More search coverage. Less competition.
Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and the Microsoft partner network. Around 6 to 8 percent of Australian search volume with CPCs 20 to 40 percent lower than Google. Almost nobody in your suburb is running it properly.
Microsoft Ads — paid advertising across the Bing search network.
Microsoft Ads (the platform Microsoft renamed from Bing Ads) places your advertising across Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, and the Microsoft Audience Network — native placements on MSN, Outlook, and partner sites. The platform runs on the same logic as Google Ads: you bid on keywords, write responsive search ads, build product feeds for shopping, and measure cost per lead through conversion tracking. If you have ever managed a Google account, the controls feel familiar within minutes.
What separates Microsoft is the network it sits on. Microsoft owns LinkedIn, so it offers job-title, company, and industry targeting that no other search engine matches. Bing is the default engine on every Windows device and in Microsoft Edge, which routes a steady stream of desktop searches — from offices and from older users at home — straight through it. And because most Australian advertisers run Google only, the Microsoft auction stays under-contested, which is why CPCs land 20–40% below Google for the same keywords. Scalepoint runs Microsoft Ads as a deliberate second front, not an afterthought: a way to claim the search demand your competitors leave on the table.
Get a free auditA smaller share that buys more.
Australian businesses dismiss Bing because its market share looks small next to Google. That reasoning misses what the share is made of. Bing ships as the default on Windows and in Microsoft Edge, so a disproportionate volume of searches from corporate desktops and from older Australians at home runs through it by default — people who skew toward 35–65, higher household incomes, and considered, desktop-led purchases. For home services, professional services, finance, and B2B, that profile often converts at a higher value per click than the broader mobile-heavy Google population. Bing also underpins Microsoft Copilot and feeds a growing share of AI-generated answers, so the businesses present on Bing today are positioning themselves inside the AI research surfaces Australians increasingly use before they ever click. Add the under-contested auction — most competitors are simply absent — and Microsoft Ads becomes one of the few channels where you can buy genuine purchase intent at a discount. In our experience, the businesses that test it rarely turn it off.
One platform, four places to win
Microsoft Ads is not a single ad type — it is four distinct surfaces sharing one account, one budget pool, and one reporting view. Most Australian advertisers run none of them. We sequence them so each layer earns its budget before the next switches on.
Every Microsoft Ads campaign type
From direct Google import to LinkedIn audience targeting — the full Microsoft Ads stack managed end to end.
100% search coverage at lower cost
Adding Microsoft to a Google account is one of the few moves in paid search with a genuinely low downside. The campaigns import in 48 hours, the auction is under-contested, and the leads tend to be incremental rather than stolen from Google. For Melbourne trades and local service businesses already running Google, it is usually the cheapest way to widen the funnel without rebuilding anything.
Most Australian businesses run Google only. Adding Microsoft Ads often means your ad appears with zero competition in your suburb.
The people searching on Bing are searching for the same things as on Google. CPCs are consistently lower for the same keywords.
Bing users skew older and higher income than the Google average. Well matched to home services, professional services, and B2B.
No other search engine lets you layer job title or company size onto keyword targeting. Microsoft does, because they own LinkedIn.
Best fit businesses
Microsoft Ads earns its place fastest for businesses that already understand paid search and want more of it without paying Google prices.
If you have scaled Google Search to the point where extra budget buys little extra volume, Microsoft opens a second auction for the same intent at lower CPCs. The fastest, lowest-effort way to add profitable leads.
Accountants, mortgage brokers, lawyers, and advisers benefit from Bing’s older, higher-income desktop audience — people researching considered decisions from a Windows machine at work or at home.
Microsoft owns LinkedIn, so you can layer job title, company size, and industry onto search and display. No other search platform lets you reach a specific role this precisely.
A Google Merchant Center feed imports straight into Microsoft Merchant Center, so Shopping ads go live quickly and capture product demand on Bing at CPCs below the Google Shopping auction.
A homeowner searching for a plumber from a Windows laptop is often a Bing search by default. Suburb-targeted Microsoft Search picks up that demand most competitors never bid on.
Bing feeds Copilot and a growing share of AI answers. Advertising and ranking on Bing is part of being visible where Australians increasingly research before they buy.
