How to Get Started with Microsoft Advertising in 2026

Are you ready to take your marketing efforts to the next level? Microsoft Advertising, formerly known as Bing Ads, can be a powerful tool to reach a wider audience and drive more conversions. Many businesses focus solely on Google Ads, but are they missing out on a significant segment of potential customers? Let’s explore how to unlock the potential of this platform.

1. Creating a Microsoft Advertising Account

The first step is, naturally, setting up your account. Head over to the Microsoft Advertising website and click “Sign up now.” You can either use an existing Microsoft account (like Outlook or Xbox) or create a new one specifically for advertising purposes.

During the setup process, you’ll be asked to provide your business information, including your company name, address, and billing details. Make sure this information is accurate and up-to-date, as it will be used for verification and payment processing.

Account Structure: Before you start creating campaigns, understand the account structure. It consists of:

• Account: The highest level, containing all your campaigns and billing information.
• Campaigns: Organized around specific marketing goals or product lines.
• Ad Groups: Within each campaign, ad groups contain a set of related keywords and ads.
• Keywords: The terms you bid on to trigger your ads.
• Ads: The actual text or image ads that users see.

Properly structuring your account from the beginning will make it easier to manage and optimize your campaigns later on. Think about how your business is organized and how your products or services are categorized. This will help you create a logical and effective account structure.

2. Keyword Research for Microsoft Ads

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful search engine marketing campaign. It involves identifying the terms that your target audience is using to search for your products or services.

Tools for Keyword Research:

• Microsoft Keyword Planner: This free tool, built into the Microsoft Advertising platform, provides valuable insights into search volume, competition, and cost-per-click (CPC) estimates.
• Google Keyword Planner: Even though you’re advertising on Microsoft, the Google Keyword Planner can still provide useful data.
• Third-Party Tools: Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer offer more advanced features, such as competitor analysis and keyword difficulty scores.

Types of Keywords:

• Broad Match: Allows your ads to show for searches that are related to your keyword, even if they don’t contain the exact words.
• Broad Match Modifier: Similar to broad match, but requires that certain words be present in the search query. You add a “+” sign before the required words.
• Phrase Match: Shows your ads for searches that include your keyword phrase, with additional words before or after. Enclose the phrase in quotation marks.
• Exact Match: Only shows your ads for searches that exactly match your keyword. Enclose the keyword in square brackets.

Start with a mix of keyword types to test performance and refine your targeting. Monitor your search term reports regularly to identify new keyword opportunities and negative keywords (terms you don’t want your ads to show for).

Based on my experience managing advertising campaigns for several e-commerce clients, using a combination of keyword match types and consistently refining the negative keyword list can reduce wasted ad spend by 15-20%.

3. Crafting Compelling Ad Copy

Your ad copy is what convinces potential customers to click on your ad. It should be clear, concise, and relevant to the keywords you’re targeting.

Key Elements of an Effective Ad:

• Headline: The first line of your ad, and often the most important. It should grab the user’s attention and clearly state the benefit of clicking on your ad.
• Description: Provides more detail about your product or service. Highlight key features, benefits, and unique selling points.
• Display URL: The URL that is displayed in your ad. It should be relevant to the landing page you’re sending users to.
• Call to Action: Tells users what you want them to do, such as “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Get a Free Quote.”

Tips for Writing Effective Ad Copy:

• Use strong verbs and action words.
• Highlight benefits, not just features.
• Include keywords in your ad copy to improve relevance.
• A/B test different ad variations to see what performs best.
• Use ad extensions to provide additional information and improve your ad’s visibility.

Ad Extensions: Ad extensions allow you to add extra information to your ads, such as sitelinks, callouts, and phone numbers. They can improve your ad’s click-through rate (CTR) and provide users with more reasons to click. Some popular ad extensions include:

• Sitelink Extensions: Link to specific pages on your website.
• Callout Extensions: Highlight key features or benefits.
• Call Extensions: Display your phone number in your ad.
• Location Extensions: Show your business address.
• Price Extensions: Display the prices of your products or services.
• Structured Snippet Extensions: Showcase specific aspects of your products or services using predefined categories.

4. Targeting Options in Microsoft Advertising

Microsoft Advertising offers a variety of targeting options to help you reach the right audience. This ensures your ads are shown to people who are most likely to be interested in your products or services.

Location Targeting: Target users based on their geographic location. You can target by country, region, city, or even postal code. This is particularly useful for businesses that serve a local area.

Demographic Targeting: Target users based on their age, gender, and household income. This can be useful for targeting specific demographics with tailored messaging.

Device Targeting: Target users based on the type of device they are using, such as desktop, tablet, or mobile. This allows you to optimize your ads for different screen sizes and user experiences.

Audience Targeting: Target users based on their interests, behaviors, and demographics using audience segments. You can use Microsoft’s predefined audience segments or create your own custom audiences.

Remarketing: Target users who have previously interacted with your website. This is a powerful way to re-engage potential customers and drive conversions. You can create remarketing lists based on specific actions users have taken on your website, such as visiting a particular page or adding an item to their cart.

In-Market Audiences:** Reach users who are actively researching or considering purchasing products or services in a specific category.