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: Search, LinkedIn ad revenue took a big hit due to COVID-19
Search advertising grew by just 1% in the third-quarter of fiscal year 2020. That could spell opportunity for some advertisers.
Why updating your messaging is the best strategy right now [Video]
‘This works, you should be doing this all the time instead of these hard, shove-it-down-their-throat sales tactics.’
Microsoft Advertising UI: What’s new (so far)
Love it or hate it, the double sidebar makes context switching a lot easier as you move between ad accounts or from other search engines.
How working from home has thrown a wrench in campaign targeting [Video]
While working remotely has kept some businesses online, it has also made analytics and cookie data less reliable.
Microsoft Advertising adds cookie-based experiment option
Cookie-based A/B tests will ensure that customers are only shown ads from either your experiment or original campaign.
From the bottom to the top of the funnel, COVID-19 is flipping B2B strategies [Video]
Marketers have an opportunity to try new tactics as clients divert resources to long-term goals.
COVID-19 upheaval is actually speeding up some PPC campaigns [Video]
Less red tape and shifting priorities have resulted in much shorter buying cycles for some B2B businesses, PPC experts say in this clip from Live with Search Engine Land.
Microsoft Advertising adds support for multi-account Google imports
The feature should save advertisers some time when extending their campaigns from Google to Microsoft’s ad platform.
8 ways retailers can move surplus inventory during COVID-19
While these strategies are particularly valuable now, they can be applied any time surplus inventory is an issue.
Microsoft Advertising adds ‘Include in Conversions’, view-through conversion options
The two new conversion goal options offer more flexibility in evaluating and optimizing conversion performance of Search and Audience Network campaigns.
Replay: 8 takeaways for B2B advertisers in the time of COVID-19
B2B marketers are facing particular challenges during this time with disruption to analytics, audiences and ABM programs and supply chains.
Paid search ad copy strategies during coronavirus
Why you should re-examine your PPC ad messaging now.
How to set up a Microsoft Audience ads campaign
LinkedIn profile targeting is really what separates this native ad platform from the rest, which makes this channel a must-try for B2B advertisers.
Desktop search is rising amid the work-from-home surge
Device usage is just one way consumer behavior is changing during the pandemic, says Microsoft Advertising.
Microsoft Advertising expands UI redesign to more pages
Includes a new overview dashboard for Manager accounts. Users can apply for preview access.
Doing a Google import into Microsoft Ads? Here’s what you need to know
There are 4 key differences between the Google and Bing Ads so use this pre- and post-import checklist to make sure everything works correctly.
‘Made in USA’ ad extensions spotted on Bing
The latest automated extension test from Microsoft Advertising.
Conditional IF functions now available in all Microsoft Advertising accounts
Scale expanded text ad messaging by device or audience -- works with Google import, too.
Filter, sort, bulk manage product groups in Microsoft Shopping soon
Scripts are also coming to Shopping campaigns in Microsoft Advertising.
Microsoft Advertising to deprecate average position after all
The change brings position reporting in line with Google Ads.
Responsive search ads available globally in all Microsoft Advertising interfaces
Microsoft recommends running up to five ads per ad group, including at least one RSA.
Microsoft Advertising’s PromoteIQ integration for retailers, brands is now in beta
The on-site search product Microsoft Bing for Commerce is also becoming available to retailers.
Standard text ads will live on a bit longer, Microsoft Advertising says
The company announced a three-month reprieve for advertisers still holding on.
Microsoft Advertising launches sweepstakes for advertisers
Entries are open for agencies in the U.S., Canada (excluding Quebec), U.K., Ireland, Netherlands and Germany.
The big PPC shifts of 2019 that will shape how we market in 2020
Automation, full-funnel campaigns, shoppable ads and privacy fueled paid search changes in 2019.
The PPC changes that bugged and elated marketers most in 2019: An unscientific poll
Close variants changes and poor customer support topped the list of grievances this year.
Last-minute paid search tactics, management tips for Black Friday, Cyber Monday success
Keep your cool this holiday weekend knowing your campaigns are in top shape.
Redesigned Microsoft Advertising Editor now available
The new look comes with additional feature support.
E-commerce ad spend on search and social product ads keeps growing
Product ad spend growth on social outpaced search in the third quarter, Kenshoo reports.
Microsoft search, LinkedIn revenue growth remains slower than a year ago
Cloud helped the company beat expectations with overall revenues of $33.1 billion in the first fiscal quarter of 2020.
Microsoft Advertising unveils interface redesign
The new user experience brings it in line with Google Ads.
3 ways to take back control from PPC automations
When Google and the engines automate PPC tasks, you can still remain in control with "automation layering."
Microsoft betas for account hierarchies, sharing UET tags and remarketing lists across accounts now open to all
In addition, all advertisers will now automatically start with manager accounts.
Microsoft Advertising will also deprecate accelerated delivery
The option to have ads delivered as early and often as possible will go away next month.
Shopify Marketing now integrates with Microsoft Advertising
With the latest integration, merchants can run search campaigns across the Microsoft network within the e-commerce platform.
Microsoft Advertising’s product, similar audiences now available to more advertisers
The retargeting and prospecting audience solutions are now in open beta.
You can’t advertise that: The big list of prohibited ads across social and search platforms
To get ads approved in a timely manner, brands need to know what content is allowed, what’s restricted and what’s prohibited. we put together this cheat sheet to help.
The 4 optimization techniques from Google you can use with Amazon Ads today
Amazon ads are surprisingly easy to master for anyone who’s familiar managing Google Ads and tools can streamline best-practice optimizations.
Now you can easily find negative keyword conflicts in Microsoft Advertising Shopping campaigns
Get a better view into product negative keyword conflicts in your Shopping campaigns.
Microsoft opens responsive search ads beta to all advertisers
The automated text ad format is on track to become the new standard.