What is Microsoft Advertising UET Consent Mode?

First introduced in 2020, Consent Mode was designed to help advertisers ensure their tracking activities align with GDPR and other digital data policies. It communicates a user’s cookie consent status to tracking systems, allowing only the compliant data to be collected and used.

With the launch of Consent Mode V2 in late 2023, Microsoft Advertising is enhancing its focus on end-user consent, particularly in response to the Digital Markets Act. Blocking of conversion data is done depending on user location, therefore only data from users in markets where we have started to enforce the need for a consent signal, will be blocked.

From May the 5th, advertisers will need to ensure they’re meeting these updated consent requirements, or risk losing critical tracking and reporting functionality. 

Why Does This Matter?

Failure to provide the necessary consent signals to Microsoft through your UET configuration could have serious consequences for your advertising efforts. Without these signals:

• Conversions may not be tracked: This means you won’t have accurate data on how well your campaigns are performing.
• Campaign optimization could suffer: Features that rely on conversion data, such as bid strategies and Performance Max campaigns, will be less effective.
• Audience segments won’t be created: This can hinder your ability to target specific groups of users, leading to a less efficient ad spend.

The bottom line? Without addressing these changes, you may face long-term challenges in campaign performance and data accuracy.

What Should You Do Next?

To ensure compliance and maintain the effectiveness of your campaigns, you’ll need to make some adjustments to your UET tag.

Here are three ways to do this (only one of them should be implemented):

1) By adjusting your UET cookie access based on consent status. 

You’ll need to add code to every page on your website to set your default consent setting, and add a separate code to update the setting once the user has provided or denied consent. 

Default setting snippet: 

Update consent settings snippet:

For more information, visit the UET help page.

2) Through the Transparency & Consent Framework (TCF) for UET (only if you have one in place). 

Microsoft integrated with IAB TCF v2.0 so consent signals can be passed directly or via a Consent Management Platform (CMP). This solution requires the following code snippet to be added above your UET tag:

For more information, visit the UET help page.

3) Through third party management tools like Google Tag manager (GTM).

Microsoft’s UET template now supports Google Tag Manager Consent Mode. Google’s Consent Management Platform (CMP) partner program integrates with most CMPs.

This integration allows Microsoft to retrieve the consent state directly from GTM, in the case where you are using both GTM and one of the supported Consent Management Platforms (CMPs).

For more information, visit the GTM consent mode help page. 

How does consent mode work on Microsoft?

Consent mode will be used via a new setting for UET called ‘ad_storage’. Depending on the user’s consent choice, the following scenarios will occur.

If ad_storage = ‘granted’ (Default)

• Cookies pertaining to advertising may be read and written in the 1st party (advertiser domain) or 3rd party context (bing.com).

If ad_storage=’denied’

• Write or read 1st party cookies (advertiser domain) – No ads cookies are written or read by UET when the user is on that advertiser website.

• Write 3rd party cookies (bing.com domain) – No ads cookies are written by UET when the user is on that advertiser website.

• Read 3rd party cookies (bing.com domain) – Microsoft 3rd party cookies are not read for advertising purposes. Microsoft 3rd party cookies are read for fraud and spam purposes only.

How to verify consent is being passed correctly to the UET tag

You can use the UET Tag Helper extension to validate setups and ensure compliance. When you run the Tag Helper on your website, it will surface the consent state “asc” parameter (below), which will show as “G” or “Granted” if consent is granted.

Another way to verify consent is being passed into the UET is by reviewing the conversions in the UI and checking conversion data is still being tracked.

What are the expected impacts on client performance once consent mode is successfully implemented?

After clients successfully integrate a consent signal with UET, conversion data will be tracked once again. However, it’s important to note that the total volume of conversions reported is likely to decrease. This reduction occurs because only conversions from users who have explicitly given consent will be tracked.

Users who either deny consent or do not interact with the consent banner will no longer be tracked and therefore won’t appear as reported conversions. Despite this, the change is necessary in order to comply with privacy regulations and respect user preferences. It’s important to keep this in mind when evaluating performance.

Modeled Conversions and how they can help bridge the gap in reporting

Conversion modeling can help fill the gap in these scenarios, when it’s not possible to observe the path between ad interactions and conversions. Modeled Conversions use advanced modeling techniques to analyze observable data and historical trends, quantifying the relationship between consented and unconsented users. Then, using observable user journeys where users have consented to cookie usage, Microsoft’s models will assess attribution paths for the unconsented journeys. This provides a more complete and accurate view of your conversion and revenue reporting — all while respecting user consent choices.

Where can I view Modeled Conversions and how do I interpret the data?

Reporting for Modeled Conversions will be in general availability starting on March the 5th in the following markets: France, Germany and the Netherlands. It will be activated by default to all eligible campaigns targeting these markets.

Microsoft will then progressively expand the rollout to other markets in the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland – providing more updates for these markets closer to the release date.

Conclusion

These upcoming changes to Microsoft Advertising Consent Mode are crucial for ensuring your campaigns remain compliant and effective in a rapidly changing digital environment. By taking the necessary steps to update your UET configuration, you can avoid data loss, maintain accurate reporting, and continue optimizing your campaigns for success.

With the deadline now fast approaching its imperative you action this change as soon as possible—review your current setup, implement the necessary changes, and ensure your campaigns are ready!

Together, they shared actionable insights and a preview into the future of Microsoft Advertising. Here are the key takeaways to help you stay ahead in 2025.

1. Performance Max (PMAX): Beyond “Set and Forget”

Joe kicked things off by busting a common myth about PMAX campaigns: “We see it quite a lot that people still think of PMAX as a ‘set it and forget it’ solution, but there are levers in there,” he explained. PMAX uses Microsoft’s AI to deliver results across multiple ad formats and channels, but it works best when paired with thoughtful strategy.

Joe emphasised the importance of fine-tuning budgets, bid strategies, and audience targeting to align with campaign goals. For troubleshooting, he encouraged advertisers to consider factors like budget constraints or underperforming assets. “Have you thought about excluding non-peak hours or adjusting your autobidding targets?” he suggested.

