What Is a Bing Ads Agency? Everything Businesses Need to Know Before Hiring One

A bing ads agency manages paid advertising campaigns on Microsoft Advertising  the platform formerly known as Bing Ads on behalf of businesses. They handle strategy, setup, day-to-day management, and reporting so you don't have to.

What Is a Bing Ads Agency?

Microsoft rebranded Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in 2019, but the term "Bing Ads" still gets used widely and both refer to the same thing.

According to Wikipedia, Microsoft Advertising is an online advertising platform where advertisers bid to display ads to web users, covering pay-per-click advertising across Bing, Yahoo, and partner networks.

So when someone searches for a bing ads agency, they're looking for professionals who manage paid campaigns on that platform.

These agencies place ads across Bing search results, MSN, Outlook, Yahoo, and a network of partner sites collectively called the Microsoft Search Network. That's a wider reach than most people assume when they hear "Bing."

What's often overlooked is that Microsoft Advertising isn't a stripped-down version of Google Ads. It has its own campaign types, bidding logic, audience targeting tools, and AI-assisted features. Managing it well takes specific platform knowledge, not just general PPC experience.

Also Read: growthscribe marketing agency

Bing Ads Agency vs. Bing Ads Consultant — What's the Difference?

These two get confused regularly, and the distinction matters when you're deciding what kind of help you need.

A bing ads agency takes full ownership of your campaigns. They handle everything  strategy, setup, copywriting, optimization, and reporting. You hand over the work; they run it.

A Bing Ads consultant plays an advisory role. They audit your account, identify problems, suggest improvements, and guide your team but your team does the execution.

It's a lighter engagement, usually suited to businesses that have some in-house PPC capability but want expert input.

Neither is universally better. It depends on how much internal resource you have and how hands-on you want to be.

What Does a Bing Ads Agency Actually Do?

This is where a lot of agency websites get vague. "We manage your campaigns" doesn't tell you much.

In practice, a competent Microsoft Advertising agency handles a specific set of tasks that, taken together, determine whether your ad spend works or wastes.

Core Services a Bing Ads Agency Typically Provides

Keyword research and match-type strategy — identifying which search terms your audience actually uses, and structuring campaigns around those terms with appropriate match types (broad, phrase, exact).

Campaign setup and account structure — building campaigns in a logical way that makes optimization easier down the line. Poor structure early on causes problems that compound over time.

Ad copywriting — writing headlines and descriptions that earn clicks from the right people. Not just creative writing — copy that aligns with search intent.

Bid management — adjusting how much you pay per click based on performance data, time of day, device type, and audience signals. In practice, this is where a lot of budget gets saved or wasted.

Audience segmentation — Microsoft Advertising allows targeting based on LinkedIn profile data, including job title, industry, and company size. This is genuinely distinctive from Google Ads and particularly useful for B2B campaigns.

Conversion tracking setup — making sure the right actions (purchases, form fills, calls) are being tracked accurately. Without this, optimization is guesswork.

Ongoing testing and optimization — running A/B tests on ad copy, landing pages, and targeting parameters. Campaigns degrade without this.

Reporting — translating performance data into something readable and actionable, not just dumping raw numbers into a spreadsheet.

Also Read: zuhio keyword count checker

What the Microsoft Advertising Platform Covers

Beyond standard search ads, the platform now includes Shopping ads, Display ads, Video and CTV (connected TV) ads, and Performance Max campaigns. Microsoft Advertising also integrates with Copilot, its AI tool, which assists with generating ad copy and images.

The Microsoft Search Network which includes Bing, MSN, Yahoo, AOL, and partner sites  reaches a meaningful portion of search traffic that Google doesn't capture.

In the US, Microsoft Advertising accounts for roughly 8–10% of search market share. Smaller than Google, yes. But in competitive industries, that untapped volume can be significant.

Microsoft Advertising vs. Google Ads — A Factual Comparison

This comparison comes up constantly, and it usually gets oversimplified. "Bing is cheaper than Google" is technically true in many cases but it's not the whole picture.

Key Differences Between the Two Platforms

According to data from Statista, Bing held approximately 7.5% of the US search market as of April 2025 a figure that underscores both its reach and the gap with Google's dominant position.

