Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads): Is Advertising Alongside Google Worth It? Guide 2026

Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) is Microsoft's search and display advertising platform. Ads run across the Microsoft Search Network (Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, MSN) as well as the Audience Network. Bing reaches around 5 percent global search engine market share (StatCounter, May 2026), an audience of its own with often less competition than on Google.

What Is Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads), and How Big Is Its Reach?

Microsoft Ads, officially Microsoft Advertising, is the advertising system built around the Bing search engine and Microsoft's partner network. Until 2019 the platform was called Bing Ads, and the term is still common in Germany. The main keyword "microsoft ads" has, according to Ahrefs Keywords Explorer (as of 2026, country=de), 2,800 monthly searches in Germany; the synonym "bing ads" comes in at an identical 2,800 searches, and "microsoft advertising" at 1,000.

Ads do not only appear on bing.com: the Microsoft Search Network bundles together Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, and MSN, among others. The reach figures for this network are based on Comscore qSearch (custom), December 2025, worldwide desktop traffic (Microsoft Advertising). On desktop, Bing's share is considerably higher than the figure averaged across all devices.

How Much Market Share Does Bing Really Have, and Why Does It Matter for Advertising?

Bing is the clear number two behind Google, but by a wide margin. Worldwide across all devices, the search engine market share was 5.03 percent for Bing and 90.39 percent for Google (StatCounter Global Stats, May 2026). Even so, the absolute reach is large: Microsoft Advertising reports that Bing has reached the milestone of 1 billion monthly active users.

For advertisers, what counts is not just the percentage but the competitive situation. Fewer advertisers on Bing often mean less pressure on click prices. As industry context, not as an official figure, eMarketer (2025) notes that Microsoft's search advertising business grew about twice as fast as Google's. That is a market observation, not a guaranteed trend.

Microsoft Ads vs. Google Ads: What Are the Main Advantages and Disadvantages?

Microsoft Ads and Google Ads are technically very similar; the differences lie in reach, competition, and audience. The following table summarizes the key points.

Criterion	Microsoft Ads (Bing)	Google Ads
Global market share (StatCounter, May 2026)	5.03%	90.39%
Reach	1 billion monthly active users (Microsoft Advertising)	market leading (Google)
Competition / click price	tends to be lower (fewer advertisers)	tends to be higher
Search network partners	Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, MSN	Google, search partners
Campaign import	imports Google Ads campaigns directly	none
Billing	pay per click or pay per 1,000 impressions	pay per click, among others

The biggest practical advantage of Microsoft Ads: if you already run Google Ads, you do not have to start from zero; existing campaigns can be imported (Microsoft Learn, as of 2025).

How Do I Import My Google Ads Campaigns Into Microsoft Advertising?

The Google import is the easiest way to run the same ads on Bing as well. Microsoft Learn (as of 2025) describes the process in four steps:

1. Get an import credential ID: authorize the connection to the Google Ads account.
2. Choose the Google account and campaigns: define what should be taken over.
3. Choose import options: for example, adjust budgets (via AdjustmentForCampaignBudgets set to 25, the Microsoft budgets sit 25% above the Google budgets) or remove deleted entries via DeleteRemovedEntities.
4. Schedule the import: available schedules are Auto, Now, Once, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

For different needs, Microsoft offers three import variants (Microsoft Advertising Blog, October 2024): Quick Import is the simplest variant for a single Google Ads account. Smart Import is aimed at advertisers with multiple Google Ads accounts or a Google Merchant Center and lets you adjust central settings such as bids, budgets, and campaign status. Advanced Import offers full control to configure every import option and setting individually. Important: not everything transfers 1:1; after the import, a review of the campaigns is necessary (Microsoft Learn, 2025).

Which Campaign and Ad Types Can Be Taken Over From Google Ads?

The Google import covers far more than classic text ads. By default, Microsoft Advertising takes over most campaigns, ads, targets, ad extensions, and settings. According to the Microsoft Advertising Blog (February 2025), the following types can also be imported:

• Performance Max campaigns
• Shopping campaigns including Merchant Center data
• Audience campaigns (Display and Native)

Because individual elements do not transfer identically, you should review the imported campaigns after every import and adjust them to the Microsoft platform (Microsoft Learn, 2025).

What Do Microsoft Ads Cost? Is There a Minimum Budget?

Microsoft Advertising lets you set your own budget. Most formats use a pay-per-click or pay-per-1,000-impressions model, so you only pay on a click or a view, and you can start small and scale (Microsoft Advertising, as of 2026). Microsoft does not name a classic mandatory minimum budget; billing runs through billing thresholds.