He also introduced brand exclusion lists, allowing advertisers to filter out irrelevant brands to maintain focus on their ideal audience. With upcoming enhancements like multimedia ads and additional AI-driven tools, PMAX is set to become even more powerful in 2025.

Pro Tip: If you’ve set up a PMAX campaign and find yourself struggling with performance, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take. Adjusting budgets, refining bid strategies, or tweaking asset selection can often lead to significant improvements. For personalised support, reach out to the ClickTech team at hello@clicktech.com to access a detailed troubleshooting guide and address any common issues effectively.

2. Brand Spotlight Ads: Captivating SERP Presence

Next, Joe unveiled Brand Spotlight Ads, a premium format designed to dominate the search results page (SERP) with rich storytelling visuals. “It allows advertisers to create a really rich storytelling experience,” he explained. Here are subtle differences with multimedia ads in that there’s a collection of up to four images, making this format an immersive and engaging way to showcase your brand.

Currently available as a closed beta in the U.S., Brand Spotlight is an exciting opportunity for advertisers looking to stand out in a crowded digital space.

Actionable Insight: Interested in early access to Brand Spotlight? Reach out to ClickTech for details on how to participate in the beta.

3. Impression-Based Remarketing: Building Audiences Without Clicks

Lucas shared one of Microsoft’s most innovative offerings: Impression-Based Remarketing. “You don’t need people to click on your ads to start building your own audience,” he said. This feature allows advertisers to create audiences from users who see their ads—whether on search, display, native, or connected TV formats.

This approach is ideal for staying top-of-mind during a customer’s decision journey. Lucas encouraged advertisers to experiment with sequential messaging, for example, combining video ads for awareness with native ads for product-specific follow-ups.

Experimentation Tip: Use Impression-Based Remarketing to connect with audiences across formats, ensuring consistent and relevant messaging.

4. Video and Connected TV (CTV): Reaching Audiences Everywhere

With video consumption averaging nearly four hours daily, Lucas highlighted the value of Connected TV (CTV) as a key advertising channel. “We can find audiences through a lot of different networks,” he noted, including premium platforms like Hulu, Max, and Netflix.

Microsoft’s unique advantage lies in combining intent-based targeting with CTV inventory. Advertisers can reach high-value audiences based on browsing and search behaviour, a feature Lucas described as “something our competitors don’t have.”

Joe added that dual-screen usage is becoming the norm: “It’s getting harder to catch people’s attention.” CTV campaigns, paired with Impression-Based Remarketing, can ensure your brand remains visible and relevant across devices.

Quick Start Tip: Don’t overthink it – repurpose your existing short-format videos from YouTube or social media for CTV campaigns.

5. Copilot: Your AI-Powered Advertising Assistant

Joe wrapped up the session by introducing Copilot, Microsoft’s groundbreaking AI tool built directly into its advertising platform. “Copilot is like having your own advertising assistant available 24/7,” he explained. Whether it’s generating headline suggestions, optimising images, or offering performance insights, Copilot simplifies campaign management.

“You can ask Copilot, ‘Why is this campaign not doing as well?’ or ‘Can I have a few suggestions to improve my CTR?’” Joe shared, highlighting its ability to assist both beginners and seasoned marketers alike.

Why It Matters: Copilot’s AI-powered tools make it easier to experiment, refine, and scale campaigns – helping advertisers achieve better results faster.

Final Thoughts

This webinar was packed with insights into how Microsoft Advertising is evolving. From AI-driven tools like Copilot to innovative formats like Brand Spotlight and Impression-Based Remarketing, the opportunities are vast. Whether you’re exploring new channels like Connected TV or optimising existing campaigns, now is the time to experiment and innovate.

Next Steps: If you have any questions around any of the topics discussed, you can reach out to the ClickTech team at hello@clicktech.com. We’re here to help you make the most of these tools and drive success in 2025 and beyond.

What Are Microsoft Multimedia Ads?

Multimedia Ads (MMAs) are large, visually engaging ad formats that show up prominently on the top right-hand side of Bing’s search engine results pages (SERPs). Unlike standard text ads, these ads combine striking images with clear text overlays, making them much more eye-catching. This visual style is meant to grab attention quickly, using the power of imagery to connect with users right away.

Key Benefits of Multimedia Ads

1. Increased SERP Visibility

One of the major advantages of MMAs is the ability to show up alongside your existing search ad, giving your brand multiple positions in a single auction. Typically, advertisers can only occupy more than one spot if they’re running both Shopping and Search ads. MMAs break this mould, allowing advertisers to secure additional real estate on the SERP, which can significantly enhance visibility. This dual placement means your brand can dominate the page and capture more attention from potential customers.

2. The Power of Visual Appeal

Humans process visual content far faster than text – up to 60,000 times faster, according to studies. MMAs tap into this by using compelling images to make an instant connection with the audience. With bold visuals, you can convey your message quickly and effectively, even before a user reads the accompanying text. This makes MMAs particularly useful for advertisers looking to create high-impact, memorable campaigns.

3. Cost-Effective and Easy to Set Up

One of the most appealing aspects of MMAs is that they cost the same per click as other ad formats, the only additional cost is a minimum 40% bid increase to ensure the ad appears at the top of Page 1. Setting up an MMA is also simple, requiring just a few minutes. Advertisers can even repurpose existing assets from image extensions, meaning you don’t need to create entirely new visuals to get started.

How to Set Up Multimedia Ads

Setting up a Multimedia Ad is a straightforward process. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you make the most of this format:

1. Choose a High-Quality Image

The image is the focal point of your MMA, so it’s essential to select one that represents your product or service effectively. High-quality, relevant images can significantly boost the ad’s impact. For example, a hotel advertising London rooms could use an aerial view of iconic landmarks to capture travellers’ attention. Always opt for high-resolution images, as grainy or pixelated visuals can undermine your brand’s credibility.