Factor

Microsoft Advertising

Google Ads

Search market share (US)

~7.5–8%

~88–90%

Average CPC

Generally lower

Generally higher

Advertiser competition

Lower

Higher

Unique targeting feature

LinkedIn profile targeting

Demographic & interest targeting

Network reach

Bing, MSN, Yahoo, AOL, partner sites

Google Search, YouTube, GDN

AI tools

Copilot

Google AI / Performance Max

Audience profile

Older demographics, professionals, desktop users

Broader consumer reach

Best fit

B2B, Finance, Healthcare, Real Estate

Broad consumer, eCommerce, mobile-first

Why Lower Competition on Bing Matters

Fewer advertisers competing for the same keywords means lower cost-per-click in many verticals.

But this varies considerably by industry. In some niches, competition on Bing is nearly as intense as Google. It's not a universal discount.

What's more accurate to say: Microsoft Advertising tends to complement Google Ads rather than replace it.

Most businesses running Bing PPC agency-managed campaigns are already on Google  they're adding Microsoft Advertising to extend reach and find efficiencies their Google campaigns can't offer.

Do You Actually Need a Bing Ads Agency?

Honestly not always. And most agency websites won't tell you that.

When Hiring a Bing Ads Agency Makes Sense

  • Your monthly ad spend is high enough that poor optimization has real financial consequences
  • You're running campaigns across multiple platforms simultaneously and don't have the bandwidth
  • You're a B2B business that wants to use LinkedIn-integrated audience targeting — a genuinely technical feature to set up correctly
  • You've tried managing Microsoft Ads in-house and seen underwhelming results without being sure why
  • You need detailed attribution reporting across channels

Teams commonly report that the complexity of managing multiple campaign types search, shopping, display  across both Google and Microsoft simultaneously is where in-house management breaks down. It's not that it's impossible; it's a time and expertise constraint.

When Self-Management May Be Sufficient

  • You have a small budget (under $1,000/month in ad spend) and a simple campaign structure
  • You already have solid PPC knowledge and just need to transfer Google Ads campaigns to Microsoft Advertising (the platform has an import tool for this)
  • You're in an exploratory phase and want to test the platform before committing to agency fees

At lower spend levels, agency management fees can eat into budget disproportionately. That's a real trade-off worth acknowledging.

Industries That Get the Most Value from Microsoft Advertising

Bing's audience skews older, more educated, higher-income, and desktop-heavy compared to Google's. That's not a weakness for certain industries, it's exactly the right audience.

Industry

Why Microsoft Advertising Works Well

Finance & Insurance

High-intent users; strong B2B presence across Microsoft's ecosystem

Healthcare

Older demographics actively searching for medical information and services

Real Estate

Desktop-heavy research behaviour aligns with Bing's core user base

eCommerce

Bing Shopping Ads offer product visibility at lower average CPC

Education

Students and professionals using Microsoft platforms for research

Travel & Hospitality

Broad search intent captured across the Microsoft Search Network

B2B / SaaS

LinkedIn profile targeting enables precise professional audience segmentation

Interestingly, B2B companies often see stronger performance on Microsoft Advertising than they expect, specifically because of the LinkedIn targeting integration.

Reaching someone by job title or company size inside a search ad not just a social feed  is a capability Google Ads doesn't offer in the same way.

How to Choose a Bing Ads Agency — What to Actually Check

This is the section most agencies don't want you to read carefully. The checklist below is based on what actually separates a capable agency from one that looks good on a website.

Credentials and Certification

Microsoft runs a Partner Program for agencies. A Microsoft Advertising Partner badge means the agency has met certain performance and certification thresholds.

It's worth checking — but treat it as a baseline, not a guarantee of quality. Vertical-specific experience and transparent reporting matter more in practice.

You can verify partner status through Microsoft's official partner directory.

Questions to Ask Before Signing

  • Who owns the ad account — the agency or your business? (You should always own it.)
  • How often will you receive reports, and what will they include?
  • Do they manage Microsoft Advertising campaigns exclusively, or as part of a wider PPC mix?
  • How do they handle a campaign that's underperforming after 60–90 days?
  • What does their onboarding process look like, and how long before campaigns go live?

Red Flags to Watch For

  • Any agency guaranteeing specific CTR, CPA, or ROAS figures upfront — no one can guarantee ad performance
  • Agencies that retain ownership of your ad account — if you leave, you lose your data and history
  • Vague or infrequent reporting with no clear explanation of what's working and what isn't
  • No disclosed fee structure — some agencies bundle management fees inside ad spend without clear separation

Agency Evaluation Checklist

Evaluation Criterion

What to Look For

Microsoft Partner certification

Verify through Microsoft's partner directory

Account ownership

Client must own the ad account at all times

Reporting frequency

Monthly at minimum; weekly for active or high-spend campaigns

Fee transparency

Clear split between management fee and ad spend

Industry experience

Ask for case studies specific to your sector

Point of contact

Named contact with defined response times

Realistic projections

No guaranteed performance metrics in the contract

Also Read: growthscribe marketing agency

What Does a Bing Ads Agency Cost?

