Bing bang! Microsoft Ads VS your traffic sources and what about ChatGPT and Xbox

Separating traffic sources is always a smart strategy. And if someone ignored it, then it will no longer work. It seems that Facebook decided to “take the initiative into its own hands” and push affiliates to look for additional sources. Recently, working with an odious social network creates more and more difficulties. It's time to look at other methods! How about search engines? And we are not talking about Google at all, but about the much less “pop” Bing (Microsoft) Ads.

The Bing search engine is ranked 2nd in the list of the most popular search sites in terms of traffic. The search engine works on the same principle and provides the same services as others (search on the Internet, videos, images and maps), but has unique features. Bing is owned and operated by Microsoft.

Bing Ad Features:

• There is less competition, and the cost per click and the final CPA are usually lower than in other sources;
• Allows you to reach 200 million Windows users, including 50 million people who are not covered by Google;
• 71% of the audience is over 35;
• 54% of Bing users have income above $75,000. In addition, according to Comscore qSearch, Microsoft users spend 25% more online than other Internet users;
• CTR on shopping ads on Bing is 45% higher than on Google
• Search results are displayed on one page (instead of scrolling through multiple pages).

According to some estimates, real estate ads on Bing convert twice as much as on Google and cost four times less. 

It can be concluded that Bing Ads largely repeats and inherits advertising on Google. But it allows you to attract additional traffic, beat the competition and get the benefits of additional sites. 

Bing will be useful for those who are interested in traffic in US and European GEO. 

And here's another trick from Microsoft: the corporation has filed a patent application for a way to monetize games using personalized in-game advertising. Simply put, this means showing ads right during the gameplay, in the context of the game world. Ads likely to be introduced into shareware games on Xbox.

ChatGPT integration with Bing

While Google just announced its own analog of ChatGPT, Microsoft added artificial intelligence models to the Bing search engine in February 2023.

The search box has become similar to Twitter or Facebook and now offers to ask the system a question.

The results are displayed differently. On the left, there is a column with typical "answers", and on the right, there is a chat window where you can "talk" with artificial intelligence.

Microsoft has embarked on a "multi-year, multi-billion dollar" partnership and investment in OpenAI, and announced plans to include ChatGPT and DALL-E imaging capabilities in its Office suite. The addition of ChatGPT to the search engine means that Bing will be able to respond to a request for an essay on a topic and refine the answer in response to further queries, rather than just returning a list of links. This version of the AI Chat is also informed about current events, unlike the standard ChatGPT, which was trained on 2021 data.

Bloomberg writes that the tasks of “artificially intelligent” Bing are limited to planning a travel route or food system according to given parameters. What about advertising?

While Microsoft is very cautious about introducing neural network capabilities, it would be simply irrational to completely exclude them from Bing Ads. Apparently, we can count on quick updates (in the commercial race, there is no time for long preparations). If at that time you use Bing Ads, you will find yourself in the progressive vanguard, which promises advantages over competitors with other traffic sources. In the meantime, you can tune in by reading our article about neural networks in arbitration and their prospects.

And here's another argument that makes Microsoft Ads more attractive:

The main domain bing.com attracted 30.3 million visits on February 7, 2023. By Wednesday, February 8, it had grown to 31.7 million. This is 15% higher than the average daily volume over the past six months, which Similarweb estimates was around 27.5 million daily visits.

Launching and setting up Bing Ads

Microsoft offers smart campaigns (similar to Google Adwords Express) with a simple interface. 

1. First, go to ads.microsoft.com and create an account.
2. Further, everything is elementary simple and obvious.
3. The optimal parameters for promotion are chosen almost by themselves. But, like any simplification, this approach takes control from the PPC specialist and does not provide customization options.
4. Detailed settings (display time, gender, age, devices, etc.) can be set after creating an advertising campaign.

Please note!!! Specify the language immediately. It must correspond to the region in which advertising campaigns are displayed and the language in which advertising materials are written. Microsoft Ads blocks ads if they don't match. 

The principle of running shopping ads (Microsoft Shopping Campaigns) is also simple. In the Microsoft Merchant Center, you register a business and create a product feed. The advertising campaign for products is created in the Microsoft advertising account, where the basic settings are also set. 

If you already have Google Ads or Facebook Ads campaigns, you can import them into Bing, which means that setting up will take a minimum of time and effort.

But if you have enough time, it is better not to import the finished one, but to create a new campaign. Because the "reputation" of the original campaign can affect Bing's.

Firstly, if Google on its side rejects ads or blocks the account, then Bing can unilaterally block the account immediately, and it will be possible to restore it only through support.

Secondly, some ad formats in Google Ads do not meet the requirements of Microsoft Ads and still need to be configured manually.

Finally, importing a ready-made advertising campaign makes it difficult to set up bids. It's better to do everything manually so you can manage your bid strategies for each campaign separately from your Google bid strategy settings. 