2. Add Clear, Actionable Text
The text overlay is your chance to reinforce the message behind the image. Keep it concise and focused on driving action. Use clear calls-to-action like “Free Delivery” or “Limited Time Offer,” and ensure that your image doesn’t have any text on it, otherwise the overlay will be hard to read.

3. Preview and Publish
Microsoft Advertising allows you to preview your ad before it goes live. This step is crucial to ensure that the image and text work together seamlessly and that your messaging is clear. Once everything looks good, publish your ad and start benefiting from this impactful ad format.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Advertising Multimedia Ads offer advertisers an effective way to improve their presence on Bing’s SERPs. By combining impactful visuals with clear, actionable text, MMAs help brands capture more attention and stand out in search results. Their visually engaging format can increase user interaction and make them a valuable tool for enhancing brand awareness and engagement. With minimal setup time, cost-effective performance, and the potential to drive better results, MMAs provide advertisers with a great opportunity to make a stronger impact in their campaigns.

Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to help you set up, manage, and optimise your feed for success.

What is a Shopping Feed?

At its core, a Microsoft Shopping Feed is a structured spreadsheet, containing all the necessary details about your products such as titles, descriptions, prices, and availability. 

Microsoft Advertising uses this information to match your products with what people are searching for online. If your feed is incomplete or incorrect, your products might not show up in searches, which means you could miss out on potential sales.

How It Works

Whenever someone searches for a product, Microsoft scans its catalog (which includes your feed) to find the best matches. If your feed is well set up, your product will show up when it’s relevant. But if it’s not, other retailers with well-optimised feeds are ready to take your spot, potentially leaving your product out of relevant searches

Adding optional information (known as attributes or fields), like special promotions or product conditions (such as ‘new’ or ‘used’), gives you more control over how your products are shown. These fields provide Microsoft with additional information, enabling the system to more accurately match your ad to relevant searches, while keeping the format and appearance unchanged.

Top Product Feed Tips

Here are some key attributes that can enhance your Microsoft Shopping Feed:

• Promotion ID: Highlight specific deals or discounts in your ads, which can help attract price-sensitive shoppers.
• Condition: Tell customers if your product is new, used, or refurbished, so they know exactly what they’re getting.
• Shipping: Adding “Free Shipping” can be a powerful incentive for shoppers and boost your click-through rate.
• Sale Price: Showing a reduced price alongside the original price can help capture attention and increase conversions.
• Custom Labels: Tag and segment products for targeted campaigns, like promoting seasonal stock or bestsellers.

By paying attention to these recommended fields, you can enhance your Shopping Feed and, ultimately, your Shopping Ads’ performance. Not only will your products be positioned more prominently among other shopping ads, but they’ll also appear with rich product information that helps customers to make purchase decisions.

Unique Identifier Warnings

In certain countries (like the US, UK, or Australia), you’ll need to provide unique identifiers (like barcodes) for your products. These help Microsoft accurately identify your products. If you don’t include them, your products might get flagged, or worse, your ads might not run at all. 

Creating Your Shopping Feed

Building your Shopping Feed might sound tricky, but it’s not as hard as you might think. Most online stores or ecommerce platforms already have tools that can create a feed for you. If you’re starting from scratch, a simple spreadsheet will work to organise your product data.

Here are steps to build a product feed:

1. Use your Google feed: If you have an existing Google Shopping feed, you can repurpose it for Microsoft Merchant Center. Although there are some differences between the platforms, adapting your Google feed is often more efficient than creating a new one from the ground up. 
2. Fill in required fields: Add product titles, descriptions, prices, and availability. Double-check that all required fields are completed and formatted accurately.
3. Add optional fields: Enhance your feed by including additional information like promotions, condition, and custom labels.
4. Test your feed: Before uploading, run a test to ensure there are no errors or missing fields. Microsoft Merchant Center offers tools to help validate your feed.

Setting Up Your Microsoft Shopping Feed

Now that you have your feed ready, you’ll need to upload it to Microsoft Merchant Center. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:

1. Create a merchant center: Go to the Microsoft Merchant Center and sign up using your Microsoft Advertising account.
2. Upload your feed: You can manually upload a CSV or XML file, or if you use an ecommerce platform like Shopify, connect it directly.
3. Map the fields: Microsoft will ask you to map the product attributes (fields) in your feed to its predefined fields. 
4. Submit for review: Microsoft will check your feed and approve it if everything looks good.

Once your feed is approved, your products will start appearing in relevant Shopping ads across Microsoft’s network.

Optimising Your Feed for Better Performance 

Now that your feed is live, it’s essential to optimise it for conversions. Make sure key details are at the forefront of your product titles and descriptions to reach customers who are closer to purchase.

Key Optimisation Tips:

1. Perfect your product titles: The product title is the first thing shoppers see, so make it specific and keyword-rich. Instead of “Red Dress,” opt for “Women’s Long Sleeve Red Cocktail Dress,” including details like colour, gender, occasion, and style.
2. Improve your Descriptions: Ensure product descriptions are clear and relevant, prioritising key details at the start for improved visibility. For instance, if someone searches for “purple spotty umbrella,” present that information upfront. Avoid burying important details like colour, pattern, or style in the middle of a list, and refrain from unnecessary promotional text, using all capital letters, or gimmicky foreign characters.
3. Use High-Quality Images: Use clear, high-resolution product images with clutter-free backgrounds for the best results. 
4. Avoid Duplicates: Ensure titles and prices are unique for each product variant to avoid only one version being shown. For example, list different colours or sizes distinctly, using the Item Group ID for variant groups.
5. Add Custom Labels: These allow you to group products into segments for better bidding strategies. For instance, use labels like “seasonal” or “best_sellers” to control how you target these categories.

Troubleshooting Common Shopping Feed Issues

Shopping feeds are essential for optimal ad performance, but various issues can arise that affect product visibility and campaign success. 

