In a recent post, I outlined some of the questions you to ask your digital ad agency to determine if they are a good fit for your needs, and if they have the experience and expertise to create and manage a digital ad program that will give you a healthy ROI.
That article addressed some high-level questions that every business should find the answers to before investing in a digital ad and PPC program. However, one question that comes up in my profession quite often is “What is the difference between Bing and Google Ads?” and then, the inevitable follow-up, “should I be investing in one or the other or both?”
Google is definitely the behemoth when it comes to internet search engines, but there are advantages to expanding your reach beyond this one platform. It is definitely something you will want to ask your digital ad agency, and expect that they will be able to effectively answer your questions.
Bing and Google Ads essentially operate the same way – you bid for certain keywords in order for your ads to display in a search and you pay each time someone clicks on your ad. Is one better or more cost effective than the other? It depends.
Here is a quick rundown of common questions and answers that are good to know.
What Is The Difference Between Bing And Google Ads?
1. What are the differences in demographics, and does my company cater to Bing users?
Google generally works for every demographic and niche, so that is a good place to start your digital advertising program.
Bing has less traffic overall, but has an older demographic and is more business oriented. Consider this and your target audience. Your ads may result in fewer views on this platform but will they be more valuable and likely to convert?
Knowing where your target audience spends time and looks for information on social media is extremely important to your digital advertising strategy overall. The Pew Research Center publishes a very comprehensive report on the demographics of social media every year that can help you decide where to focus your attention.
Ask your pay-per-click agency if they have experience with Bing PPC ads and if they think your business would benefit from advertising on the platform.
2. What is the average CPC difference? How does competition affect cost?
Bing has slightly lower cost-per-clicks, most likely because Bing receives less traffic overall and there is less competition. It is not dramatically lower, however, and would not be a reason to focus all of your efforts and advertising dollars on Bing alone.
It is important to find an agency that can create PPC campaigns in both Google and Bing and provide consistent and accurate reporting so you understand where you are receiving the greatest ROI.
3. Which has a greater Click-through-rate(CTR)? Conversion rate?
There is not a significant difference in click-through-rates or conversion rates between Google and Bing. There is all sorts of anecdotal evidence on the internet that will tell you one platform outperforms the other for certain metrics but it’s very important to remember that:
CTRs and conversion rates depend heavily on the success of individual campaigns and the goals that you are trying to achieve.
This is why, if you want a solid ROI, and to understand where your money is being spent, it’s crucial to sign on with an agency that provides regular reporting and is willing to tweak, or even dramatically pivot and change course in order to receive better results.
Now that you know what to ask of your digital advertising agency, plan what questions and answers are important to your business and your goals. Schedule a meeting with the agency and be sure to send your questions ahead of time so they are able to prepare thoughtful answers for you.
Google and Bing are both significant platforms that can drive traffic to your website and lead to conversions. There is no one-size-fits all plan for businesses to achieve success on either platform. Do your research, ask questions of the agency or person who is running your PPC and ad program, scrutinize the reports, and be willing to make needed changes in order to receive maximum ROI.
