Is Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) Worth It for UK Businesses?

Microsoft Advertising is worth it for many UK businesses whose customers search on a computer, especially B2B firms, professional services and considered purchases. Bing handles a small slice of UK searches overall but a much bigger share on desktop, and you can target ads by LinkedIn job function. Mobile-first local businesses usually get less from it.

Most businesses we speak to run Google Ads and have never touched Bing. Some assume nobody uses it. Others were told years ago that it ‘didn’t work’. Both deserve a fresh look, because the numbers have moved.

What is Microsoft Advertising?

Microsoft Advertising is the ad platform formerly known as Bing Ads. It runs search ads on Microsoft Bing and its search partners, plus audience ads across the wider Microsoft Advertising Network. Microsoft says its search ads can appear on Bing and partner sites such as Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia (Microsoft Advertising). If you’ve used Google Ads, it’ll feel familiar: campaigns, ad groups, keywords, bids.

Who actually uses Bing in the UK?

Fewer people than use Google, but not as few as you’d guess. StatCounter puts Bing at 6.72% of UK search engine referrals across all devices in October 2026, up from 3.92% two years earlier (StatCounter).

The device split is the interesting bit. On desktop, Bing had 20.72% of UK searches in October 2026, against Google’s 73.23%. That’s roughly one desktop search in five (StatCounter). On mobile it’s under 1%. Many work laptops default to Edge and Bing, so a lot of those desktop searches happen at work, during office hours.

So the real question isn’t ‘does anyone use Bing?’. It’s ‘do my customers search at a desk?’

Is Microsoft Advertising worth it for your business?

In our view it’s worth testing if most of these are true:

• Your buyers research on a computer, often at work.
• One sale or enquiry is worth enough to cover plenty of clicks.
• You sell to businesses, or to people making a considered purchase (finance, home improvements, education, software).
• Your Google campaigns are profitable but capped by budget or competition.

It’s usually a lower priority for businesses that live on quick mobile searches: takeaways, emergency trades, same-day bookings. Those searches happen on Bing too, just not many of them. That budget is often better spent sharpening your Google campaigns or your paid social advertising.

Is Microsoft Advertising cheaper than Google Ads?

Often, but not always, and be wary of anyone quoting one precise saving for every industry. Click prices are set by auction, so they depend on how many advertisers bid on your keywords. In plenty of UK niches fewer advertisers compete on Bing, which can mean cheaper clicks. The only way to know for your terms is to run a test.

And cheap clicks aren’t the goal. A click that never turns into a call or form is wasted money at any price. Measure cost per enquiry or cost per sale, with conversion tracking set up properly before you spend anything.

What can Microsoft Ads do that Google can’t?

The big one is LinkedIn profile targeting. Microsoft lets you target or adjust bids by a searcher’s company, industry and job function, and says it’s the only ad platform other than LinkedIn itself that offers this (Microsoft Learn). It’s available on Search, Dynamic Search ads, Shopping, Audience and Performance Max campaigns, although not every advertiser has it for Performance Max yet.

For a B2B firm, that’s powerful. You can bid more when someone in finance or IT searches for your service, and less when a student does. If you already run LinkedIn or Meta campaigns, the same audience thinking carries across.

How do you test Microsoft Advertising without wasting money?

Keep it simple and time-boxed. Here’s the plan we’d follow:

1. Fix tracking first. Install the Microsoft UET tag and set up conversions for calls, forms and sales.
2. Import your best Google campaigns. Microsoft can import campaigns straight from Google Ads and, on an automatic schedule, keep them in sync (Microsoft Learn).
3. Check what came across. Review bids, budgets, locations, ad extensions and audience settings. Imports are a starting point, not a finished account.
4. Add LinkedIn targeting if you sell B2B, starting with bid adjustments rather than hard restrictions.
5. Run for six to eight weeks, then compare cost per enquiry with Google.

If it pays its way, scale it up. If not, you’ve learned something for a modest, capped spend.

Should you run it yourself or use an agency?

If you already manage Google Ads in-house, importing and tidying a Microsoft account is very doable. Where an agency earns its fee is in the tracking, negative keywords, audience bidding and ongoing optimisation across both platforms. It also helps to have someone check the landing pages your ads send people to, because a slow or vague page wastes clicks on any network.

We manage pay-per-click advertising across search and social for UK businesses. If you want an honest view on whether Microsoft Ads fits your market, see our full range of services or get in touch for a free consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Are Bing Ads and Microsoft Advertising the same thing?

Yes. Bing Ads was renamed Microsoft Advertising. It still runs search ads on Microsoft Bing, plus search partner sites and audience placements across the Microsoft Advertising Network.

Where do Microsoft Ads appear?

Search ads appear on Microsoft Bing and on search partner sites such as Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. Audience ads can also show across Microsoft Advertising Network placements, depending on your settings.

Can I copy my Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Advertising?

Yes. Microsoft Advertising can import campaigns directly from Google Ads, and an automatic schedule keeps changes in sync. Always review bids, budgets and targeting after the import.

What share of UK searches happen on Bing?

StatCounter shows Bing with 6.72% of UK search engine referrals across all devices and 20.72% on desktop in October 2026. On mobile it’s under 1%.

Is Microsoft Advertising good for B2B?

It’s often a strong fit, because many B2B buyers search at work on desktop and Microsoft offers LinkedIn profile targeting by company, industry and job function.