1. Products Not Approved: If your products aren’t showing up, Microsoft Merchant Center will tell you why. It might be a pricing error or missing details. Just make the necessary changes and resubmit.
2. Expired Feeds: Microsoft requires your feed to be updated at least every 30 days; otherwise, it expires, and your ads will stop showing. Schedule weekly uploads to Microsoft Merchant Center to ensure your feed remains current.
3. Feed Disapprovals: If Microsoft disapproves your feed, it’s usually due to missing fields or low-quality images. Check the Merchant Center for details, fix the issue, and re-submit.
4. Poor Feed Quality: Missing or inaccurate data (like GTINs or low-quality images) can hurt your ad rankings. Make sure your feed is complete and well-optimised to get the best results.

Final Thoughts: Keep Your Feed Updated

Shopping Ads are a great way to promote your products to customers who are actively shopping online. By making the most of the optional attributes within your feed, you can highlight key traits of your products that help to turn browsers into buyers. Stay on top of search terms reports and tweak your feed accordingly for the best chance at reaching your customers at the moment that matters.

1. Use High-Quality, Relevant Images

• Why: High-quality images are essential to catching users’ attention and conveying professionalism. Blurry or irrelevant images can hurt your ad’s performance.
• How to use: Always choose clear, high-resolution images that directly relate to the product or service you’re promoting. Ensure the images are visually appealing and resonate with your target audience.
• Example: For a travel company, use images of beautiful destinations like beaches or mountains to entice potential customers to explore vacation options.

2. Showcase Product Features or Benefits

• Why: Images that highlight key product features or benefits make it easier for users to visualize what they will gain from your offer.
• How to use: If your product has unique features, use close-up shots or lifestyle images that emphasize those benefits. Pair them with concise, benefit-driven ad copy.
• Example: A tech company can display an image showing the sleek design of a new laptop, paired with ad copy that highlights its lightweight portability and long battery life.

3. Align Images with Seasonal or Event-Based Campaigns

• Why: Seasonal or event-based campaigns can drive urgency, and relevant images can amplify that message, making the ad more timely and engaging.
• How to use: Use images that reflect current events, seasons, or holidays to make your ads more relevant to the time of year. For instance, showcase holiday decor or seasonal colors to reflect festive themes.
• Example: A fashion retailer might use images of cozy sweaters or winter coats for a fall/winter campaign, emphasizing seasonal relevance.

4. Create Visual Consistency with Your Brand

• Why: Consistency in branding helps users quickly identify your ads and reinforces brand recognition, especially if you use consistent colors, tones, and imagery across platforms.
• How to use: Choose images that align with your overall brand identity. If your brand has a specific color scheme or style, ensure the images used in your extensions reflect that to build a cohesive brand experience.
• Example: A luxury cosmetics brand should use clean, sophisticated images with soft lighting to match the premium feel of their other marketing materials.

5. Focus on Lifestyle Images to Evoke Emotion

• Why: Lifestyle images that show your product or service being used by real people can create an emotional connection with the viewer, increasing engagement and click-through rates.
• How to use: Use images that show people enjoying or benefiting from your product, creating a relatable and aspirational appeal.
• Example: A fitness brand could use images of people working out in a gym, smiling, or achieving fitness goals to motivate potential customers.

6. Test Multiple Images for A/B Testing

• Why: Different images resonate with different audiences, and testing multiple options allows you to identify the most effective visuals for driving clicks and conversions.
• How to use: Create a few variations of your image extensions and test them across different campaigns. Track performance to determine which images drive the best results, and optimize accordingly.
• Example: An online retailer can test images of individual products versus lifestyle shots of those products in use to see which one leads to higher CTR.

7. Use Images to Highlight Promotions or Offers

• Why: Promotions and discounts can drive immediate action, and adding a relevant image makes the promotion stand out even more.
• How to use: Use image extensions to visually emphasize special offers, such as sale banners, percentage-off labels, or free shipping icons. The image should complement the ad copy, reinforcing the urgency of the offer.
• Example: An e-commerce store could display an image showing “50% Off Sale” alongside the promotional text in the ad.

8. Optimize Images for Mobile

• Why: Mobile users have different browsing behavior, and visuals play a crucial role in quickly capturing their attention. Image extensions optimized for mobile can help you drive more mobile traffic.
• How to use: Ensure that the images you use are mobile-friendly, with clear and simple visuals that are easily viewable on small screens. Test how the image appears on different devices to ensure clarity and relevance.
• Example: A restaurant could display close-up images of popular dishes that look delicious even on smaller smartphone screens, enticing mobile users to click.

9. Match Images with Specific Audience Segments

• Why: Different audience segments respond to different imagery. Tailoring images to specific groups allows for more personalized and relevant ads.
• How to use: If you have multiple target audiences, use images that align with the interests or demographics of each segment. You can adjust the image style, tone, or content to match the preferences of your ideal customer.
• Example: A car dealership could use images of family-friendly SUVs for ads targeting families, and sleek sports cars for ads targeting younger professionals.

10. Drive Traffic to Product-Specific Pages

• Why: Image extensions can be used to guide users to specific landing pages that match the product shown in the image, increasing the likelihood of conversions.
• How to use: Ensure that the image used in the extension reflects the product or service that users will find on the landing page. This creates a seamless experience from ad to landing page and improves relevancy.
• Example: If you’re advertising a specific clothing item like a jacket, use an image of the jacket and ensure the ad links to that product page rather than the homepage.

Conclusion

Microsoft Image Extensions offer an effective way to enhance your text ads by providing users with visual cues that make your ad more engaging and informative. By following these 10 best practices—using high-quality images, focusing on branding, testing different visuals, and aligning with specific audiences—you can significantly improve your ad performance and achieve better click-through and conversion rates across the Microsoft Advertising network.

Microsoft Ads, previously known as Bing Ads, is an effective way to use search ads to target a wider audience. It also provides you with the opportunity to reach a slightly different demographic compared to Google users. So, expanding your pay-per-click (PPC) strategy to account for Microsoft-run search engines can have significant advantages.

