BingPlus Beginner’s Guide Key Takeaways
If you are new to digital advertising or looking for a more affordable alternative to Google Ads, this BingPlus Beginner’s Guide will walk you through the essentials.
- This BingPlus Beginner’s Guide explains how the platform’s dashboard, campaign types, and targeting options work.
- You will learn the five simple steps to create your first campaign, plus practical tips to optimize performance on a budget.
- Understanding key metrics and avoiding common mistakes will help you get faster results without overspending.
What You Need to Know About the BingPlus Beginner’s Guide
BingPlus is Microsoft’s all-in-one advertising platform that replaced the old Bing Ads interface. It bundles search ads, native ads, and display ads under one roof, giving advertisers more ways to reach users across the Microsoft Audience Network. If you have ever run campaigns on Google Ads, you will find many similarities — but there are important differences in audience demographics, cost-per-click, and reporting tools.
The platform is especially strong for reaching users on Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and partner sites like MSN, Outlook.com, and Microsoft Edge. According to Microsoft, Bing powers nearly 36% of all desktop searches in the United States, and the audience tends to have higher household income and education levels than the average web user. This BingPlus Beginner’s Guide will help you take advantage of these unique strengths.
Why Choose BingPlus Over Other Ad Platforms?
Cost efficiency is the main reason many small businesses and marketers test BingPlus. Average cost-per-click (CPC) on Bing is often 30-50% lower than Google Ads, especially in competitive industries like legal, insurance, and home services. The platform also offers strong targeting options — including location, device, dayparting, and audience lists — and integrates seamlessly with LinkedIn profile targeting, which is exclusive to Microsoft Advertising.
Another advantage is the lower competition. Fewer advertisers means you can secure top ad positions without bidding as high, making it an ideal place for beginners to learn paid search without burning through a budget.
How BingPlus Works: Core Components Explained
Before diving into the step-by-step setup, it helps to understand the building blocks of the platform. Here is a breakdown of the most important elements you will encounter.
Campaign Types
BingPlus offers three main campaign types:
- Search Campaigns — Text ads that appear on Bing, Yahoo, and AOL search results pages. You pay when someone clicks.
- Native and Display Campaigns — Image or text ads placed on partner sites like MSN, Outlook, and other premium publishers. These feel like editorial content and often get higher engagement.
- Shopping Campaigns — Product listing ads that show an image, price, and merchant name. These require a Merchant Center feed.
Ad Groups, Keywords, and Bids
Inside each campaign, you create ad groups that contain a set of related keywords and ads. You set a default bid at the ad group level, then you can adjust bids for individual keywords. BingPlus uses a second-price auction model, meaning you pay only one cent more than the next highest bidder.
Quality Score and Relevance
Like Google, BingPlus uses a Quality Score that measures how relevant your keyword, ad, and landing page are to the searcher. A higher Quality Score lowers your cost and improves ad position. The main components are click-through rate (CTR), ad relevance, and landing page experience.
5 Simple Steps to Start with BingPlus
Now that you understand the basics, here are the five practical steps every beginner should follow to launch their first campaign successfully.
Step 1: Set Up Your BingPlus Account
Go to ads.microsoft.com and sign up with a Microsoft account (Outlook, Hotmail, or Xbox login). If you do not have one, you can create it for free. Once logged in, you will be prompted to set up your first campaign. You will also need to enter billing information and select your currency and time zone carefully — these cannot be changed later.
Step 2: Choose Your Campaign Goal and Type
BingPlus offers several goals, including website visits, calls, store visits, and brand awareness. For a beginner, “Website visits” combined with a Search campaign is the safest starting point. You will then name your campaign and set a budget. A daily budget of $10 to $20 is enough to gather data and learn the platform.
Step 3: Define Your Target Audience
BingPlus lets you target by location (country, city, or a radius around a point), device type, and operating system. You can also set dayparting schedules — for example, only show ads during business hours. One underused feature is LinkedIn profile targeting, which allows you to reach people by company, industry, job function, and seniority. This is available only on the Microsoft Audience Network.
Step 4: Build Keyword Lists and Ad Groups
Use the Bing Keyword Planner to find keyword ideas and see estimated search volume and bids. Start with 10-20 highly relevant keywords per ad group, using exact match and phrase match types to control spend. Avoid broad match until you have conversion data. Write at least two text ads per ad group, including the keyword in the headline and description.
Step 5: Set Up Conversion Tracking and Launch
Before you start spending, install the Bing UET (Universal Event Tracking) tag on your website. This pixel will track conversions, let you build remarketing lists, and give you detailed data on which keywords and ads drive results. Once the tag is verified, you can launch your campaign. Check the campaign every day for the first week to pause low-performing keywords and adjust bids.
Practical Tips for BingPlus Beginners
Even with a solid setup, small optimizations can dramatically improve your results. Here are some tips that seasoned BingPlus advertisers use.
Leverage Audience Targeting Early
In-market audiences and remarketing lists are available on BingPlus. Start building remarketing lists from day one by targeting visitors who landed on your site but did not convert. After 30 days of data, you can show them tailored ads.
