Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising compared
Google handles most search volume in the US, so nearly every account starts there. Microsoft Advertising shows ads on Bing, Yahoo and partner sites, and its audience leans toward desktop and work computers. Some B2B advertisers find that worth testing once Google is running cleanly.
Microsoft lets you import campaigns straight from Google Ads. That gives you a starting point, though budgets, bid strategies, location settings and some assets come across differently and need checking after each import.
Management on either platform covers the same basics: keyword lists and match types, negative keywords, ad copy and assets, bidding, conversion tracking and a regular pass through the search terms. Running both means two sets of settings to watch and two invoices from the platforms, both paid by you.
Ads, assets and the pages behind them
Google Ads uses responsive search ads: you supply up to fifteen headlines and four descriptions, and Google tests combinations. The work is writing lines that each stand on their own, say something specific about the service, and match the search they appear for.
Assets, once called extensions, add more to the ad:
- Sitelinks to specific pages such as a service page or the quote form.
- Callouts for short facts about how you work.
- Structured snippets listing services or industries served.
- Image assets where the account is eligible.
The page the ad points to gets checked too. If the ad mentions a service, the click should land on that service and a form, not on a general home page. Where ads change, the page often needs a small edit to match.
Questions to put to a search ads provider
These questions tell you a lot about how an engagement will run:
- Will the Google Ads account be in my name, billed to my card, with me as an admin?
- What access do you need, and what happens to it if we stop working together?
- Which conversion actions will you set up, and how will you test them?
- How often will you read the search terms report and add negatives?
- Which bid strategy do you plan to start with, and what would make you change it?
- Do you accept Google's automatic recommendations, or apply them by hand?
- What goes in the regular summary, and can I see the change history?
- How is the fee worked out, and is setup billed separately?
Questions about search ads management
Who owns the ad account?
You should. The account should be created under your business email and billed to your payment method, with you holding admin access. The provider works through a manager account link or a user invite that you can remove. That way the keyword history and conversion data stay with you if the arrangement ends.
What counts as a conversion?
Whatever you decide is a lead, set up as a conversion action in Google Ads. For most B2B sites that is a completed quote form. Smaller actions such as page views can be recorded but should not be marked primary, because automated bidding learns from primary conversions.
Who decides the ad budget?
You do. A provider can explain how daily campaign budgets work, how search volume and click prices affect spend, and how to split money between services. Ad spend is billed by Google or Microsoft to you, and you can lower or pause it in the account.
Tell us what you sell and which channels you want to run. A service partner will reply with a scope and a quote.
Request a quoteOther services
Facebook and Instagram
Meta Ads Manager campaigns with clear audiences and a creative plan, set up under your Business Manager.
Landing pages
Pages written and built to match each campaign, on a tool you can edit later, checked on mobile before traffic arrives.
Follow-up setup
Alerts, tasks and simple follow-up sequences in your CRM, so new inquiries are answered by the right person.