Bing Ads Australia: Is Microsoft Advertising Worth It in 2026?
Here’s the question most Australian advertisers ask: Should I be running Bing Ads?
The honest answer: It depends.
If you’re spending $10,000 per month on Google Ads and haven’t found a profitable rhythm yet, Bing is the wrong priority. But if you’ve maxed out your Google budget and still have conversions to capture, Microsoft Advertising deserves serious consideration.
This guide cuts through the hype and gives you the real picture: where Bing works in Australia, where it doesn’t, and whether the platform is worth your time and budget in 2026.
Bing’s Market Share in Australia: The Honest Numbers
Let’s start with the market data. It’s not flashy, but it’s important.
Microsoft Advertising (Bing + Edge) captures approximately 5–8% of Australia’s search traffic. That’s roughly 1 in 12–15 searches.
But here’s where it gets interesting: Microsoft Advertising’s ad spend allocation in Australia is only about 3% of total PPC budget. Advertisers are under-represented on the platform relative to search traffic.
Why the gap? Two reasons:
- Google dominance is real. Australian marketers default to Google because it’s where most traffic is, and the platform’s tools are more mature.
- Bing’s audience perception. Many advertisers assume Bing users are less valuable or less engaged. (They’re often wrong about this.)
That under-allocation creates an opportunity: less competition, lower CPCs, and a less-saturated ad space for businesses willing to experiment.
Who Searches on Bing in Australia?
The stereotype: Bing users are older, less tech-savvy, searching for basic information.
The reality: Bing’s Australian audience skews older (35–64) and higher income, but they’re actively searching for products and services they intend to buy.
Why Bing usage is higher than you’d expect:
- Windows corporate devices: Bing is the default search engine on Windows and Edge. Any large enterprise with Windows-only IT standards funnels searches through Bing by default.
- Older demographic (35–64): This group has higher disposable income, is less likely to have switched browsers, and often uses Bing because it came with their device.
- Higher average household income: Bing’s Australian audience, on average, has higher purchasing power than the general population.
For certain industries—financial services, B2B software, premium goods, professional services—Bing’s audience is actually more valuable than Google’s, despite lower volume.
Bing Ads CPCs vs Google Ads: Real Australian Data
Here’s what we’re seeing in 2026:
Average CPCs are 30–50% lower on Bing than Google for equivalent keywords in Australia.
Example:
- “Accounting software Australia” on Google: $8–$12 CPC
- “Accounting software Australia” on Bing: $4–$7 CPC
- “Real estate agent Brisbane” on Google: $6–$10 CPC
- “Real estate agent Brisbane” on Bing: $3–$6 CPC
- “Digital marketing agency” on Google: $12–$18 CPC
- “Digital marketing agency” on Bing: $6–$10 CPC
Why is Bing cheaper?
- Less competition. Fewer advertisers means less bidding pressure.
- Lower-quality traffic expectations. Some advertisers assume Bing traffic converts worse, so they bid lower.
- Smaller ad ecosystem. Less sophisticated bidding strategies overall.
For many Australian businesses, the lower CPC on Bing more than compensates for lower volume. If you can get 30% of the conversions at 40% of the cost, that’s a win.
When Bing Ads Make Sense for Australian Businesses
Good fit:
- You’ve already optimized Google Ads and found profitable keywords
- You have a $5,000+ monthly budget (smaller budgets get lost on secondary platforms)
- Your product/service appeals to professionals, higher-income earners, or older demographics
- You’re in B2B, financial services, professional services, or premium goods
- You have conversion tracking set up and can measure ROI
Not a good fit:
- You haven’t started with Google yet (start there first)
- Your target audience is Gen Z or young Millennials (they rarely use Bing)
- You’re testing a brand new campaign with uncertain ROI (stick to Google’s larger volume first)
- Your budget is under $2,000/month (you won’t get meaningful data)
Bing’s Unique Advantage: LinkedIn Audience Targeting
Here’s one feature Google doesn’t have: LinkedIn audience targeting on Bing Ads.
Microsoft owns both platforms. On Bing, you can target people who match LinkedIn job titles, seniority levels, industries, and company sizes.
This is massive for B2B.
If you sell compliance software to financial services compliance officers, you can target:
- Job title: “Compliance Officer”
- Industry: “Financial Services”
- Company size: “500–1,000 employees”
On Google, you’d rely on keyword matching (“compliance software” + “financial services”). On Bing, you can directly target the person and the keyword simultaneously.
