Marvel vs DC. Red Vines vs Twizzlers. Baseball vs Football. We're all in two camps about something or other!
This rivalry also applies to Google and Bing's respective pay-per-click (PPC) platforms too.
Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising (formerly known as Bing Ads) have both been around for several years. Both PPC platforms allow businesses to promote their products and services across the two different search engines. Many PPC specialists prefer one platform to the other.
The question needs to be asked… which advertising platform is the best one? Let's take a look.
Google Ads is bigger, but Microsoft Advertising is wider
If you ask people which search engine they prefer, they are likely to say Google. In fact, nearly 82% of desktop search engine results come from Google!
However, Microsoft Advertising allows you to advertise across three different search engines – Bing, Yahoo, and AOL. Even though it is smaller than Google, Microsoft Ads still reach 63 million people worldwide!
Google Ads is more generalist, but Microsoft Advertising is more niche
Did you know that Bing has a higher click-through rate than Google for shopping and financial services? This is because search engines like Yahoo have a very strong focus on economic and financial news.
This means that if you focus on a particular industry, you may get better returns and more focused targeting from Microsoft Advertising.
Google Ads appeals to a broader range of people, but Microsoft Advertising is good for an older audience
If your target audience is millennials, you may not get a lot of benefit from Microsoft Advertising. However, many Bing users are in their forties and fifties.
As Bing users are older, they are also more likely to have a household income of $100,000 or more. This makes Microsoft Advertising a potentially lucrative option if you are selling high-value products like cars or houses.
Microsoft Advertising can be cheaper
Microsoft Advertising is generally more cost-effective than Google. This is because fewer people use it, and there is less competition for keywords.
Depending on the keyword you choose, Microsoft Advertising can be up to 60% cheaper. This can result in more traffic to your website and potentially a better return on investment,
Our thoughts
Many people see Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising as bitter rivals, but the reality is that you can use them both in tandem.
In our experience, Google Ads is a great all-rounder, but Microsoft Advertising can be an excellent option if your business focuses on a specific industry or target audience.
Both platforms have a remarkably similar interface so if you have experience in using Google Ads, you are likely to pick up Microsoft Advertising very quickly. You can even import your existing campaigns from Google Ads.
Take a look at your website stats and see which search engine your customers are using. This will help guide your knowledge as to which platform is the best to focus your efforts on.