But, how much of your PPC budget should you spend on Microsoft Advertising? Calculating a suitable Microsoft and Bing Ads budget for your needs depends on several factors. We’ve covered everything you need to know about setting your budget for success below.

Microsoft Ads Cost: How Much Do You Pay Per Click?

Before setting your budget for Microsoft Ads, it’s helpful to understand what your spend will be based on. As Microsoft Ads work similarly to Google Ads, advertisers only pay when a user clicks on their ad. So, your spend will be determined by how many clicks you want to aim for and how much each click is worth to you.

For example, if your target number of clicks per day is 100 and your maximum value for cost per click (CPC) is $0.50, you multiply $0.50 by 100 to get your daily budget.

You have the option to choose between a targeted daily limit for ad spend and a shared budget for multiple campaigns.

It’s important to note that your daily budget is a target and the actual spend could fluctuate slightly due to traffic volumes and the automatic detection of fraud clicks.

Our Tips for Setting Your Microsoft Advertising Budget

Consider your target demographic

Knowing your audience benefits all of your marketing efforts and PPC is no exception. Research suggests that the user demographics for Bing vs Google are not one and the same. So, being aware of your target demographic will help you to determine how many clicks to aim for per day on each platform.

If you want to target the older, highly educated crowd, you may want to prioritise Microsoft Advertising over Google’s younger, tech-savvy users. However, this data should only be used as a very rough guide. Even if the average visitor demographics of Google are a closer match to your target audience, it would be a mistake to pass on the large number of Bing’s unique visitors. Instead, utilise Microsoft’s demographic targeting tools, which are some of the best available on the market today.

Don’t replicate your Google Ads budget

A benefit of using Microsoft Advertising could be gaining a higher ROI than Google Ads. Bing tends to face lower competition on keywords. So, be careful not to overspend on Microsoft Ads as smaller amounts could actually get you the same, if not better results.

Use device analytics to your advantage

Do you know what devices your target audience are mainly using? Use your analytics to find out as this information can help you to determine your Microsoft Advertising spend. Unlike with Google, Microsoft Ads gives you the ability to target specific devices and even discount desktop viewers altogether. This feature can further improve your conversion and click through rates, helping you to focus your PPC budget.

Read our full article comparing Bing and Google.

So, Are Microsoft Ads Worth It?

In conclusion, assessing the value that Microsoft Advertising can bring to your business is key to determining your budget. Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all when it comes to setting your individual spend.

Importantly, you don’t have to worry if your initial budget isn’t quite right. Microsoft allows you to change your daily budget amount at any time, with amends taking effect within hours. The biggest mistake you can make is to completely disregard Microsoft as an advertising platform before considering the factors listed above.

Learn more about the Microsoft Ads Tools available on our platform that brings all of your advertising to one place.

Or, for a complete introduction to Microsoft Advertising, take a look at our comprehensive online guide.

If you’re managing both Google and Microsoft campaigns, you’ll know the headache of optimizing one and then painstakingly having to replicate your work over to the other account. 

And if you’re just using Google, you’re missing out on new audiences, improved results, and a better reach because you just don’t have the time to set up and manage both accounts. Until now. 

Thanks to AdSync by Adzooma, you can reach new audiences while saving time. 

This brand new feature imports your Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Ads – and keeps them updated. Any improvements to your campaigns, including adding new keywords, adjusting for better ad copy, etc, will be automatically copied over to the same campaigns on Microsoft. That’s two advertising accounts managed at once. 

And if you’re new to Microsoft, we’ll also give you $125 free ad spend to get started. 

Same campaigns, different advertising accounts 

Our new AdSync feature allows you to import your campaigns into Microsoft advertising in a few easy steps. With it, you can: 

• Import every campaign in your account, or just select your best ones. 
• Adjust bids and budgets, allowing you to reduce or increase your budget for Microsoft. 
• Edit the status of your campaigns, so you can pause them until you’ve done the final checks. 

Optimizations automatically synced to Microsoft 

Two birds, one stone. With AdSync, every change you make to your Google campaigns is copied over to Microsoft. 

Whatever optimizations, new keywords, ad copy or alterations you make, we’ll copy them. And don’t worry – if you’ve altered your bid or budget for Microsoft we’ll keep this up to date as well. 

If you’re spending £500 on a Google campaign and set up a decrease in budget of 10%, your Microsoft campaign will be £450. If you update your Google budget to £1000, we’ll change your Microsoft one to £900, making sure you always spend 10% less. 

Every change is covered in AdSync, so you can manage two campaigns at once. 

Why sync your campaigns to Microsoft?

Microsoft Advertising may not have the biggest share of the global search market. But like most underdogs, it shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Ignoring Microsoft is like owning a gas station and not offering diesel because you already sell petrol. 

Put plainly, Microsoft reaches 63 million users that Google doesn’t, giving you access to a whole new audience that would have just been forgotten about. What’s more, because there’s less competition, you’ll also get cheaper clicks, giving you a better return on your investment. 

And in case you think that’s too good to be true, we ran these tests on our own campaigns. Overall, we found that: 

• Cost Per Click on Google was an average of £5.15 compared to Microsoft’s £1.17.
• Comparing 44 randomly selected keywords, the average CPC for Google is £11.76 while Microsoft is £2.06.

With AdSync by Adzooma, you get access to these amazing results and cost savings without having to manually manage your Microsoft campaigns. 

New to Microsoft? Get $125 free ad spend. 

We’re proud to offer all new customers $125 in extra advertising when you spend $25.

That’s $150 of advertising, for $25.

To claim your free spend, you just need to: 

1. Sign up to Microsoft using this link
2. Add $25 of credit to your account 

Once done, you’ll have $150 of spend to use on your first Microsoft campaigns. And with AdSync by Adzooma, you’ll be able to synchronize your Google campaigns over for hands-free campaign management. 

Turn on Adzooma Adsync today

Ready to double your advertising success? 

