AdWords and Bing Ads in 2016

The whole world "googles," and nobody seriously thinks about other search options on the World Wide Web. However, we would like to explain to you why you shouldn't just focus on advertising with Google but also consider placing your ads on Microsoft's search engine, Bing.

Google AdWords and Bing Ads hardly differ at first glance. The following images show how paid ads are presented in both search engines.

Fig 1: Display of ads on Bing; Source: Screenshot Bing

Fig 2: Display of ads on Google. Source: Screenshot Google

The Differences Between Google and Bing

The search engines Google and Bing differ in several key aspects. The first major difference concerns market share: Google has a market share of 93.3 percent in Germany. Only 2.5 percent of searches are conducted with the search engine developed by Microsoft.

Fig 3: Search engine market share in Germany 2015; Source: www.seo-summary.de

A look at Europe shows a similar picture. Here, Google has a market share of 92.6 percent. In contrast, 2.6 percent of European Internet users search with Bing.

Fig 4: Search engine market share in Europe 2015; Source: www.seo-summary.de

If we analyze market share from a worldwide perspective, it is evident that Bing's reach in some countries, such as the USA, is significantly higher than in the German market (2.9 percent versus 19.3 percent).

Fig 5: Search engine market share worldwide 2015; Source: www.statcounter.com

The second significant difference between Google AdWords and Microsoft Bing is in the features. Since 2013, Bing has introduced some extensions to become serious competition for Google AdWords:

Ad Extensions: The Sitelinks extension provides additional links in the ads, enhancing their attractiveness and promising higher click-through rates. These were rolled out at Bing in 2015. Besides Sitelinks, phone numbers and locations are also displayed.Shopping Ads: With shopping campaigns and ads, you have an excellent opportunity to use images and product information to target particularly ready-to-buy users. The so-called Product Listing Ads from AdWords are image-based ads that appear to the right of organic search and are marked as advertising. Unlike Google AdWords, Shopping Ads at Bing are currently only available in the USA. However, it is expected that these or similar functions will soon be introduced to Bing Ads in Germany too.

Tab. An overview of the differences between AdWords and Bing Ads; Source: Own representation

What Advantages Do Google AdWords and Bing Ads Offer?

Apart from reach, both advertising networks offer various advantages.

Google AdWords Ads

The significant advantage of AdWords lies in its broader reach. Google is the most used search network in the world. Additionally, you have more ad extensions available than in Bing. Extensions with additional information and snippet extensions are currently only available with AdWords and promise a better click-through rate for your ad. Furthermore, Google's paid ads offer you a more intuitive management. The Google AdWords Application Programming Interface (API) as well as the offline tools AdWords Editor can be quickly learned and successfully applied.

Microsoft Bing Ads

Bing Ads have the advantage that the competition here is not as strong, and the CPCs are accordingly lower. Microsoft's paid ads also offer you the opportunity to have more control over your ad group. This means you can set language and location settings as well as bid adjustments at the ad level. In Bing Ads, you can import your Google AdWords account and work more efficiently, allowing you to use your existing campaign structure directly and only adjust it specifically.

For more information on the market, features, and tracking of these two advertising networks, you can read our article: Bing Ads vs. AdWords - Market Features Tracking.

What We Can Do for You

Do you want to know how best to design and optimize your Bing and AdWords campaigns? Are you unsure which search network to place your ads on? We’re happy to consult you. Contact us.