Microsoft Advertising
Search Engine Land is your go-to source for Microsoft Ads news, strategies, and in-depth content. You’ll find a wide range of up-to-date and authoritative resources, including the latest news, tactic-rich tutorials, and the latest data to help you work smarter and make better decisions.
Optimizing your Microsoft Ads campaigns
Microsoft Ads offers unique opportunities to reach high-intent audiences across platforms like Bing, MSN, and the Microsoft Audience Network. This page provides practical advice and insights for optimizing your campaigns, from structuring effective ad groups to leveraging advanced targeting options.
Stay informed on updates to Microsoft’s advertising tools, including AI-powered enhancements, new bidding strategies, and cross-platform integrations. Whether you’re exploring audience targeting, different ad formats, or conversion tracking, you’ll find the guidance you need to make the most of Microsoft’s advertising ecosystem.
What you read here is written by our experienced in-house team, as well as subject matter experts from agencies and top-performing brands leveraging Microsoft’s advertising ecosystem.
Discover how businesses are effectively using Microsoft Ads to tap into unique audiences and improve performance across channels.
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Microsoft Advertising auto-apply recommendations out of beta, advertisers opted in by default
While opting in doesn’t increase your budgets, advertisers should opt out if they don’t want recommendations to apply automatically.
Microsoft Advertising rolls out dynamic descriptions for DSAs, which will become the default starting in April
Advertisers in sensitive verticals will remain opted out of this change for existing campaigns.
Microsoft Advertising nearly doubles available markets with 29 more countries
This update may make Microsoft Advertising more attractive to advertisers that sell products or services internationally.
How marketers can create a holistic search strategy
SEO and PPC teams can empower each other when they work together. At SMX Next, Allison Duvall and Hannah Johnson of Merkle shared how marketers can create holistic search strategies.
Microsoft Advertising launches Cruise Ads
Cruise Ads don’t change the vertical-specific formula for Microsoft Advertising, but the consistency may help PPCs at agencies get them going for different clients.
How marketers can adjust to redefined keyword matching
Keyword matching has changed, but not all campaigns are ready to use them effectively. At SMX Next, Aaron Levy shows how marketers can leverage modern match types.
Microsoft rolls out portfolio bid strategies and automated integration with Google Tag Manager
Advertisers on Microsoft’s platform have two more ways to save time that might otherwise be spent adjusting and configuring their campaigns.
How to win with PPC in a dataless world
There's less data available for PPC marketers, but that doesn't mean it's less actionable. At SMX Next, Sam Tomlinson shows how marketers can make the most of the data they have.
How to produce actionable content throughout the marketing funnel
Too many brands neglect their marketing funnels and miss sales opportunities. At SMX Next, Andrea Cruz shows how marketers can improve their funnels with actionable content.
Microsoft earnings: Search, LinkedIn advertising revenue rise
Advertisers invested more than $3 billion on Microsoft Advertising last quarter, fueling the revenue growth.
Marketers, Google agree that proposed ‘surveillance advertising’ ban goes too far
Legislation like this could be a game-changer for every digital marketer who advertises on Google, Facebook and other advertising platforms.
Microsoft Advertising Shopping campaigns reporting enhancements
Plus Microsoft Audience Network, Similar audiences and in-market audiences have been expanded.
How to automate your ad copy without sacrificing control
Expanded text ads are going away, but they can still help you unlock the potential of RSAs. At SMX Next, Joe Martinez shared how he benchmarks with ETAs to get more out of the automated capabilities of RSAs.
PPC 2021 in review: Privacy and automation force advertisers to adapt
From the deprecation of broad match modified keywords to FLoC to RSAs becoming the default, PPC professionals dealt with a lot of change in 2021.
Microsoft Advertising CVP Rik van der Kooi announces departure
Rob Wilk, vice president at Microsoft Advertising, will step up to lead the platform.
Microsoft Advertising adds Asian-, Latin-, Women-owned and Diabetic-friendly business attributes
The four new business attributes join the 32 Marketing with Purpose business attributes introduced in September.
Microsoft Advertising now supports Spanish language ads in the US
The company also announced Audience Network updates, including support for Video Ads and Feed Ads in the Audience Network Planner and CPM pricing.