Search volume for "bing ads kosten" in Germany is only 20 searches a month (Ahrefs, 2026), so the question of cost is searched far less often than the platform itself. Actual click prices depend on industry, competition, and bid and are, here, non-binding guidance, not a price commitment. For how to plan an advertising budget in general, see our article What Do Google Ads Cost?.

For Whom Does Microsoft Advertising Pay Off Alongside Google Ads?

Microsoft Advertising pays off above all as a second channel that opens up an audience of its own. Three scenarios particularly favor it:

• Additional audience: you reach users you do not cover through Google; Bing counts 1 billion monthly active users (Microsoft Advertising).
• Lower competition: fewer advertisers can mean lower click prices, an effect that fits the observed growth dynamic (eMarketer, 2025, market observation).
• B2B focus: the Microsoft ecosystem lets you address professional audiences, interesting for products that need explaining.

Microsoft Ads makes less sense if your Google account is not yet fully optimized, your budget is very small, or your audience is heavily mobile and outside the Bing ecosystem. In these cases, a cleanly optimized Google campaign usually delivers more impact per euro.

What Is the Best Way to Start: Google Import or Building From Scratch?

For most advertisers, the Google import is the fastest sensible start. If you already have working Google Ads campaigns, you transfer them, using Smart Import you can adjust bids, budgets, and campaign status along the way, and then check bids, keywords, and budgets manually afterward. A complete rebuild only pays off if you want to specifically address Bing-specific audiences in a different way.

A second channel is only worthwhile on a clean foundation, though: well-structured campaigns, clean conversion tracking, and clear goals. That is exactly the foundation we build in our Google Ads management service, and we then transfer the optimized campaigns to Microsoft Advertising via import.

FAQ: Microsoft Ads / Bing Ads

Is Bing Ads now called Microsoft Ads?

Yes. The platform was renamed from Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in 2019. Both terms mean the same advertising system; in Germany, "bing ads" is still searched just as often as "microsoft ads," with 2,800 monthly searches each (Ahrefs, 2026).

Is the Google import free?

Importing Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Advertising is a built-in tool of the platform. Costs only arise from the ads themselves once they run, billed on a pay-per-click or pay-per-1,000-impressions basis (Microsoft Advertising, 2026). The import process is described by Microsoft Learn (2025).

Do ads also run on AI assistants like Copilot?

Microsoft Ads run across the Microsoft Search Network and the Audience Network. Which specific surfaces are currently included can change; the current platform documentation from Microsoft Advertising is authoritative. We deliberately make no claims here beyond the reach figures given above.

How high is the typical CPC on Microsoft Ads?

There is no flat click price; it depends on industry, competition, and bid. Competition on Bing tends to be lower than on Google, which can favor lower click prices. Specific figures are non-binding guidance, not a price commitment.

Do I need a separate account for Microsoft Advertising?

Yes, Microsoft Advertising is its own advertising account. However, during the import you connect it to your Google Ads account via an import credential ID, so campaigns are taken over without a rebuild (Microsoft Learn, 2025).

Which budgets should I take over during the import?

Microsoft lets you adjust budgets during the import, for example 25% higher than the Google budgets via the AdjustmentForCampaignBudgets option (Microsoft Learn, 2025). It makes sense to start with a small budget and scale after evaluating the first data.

Sources

• StatCounter Global Stats, Search Engine Market Share Worldwide, May 2026: gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share
• Microsoft Advertising, "Bing reaches 1 billion users": contenthub.marketing-interactive.com
• Microsoft Advertising, Network for Search (Comscore qSearch, December 2025): about.ads.microsoft.com/en/tools/planning/search-data
• Microsoft Learn, Google Ads Import (Microsoft Advertising API, as of 2025): learn.microsoft.com, google-ads-import
• Microsoft Advertising Blog, Save time and expand reach using the new Google Import (October 2024, Quick/Smart/Advanced Import): about.ads.microsoft.com, New Google Import
• Microsoft Advertising Blog, Unlocking the Power of Google Import Tools (February 2025): about.ads.microsoft.com, Google Import Tools
• Microsoft Advertising, Ad Preview / Get Started (as of 2026): about.ads.microsoft.com/en/tools/planning/ad-preview
• eMarketer, Microsoft ads business growing twice as fast as Google's (2025, market observation): emarketer.com
• Ahrefs Keywords Explorer (as of 2026, country=de), search volume: ahrefs.com/keywords-explorer

Note: this article provides non-binding guidance and is not a quote or price commitment. Click prices, reach, and platform features can change; the current documentation from Microsoft Advertising is authoritative. As of June 2026.