It’s easy to think of pay-per-click (PPC) search-based advertising as a one-horse race. Whether in the paid or organic segment, it’s even strikingly common for marketers to use the terms “Google” and “search” almost interchangeably. While Google Ads has an overwhelmingly large market share in paid search, there are other players, including Bing Ads.
The Microsoft-backed platform is similar to Google’s offering in many core respects. It offers auctions for placement on search results pages on a PPC basis. Advertisers also have access to similar research and analytics tools to help launch and refine campaigns. In fact, Bing Ads even offers the option to import data from Google Ads accounts.
If you’re wondering which platform is right for you and your organization, or how to effectively balance resources between the two, we’re here to help. Understanding some of the key differences between Bing Ads and Google Ads can help you make a more informed marketing decision.
Differentiators for Bing Ads versus Google Ads
Here are three of the biggest factors to consider when allocating advertising spend between these two platforms:
- Reach — Google may seem to have the biggest advantage here, with its absolute domination of search and far greater volume. However, Bing Ads encompasses the Yahoo and AOL search engines in addition to Bing. While there are fewer eyes overall, there are still millions of users that use one of these search engines exclusively, meaning you can’t reach them through Google Ads.
- Cost — Since there is less competition for clicks, there are many cases where Bing Ads can offer the opportunity for a more cost-effective campaign that can still reach a wide audience. However, depending on the area, Google Ads tends to offer higher click-through rates and higher overall traffic.
- Demographics — According to research, Google Ads tends to reach a younger overall audience while Bing Ads tends to skew toward older users. Therefore, advertisers may want to adjust spend accordingly if they are trying to reach a specific age.
There are many complexities to PPC advertising, and answers often only start to come with extensive research and analysis of data. In most cases, companies that only have the time and resources to focus on one platform will choose Google Ads, and it will continue to be the industry leader for the foreseeable future. However, a diverse PPC search portfolio can and should include Bing Ads.
Burg & Co. Marketing offers sound PPC advice
If you’re looking to take your digital ad campaigns to the next level and seamlessly integrate it with your search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing strategies, turn to the experts at Burg & Co. We’re happy to help you schedule a free marketing consultation to determine how we can help. Contact us today to learn more.