Use Automated Rules to Save Time
BingPlus lets you create automated rules that pause keywords when cost per conversion exceeds a threshold, raise bids on top performers, or schedule ad delivery. These rules run without manual intervention, freeing you to focus on strategy.
Monitor Search Terms Report
Within the first week, download the Search Terms report to see which queries triggered your ads. Add irrelevant terms as negative keywords to eliminate wasted spend. This single action often reduces cost per lead by 20-30%.
Test Responsive Ads
For Native and Display campaigns, use responsive ads with multiple headlines, images, and descriptions. BingPlus will test combinations automatically and show the best-performing variations. This improves CTR and lowers CPC over time.
Common Mistakes to Avoid as a BingPlus Beginner
Learning from others’ mistakes will save you both time and money. Here are the most frequent pitfalls and how to avoid them.
- Pausing campaigns too early. Let campaigns run for at least two weeks before making major changes. Algorithms need time to optimize delivery.
- Ignoring device targeting. Bing has a strong desktop audience, but mobile traffic is growing fast. Check device performance and adjust bids accordingly.
- Failing to exclude irrelevant placements. For display campaigns, review placement reports and exclude sites that do not generate conversions. Start with “only show on managed audiences” to avoid low-quality partner sites.
- Neglecting ad extensions. Site link, callout, and structured snippet extensions improve CTR and Quality Score. Add at least four sitelinks per campaign.
Useful Resources
For further reading and official guidance, check out these resources:
- Microsoft Advertising Help Center — Beginner’s Tutorials
- Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab — Free Courses
Frequently Asked Questions About BingPlus Beginner’s Guide
What is BingPlus and how is it different from Bing Ads?
BingPlus is the evolved version of Bing Ads. It adds native and display ad options, a unified dashboard, and improved audience targeting. The core search functionality remains the same, but you now manage all campaign types in one place.
Is BingPlus free to use?
Creating a BingPlus account is free. You only pay when someone clicks your ad (PPC model) or views your ad (CPM model). You can set a daily budget as low as $1, but for meaningful data, recommend $10 or more per day.
Do I need a website to use BingPlus?
Yes, you need a website or a landing page to send traffic to. The page should be relevant to your ad and keyword to maintain a good Quality Score.
How long does it take for BingPlus ads to show?
After launching a campaign, ads usually start appearing within 30 minutes to a few hours. However, the platform may take up to 48 hours to fully review new ads.
Can I run BingPlus ads on Google?
No. BingPlus ads only appear on Microsoft’s search network and partner sites (Bing, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Outlook, etc.). Google is a separate platform.
What is the minimum budget for BingPlus?
There is no minimum spend, but you must set a daily budget of at least $1. Most beginners start with $10–20 per day to gather enough clicks and data.
How do I track conversions in BingPlus?
Install the Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag on your website. You can define conversions based on page visits, button clicks, form submissions, or custom events. The tag is free and available in your account.
Does BingPlus support remarketing?
Yes. With the UET tag installed, you can create remarketing lists of people who visited specific pages, then show them tailored ads on the Microsoft Audience Network.
What types of keywords should a beginner use?
Start with exact match and phrase match keywords. These give you tighter control over who sees your ads and help avoid irrelevant clicks that drain your budget.
How do I improve my Quality Score on BingPlus?
Improve your CTR by writing compelling ads that match user intent. Also, make sure your landing page loads quickly and contains the same keywords used in your ad copy.
Can I target specific locations in BingPlus?
Yes. You can target by country, state, city, metro area, or a radius around a specific address. You can also exclude locations if you do not serve certain areas.
Is there a mobile app for managing BingPlus?
Yes. Microsoft Advertising has a mobile app available for iOS and Android. It allows you to monitor performance, adjust bids, and pause campaigns on the go.
What is the BingPlus dashboard layout?
The dashboard is organized into Campaigns, Ad Groups, Ads, Keywords, and Audiences. You can also access reports, billing, and shared library settings from the left menu.
Does BingPlus work for e-commerce?
Absolutely. E-commerce businesses can run Shopping campaigns, Search campaigns, and Display remarketing. The lower CPC makes it cost-effective for retailers with tight margins.
How do I pause or delete a campaign?
From the Campaigns tab, check the box next to the campaign name and select “Pause” or “Delete.” Pausing stops spending but keeps your settings; deletion is permanent.
What is the difference between Search and Native campaigns?
Search campaigns show text ads on search engine results pages (SERPs) based on keywords. Native campaigns show image or text ads on partner websites like MSN and appear similar to editorial content.
Can I import campaigns from Google Ads to BingPlus?
Yes. BingPlus offers a free import tool that copies your Google Ads campaigns, including keywords, ads, and settings. You can then fine-tune them for the Bing network.
How long do I need to run a campaign before optimizing?
Let data accumulate for at least two weeks. Making changes too early can confuse the algorithm and lead to suboptimal performance.
Does BingPlus charge for impressions or clicks?
Search campaigns charge per click (PPC). Display and Native campaigns offer either cost-per-click or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) billing, depending on your goal.
What support options are available in BingPlus?
BingPlus offers free phone, email, and chat support. You can also access the help center, community forums, and live training sessions through Microsoft Advertising Learning Lab.
