When most people think of PPC (pay-per-click) advertising they immediately think of Google and Google Ads. It is the largest search engine in the world after all, so advertising there makes sense. It’s not the only game in town though. There are competitors to Google, with Bing being the biggest.
Bing is the second largest search engine, so it offers some value for marketers and SEOs. The PPC program on Bing is something that every marketer should be aware of and consider. Bing is part of the Microsoft family, so advertising through Bing means getting adverts on other platforms including MSN and Yahoo.
Before jumping ahead and creating a Bing advertising campaign, you should understand more about Bing and how it is the best place to promote your business.
How Do Bing Ads Work?
For an idea of how Bing Ads work just look at Google AdWords. The principles are basically the same. They run off of an auction-style system and are absed on keywords.
When you create ads for Bing you bid on keywords that you want. If your bid succeeds, then the ad goes through and it appears when people search for those keywords. Given that Bing Ads are offered on a PPC basis, the bid amount comes out of your account when someone clicks on the ad and is taken to your website.
That means that you don’t have to pay to have the ad appear. You only pay when someone clicks on it. However, you still have to pay even if someone clicks the link by accident or you fail to convert them and they don’t buy anything. That’s why you should take measures to reduce unwanted clicks.
How Much Does Bing Advertising Cost?
The cost to advertise on Bing could surprise you. Bing has always been cheaper than Google, with it being a whole 33.5% less per click in 2014. While Bing has grown since then – and continues to grow – Google is still king and so still demands a higher asking price.
There are less people using Bing, both as a search engine and an advertiser, which is good news for those considering advertising through the platform. It means that you’ll face less competition for keywords and attention. Given that there are less people running ads on Bing, not only do adverts cost less but a smaller budget can see you rank higher than you would on Google.
The actual cost per keyword can depend on the keywords in question – as well as your own preferences on bidding. Keywords can cost anywhere between less than a dollar to over $10 depending on the industry. For example, the keyword “lawyer” is one of the more expensive ones. Bids on “lawyer” cost $109.21 in 2015 but, again, that is still much cheaper than it would have been on google.
How to Run an Effective Bing Ads Campaign
There are several things you can do to better manage the costs of running a Bing Ad campaign. Here are some tips on how to run an effective marketing campaign on the platform.
• Learn More About The Audience
Any good advertising campaign effectively pays for itself by drawing new clients. The best way to get new clients is through market research. Where do your prospective customers and clients go when they need new information? If they never use Bing, then your ads there will never reach them.
Let’s assume they use Bing; in that case you should learn more about how they find products and services such as yours. What are the particular words and phrases they search for? What do they consider important factors when making a purchasing decision? How can you write copy that appeals to them?
Consider all of this before even launching a campaign and you’ll get the results you want.
• Choose the Right Keywords
Not all keywords are created equal. How effective they are and how much they cost are two important factors to consider. Depending on your industry, location, products, and services, you may be able to reduce advertising costs while still getting better results by using the right targeted keywords.
Let’s say that you want to advertise to applicants for a graduate program. Instead of going after the keywords “MBA”, you could bid on more targeted keywords such as “online business degree”. It’ll cost less but still have the same impact.
When you bid on keywords, be sure to choose keywords that appeal to your target audience. Don’t just focus on keywords that have a high number of impressions too. Choose keywords that are related to the qualified leads you want.
If you are a local business then there’s no point in bidding on a general keyword and attracting customers that are nowhere near your actual location. Opt for a more targeted approach with local-based long-tail keywords to grab more organic traffic to your local business. Pro tip: don’t just rely on PPC for traffic, utilize organic local SEO to rank higher organically for your desired keywords.
• Take Advantage of Bing Ads Features
Bing offers some features to help reduce overspending. Be sure to set yourself a budget and use negative keywords to prevent uninterested people from clicking on your ads and draining your budget. Ad groups can help you to group keywords together and the platform makes it easy to target viewers by their location, time, demographics, and other important factors.
To put things simply, don’t cast a wide net and hope to appeal to everyone. Take a more targeted approach and aim for people who are interested in what you have to offer.
• Use Free Advertising
Get $100 free credit voucher from Bing ads coupon for your free advertising. Here There’s no cost at all for using the Bing toolbox and submitting your URL. Even if you have a website that can be found easily on Google, there’s no telling if it’s just as easy to find on Bing. Just adding your website to Bing is sure to improve your search engine ranking and ensure that people don’t just outright ignore you.
Ready to Start Using Bing Ads?
Advertising on Bing is a great way to bring in new business and clients for your company. With that said, you still need to put together a great campaign strategy. You need to approach it smartly and put the right bids on the right keywords for the best results.
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