Bing Ads Bidding Strategies

Microsoft Advertising mainly offers two categories:

1. Manual bidding
2. Automated (Smart) bidding

Let’s understand each one clearly.

1. Manual CPC (Cost Per Click)

How It Works:

• You manually set the maximum CPC for each keyword
  
• Full control over bids
  
• No automation involved
  

Example:

• You set ₹40 as max CPC
  
• Bing will not bid above ₹40 for that keyword
  

When to Use:

• Beginners learning the platform
  
• Small budgets
  
• Campaigns needing strict cost control
  

Requires regular monitoring.

2. Enhanced CPC (ECPC)

How It Works:

• You set manual bids
  
• Microsoft automatically increases or decreases bids based on conversion likelihood
  

Example:

• Base bid: ₹50
  
• Bing may bid ₹60 for high-intent users
  
• Or reduce bids for low-quality traffic
  

When to Use:

• When you want some automation but still control
  
• Conversion tracking is enabled
  

3. Maximize Clicks

How It Works:

• Microsoft automatically bids to get maximum clicks within your budget
  

Example:

• Daily budget: ₹1,000
  
• Sysem tries to get the highest number of clicks possible
  
  

When to Use:

• Traffic-focused campaigns
  
• Brand awareness
  
• New accounts without conversion data
  

Click quality may vary.

4. Maximize Conversions

How It Works:

• Bing optimizes bids to get maximum conversions
  
• Requires conversion tracking
  

Example:

• Goal: Form submissions
  
• Bing prioritizes users likely to convert
  

When to Use:

• Lead generation
  
• Sales-focused campaigns
  
• Accounts with some conversion history
  

5. Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

How It Works:

• You set a target cost per conversion
  
• Bing tries to get conversions at or below that cost
  

Example:

• Target CPA: ₹500
  
• Bing optimizes bids to achieve leads around ₹500
  

When to Use:

• Stable campaigns
  
• Consistent conversion data
  
• Performance-driven advertisers
  

Needs sufficient conversion data to work well.

6. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

How It Works:

• You set desired return percentage
  
• Bing bids based on revenue potential
  

Example:

• Target ROAS: 400%
  
• For every ₹100 spent, aim for ₹400 revenue
  

When to Use:

• eCommerce campaigns
  
• Revenue tracking enabled
  

7. Target Impression Share

How It Works:

• Focuses on visibility instead of clicks or conversions
  
• You choose where ads appear (top, absolute top)
  

Example:

• Goal: Appear in top results for brand name searches
  

When to Use:

• Brand awareness
  
• Competitor bidding
  

Reputation campaigns