Just click on the AdSync banner from your accounts page. Then, just follow the 4 step instructions to get your Adsync setup and running. 

During this setup, you’ll select which campaigns you want to sync and any adjustments in your budget or bids. If you missed a campaign or want to link to more than one account, just follow the same process as many times as you need. There’s no limit. 

Once done, just sit back and manage your campaigns as normal. We’ll copy all the changes over and ensure your Microsoft campaigns are running as smoothly as your Google ones.

And remember, if you’re new to Microsoft Advertising, you can get $125 of free advertising spend by signing up today. 

With all the keyword research, copy creation and manually building out ad groups, you’re looking at 4 hours, or even longer. Well, not anymore. 

With Adzooma’s new feature, the Proposal Builder, the whole process will take seconds with their automatic campaign builder and onboarding tool. That’s a saving of half a day per client. 

Onboard new clients in seconds with the Proposal Builder

The Proposal Builder is Adzooma’s new feature that will change the way agencies and freelancers onboard clients and build campaigns. Instead of manually inputting and building all the elements yourself, our system will automatically build campaigns for you. 

• You provide us with a few client details, such as their name, website, location and industry. 
• We’ll instantly create ready to publish Google Search, Google Display or Microsoft Display campaigns. 

Your new campaign will include: 

• Call and Site Link Extensions, automatically pulled from your client’s website. 
• A professionally built campaign, with filled out ad groups, keywords, adverts and negative keywords. 
• Advert previews to see the finished result of your campaign. 

Want to add your personal touch? No problem. You can edit or add to any part of the campaign with a click of a button.  The whole process is so quick, you can create complete campaigns while on an introductory phone call. 

It’s everything you need to scale your business and make low-spend clients profitable. 

Include your own fees for accurate projections 

The Proposal Builder doesn’t just create new client campaigns. It also shows you the projected results for the campaign depending on the budget that you set. 

What’s better, you can also set your own fees as part of this calculator, including both fixed amounts and variable rates. You’ll see how many clicks and impressions your clients will get for their spend, with a breakdown of their advertising budget and fees. 

Advertising account creation for your newest clients 

If your client is ready to go, you can set the campaign live in a single click by hitting the ‘Publish’ button. 

If they don’t have an advertising account, you can make one inside of Adzooma – and their first campaign will already be live and waiting.

What’s more, you can also manage their account using Adzooma’s free advertising platform for results-driven optimization suggestions, time-saving automated rules and more. Create in seconds, publish in a click and manage weekly in Adzooma. 

Unlimited draft campaigns in every plan 

With every Proposal Builder subscription, you’ll get unlimited draft proposals for free. That means you can add as many prospective clients and campaigns that you want. 

Use it as part of your lead generation, to prospect new clients or even create show existing clients the success they could be having on another PPC channel. Create as many as you want – our plans are based on how many campaigns you want to publish. 

Need something bespoke? Custom plans are available on request. Speak to our team to build your perfect solution. 

Ready to upgrade? 

Just log into your Adzooma account and click ‘Proposal Builder’ from the top navigation bar to choose your plan. 

Or, head to billing in your right hand menu to manage the Proposal Builder and Adzooma Plus plans in one place. 

We thank you for making Adzooma the platform it is today.

What we had to say

The Microsoft Global Awards “aim to recognise and reward outstanding, creative, and passionate work by search advertising individuals, teams, agencies, channel and technology partners working with Microsoft Advertising.”

After winning the Rising Star of the Year award at the Europe, the Middle East and Africa Microsoft Awards in February against the likes of the fantastic Happy Idiots and Mabo Media, we were put forward to the global award ceremony alongside the winners from the Americas and Asia Pacific.

This saw us line up alongside more of Microsoft’s amazing strategic partners in what must have been a really difficult decision for the judges. We’re massive fans of the work they do, so to win this award while up against great businesses like those makes this achievement even sweeter.

Speaking on the triumph, here’s what some of our staff had to say:

“Over the last year there have been so many different businesses popping up online so the timing of this burgeoning relationship with Microsoft couldn’t have been better for us in helping to serve these businesses in such a meaningful way at such a time of need.”

Puneet Vaghela, Head of Innovation

“One of the key areas today is that digital marketing and online advertising is more important than ever, especially in the current situation. We’ve experienced a global pandemic and it’s become more important for businesses to move online. For a lot of people that’s complicated and challenging as they’re not digital marketers but to succeed their business needs to be online. At Adzooma we make it easier for businesses by working with global partners like Microsoft.”

Robert Wass, Director & Co-Founder

“We’ve got a very good team structure and everyone is very supportive at the company. When we’ve worked with Microsoft they’ve been the same, indeed, it’s almost like they’re an extension of our company in many ways. It’s been a great experience to work alongside them.“

Jaye Bonser, Social Media Executive

“I’ve had the pleasure of working very closely with Microsoft over the past 18 months and it’s been a real pleasure. We’re both very similar in the way we approach things and I think that’s probably one of the reasons why we won this award today. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Thomas Hampson, CTO & Founder

“Microsoft has always been at the forefront of putting customers and clients first and helping people to grow their business. Together with Adzooma, it’s a very similar strategy and I think there is a strong alignment. If anything it re-enforces the decision making process for customers to come and work with Adzooma and Microsoft.”

Warren Jacobs, Director & Partner

“We take these global awards really seriously. Microsoft are obviously a fantastic partner and company to be working with and we really aim as a company to succeed and win for our customers.” 

Dave Sharpe, CEO & Founder

What’s next

It’s great to be recognised by such an esteemed company like Microsoft for what we do. But it’s what comes next that really matters. 

Over the past year since going free, thousands of businesses have transformed their paid advertising campaigns through Adzooma and taken their Microsoft, Google and Facebook ads to new heights.

We’ve seen the freelancer Phillip Bacon increase conversions by 200% for an 1100% ROAS through the platform. We’ve helped Joshua Medina the CEO of an ecommerce business get set up on Microsoft and save a day a week managing his ads. We’ve streamlined agency owner Phil Byrne’s business workflow. And so much more.