No competitor addresses this directly. That's a gap worth filling because pricing confusion leads businesses to either overpay or dismiss agencies without proper evaluation.

Common Pricing Models

Pricing Model

How It Works

Best Fit

Percentage of ad spend

Agency charges 10–20% of monthly budget

Businesses with growing or larger budgets

Flat monthly retainer

Fixed fee regardless of spend level

Businesses with stable, predictable budgets

Performance-based

Fee tied to leads, conversions, or ROAS targets

Campaigns with clearly defined KPIs

Hourly consulting

Charged per hour of work completed

One-off audits or strategy sessions

What Affects the Price

Pricing varies based on campaign complexity, how many ad formats are running (search, shopping, display), geographic scope, and how detailed the reporting requirements are.

An agency managing a single search campaign for a local business will cost considerably less than one running multi-format, multi-region campaigns for a national brand.

In practice, most mid-market businesses working with a Microsoft Advertising agency pay a flat retainer or a percentage model with total costs (management fee plus ad spend) typically starting from around $1,500–$3,000 per month at the lower end for meaningful campaigns.

This varies significantly by market and agency.

Also Read: advertise feedbuzzard

How to Measure Whether Your Bing Ads Agency Is Doing Its Job

Having an agency run your campaigns doesn't mean stepping back entirely. You should be reviewing performance regularly and you should know what to look at.

Key Performance Metrics to Track

Metric

What It Measures

Why It Matters

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

% of impressions that result in a click

Reflects ad relevance and copy quality

Cost Per Click (CPC)

Average cost per click

Shows bid efficiency and competition level

Conversion Rate

% of clicks completing a desired action

Core measure of campaign effectiveness

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

Total spend ÷ total conversions

Determines whether campaigns are profitable

Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

Revenue generated per dollar spent

Overall financial efficiency of campaigns

Impression Share

% of eligible impressions your ads received

Reveals missed reach and budget constraints

Quality Score

Platform rating of ad relevance

Affects CPC and ad ranking position

What Good Reporting Actually Looks Like

A capable Microsoft Advertising agency doesn't just send you a PDF of numbers. Good reporting explains what changed, why it changed, and what the plan is for the next period.

If a campaign underperformed, the report should say so directly with a reason and a proposed adjustment.

What's often overlooked is the difference between vanity metrics (impressions, clicks) and business metrics (CPA, ROAS).

If your agency reports heavily on impressions and lightly on conversions, that's worth questioning.

Conclusion

A bing ads agency manages your Microsoft Advertising campaigns so your ad budget works harder with less guesswork. Whether you need full management or light consultancy depends on your budget, internal capability, and campaign complexity.

Evaluate agencies on account ownership, reporting transparency, and realistic projections not sales language.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Bing Ads still called Bing Ads?

No. Microsoft rebranded Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in 2019. The term "Bing Ads" is still widely used and understood, but the official platform name is Microsoft Advertising.

How long does it take to see results from Microsoft Advertising?

Initial data typically comes within the first 2–4 weeks. Meaningful optimization usually takes 60–90 days as the platform gathers enough data to refine targeting and bidding.

Can a Bing Ads agency also manage Google Ads campaigns?

Many do. Most PPC agencies manage both platforms. If you want integrated management across Google and Microsoft Advertising, confirm this during the initial conversation.

What is the minimum budget to start with Microsoft Advertising?

Microsoft Advertising has no minimum spend requirement. In practice, campaigns under $500/month generate limited data and are harder to optimize effectively.

Does Microsoft Advertising work for small businesses?

It can particularly for local businesses in sectors like healthcare, legal, or home services where search intent is high and competition on Bing is lower than Google.

Kartik Ahuja

Kartik Ahuja

Kartik is a 3x Founder, CEO & CFO. He has helped companies grow massively with his fine-tuned and custom marketing strategies.

Kartik specializes in scalable marketing systems, startup growth, and financial strategy. He has helped businesses acquire customers, optimize funnels, and maximize profitability using high-ROI frameworks.

His expertise spans technology, finance, and business scaling, with a strong focus on growth strategies for startups and emerging brands.

Passionate about investing, financial models, and efficient global travel, his insights have been featured in BBC, Bloomberg, Yahoo, DailyMail, Vice, American Express, GoDaddy, and more.

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