It's cheaper because fewer people are there.
That's the honest pitch for Microsoft Ads, and it's still a good one. Clicks cost less, the audience skews corporate and desktop, and you can target by job title using LinkedIn data. The volume is a fraction of Google's - which is exactly why it's worth testing rather than betting on.
Usually added to an existing Google account · Media billed at cost · Accounts stay in your name
Worth it for some businesses. Not for others.
Microsoft holds a small share of US search. For certain advertisers that small share is disproportionately valuable; for others the setup time never gets repaid. Find yourself below before you spend anything.
You can bid on who's searching, not just what.
Microsoft owns LinkedIn, which means professional profile data can be layered directly onto search campaigns. Someone types a query; the platform knows their company, industry, job function and seniority.
For B2B that changes the arithmetic entirely. The same expensive keyword can be worth bidding aggressively on for a director at a target account and worth nothing at all for a student writing a dissertation and on Google those two clicks cost you exactly the same.
It works both directions. Bid up to reach the right people, or exclude job functions outright so you stop paying for them.
- Query
- “cloud security software”
- Company
- Named accounts on your target list
- Industry
- Financial services, healthcare, government
- Job function
- IT, engineering, operations
- Seniority
- Director and above
Where each one wins.
These aren't competitors for your budget so much as different shapes of the same channel. Most accounts that run both put the large majority through Google.
We don't publish a headline CPC saving. You'll see agencies quote a fixed percentage; the honest answer is that it depends on how many competitors bid in your category on each platform, and we can only tell you after looking at your keywords.
Import it, then rebuild it.
Microsoft's import tool copies your Google campaigns over in minutes. Running that copy unedited is the most common reason advertisers conclude the platform doesn't work.
Estimate before you spend
Your keywords, checked against Microsoft's volume in your markets. If the answer is that you'd get a handful of clicks a month, we'll say so before anyone builds anything.
Week 1Bring the account across
Campaigns, ad groups, keywords and negatives copied from Google as a starting draft. Cheap and fast, and never the finished product.
Week 1Fix what doesn't transfer
Match types behave differently, some Google features have no equivalent, and the audience skews desktop. Bids, schedules, device modifiers and LinkedIn layers all get rebuilt for this platform rather than inherited.
Weeks 2–3Decide honestly at 90 days
Lower volume means slower data, so early numbers say little. At ninety days we'll tell you whether it's earning its management - including when the answer is to put the budget back into Google.
Day 90Before you call.
Is Microsoft Ads actually cheaper than Google?
Usually, and the reason is simply that fewer advertisers are bidding - a thinner auction produces lower clearing prices. How much lower varies enormously by category. In some B2B verticals the difference is substantial; in others it's marginal, and occasionally a term is more expensive on Microsoft because a competitor is concentrating budget there. You'll see agencies quote a fixed percentage. We won't, because the only honest answer comes from checking your actual keywords on both platforms.
Can I just import my Google campaigns?
You can, and Microsoft makes it easy. Running the raw import is the single most common reason advertisers decide the platform doesn't work. Match types behave differently, some Google features have no counterpart, device split is far more desktop-weighted, and the LinkedIn targeting that makes the platform worth using isn't in the import at all. We treat it as a starting draft and rebuild from there.
How much volume should I expect?
Less than Google, and the gap is larger than most people expect. Microsoft's share of US search is single-digit, and your share of that depends on category and geography. We'll estimate it against your actual keywords before you commit budget - because "some incremental volume at better efficiency" is a good outcome and "we'll double your leads" is not something this channel does.
What's the minimum to make it worthwhile?
There's no platform minimum, but there is a practical one. Below roughly $1,000/month in Microsoft media spend you generally won't gather enough data to optimise, and the management overhead outweighs the return. That figure is the Microsoft slice specifically - our engagements start at $5,000/month across all paid channels, and Microsoft is usually a portion of that rather than a standalone piece of work.
How does the LinkedIn targeting actually work?
Microsoft owns LinkedIn, so it can match a searcher against professional profile data - company, industry, job function, seniority, and apply that as a bid layer on search campaigns. It works both directions: bid up to reach a director at a target account, or exclude job functions entirely so you stop paying for clicks that were never going to buy. Nothing equivalent exists on Google, and for B2B it's frequently the whole reason to be on the platform.
Should I run this instead of Google Ads?
Almost certainly not. Google is where the volume is, and for nearly every advertiser it should stay the core of paid search. Microsoft is a supplement that adds incremental reach at better efficiency - genuinely worth having, and not a replacement. If your Google account isn't working yet, fix that first; adding a second platform multiplies the problem across two dashboards. How we think about the split covers this properly.
How long before I know if it's working?
Longer than on Google, because lower volume means slower data accumulation. Traffic starts in the first week, but early numbers are too thin to read. Give it 90 days before judging. At that point we'll tell you whether it's earning its management fee, and if it isn't, the recommendation will be to move the budget back to Google rather than to keep it running because it's on the invoice.
Looking for one specific thing?
We'll size it before you spend anything.
Send us your keyword list, or read access to your Google account. We'll estimate what Microsoft volume actually looks like in your category and markets, and tell you whether it's worth the setup. Sometimes the answer is no, and it's cheaper for both of us to know that now.
Read-only access · No obligation · Findings are yours to keep