When we talk about a search engine, we almost always mean Google. That is not surprising at all, given that Google has a market share of 93% in the Netherlands. So why this article about Bing, Microsoft's search engine?
It is very simple. Bing Ads is on a major rise. In the Netherlands, Bing has a market share of only 3%, but this is expected to rise significantly. In America, Bing already holds a market share of 25%–30%, and in the United Kingdom, its market share has nearly doubled in a year (11% in 2015 compared to 6,2% in 2014).
Smart partnerships
Bing has entered into a number of smart partnerships to increase its market share. Bing merged with Yahoo, which already had a significant market share. Additionally, Mozilla Firefox chose to set Bing as the default search engine.
Apple also has complete confidence in Bing. In fact, since iOS 7, Siri has used Bing as its search engine. Siri has also recently become available in Dutch, meaning it will be used increasingly by the Dutch audience.
However, Windows 10 is expected to trigger the biggest market shift. Windows 10 is a search-oriented platform that will be used on all kinds of devices. These include a significant number of computers, tablets, and mobile devices, all of which will soon have Bing set as the default search engine.
Competition on Bing Ads
Bing Ads is Bing's advertising system and is very similar to Google AdWordsHowever, the competition on Bing is many times lower than within Google AdWords. Because there are (far) fewer advertisers on Bing Ads, the CPCs are also significantly lower. As a result, Bing is very accessible to advertisers with a smaller budget or in industries where the competition in AdWords is extremely high.
Additional CPC channel
When you advertise on Bing, you reach a target audience that you normally do not reach, or barely reach, via Google AdWords. When people have set a default search engine, they will primarily use it. Users who have set Bing as their default search engine will therefore primarily use it. Consequently, you do not reach these users, or reach them only poorly, via Google AdWords.
Bing Ads conversion rate
The conversion rate on Bing Ads is significantly higher than on Google AdWords. This, combined with a lower CPC, results in significantly lower costs per conversion. Bing users are characterized by being older and exhibiting less "shopping" behavior. These are users who do not compare prices across dozens of online stores but make a purchase more quickly.
Benefits of Bing Ads
Bing Ads is therefore a very interesting channel to utilize, particularly due to the expected growth in market share and the profitability of this channel. Be aware, however, that the achievable traffic is currently many times lower; however, this traffic is more converting at lower costs.
Finally, a brief summary of the benefits of Bing Ads:
- Low(er) cost per click;
- Higher conversion rate;
- Visitors from Bing Ads spend 60% more in an online store;
- Less competition;
- Clearly visible even on a low budget;
- Additional channel in the marketing mix.
Do you have more questions about using Bing Ads in your marketing efforts? Feel free to contact us without obligation. contact with us!