Why Microsoft Ads pays off
The Microsoft audience skews older, more desktop, and more often at work, which suits B2B, finance, and considered purchases. Because fewer advertisers compete, cost per click and cost per acquisition usually run below Google for the same keywords.
It is rarely a primary channel. It is a reliable 10–20% of budget that brings cheaper conversions Google can’t, especially once Google’s auction gets expensive.
- Lower average CPC (~$1.54) than Google (~$2.96)
- Import from Google, then tune bids and negatives separately
- Copilot placements as a new inventory source
- LinkedIn profile targeting available inside Microsoft campaigns
Copilot and the AI shift
Microsoft is wiring ads into Copilot answers, and reports that Copilot placements drove materially higher click-through and conversion rates than traditional search in its 2025 testing. We treat those numbers as Microsoft’s own claims, not gospel, and test the placements with a controlled budget before scaling.
Microsoft also launched its own answer to AI Max, with broader query matching extending into Bing and Copilot responses. We adopt it the same way: measured, with clean tracking.
How we run it alongside Google
We don’t copy-paste Google and walk away. After importing, we set separate bids, separate negatives, and separate budgets, because the Microsoft auction behaves differently. The account gets its own line on your dashboard so you can see exactly what the second channel contributes.
Common questions
For most accounts, yes, as a second channel. Clicks are cheaper, with an average CPC near $1.54 versus roughly $2.96 on Google, and competition is lighter. Volume is lower, so it rarely replaces Google, but it adds incremental leads at a lower cost, especially for B2B and finance.