The Microsoft Audience Network expands to 18 new markets
Advertisers can now reach more audiences in Europe, Central and South America.
Windows 11 update forces users into Edge, regardless of their default browser
Third-party apps like EdgeDeflector once allowed users to open Start menu searches in their preferred browser, but an upcoming update will eliminate users’ ability to choose.
The Microsoft Audience Network now prohibits gambling, lawsuit, health supplement and end-of-life ads
The updated policy aligns the Microsoft Audience Network with other advertising platforms.
Four new personas are changing how marketers reach and relate to customers, according to Microsoft Advertising
Luxury shoppers, digital nomads, empowered activists and self-care enthusiasts proliferated during the pandemic and may be here to stay.
Microsoft Advertising updates include Smart Shopping campaigns rollout and GTM integration
Microsoft Advertising has said they focus on automating the repetitive tasks of search advertising so that marketers can focus on the creative and strategic endeavors and these features and updates enforce that concept.
Index when? IndexNow, say Bing and Yandex; Tuesday’s daily brief
Plus, industry insights for technical SEOs and the brands that hire them, courtesy of Aira and Women in Tech SEO.
Microsoft Advertising’s Health insurance ads are here in time for open enrollment
Microsoft is keeping the formula the same across its vertical-specific ad types, which may help PPC professionals at agencies more easily get this ad type going for different clients.
Microsoft Advertisers can analyze post-click behavior, analyze engagement with new Clarity integration
The tool helps advertisers better understand post-click user behavior and engagement on landing pages.
Microsoft Advertising: ETA deprecation, auto-generated remarketing lists and Audience Network updates
Microsoft Advertising’s October product updates include aligning with Google Ads’ ETA deprecation timeline, new view-through conversion metrics and more.
Microsoft Advertising’s new Credit card ads continue its streak of vertical-specific products
The new format is rolling out as an open beta to advertisers targeting customers in the U.S. and Canada.
Second annual Search Engine Land Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Search Marketing: Nominations open
We're elated to announce that this year’s awards will include a guest judge, last year’s winner Areej AbuAli.
Incorrect business listings deter 63% of consumers; Thursday’s daily brief
Plus, the Google News app will show non-AMP content and Microsoft Advertising announces optimization score in the Recommendations tab.
Microsoft Ads announces optimization score
The availability of Optimization Score in Microsoft Ads now means advertisers have the option to ensure they understand all of the recommendations and consider options they may not have before.
New pilots from Microsoft Ads and the secret to happiness at work; Wednesday’s daily brief
Plus, B2B tech finally sees the SEO light
Video and vertical-based product ads pilots arrive on Microsoft Audience Network
Disclaimers in ads, third-party integrations with Universal Event Tracking, flexible insertion orders and inline appeals for rejected product offers were also among Microsoft Advertising’s September announcements.
How to write ad copy that actually converts (and 3 major mistakes to avoid)
When testing copy, make it worth testing. Use power words or emotional calls-to-action to really analyze what messaging has a stronger appeal and why.
Three PPC targeting tactics that power every stage of the funnel
"You can make any channel work for you depending on who your prospects are and which channels they use and which targeting options are available across all channels."
A new way to approach your PPC personas: Learning from the sales process to limit waste and accelerate ROI
By splitting your personas into buyer types, you'll have more targeted messaging and higher conversions.
Target impression share bidding, other August changes now available in Microsoft Ads
Other August announcements include new automated extensions, labels for account organization and changes to unified accounts.
Video Extensions in Microsoft Advertising give search marketers opportunity to test video ads in SERPs
Video Extensions give advertisers the opportunity to test new types of visual ads directly in search results.
Microsoft Advertising launches Multimedia Ads beta starting today
Multimedia Ads give search marketers the opportunity to be an exclusive ad type in a SERP and the added visual element will draw more eyes to your ad.
Expanded verticals for Dynamic Remarketing beta and additions to RSAs in Microsoft Advertising
New additions to RSAs mean you can customize campaigns around events and searcher locations.
User experience is the difference between mediocre and next-level search marketing
A positive user experience is the now and the future of helping your target audiences get things done while meeting your marketing KPIs.