The short answer
Use Google Ads as your main search channel: it has by far the most volume. Add Microsoft Ads once Google is working, typically with 10-25% of your search budget. Microsoft clicks are often cheaper, its audience leans desktop and professional, and it offers LinkedIn profile targeting that Google can't match.
Google Ads vs Microsoft Ads compared
| Google Ads | Microsoft Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Search reach | The large majority of searches | Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, AOL, Copilot and partners |
| Cost per click | Higher in most industries | Often lower: fewer serious advertisers |
| Audience | Everyone; heavily mobile | Leans desktop, work computers, older and higher-income |
| B2B targeting | Keywords and audiences only | LinkedIn company, industry and job function targeting |
| Campaign types | Search, PMax, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Demand Gen | Search, PMax, Shopping, Audience ads |
| Setup effort | Full build | Can import from Google, then needs its own tuning |
| Tools and automation | More advanced, more data | Good, slightly behind Google |
Why Google should be your main search channel
Google handles the overwhelming majority of searches in most countries. It has more data, so its smart bidding generally has more to learn from, and it covers far more inventory: YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps and the Display Network. If you only run one search platform, it should be Google.
Why Microsoft is still worth adding
Microsoft's smaller share is exactly why it's worth having. Fewer advertisers bid seriously, so clicks are often cheaper for the same keyword. And the people searching on Bing are disproportionately at work on Windows PCs using Edge, which suits B2B, finance, legal, healthcare and considered purchases.
Then there's LinkedIn profile targeting. Microsoft owns LinkedIn, and lets you adjust search bids based on the searcher's company, industry or job function. Google has nothing equivalent on search.
- Typically adds extra conversion volume on top of Google at a similar or lower cost per conversion
- Quick to launch by importing your Google campaigns
- Useful as a hedge if Google costs rise in your market
Who gets the most from Microsoft Ads?
Microsoft Ads tends to work well for
- B2B companies selling to office-based professionals
- Financial services, insurance, legal and healthcare
- Businesses whose customers skew 35+ or higher income
- Accounts already maxing out profitable Google volume
It matters less for
- Brands selling mainly to under-25s on mobile
- Accounts where Google isn't profitable yet
- Very small local budgets (fix Google first)
- Businesses without time or help to manage a second account
How to split your budget
Start Microsoft at around 10-25% of your Google search budget, with the same core keywords and negatives. Give it a month or two, then compare cost per conversion and lead quality side by side. If it's performing, keep scaling until you run out of search volume, which tends to happen sooner on Microsoft than on Google.
One practical tip: import from Google to save setup time, then switch off scheduled imports. Otherwise every Google change overwrites your Microsoft-specific settings. Our Microsoft Ads management page covers how we run it.