Open Microsoft Advertising for a typical UK SME and you often find the same quiet story: an account that was imported once, a few campaigns paused “for later”, and a budget that never moved off Google. Bing, Yahoo and the Microsoft Audience Network still carry valuable intent. Leaving them empty is not a strategy. It is neglect with a cost.
At Pasecom we are an AI and PPC company equally. Senior Google Ads work still matters. So does Microsoft. Twenty years on the tools taught us that the second engine is ignored by agencies that only staff Google specialists — and that Midlands manufacturers, distributors and established SMEs leave money on the table when competitors bother to show up on Bing.
Why Microsoft Ads still matters
Microsoft’s search network is smaller than Google’s. Smaller is not the same as worthless. In many B2B and industrial categories, the people who buy also use work devices, Edge defaults and Microsoft 365 environments where Bing is closer to hand. Older demographics and higher-intent commercial queries still convert. CPC pressure can be lower than the equivalent Google auction. Retail placements and product ads give catalogue businesses another shelf.
None of that means you should dump budget blindly. It means an empty account is a decision you should make deliberately — after looking at overlap with your Google search terms, your margins and your tracking — not by default because “nobody here logs into Bing”.
What “empty” usually looks like
- A Google import from eighteen months ago, never rebuilt
- Broad match keywords with no negatives and no search-term hygiene
- Conversion goals pointing at the wrong GA4 events — or nothing at all
- Shopping or product ads with a broken Merchant feed mirror
- Audience Network placements left wide open because “the import did that”
- Brand campaigns missing, so competitors or affiliates buy your name on Bing too
If that list feels familiar, you do not need a motivational talk. You need an operator in the account.
How we build Microsoft Ads for SMEs
Import what is worth importing — then rebuild what is not
Google structure is a starting point, not a religion. We import high-intent search themes, proven negatives and conversion actions that actually match enquiries or orders. We rebuild match types, ad copy and landing-page pairings where the Google template leaks. We do not leave Microsoft as a dusty copy of last year’s Google account.
Search first, theatre later
Start with commercial search. Granular enough to control, broad enough to learn. Negatives from day one. Brand protection where the name is worth defending. If Display-style Audience Network inventory is the wrong channel for your margin, we will say so rather than sprinkle leftover budget and call it strategy.
Retail and product ads with honest availability
For catalogue businesses, Microsoft retail and product ads only work when the feed tells the truth. Titles, identifiers and availability must match what you can sell. Dead SKUs paused on Google but still live on Microsoft are a common failure mode. Practical AI can keep stock, CRM and feeds aligned — see AI for manufacturers — without forcing you to change PPC agency. Availability truth is not the same as bidding strategy.
Tracking that matches the business
Paid search without tracking is a hobby. UET tags, GA4, Tag Manager and offline conversion uploads where the sale happens in the office matter as much on Microsoft as on Google. If the goal fires on “thank you page viewed” while sales close on the phone, both engines will learn the wrong lesson. We fix tracking as part of running the account, not as a separate slideshow.
How this sits next to Google and Performance Max
Microsoft is not a replacement for Google. It is a second door on the same commercial street. Search terms that convert on Google often convert on Bing with less competition. Brand exclusions and guardrails you apply in Performance Max on Google have cousins on Microsoft: do not assume an import carried your exclusions perfectly.
Performance Max on Google is useful when the feed, the creative and the exclusions are right — and dangerous when they are not. We treat PMax as a channel with rules, not a switch. The same mindset applies when Microsoft offers automated or audience-heavy inventory: brand protection, asset discipline and human review of search themes beat hope.
If you want depth on organic pages that match the same product language, that is the SEO & AIEO pillar. Ads and organic should describe the same products in the same words, or you pay twice for a muddle.
Who should prioritise Microsoft Ads now
- UK SMEs already spending meaningfully on Google Search or Shopping
- Industrial, trade, plant, finance and professional services buyers who skew desktop / work devices
- Catalogue businesses with a maintainable product feed
- Owners who suspect their agency “does Bing” but cannot show a living account
You can wait if Google tracking is still broken — fix the shared measurement first — or if you have no capacity to review search terms on a second engine. An ignored Microsoft account is worse than a paused one. Pause is honest. Neglect is not.
What a sensible first month looks like
Audit access and conversion goals. Rebuild or retire the ancient import. Launch focused search (and retail where relevant) with negatives and brand coverage. Align the feed with Google Merchant hygiene so availability does not diverge. Agree a weekly review rhythm: search terms, waste, winners, and whether Audience Network deserves any budget at all.
You keep ownership of the Ads account. We can take full responsibility, provide a focused audit, or work alongside an existing team. Experience includes million-pound and multi-million turnover businesses; the same senior standard applies to SMEs that want an operator, not a junior and a PDF.
Certifications and credibility — without theatre
We hold Microsoft Retail Ads and Microsoft Display & Video certifications alongside Google Ads Certified Professional and Meta Measurement and Media Buying credentials. Certifications are not a substitute for weekly work in the search terms report. They are proof we treat Microsoft as a real platform, not an afterthought checkbox.
We do not publish public prices or invented ROAS screenshots. Live metrics belong in your account. On the site you will see illustrative layout only — see the PPC page.
Common objections we hear
“Volume is too low.” Sometimes true for niche exact queries. Often false once you include close variants, product ads and the queries you already buy on Google. Measure contribution, not ego volume.
“Our agency said they imported everything.” Imports rot. Goals drift. Placements open. Ask for last month’s Microsoft search-term report. Silence is an answer.
“We will do it after Google is perfect.” Google is never perfect. If tracking and brand protection are sound, a controlled Microsoft launch can run in parallel without stealing the whole week.
“AI will make this irrelevant.” Answer engines change organic behaviour; they do not erase paid search. Connecting AI to stock and reporting can make both Google and Microsoft more honest. It does not replace the need for a human in the account.
Next step
Bring the Microsoft account ID (or admit it is empty), last 30 days of Google context, and what you think is broken. We will say whether a rebuild, a light audit or no spend is the honest call.
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