Most business owners don’t think twice about where to run paid ads. Google is the default. It has been for over two decades. And for good reason: Google still dominates search with roughly 89.8% of global market share as of early 2025.
But here’s what a lot of advertisers miss. Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) has been quietly gaining ground. And in 2026, ignoring it could mean overpaying for clicks you could get cheaper somewhere else.
This isn’t a case for abandoning Google. It’s a case for asking a better question: where does each platform actually earn its spot in your budget?
The Audience Gap Isn’t What You Think
The knock on Microsoft Ads has always been reach. And sure, Bing’s search volume is a fraction of Google’s. Microsoft’s network reaches about 1 billion monthly users worldwide, which sounds impressive until you compare it to Google’s sheer scale.
But raw volume doesn’t tell the full story.
Microsoft’s audience skews older, more affluent, and more desktop-heavy. Bing comes pre-installed on every Windows PC and is the default search engine in Microsoft Edge. That means the people searching on Bing often aren’t choosing it on purpose. They’re using what’s in front of them. And that audience includes a disproportionate number of B2B decision-makers sitting at work computers, searching during business hours.
If you sell to other businesses, that’s a detail worth paying attention to.
Cost Per Click: Where Microsoft Ads Consistently Wins
This is where the comparison gets interesting for budget-conscious advertisers.
Across nearly every industry, Microsoft Ads delivers lower cost-per-click than Google Ads. The gap varies, but it’s common to see CPCs 30% to 50% lower on Microsoft for the same keyword categories. WordStream’s benchmarks have shown this pattern holding steady for years.
Lower CPCs don’t automatically mean better results. You still need the volume and the intent to be there. But when you’re running campaigns in competitive spaces where Google clicks cost $15, $25, or even $50+, finding the same buyer on Bing for a fraction of that price changes the math on your return.
This is especially true in industries like legal services, finance, insurance, and B2B software, where Google Ads costs have climbed relentlessly.
Google’s Advantages Are Real, Though
Let’s be fair about what Google still does better.
Volume and reach. For most keywords, Google simply delivers more searches, more impressions, and more clicks. If you need scale, Google is still the primary engine for that.
Machine learning and automation. Google’s Performance Max campaigns and smart bidding algorithms benefit from a massive data set. More data generally means better optimization, faster learning periods, and more reliable automated bidding. Microsoft Ads has its own automation tools, and they’ve improved significantly, but Google’s data advantage here is real.
Shopping and local. If you run an e-commerce store or a local business, Google Shopping and Google’s local ad formats are more mature and reach more shoppers. Microsoft Shopping campaigns exist and have been growing, but Google still owns this space.
YouTube and display. Google Ads gives you access to YouTube, the world’s second-largest search engine. Microsoft’s audience network covers display placements, but it doesn’t have an equivalent to YouTube’s video inventory.
Where Microsoft Ads Deserves a Serious Look
Beyond lower CPCs, there are a few scenarios where Microsoft Ads earns more than just leftover budget.
B2B campaigns. We touched on this, but it’s worth emphasizing. LinkedIn profile targeting is a feature unique to Microsoft Ads. You can layer audience targeting based on company, industry, and job function directly within your search campaigns. For B2B advertisers, that’s a capability Google simply doesn’t offer in search.
Older demographics. If your ideal customer is 35+, employed, and household income skews higher, you’re more likely to find them on Bing. Microsoft’s audience data has consistently shown this demographic profile.
Desktop-heavy industries. In industries where purchase decisions happen at a desk rather than on a phone, Microsoft’s desktop-heavy user base becomes an asset instead of a limitation.
Import campaigns from Google. Microsoft makes it simple to import your existing Google Ads campaigns directly. You can literally take what’s working on Google, run it on Microsoft, and often see similar conversion rates at lower costs. It’s one of the lowest-effort ways to expand your paid search presence.
The AI Search Factor
Both platforms are integrating AI into search results, and this is reshaping how paid ads appear and perform.
Google has been rolling out AI Overviews (previously called SGE) across more queries, which pushes traditional search results and ads further down the page in some cases. Microsoft has deeply integrated its Copilot AI (built on OpenAI’s technology) into Bing search results.
What this means for advertisers is still evolving. AI-generated answers can reduce click-through rates on informational queries because users get their answer without clicking anything. But for commercial and transactional queries, where someone is ready to buy, compare, or hire, ads still capture intent effectively on both platforms.
The practical takeaway: keep an eye on how your click-through rates and conversion rates shift on both platforms as AI search features expand. The advertisers who pay attention to this data will adapt faster than those who assume nothing’s changed.
So, Should You Run Microsoft Ads?
The honest answer: it depends on your situation.
If you’re spending $3,000 or more per month on Google Ads and seeing consistent returns, testing Microsoft Ads with 15% to 20% of your budget is almost always worth it. The setup cost is minimal (especially with campaign imports), and you’ll quickly see whether the audience is there for your business.
If you’re a B2B company, the LinkedIn targeting alone might justify the test.
If you’re running on a tight budget and can only afford one platform, Google is still the safer bet for most businesses simply because of the volume.
And if you’re spending heavily in a high-CPC industry and feeling the squeeze on your cost per acquisition, Microsoft Ads might be exactly where you find breathing room.
Running Ads That Actually Perform
Choosing the right platform matters. But the platform is only half the equation. Campaign structure, targeting, ad copy, landing page alignment, and ongoing optimization are what separate ad spend from ad results.
If you want precision-targeted advertising that makes every dollar work harder, whether that’s on Google, Microsoft, or both, that’s exactly where we focus. Not vanity metrics. Not wasted impressions. Just qualified leads that grow your business.
The best time to test was last quarter. The second best time is now.