It’s no secret that Google Adwords is the gold standard when it comes to pay per click campaigns. It’s billed as the leading search engine and holds a whopping 92% share of the global search market. However, just because it’s too big to ignore doesn’t mean it’s the only platform for PPC marketing.
Bing ranks second with a market share of 2.27%, and our clients have found great success in investing some of their PPC ad dollars here. Users of Bing usually fall into the older demographic. And even though search volume is low on Bing compared to Google, competitive niches like home service companies find it easier to improve visibility and gain traction here. We recommend Bing advertising to our clients in HVAC, roofing, and plumbing who are trying to reach homeowners.
Here are five reasons why some of our home services clients are breaking up with Google in favor of Bing PPC:
1. Bing Ads Cost Less Than Google Ads
Bing ads have a lower cost per click than Google. In fact, sources estimate that the cost per click on Bing is about 30% lower compared to Google, while the average cost per acquisition is about 40% lower than Google. The reasoning is that since there’s less overall traffic on Bing, the cost of advertising on Bing is lower, too.
What’s more, Bing is owned by Microsoft, which technically owns three search engines—Bing, Yahoo!, and AOL. When you advertise on one platform, you’re advertising on all three. This increases your exposure even more and for a much lower cost compared to Google Ads.
2. Bing Users Align with the Home Services Target Market
When you’re comparing the values of Bing vs. Google, look no further than who is using each one. For home services companies (e.g., plumber, roofer, HVAC, etc.), the target audience is someone who owns a home or is a landlord. Owning a home costs quite a bit of money compared to renting one, especially where maintenance is concerned. Given the rising costs of housing, the target audience of home service companies is usually established individuals in their 30s or up who are working or have income sources.
Bing users tend to fall perfectly in these demographics. Data shows that Bing users tend to be blue-collar workers with higher incomes ($100K or more) who are members of older generations.
Successful digital campaigns aren’t always about the audience size. Rather, it’s the quality of the audience that counts. Bing users have significant buying power. And since they more than likely own their own homes, they also have decision-making power when it comes to choosing home services.
3. Bing Has Less Competition for Desirable Keywords
Because there’s less traffic on Bing (about one in three web searches happen here), it’s often overlooked by companies engaging in PPC ads. That’s good news for you since this means less competition for visibility and keywords.
Less competition helps keep the costs of clicks and acquisitions low. It also means fewer companies to bid against for your desired keyword, giving you a better chance of winning your bid.
4. Bing Beats Google on Device Targeting
The majority of searches take place on mobile, especially when looking for local services. Data shows that 97% of people learn more about local services online than any other method. What’s more, 88% of people who search for a local business will call them that same day. For home services, the phone is a lifeline for their business.
When it comes to device targeting, Bing is the clear winner. Mobile targeting is very limited with Google Adwords. But with Bing, you can advertise to specific audiences based on their device type and operating system. You can also elect to target only mobile users and opt out of desktop searches.
My Saves isn’t an ad-specific feature, but it does help advertisers maintain awareness if the user clicks through an ad to their website. Bing’s My Saves feature gives people an easy way to come back to the content they liked. Rather than bookmark the page (the old way), searchers can save pages to a dedicated My Saves folder. Users can access their “saves” via desktop or mobile devices.
5. Bing Offers a My Saves Feature for Easy Brand Recall
So, when a user clicks on your ad but isn’t ready to take action, they have the option of adding you to their My Saves folder and coming back to you when they’re ready.
Getting Started with Bing Ads
Working with a digital agency that is skilled in Bing advertising and collecting leads from PPC campaigns can help you optimize every campaign. Contact us today to learn more!
