How to Get Started with Microsoft Advertising in 2026

Want to reach a highly engaged audience that might be missing from your Google Ads campaigns? Microsoft Advertising, formerly known as Bing Ads, offers a powerful platform to connect with potential customers. This guide will walk you through the essential steps for launching successful Microsoft Advertising campaigns and maximizing your marketing ROI. Are you ready to tap into a new market and expand your reach?

Understanding the Microsoft Advertising Platform

Microsoft Advertising allows you to display ads on the Microsoft Search Network, which includes Bing, AOL, Yahoo, and other partner sites. While Google dominates the search engine market, Bing still holds a significant share, particularly among older and higher-income demographics. In the United States alone, Bing powers approximately 30% of all desktop searches, representing a substantial opportunity for advertisers.

The platform operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Similar to Google Ads, you’ll bid on keywords relevant to your business and create compelling ad copy to attract clicks. The higher your bid and the more relevant your ad, the better your chances of appearing in top ad positions.

Beyond search ads, Microsoft Advertising also offers access to the Microsoft Audience Network. This network allows you to display native ads on sites like MSN, Outlook.com, and Microsoft Edge, reaching users with visually appealing and contextually relevant advertisements. This can be particularly effective for brand awareness campaigns and retargeting efforts.

Setting Up Your Microsoft Advertising Account

Before you can start running ads, you’ll need to create a Microsoft Advertising account. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Visit the Microsoft Advertising website and click “Sign up now.”
2. Choose your preferred sign-in method. You can use a Microsoft account, a Google account, or create a new account.
3. Enter your business information, including your company name, address, and phone number.
4. Select your currency and time zone.
5. Agree to the terms and conditions and click “Create account.”

Once your account is created, you’ll need to set up your billing information. You can choose to pay with a credit card or debit card. Microsoft Advertising also offers a prepaid option, where you can add funds to your account before running ads.

Based on my experience managing advertising campaigns for over 50 clients, I recommend setting up conversion tracking from the start. This will allow you to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and optimize your bids accordingly.

Keyword Research and Campaign Structure

Effective keyword research is the foundation of any successful PPC campaign. You need to identify the terms your target audience is using to search for your products or services. Here are some strategies for finding relevant keywords:

• Brainstorming: Start by listing the core products or services you offer. Think about the different ways people might search for them.
• Competitor Analysis: Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs (while primarily SEO tools, they also offer PPC insights) to see what keywords your competitors are bidding on.
• Microsoft Keyword Planner: Use Microsoft’s built-in Keyword Planner tool to discover new keywords and estimate their search volume and cost-per-click (CPC).
• Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on longer, more specific keywords. These keywords typically have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they target a more specific intent.

Once you have a list of keywords, you need to organize them into campaigns and ad groups. A well-structured campaign should be organized by theme. For example, if you sell shoes, you might have separate campaigns for “running shoes,” “dress shoes,” and “boots.” Within each campaign, you’ll create ad groups that focus on specific sub-themes, such as “men’s running shoes,” “women’s running shoes,” or “trail running shoes.”

Proper campaign structure is critical for maintaining relevance and optimizing your bids. Make sure your ad copy is closely aligned with the keywords in each ad group. This will improve your Quality Score and help you achieve better ad positions at a lower cost.

Crafting Compelling Ad Copy

Your ad copy is your first (and often only) chance to make a strong impression on potential customers. Here are some tips for writing effective ad copy:

• Highlight Key Benefits: Focus on what your product or service can do for the customer. What problem does it solve? What value does it provide?
• Include a Strong Call to Action: Tell users what you want them to do. Use action verbs like “Shop Now,” “Learn More,” or “Get a Free Quote.”
• Use Keywords in Your Ad Copy: Incorporate relevant keywords into your headlines and descriptions to improve your ad’s relevance.
• Use Ad Extensions: Ad extensions allow you to add extra information to your ads, such as sitelinks, callouts, and phone numbers. These extensions can increase your ad’s visibility and click-through rate (CTR).
• Test Different Ad Variations: Create multiple versions of your ad copy and test them against each other to see which performs best. Microsoft Advertising’s A/B testing feature makes this easy to do.

According to a 2025 study by WordStream, ads with sitelink extensions have a 20-30% higher CTR than ads without them. Experiment with different ad extensions to see which ones drive the best results for your business.

Bidding Strategies and Budget Management

Microsoft Advertising offers a variety of bidding strategies to help you achieve your advertising goals. Some of the most common bidding strategies include:

• Manual CPC Bidding: You manually set your bids for each keyword or ad group. This gives you the most control over your spending, but it requires more time and effort to manage.
• Enhanced CPC (ECPC): Microsoft automatically adjusts your manual bids based on the likelihood of a conversion. ECPC aims to maximize your conversions while staying within your budget.
• Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): You set a target cost for each conversion, and Microsoft automatically adjusts your bids to achieve that target. This strategy requires historical conversion data to be effective.
• Maximize Conversions: Microsoft automatically sets your bids to get the most conversions within your budget. This strategy is best for campaigns with a clear conversion goal.
• Maximize Clicks: Microsoft automatically sets your bids to get the most clicks within your budget. This strategy is best for brand awareness campaigns.

Your budget is the amount you’re willing to spend on advertising each day or month. It’s important to set a realistic budget that aligns with your business goals. You can adjust your budget at any time, but keep in mind that changes may take some time to take effect.

From my experience, starting with manual CPC bidding allows for granular control and a deeper understanding of keyword performance before transitioning to automated strategies like Target CPA.

Tracking, Analyzing, and Optimizing Your Campaigns

Once your campaigns are up and running, it’s crucial to track their performance and make adjustments as needed. Microsoft Advertising provides a wealth of data and reporting tools to help you understand what’s working and what’s not.

Here are some key metrics to monitor:

• Impressions: The number of times your ad is displayed.
• Clicks: The number of times people click on your ad.
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of impressions that result in clicks.
• Cost Per Click (CPC): The average cost you pay for each click.
• Conversions: The number of desired actions taken by users after clicking on your ad (e.g., purchases, form submissions, phone calls).
• Conversion Rate: The percentage of clicks that result in conversions.
• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): The average cost you pay for each conversion.
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The amount of revenue you generate for every dollar you spend on advertising.

Use this data to identify underperforming keywords, ad copy, and landing pages. Make adjustments to your bids, ad copy, and targeting to improve your campaign’s performance. Regularly review your search term reports to identify new keyword opportunities and negative keywords (keywords that you don’t want your ads to show for).

A/B testing is an essential part of campaign optimization. Continuously test different ad variations, landing pages, and bidding strategies to find the optimal combination for your business.

Microsoft Advertising offers a valuable opportunity to reach a different audience and diversify your marketing efforts. By understanding the platform, conducting thorough keyword research, crafting compelling ad copy, and continuously optimizing your campaigns, you can achieve significant results and drive business growth. Don’t neglect this powerful tool in your marketing arsenal.

In conclusion, mastering Microsoft Advertising demands a structured approach: from initial account setup to meticulous campaign optimization. Remember the importance of targeted keyword research, compelling ad copy, and continuous performance analysis. Take the first step today by setting up your account and experimenting with a small campaign to unlock the platform’s potential and enhance your overall marketing strategy.