Behind the Scenes: Using Bing Ads
[dc]R[/dc]unning a website means constantly trying new things to promote what I do. Since I can’t use Google AdWords any longer, I decided to try Bing Ads, the Microsoft version of Google’s famous advertising service. Instead of advertising on Google, my ads run on Bing and Yahoo search results (and websites using those search engines, or running Bing Ads).
Bing Ads operates pretty much the same way as Google’s AdWords: you create an ad campaign, write-up your ads, bid on keywords, and let it go. People search for whatever in a search engine, and my ads might show up.
(Sure, there is more to it, but that’s the thumbnail of what I do.)
Some of my Bing text ads.
Import AdWords Into Bing Ads
Upon creating my Bing Ads account, I learned I could import all my campaigns and ads from Google AdWords. This saved me a lot of work, and got my Bing Ads up and running faster.
I still rewrote a few ads, and added new keywords, but being able to import all my old information helped a bunch.
Minding Your Bing Ads Budget
Another feature of Bing Ads I really liked was how it handled billing. I could add money to my account up front, like I do each month at Project Wonderful, and when the money is gone, my ads stop. Easy (I also disabled the feature which would automatically add more funds).
I’m a fan of going this route versus the other way: getting a bill at the end of a cycle with an amount depending on how many times users clicked my ads.
Using the pay up front method, I knew how much I would spend each month. The ‘we’ll bill you later’ option is why I stopped using Facebook ads (among other reasons): I didn’t like not knowing how much I was going to spend up front, which is vital when sticking to a budget.¹
Thoughts So Far on Bing Ads
I’m only using text ads at the moment, but I’m pleased with the results so far. I’m not spending a lot of money on advertising through Bing Ads, but even a bit helps.²
Some of the menus are a bit confusing, but overall I’m happy. Go ahead and try Bing Ads today.
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¹ Facebook’s ad billing was weird too. I had difficulty understanding their billing cycle.
² My monthly budget for Project Wonderful is about $30 and for Bing Ads its about $20.