For B2B companies, this LinkedIn integration often makes Bing Ads worth the effort alone.
Import Campaigns from Google to Bing: Easy Setup
Here’s the friction many advertisers worry about: “If I add Bing, I’ll have to rebuild everything from scratch.”
You don’t. Microsoft Advertising lets you import Google Ads campaigns directly. It’s one of the easiest platform migrations available.
How it works:
- Log into Microsoft Advertising
- Go to “Bulk Operations” → “Import Campaigns”
- Sign in with your Google account
- Select which campaigns to import
- Bing auto-creates matching campaigns, ad groups, and keywords in Bing format
The entire process takes 10–15 minutes. You don’t have to rewrite ad copy, rebuild keyword lists, or restructure campaign logic.
What carries over:
- Keywords
- Ad copy (headlines and descriptions)
- Ad group structure
- Campaign settings (budget, location targeting, device targeting)
What doesn’t (and requires manual setup):
- Bid amounts (because CPCs are different)
- Exact match types (Bing’s matching is slightly different)
- Some advanced features (audience segments, smart bidding)
After import, you’ll want to adjust bids downward (since Bing CPCs are lower) and monitor performance for 2–3 weeks before optimizing further.
Common Bing Ads Mistakes to Avoid
1. Bidding at the same level as Google If your Google Ads average $15 CPC, don’t bid $15 on Bing. Start at $8–$10 and scale up based on conversion data.
2. Assuming all traffic converts equally Bing traffic can convert as well as Google, but the audience is different. A B2B product might see better conversion on Bing; a fashion brand might see worse. Test and measure.
3. Neglecting LinkedIn targeting If you’re in B2B and not using LinkedIn audience layers on Bing, you’re missing a key advantage.
4. Running the same landing pages without optimization Your Google landing page might not resonate with Bing’s older, more professional demographic. Test variations.
5. Setting budgets too low If you allocate $200/month to Bing, you’ll get 20–30 clicks. Not enough data to optimize. Allocate at least $1,000/month if you’re serious.
6. Not setting up conversion tracking Bing’s conversion tracking can be finicky. Ensure it’s configured correctly before you launch. Test it with dummy conversions.
Realistic Expectations: Volume vs. Profitability
Bing gets ~1 in 12–15 searches. That’s the ceiling.
If a keyword gets 1,000 searches per month on Google, expect 80–120 on Bing (accounting for audience overlap and volume variance).
But profitability can exceed Google:
Example:
- Google: 1,000 searches, 50 clicks ($15 CPC), 5 conversions. CPA: $150
- Bing: 80 searches, 5 clicks ($7 CPC), 1 conversion. CPA: $35
On absolute numbers, Google drives 5x the conversions. On efficiency, Bing might be 4x better.
The strategic play: Use Bing to capture the high-intent, lower-cost version of your Google keywords. Not as a replacement, but as a secondary revenue stream.
Campaign Structure for Bing Ads
Here’s a simple way to structure Bing alongside Google:
Approach 1: Mirror Structure Import your top Google campaigns directly. Monitor Bing separately. Scale successful campaigns.
Approach 2: Selective Campaigns Only bring your most profitable Google campaigns to Bing. (If “accounting software” converts on Google, test it on Bing.)
Approach 3: Bing-Specific Setup Use LinkedIn audience targeting and demographic filters that aren’t available on Google. Test different keyword strategies.
Most businesses start with Approach 1 (import what works on Google), then graduate to Approach 3 (optimize specifically for Bing’s strengths) once they understand the platform.
Setting Up Conversion Tracking on Bing
Bing’s conversion tracking requires a bit more manual setup than Google, but it’s not complex.
Steps:
- Create a conversion goal in Microsoft Advertising (e.g., “Lead Form Submission”)
- Generate the Bing UET (Universal Event Tracking) tag
- Add the tag to your website (or use Google Tag Manager to fire it)
- Test the tag with a dummy conversion
Key difference from Google: Bing uses a single UET tag across your whole account, then assigns different conversions to that tag via the platform. Google uses individual conversion codes per conversion type.
For most businesses, Bing’s UET approach is actually simpler. Set it up once, then create multiple conversion goals without adding new code.
Bing’s Limitations (Be Aware)
Bing Ads is powerful, but it has real limits compared to Google:
Smaller Ad Ecosystem
- Fewer ad formats (no Responsive Display Ads, limited video options)
- Fewer audience targeting options
- Limited remarketing capabilities
Performance Max Not Available
- Google’s Performance Max is a powerhouse for some industries. Bing doesn’t have an equivalent yet.
