If you ask most small business owners about paid search, they think Google. Google has 92 percent of UK search market share, so this is not unreasonable. But the other 8 percent is not nothing. Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) reaches an audience worth around £4 billion in UK search advertising revenue.
More importantly, for some businesses the cost per click on Microsoft Ads is 40 to 60 percent lower than Google for the same keywords. The question is not which is "better". It is which is right for your business.
Where the Difference Comes From
The audience on Microsoft Ads is genuinely different from Google. It is not just "Google users who happen to be on Bing today". Here is the actual breakdown:
Default Browser Effect
Microsoft Ads serves on Edge and Bing, the defaults on Windows. Around 30 percent of UK office workers never change them.
Older Demographic
The Microsoft Ads audience skews 35 plus, with a notable bias toward 45 to 64 year olds with higher disposable income.
Less Competition
Fewer advertisers means lower CPCs. For service keywords, expect to pay 30 to 50 percent less than on Google.
B2B Bias
Microsoft Ads owns LinkedIn data, so B2B targeting (job title, industry, company size) is stronger than anywhere else.
Where Microsoft Ads Wins
For some industries the lower CPC and older audience means Microsoft Ads delivers a lower cost per acquisition than Google for the same offer:
- B2B services. Accountants, consultants, IT services, training providers. The LinkedIn integration alone is worth the test.
- Higher value home services. Boilers, windows, conservatories, solar. The demographic skew matches.
- Healthcare and legal. Where trust and a longer consideration phase matter.
- Established brands in low intent verticals. If you have existing brand recognition, the cheaper traffic is even more valuable.
Where Google Ads Wins
Google still wins for most retail, urgent need services, and any campaign that needs volume:
- Local urgent services. Emergency plumber, locksmith, towing. People reach for their phone, and that means Google.
- Younger audiences. Under 35s are firmly Google by default.
- High volume needs. If you need 1,000 clicks a day, Google is where the inventory is.
- Shopping campaigns at scale. Microsoft Shopping exists but Google's product feed ecosystem is more mature.
Direct Comparison Across Common Metrics
| Metric | Google Ads | Microsoft Ads |
|---|---|---|
| UK search market share | ~92% | ~5% |
| Average CPC (service keywords) | £1.50 to £6 | £0.80 to £3.20 |
| Audience age bias | Slightly younger, broader | 35 plus, higher income |
| B2B targeting | Decent | Best in market via LinkedIn data |
| Conversion rate | Generally higher volume | Often higher rate, lower volume |
| Setup learning curve | Moderate | Easier (can import Google account) |
The Easiest Way to Test Microsoft Ads
You do not need to rebuild your account. Microsoft Ads has a free Google Ads import that pulls in your campaigns, keywords, ads and negatives directly. Reset bids to manual CPC at first (do not trust the imported bids) and let it run for 30 days on a budget of £20 to £30 a day per campaign you want to test.
Import gotchas: Make sure you remove "Microsoft Audience Network" placements unless you want display style traffic. Disable Dynamic Search Ads on the import too unless you specifically want them. Both can eat budget on irrelevant clicks.
What 30 Days of Data Tells You
After a month, look at three numbers compared to your Google Ads benchmarks:
- Cost per click. Should be at least 25 percent lower than Google for the same keywords.
- Conversion rate. Compare against Google for the same keyword group. Microsoft is usually within plus or minus 20 percent.
- Cost per lead or sale. The number that actually matters. If it is the same or lower than Google, scale up Microsoft Ads to 20 to 30 percent of total PPC budget.
When You Should Not Bother With Microsoft Ads
Microsoft Ads is not for every business. Skip it if:
- Your monthly PPC budget is under £400. The volume on Microsoft will be too thin to learn anything in a reasonable time.
- You target a strictly Gen Z or younger millennial audience. Wrong demographic.
- You are already maxing out volume on Google with cost per acquisition you are happy with, and have free cash sitting unused. Even then we would recommend testing it, but it can wait.
Running Both Together
For most small businesses with a PPC budget over £600 a month, running both Google and Microsoft Ads makes sense. A typical split is 75 percent Google, 25 percent Microsoft. This gets you full coverage of UK search inventory and lets you cherry pick the cheaper clicks from Microsoft.
One important rule: do not just leave Microsoft on autopilot after import. Optimise it as a separate channel. Different audience, different keywords often perform differently, different ad copy can win.
The Verdict
For B2B, home services, healthcare, legal, and finance, Microsoft Ads is worth testing on day one. For local urgent services and retail at scale, Google is still the priority. For most service businesses with a reasonable budget, running both gives you the best result. We manage both platforms as standard for our PPC clients because the maths almost always works out.
Brett Dixon
Founder & Managing Director of DPOM. Brett founded DPOM nearly 15 years ago after a career in marketing working with Harvey Nichols, BBC Top Gear, Formula One circuits, and UK Trade and Investment. His passion became helping smaller businesses grow, with honest advice, no jargon, and realistic expectations.
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