How to Advertise on Microsoft Ads (Bing) in the UK: A Small Business Guide
In short: Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads) runs your search ads across Bing, Yahoo and Microsoft's Copilot-powered surfaces — reaching an audience that skews older, more affluent and, on UK desktops, far larger than Bing's headline market share suggests. For many small businesses it means cheaper clicks and less competition than Google, and you can import your existing Google Ads campaigns in minutes to test it with barely any extra work.
Why Microsoft Ads is worth a UK small business's attention
Google runs away with UK search overall, but the picture shifts the moment you look at desktop. Statcounter data from April 2026 put Bing at roughly 5.9% of UK search across all devices — yet about 12.8% on desktop, because Bing is the built-in default in Microsoft Edge and across Windows.
That desktop skew matters. If you sell B2B services, high-value products or anything people research from a work computer, a meaningful chunk of that intent-rich traffic never sees a Google-only advertiser. Microsoft's search audience also tends to be older and more affluent, with a large share aged 35 to 65 — a profile that converts well for professional services, finance, home improvement and other considered purchases.
It isn't equally valuable for everyone, though. Microsoft Ads rewards B2B and professional services, finance and insurance, healthcare, and home and trade services most; it's a weaker fit if your customers are overwhelmingly young and mobile-first, since Bing's UK mobile share is small. For most small businesses the pragmatic move is to keep Google as the core and run Microsoft Ads as a low-risk second channel, then let the numbers decide how much it deserves.
What you're actually buying: the Microsoft Search Network
An ad on Microsoft Advertising doesn't only show on Bing. The Microsoft Search Network also serves Yahoo, AOL, part of DuckDuckGo and a large family of syndicated partner sites — and, increasingly, Copilot-powered placements inside Windows, Edge and Bing.
One clarification is worth making, because it trips people up: reaching 'Copilot-era' inventory through Microsoft Advertising is not the same as buying ads directly inside ChatGPT. Those are separate channels, and ChatGPT's own ad products are still emerging. If a supplier promises you 'ChatGPT ads' through Microsoft, treat the claim with caution.
The real draw: cheaper clicks and less competition
Ask any UK marketer why they run Microsoft Ads and the answer is usually cost. With fewer advertisers bidding on the same keywords, cost-per-click is frequently lower than Google. Benchmark data compiled by Searchlab in 2026 put the average Microsoft Ads CPC at around a third below Google's — roughly $1.37 versus $2.06 — with some competitive sectors showing far wider gaps.
Cheaper clicks won't rescue a weak landing page or a vague offer. But they do stretch a small test budget further, and they make it easier to reach a positive return quickly — exactly what you want when you're proving whether a new channel deserves a permanent slice of your spend.
How to set up your first campaign, step by step
1. Create a free account at ads.microsoft.com and add your business, currency and billing details.
2. Install the UET tag (Universal Event Tracking) on your website before you spend a penny. It's Microsoft's equivalent of the Google tag, and it powers conversion tracking, audience lists and remarketing.
3. Choose your campaign type. Start with a Search campaign (keyword-based). Shopping needs a product feed in Microsoft Merchant Center; Performance Max is best saved until you have conversion data; and the Microsoft Audience Network handles native and remarketing placements.
4. Import from Google Ads if you already run it. Microsoft's import tool copies your campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads across, and can keep them in sync on a schedule.
5. Set a daily budget you can sustain for two to three weeks, and begin with tight, high-intent exact and phrase keywords rather than broad match.
6. Launch, then check your search-term report weekly and add negative keywords to cut wasted spend.
Import from Google — but don't just clone it
The import tool is the single biggest reason Microsoft Ads is low-effort to trial. It's also the most common way advertisers waste money. Resist the temptation to copy your entire Google account in one click.
Imported campaigns often arrive carrying weak broad-match keywords, geo-targeting built for Google's traffic, paused experiments and budgets tuned to a different auction. Bring across your best-performing, highest-intent campaigns only, then adjust bids, budgets, match types and ad copy for Microsoft specifically. Treat it as a starting point, not a finished account.
Your pre-launch checklist
✓ UET tag installed and firing on every page
✓ Conversion goals defined (purchase, lead form, phone call)
✓ Geo-targeting set to your genuine service area
✓ A negative keyword list to block irrelevant searches
✓ Ad copy rewritten so it doesn't read like a Google clone
✓ A daily budget you can afford to run for at least two to three weeks
Quick FAQ
Is Microsoft Advertising the same as Bing Ads?
Yes. Microsoft renamed Bing Ads as Microsoft Advertising in 2019. Your ads still appear on Bing, but the name reflects a wider network that includes Yahoo, AOL, syndicated partner sites and Copilot-powered surfaces.
How much do I need to spend to start advertising on Microsoft Ads?
There's no fixed minimum — you set your own daily budget. Because CPCs are often lower than Google's, many UK small businesses can run a real test on £10 to £20 a day. What matters more than the number is giving the campaign two to three weeks to gather enough data to judge it fairly.
Can I reuse my Google Ads campaigns in Microsoft Ads?
Yes. Microsoft's import tool copies campaigns, keywords and ads from Google Ads and can sync changes automatically. Import your best campaigns rather than the whole account, then tailor bids, budgets and match types for Microsoft's auction.
Will my Microsoft Ads show inside ChatGPT?
Not directly. Microsoft Advertising can reach Copilot-related inventory within Microsoft's own ecosystem, but that's separate from advertising inside ChatGPT, which is a distinct and still-developing channel.
Most UK small businesses pour everything into Google and never even test Microsoft Ads — then they're often surprised by the cheaper clicks and the quality of the leads. It's rarely a full replacement for Google, but as a low-risk second channel it's one of the easiest wins we see. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
The takeaway: Microsoft Ads isn't a Google replacement — it's a low-risk, lower-cost second channel that can put you in front of affluent, high-intent UK searchers your competitors are quietly ignoring.
Have you tested Microsoft Advertising yet, or is Google still quietly swallowing your entire search budget?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