From Google import to monthly numbers
One operator builds, runs, and reports your Microsoft account — the same person who manages your Google Ads, so the channels stay coordinated instead of fighting over budget.
One operator, every channel
Microsoft Ads rarely runs alone. Run it alongside Google Ads for close to 100% search coverage at lower blended CPCs, and stack the channels below so every dollar gets accounted for in one report. See pricing for how the channels bundle.
Common questions about Microsoft Ads
What is Microsoft Ads and how is it different from Google Ads?+
Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) is the paid advertising platform for the Microsoft search network — Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, and the Microsoft Audience Network across MSN and Outlook. The mechanics mirror Google Ads almost exactly: keywords, match types, responsive ads, automated bidding, and conversion tracking all work the same way. The differences that matter are the audience and the auction. Microsoft's network handles roughly 6–8% of Australian search, the user base skews older and higher-income, and CPCs run 20–40% lower because most advertisers ignore the platform. Microsoft also owns LinkedIn, so it offers professional targeting no other search engine can.
Why does Bing matter in Australia when Google has most of the market?+
Share alone undersells it. Bing is the default search engine on every Windows device and in Microsoft Edge, so a large slice of desktop searches — particularly from offices, professionals, and older users at home — run through it without the searcher choosing it. That audience skews 35–65, higher household income, and more desktop-led, which suits home services, professional services, and considered purchases. Bing also powers Copilot and a growing share of AI-generated answers, so a presence there increasingly feeds the AI surfaces Australians use to research before they buy.
Which Microsoft Ads campaign type should I start with?+
For most businesses, Search is the starting point — it captures explicit intent and establishes conversion data fast, and you can import your existing Google Search campaign in under 48 hours. Ecommerce businesses usually pair Search with Shopping using the same product feed. B2B businesses add LinkedIn profile targeting and the Audience Network once Search is producing leads. Scalepoint recommends the sequence based on your goals rather than launching every campaign type at once.
Do I have to choose between Google Ads and Microsoft Ads?+
No — they work best together. Running Microsoft alongside Google Ads gives you close to 100% search coverage instead of leaving the Bing auction to whichever competitor bothered to show up. Because the people searching on Bing are largely different individuals from those on Google in the same session, Microsoft leads are usually incremental rather than duplicative. The lower CPCs mean that incremental volume often comes in at a cost per lead competitive with — or better than — Google.
How much does Microsoft Ads management cost with Scalepoint?+
Management starts from $690/month plus ad spend, month-to-month with no lock-in. Because CPCs run 20–40% lower than Google, modest ad budgets stretch further on Microsoft than they do on Google. We publish every tier on our pricing page, and we tell you the realistic ad spend for your goals before you commit — never a vague "contact for a quote".
Does Microsoft Ads feed Copilot and AI search answers?+
Bing is the index and answer engine behind Microsoft Copilot, and it supplies a meaningful slice of the AI-generated results that Australians now see when they research a purchase. A business that ranks and advertises on Bing has a head start on visibility inside those AI surfaces, because Copilot draws on the same Bing ecosystem. We treat Microsoft Ads and Bing organic presence as part of a wider AI-search readiness play rather than a standalone paid channel — it puts your brand in front of people at the research stage, not only at the click stage.
How quickly can Scalepoint launch Microsoft Ads and what happens after?+
Most clients go live within 48 hours. We import your existing Google Ads account, audit the structure for Bing-specific quirks (match types and bid defaults differ), wire conversion tracking, and switch on a controlled budget. After launch we tighten negative keywords weekly, shift budget toward the suburbs and keywords that book jobs, and send a plain-English monthly report covering spend, leads, and cost per lead alongside your Google numbers so you see the combined picture in one place.
Will Microsoft Ads cannibalise my Google Ads results?+
In our experience it does not. The people searching on Bing in a given session are largely different individuals from those on Google, so Microsoft leads tend to be incremental rather than stolen from your existing channel. We track whether Bing conversions overlap with Google by monitoring the combined search picture, and if a campaign ever looks duplicative we say so and reallocate the budget. The goal is total search coverage at the lowest blended cost per lead, not more line items on an invoice.
Start with a free Microsoft Ads audit
Tell us your trade and service area. We send back a written audit within 3 business days.