Going forward, that commitment won’t change. At Adzooma we are focused on creating a product that will continue to support businesses and the digital marketing community through the toughest of times, and hopefully soon enough, the good times too.

Working alongside you our users is how we’ll make this happen. Your loyalty and support has been crucial in helping us become the platform we are today and without you none of this would be possible. 

It’s your feedback and openness to collaboration that makes Adzooma. You help to guide us on in our journey. You help shape our roadmap. 

And in 2021, we only want to bring that relationship closer together. 

Because together we thrive.

It offers: 

• One of the cheapest Cost Per Click prices, with CPC 32.5% to 60.2% less than Google Ads. 
• Reaches 63 million users that Google doesn’t. 
• 75% of Bing users aged 35 and over; 50% of them have an income of over $75,000. 
• Incredible targeting options, including LinkedIn profile targeting, advanced device targeting and more. 

We’re big Microsoft advocates at Adzooma. In fact, if you’re new to Microsoft, we’ll give you $125 of search advertising spend for free when you sign up with $25.

However, if you really want to get the best results from your Microsoft Advertising campaigns, you need Adzooma. As an all-in-one advertising management platform, Adzooma offers more features than Microsoft Advertising alone to save you time, achieve better results and scale your business. 

Find out how Adzooma compares to Microsoft Advertising and the best features you might be missing out here.

Recognised as one of Microsoft’s best partners 

Adzooma wouldn’t be able to provide this platform without Microsoft’s help. 

Working alongside their team, together we created a truly one of its kind platform to help advertisers grow and scale their Microsoft Advertising success like never before. 

It’s why we won the Rising Star Of The Year award at the 2021 Microsoft Advertising Partner awards. We don’t just work with Microsoft, but how we go above and beyond to ensure that our users get the best possible result from their campaigns. 
In the same awards, this success was also recognised through 3 other nominations: 

• Account Team of the Year – Awarded to an exemplary account team or group that partners, engages, and drives Microsoft Advertising revenue growth and feature adoption throughout the year
• Community Response Award – This new award category offers recognition to partner organisations or someone within a partner organisation that has provided innovative support or services to the industry or the community this year amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Trailblazer of the Year [Chief Technology Officer Thomas Hampson] – Awarded to an individual that, in an innovative and engaging way evangelises Microsoft Advertising and drives Microsoft Advertising brand awareness and affinity internally, as well as in the industry

Our continued partnership with Microsoft means that together, we’ll continue to update, innovate and grow the platform for you to reap the rewards.

More intuitive for better time saving

Adzooma offers the same functionality as Microsoft Advertising. And more. Plus, we make it easier, quicker and more intuitive to use. 

For example, instead of having separate screens for your campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads, Adzooma combines them all into one, single Management screen. 

All the key data you want to know, including impressions, clicks, conversions, cost, will be neatly displayed in your management table. If you want to get a closer look at your ad groups, keywords, or ads, just click the arrow to reach the right level. 

All of the metrics can be customised here, meaning that the data you want to see will always be displayed first. You can also customise the date range by clicking on the calendar icon at the top of the page.

Adzooma Management is more than just looking at your campaigns. It’s how you can make quick edits and adjustments without leaving the platform.

• If you want to change a budget for a particular campaign or a keyword bid, you just have to click the edit icon and enter your new budget. 
• If you want to make mass changes, just select the campaigns, ad groups, keywords or ads in question and click the ‘edit’ button at the top to make quick changes.
• If you want to pause or enable campaigns, just click the status toggle.

What’s more, you can add new campaigns, ad groups, keywords, search adverts or Responsive Search Adverts (RSAs)  to your account without leaving the platform with our advanced campaign builder. 

Just click the ‘Add campaign’ button to create an entire new campaign, or hit the ‘+’ button to add more ad groups, keywords or adverts to an existing campaign. 

It’s simple to operate and has fewer steps than Microsoft’s campaign builder, which means less time spent on new campaigns and more time gained to apply optimisations and scale your business.

What’s more, you can automatically create ad groups based on keyword match types.

To do this, just select ‘Match type’ at the top of the ad group builder and enter your keywords into the field. When you’re ready, we’ll automatically separate them out into different ad groups based on keyword match type.

What’s more, you can automatically create ad groups based on keyword match types.

To do this, just select ‘Match type’ at the top of the ad group builder and enter your keywords into the field. When you’re ready, we’ll automatically separate them out into different ad groups based on keyword match type.

One-click optimisation Opportunities

Microsoft Advertising has a recommendation system that will send you suggestions to optimise and get more out of your campaigns. Instead of recommendations, Adzooma has Opportunities. Don’t worry, there are more differences than just the name. 

To see your Microsoft recommendations, you need to click the recommendations tab from the campaigns page. There you’ll see a list of your recommendations split into these four types: 

• Ads and extensions, which include suggestions to add extensions to ads, try out different headline variations, or to use optimise ad rotation settings. 
• Bidding and budgets, which mostly suggest automated bidding targets, but also offer some suggestions when to raise budgets to keep ads running on your busiest days. 
• Keywords and targeting, which can identify poorly converting keywords or suggest other match types or negative keywords to add. 

Repairs, which aim to fix issues in your account such as making sure your campaigns are structured correctly, tracking is set up and enabled or any other certification issues you might have.

Most of the Microsoft Advertising recommendations are based around their own automated bidding strategies. At Adzooma, our suggestions are a little more intelligent than that. 

We offer 25 unique Opportunities for Microsoft Advertising, broken down into these key categories: 

• Improve Performance, which includes unique suggestions to make bid adjustments based on device, gender or age or even fix spelling mistakes. 
• Reduce Wasted Spend, which aims to increase your ROI with suggestions to stop targeting non-performing age ranges or genders, or decrease bids on your weak performers.  
• Best Practice, which uses industry standard practices to ensure your campaigns are competitive, including suggestions to check low performing landing pages or fix broken links. 