Types of advertising in Bing Ads

With ad types, Microsoft hasn't reinvented the wheel either. All these formats are familiar to us:

• Expanded Text Ads.  The most basic and typical PPC type of ads, include Title up to 30 characters each, Ad Text up to 90 characters each, and URL.
• Responsive Search Ads. All ll you need to do is fetch Microsoft 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Once you do, Microsoft will test different combinations and identify and report the best-performing ones.
• Product Ads. Include: Custom image, Headline, Pricing, and Seller Details. These details are automatically fetched from product catalogs.
• Multimedia Ads. Bing places these ads on publisher websites. Microsoft will mix and match the most optimal combinations of descriptions, headlines, and images.
• Microsoft Audience Ads. A native advertisement that Microsoft places on the articles that are published by websites in Microsoft Audience Network.
• Microsoft Advertising in Bing Smart Search. Whenever your audience uses the search bar on their Windows computer to look up something, they’ll see your ad. 
• Dynamic Search Ads. Microsoft will automatically scan the content of your web pages, and based on the specific pages, website categories, and other factors, your ads will be put in front of your audience.
• App Install Ads take your audience to your application page on App Store or Play Store.

By the way, please note: some features are only available in the US, UK, Australia, France, Germany, India, and Canada (only in English, except for Quebec). Just keep this in mind when choosing a geo.

Creatives for Bing Ads

Creatives for Microsoft Ads are subject to two conditions:

1. ad format (text, adaptive, smart — their elements are described in the section above);
2. Microsoft Advertising rules (standard restrictions for advertising, similar to Facebook or Google policies).

If you transfer an advertising campaign to Bing from another platform, then the creatives tested there are likely to be accepted here as well.

Things to consider in Nutra’s “adult” creatives:

• Nudity is prohibited, except nudity on landing pages.
• Sexual images are generally prohibited.
• Images focusing on or showing cleavage, genitals, buttocks, and female nipples are not allowed.

A bit of bare skin is allowed, provided that:

• The image is directly related to the promoted product.
• All intimate parts (such as breasts and genitals) are covered with clothing.

All restrictions are listed on the Disallowed content page.

Bing Ads for Nutra

To understand how good Bing Ads is for Nutra offers, let's look at the target audience.

• GEO - Europe, China and the USA. The largest traffic to bing.com comes from China, followed by traffic from the United States.
• There are twice as many men as women.
• The lion's share of the audience is the average active age.

Bing allows advertisers to reach an older and more educated audience. As the pie chart shows, almost 40% of the Bing Network ranges from 35 to 54 years old, and nearly three-quarters of Bing users are over the age of 35 (Instapage).

In European and American companies, where computer equipment is purchased officially for all employees, including Windows OS with a software package, only licensed software is used. And the older generation tends to buy a “ready-made” computer or laptop with a search engine installed, and remains on Bing, not bothering with downloading and installing other browsers. This is how a large audience of people is formed, who, due to their age and lifestyle, are interested in health and personal care products.

Campaign budgets vary by industry and by the advertiser, but independent estimates show that Bing only spends 20-35% of an AdWords campaign equivalent:

This is quite realistic because Bing PPC has much less competition for advertisers' bids. So clicks are cheaper and advertisers get more for every dollar spent.

Please note: Advertisements for pharmaceutical, healthcare, and health and wellness products and services must comply with GEO regulations and local laws, including maintaining up-to-date certification for the markets in which they are advertised, if applicable.

A fly in the ointment

Each traffic source has its drawbacks. Bing Ads has:

• No automatic betting strategy. You need to specify the bid per click manually or select the goal: optimizing pay per conversion or getting the maximum clicks.
• You can't run video ads and in-app videos here.
• The audience is smaller than on Google.

Bing doesn't have a "special" audience that you can't find anywhere else (like teens on TikTok or geeks on Reddit, for example).

However, if you take into account these features and properly set up your ads, Bing Ads will show all the benefits that we talked about in the sections above.

Google vs. Bing

Google vs. Bing is a meme about the difference in search engine results between Google and Bing. The reason was that Bing almost does not filter content that is prohibited by law and can harm a person. 

Instead of conclusions

Bing Ads is a good source of traffic if you want to be stronger/higher/faster and smarter than your competitors. There is a slightly different audience compared to Google and Facebook.

Most US and European companies use Microsoft as their operating system, which is why Bing is set as the default browser search engine on many devices. Advertisers placing ads through Bing Ads benefit from this setup. In addition, Microsoft has many of its own channels (Bing, Yahoo!, AOL, MSN, Outlook.com, Microsoft Edge, Xbox and partner sites). 

Therefore, Bing Ads can attract traffic that does not appear in Google Search, as well as provide additional reach through the Microsoft Display Network. 

In the meantime, we continue to find the best offers, sources, and ideas for you. Aff1.com managers are always in touch and ready to share their experience!