Lower Search Volume
- Volume matters for machine learning algorithms. With 5–8% of searches, Bing’s optimization is less sophisticated than Google’s.
Audience Reach Limits
- Demographic and interest targeting is less refined than Google’s.
These aren’t deal-breakers. But for some campaigns (especially brand new ones requiring high volume and sophisticated ML), Google is the better starting point.
How Much Budget Should You Allocate to Bing?
A practical framework:
If you’re new to PPC: Don’t start with Bing. Master Google first.
If you’re profitable on Google ($5,000+/month budget): Allocate 10–20% of your Google spend to Bing. That’s $500–$1,000/month. Test for 60 days, measure ROI.
If Bing ROI is better than Google: Scale Bing budget to 30–50% of Google spend. Rebalance monthly.
If Bing ROI is worse but acceptable: Keep it at 10–15% as a secondary revenue stream.
If Bing ROI is unprofitable: Kill it and focus on Google or other channels.
Most Australian businesses we’ve worked with see Bing ROI that’s 80–120% as profitable as Google, which means Bing is worth maintaining as a secondary channel.
Bing Ads for Different Industries
B2B Software / Professional Services
- Bing performs strongly. LinkedIn targeting makes it especially valuable.
- Recommendation: 20–30% of Google budget
Financial Services
- Bing’s older, wealthier demographic is ideal.
- Recommendation: 25–35% of Google budget
Healthcare
- Decent performance. Bing users often search for specific medical concerns.
- Recommendation: 15–25% of Google budget
E-Commerce
- Lower performance. Bing users are less likely to impulse-purchase.
- Recommendation: 5–15% of Google budget
Fitness / Wellness
- Mixed results. Depends on product positioning.
- Recommendation: Test with 10–15% of Google budget first
Real Estate
- Strong performance. Bing’s demographic aligns with home buyers.
- Recommendation: 20–30% of Google budget
Getting Started: Your First 30 Days on Bing
Week 1: Import and Setup
- Import your top 3 Google campaigns to Bing
- Reduce bids by 30–40%
- Ensure conversion tracking is working
- Set a daily budget cap (e.g., $30/day) while testing
Week 2–3: Monitor
- Track clicks, impressions, conversions daily
- Watch for any spikes or anomalies
- Don’t optimize yet; just gather data
Week 4: Analyze and Optimize
- Pull a conversion report
- Compare Bing’s CPA to Google’s
- If profitable: scale budget by 25–50%
- If unprofitable: adjust bids downward or pause low-performers
- Test LinkedIn targeting on your B2B campaigns
Bing Ads vs. Other Secondary Channels
You might be asking: “Should I run Bing, or should I try TikTok Ads or Pinterest Ads instead?”
Bing advantage: Lower entry barrier (import from Google), easier measurement, proven ROI path.
Other platforms’ advantage: Larger, younger audiences; unique creative formats; higher viral potential.
Our recommendation: Run Bing as a secondary Google channel first. It requires less creative testing and lower risk. Once Bing is established (60–90 days), explore other platforms if budget allows.
The Bottom Line: Should You Run Bing Ads in Australia?
Yes, if:
- You’re already profitable on Google
- You have at least $1,000/month to allocate to testing
- You’re in B2B, professional services, financial services, or premium goods
- You can monitor and optimize performance weekly
No, if:
- You’re new to PPC (start with Google)
- Your budget is under $2,000/month total
- Your audience is primarily Gen Z or young Millennials
- You don’t have time to manage a second platform
Maybe, if:
- You’re profitable on Google but want to diversify
- You’re willing to test for 60 days and measure ROI
Bing isn’t a silver bullet. But for the right business, in the right industry, Bing Ads can be a profitable, lower-cost complement to Google Ads.
Let Anitech Evaluate Your PPC Mix
Not sure whether Bing Ads belong in your 2026 strategy? The answer depends on your business, your audience, and your current Google performance.
Anitech has set up and optimized Bing campaigns for dozens of Australian businesses across financial services, B2B SaaS, professional services, and e-commerce. We know which industries benefit most and which don’t.
If you’re wondering whether to add Bing to your paid media mix, let’s talk.
Book a PPC Strategy Consultation →
Learn More
- PPC Advertising Australia: Your Strategic Framework — Understand where Bing fits in your broader paid strategy
- Google Ads Australia: Complete Guide — Master Google first; Bing works best as a secondary channel