Occasionally, we’ll also have a special partner deal for you in there too, like claiming cashback on all your Microsoft Advertising spend with Revolut.

Each Opportunity will have two options: details or ignore. If you press details, you’ll be given a detailed explanation of why it’s important and how it can affect your account. If you want to apply it, click the ‘add to queue’ button. When you’re ready, hit ‘apply all’ Opportunities in the queue to action all these changes in a single click.

If you click ignore on an Opportunity, our platform will use this information to get smarter over time, making sure we only send you relevant Opportunities that you’ll want to action. 

We don’t just explain why we’ve generated this opportunity, we also give you estimated figures showing you how many impressions, clicks, conversions it could generate you, as well as how much money and time you’ve saved.

Automated rules every 30 minutes, not every day 

Automated rules are the PPC assistant you’ve always wanted. They’re there to provide around the clock optimisation, time-saving automatic actions and custom alerts of important changes. 

With rules, you can adjust budgets, pause poor-performing keywords or get custom alerts when it’s time to take action, saving you hours of manually monitoring the data. 

These are the instructions that Microsoft Advertising provide for setting up an automated rule: 

1. From the main menu on the far left, click All campaigns.
2. From the page menu, click either Ad groups, Ads and extensions, or Keywords.
3. Click Automate.
4. Select what you want to happen (for example, Pause campaigns when).
5. Optional: Specify the circumstances that you want to trigger your action (for example, CPC > $5.00). You can set up to five such triggers for each rule.
6. Specify how often you want the rule to run.
7. Choose if you want an email sent to you when the rule is run.
8. Optional: If you want to see a preview of what would happen if the rule were run immediately, click Preview results.
   For example, if you create a rule to automatically increase your budget based on CTR, you can use Preview results to see which budgets would change and by how much.
9. Click Save.

We’ve made this simpler at Adzooma.

To create a rule, just click Automation at the top and the ‘New Automation Rule’ button. There, you can choose a template (which we’ll cover below) or create your own custom rule. All rules are created using 5 steps – with detailed explanations all the way through if you need it. 

Whatever rule you want to make, you can do it from this one, simple creator.

What’s more, our automated rules are more advanced than Microsofts as we offer: 

• Rules that run every 30 minutes, not every day. This gives you greater control and enables you to make impactful changes at the right time to increase your success. 
• And/Or conditions, which allow you to create intelligent rules that will run on multiple metrics, for example, if a campaign has more than 50 conversions OR if it has a CPA of less than £5. 
• Select which teammates you want to be notified when a rule fires, without having to manually import their email address. 
• As many conditions as you want, instead of a limit of 5.

Simply put, Adzooma’s automated rules are smarter, faster and more efficient, helping you save time and scale.

For more information on creating your own automated rules, you can follow our step by step guide on creating a custom ‘high volume, low conversion’ rule here.

Templated rules to get you started quickly 

Unlike Microsoft Advertising, Adzooma also offers an entire library of premade rules that you can apply to your account in a few clicks. 

Each rule was created by PPC experts as the go-to rules that have been proven to increase performance, save time and improve their ROI. It’s perfect for those that are new to automated rules or are just looking for a quick way to apply them to your account. 

To see our rules, head to Automation and click ‘New Automation Rule’. Then, select ‘Choose Templates’ to be taken to our library of 28 premade rules that you can apply to your account.

When you’ve found one you like, just click on it, choose what campaigns you want to apply it to, how often you want it to run and click save. You can make any edits and customisations to these rules as you want – they’re your starting point for you to make them your own.

Want to know more about our templates? Find out our five most popular automation rules and why they’re used here.

Intelligent reporting to prioritise your workload 

The key to great campaigns is data. 

That’s why Microsoft Advertising runs multiple reports for you to get a deeper look at your data to figure out what’s working, what isn’t and what needs your attention. 

For example, Microsoft offer reports such as:

• The Keyword, Campaign, Ad and Ad group reports, which tell you which campaigns are performing well and how your keywords are contributing to campaign performance.
• The Search term report, which shows which words customers enter into search to cause your ads to display.
• The Share of voice report, which gives you an estimate on where you might be losing to competitors in the marketplace.

Once you’ve selected which report you want to run, there are a few extra steps you have to take. You’ll need to select the date range, which specific campaigns you want to run the report for and what metrics you want to appear in the columns before you can think about interpreting the results.

Adzooma does reporting differently. 

We offer 7 predefined reports to remove the hours of data analysis and number crunching, so you can prioritise your workload. 

Our flagship one is the PPC Performance Report. Analysing your Microsoft Advertising account, the PPC Performance report gives you an overall score out of 100 with a breakdown of how optimised your account is. The closer to 100 you are, the better optimised your ads are. 

Underneath the score, you’ll find cards showing you where you can improve and the actions you can take right now. To make things even easier, you can also click to action these changes inside Adzooma, taking you from reporting to optimisation in seconds. 

That means you’ll spend less time finding problems and more time fixing them.

Adzooma also offers customisable reports for complete freedom and control. ou can have as many pages, graphs, charts and data as you want. Add your own images and text and show off your success with clients or shareholders.

Whatever you need, just click it and Adzooma will add in the data. What’s more, every report will automatically update with the latest figures, giving you 100% accurate reports you can rely on.

Manage your Google and Facebook ads simultaneously 

Adzooma isn’t just for Microsoft Advertising. 

You can use it to manage your Google and Facebook accounts simultaneously, without having to use a separate platform. You can add as many accounts as you want and switch between them in seconds. 

When you log into Adzooma, you’ll be able to see top level data and PPC performance scores for your accounts, letting you prioritise which account needs your attention first. It’s your secret weapon to managing multiple accounts on the go. 

Want to know more?

• See how Adzooma compares to Google Ads 
• See how Adzooma compares to Facebook Ads

Ready to transform your Google Ads management with Adzooma? 

Sign up for free today.