that complements your Google Ads strategy and helps drive additional growth.