Most UK small businesses that run paid search put every pound into Google and never look at Microsoft Advertising, the platform behind ads on Bing. That is usually the right default, but not always. For some businesses, especially those selling to other businesses or to people who research on a desktop, Microsoft Ads can bring in enquiries at a lower cost, from an audience that competitors often ignore. This guide sets out what the platform reaches in the UK, what a sensible test looks like, and when to leave it alone.
How big is Bing in the UK?
According to Statcounter's UK search engine data, Bing held 6.08% of UK search across all platforms in September 2026, while Google held 91.39%. On desktop alone the picture changes. Statcounter's UK desktop figures for the same month show Bing at 18.33% and Google at 75.99%.
Sources: Statcounter, all platforms, Statcounter, desktop.
The gap between those numbers is the whole story. Bing is the default in Microsoft Edge and in the Windows search box, so it picks up a lot of searches from work laptops and office PCs. On phones it barely registers. A business whose customers search from a desk behaves differently on Bing from one whose customers search from a bus stop.
Which UK small businesses suit Microsoft Ads?
Good candidates usually share a few traits. The buyer is at a desk when the need arises, the job is worth enough that a single enquiry pays for a lot of clicks, and the search terms are specific. Think of an office manager in Birmingham searching for a commercial cleaning contract, a finance director looking for payroll software support, or a homeowner planning a kitchen extension on a laptop in the evening.
Weaker candidates are businesses that live on fast, mobile searches: takeaways, emergency locksmiths, taxi firms, nail bars booking same-day appointments. Those searches still happen on Bing, but there are few of them, and the budget is usually better spent improving your Google campaigns or your Google Business Profile.
Professional firms are a strong fit. If you run an accounting or legal practice, much of your client research happens at a desk, which is the same audience covered in this guide to AI for accountants and solicitors in the UK.
What does Microsoft Ads cost to try?
Microsoft's guidance for new advertisers states that you can start with a small daily budget and scale up as you see results, and that you only pay when someone clicks your ad. That makes a test low risk. You decide the ceiling, and you can pause at any point.
What Microsoft does not publish is a UK price per click for your trade, and you should be wary of anyone quoting a precise figure as if it applies to everyone. Click costs depend on how many local competitors bid on the same terms. In many UK niches fewer advertisers compete on Bing than on Google, so clicks can be cheaper, but you only find out for your own keywords by running ads.
How do you set up a sensible first campaign?
Microsoft's new advertiser guidance describes a built-in Google import tool that connects to your Google Ads account. It saves hours of rebuilding, but it copies your mistakes as well as your wins, so import selectively. A practical sequence looks like this:
- Pick the Google campaign that already produces enquiries at a cost you are happy with.
- Import only that campaign into Microsoft Advertising.
- Install the UET tag on your website and set up the same conversion actions you track in Google, such as form submissions and phone calls.
- Check location targeting. Set it to people in your service area, not people merely interested in it, so searches from abroad do not eat your budget.
- Review where ads can show. They can appear on Microsoft's partner network as well as Bing, so check placement reports and exclude sites that send poor traffic.
- Set a daily budget you would be comfortable losing during the test.
Keep the ad copy identical to start with. If you change several things at once you cannot tell whether a difference in results came from the platform or the copy. The same discipline applies to any test, and this guide to A/B testing for UK small businesses explains how to change one variable at a time.
What can Microsoft Ads do that Google Ads cannot?
According to Microsoft's documentation on LinkedIn profile targeting, Microsoft Advertising is the only advertising platform other than LinkedIn that lets you target people by company, industry and job function from their LinkedIn profile. It works on search campaigns, dynamic search ad campaigns, Microsoft Shopping campaigns and audience campaigns, with Performance Max support still rolling out to advertisers.
Two details matter. First, Microsoft describes it as bid only, which means it does not shrink your audience. If you add a bid increase for people in the construction industry, others can still see your ad. You simply pay more to appear for the people you care about most. Second, the same page says you cannot target more than 1,000 companies in a single ad group or campaign, and company lists have to be added manually inside the platform.
For a firm selling IT support to architects or facilities management to schools, that combination is useful. You bid harder when the searcher's profile matches your ideal client and less when it does not. Check Microsoft's market availability list before relying on it.
When is Microsoft Ads not worth it?
The most common mistake is treating Microsoft Ads as a fix for poor Google results. If your Google campaign wastes money on irrelevant searches or sends people to a slow, confusing landing page, those problems follow you across the import. Fix the offer, the page and the tracking first.
It is also not worth it when the volume is too low to learn anything. A niche local service in a small town may only see a handful of Bing searches a month. In that case your time is better spent on your website, your reviews and your organic visibility, including how you show up in AI answers, which this explainer on AEO, SEO, GEO and LLMO covers.
Finally, be honest about management time. Microsoft Ads is another account to check, another set of search terms to review and another invoice. If nobody will look at it regularly, the import will drift and quietly waste money.
How long should a Microsoft Ads test run?
Bing's smaller audience means data builds slowly, especially outside large cities. Resist judging the channel after the first few days. Write down, before launch, what cost per enquiry would make the test a success and what would make you stop.
Review the search terms report weekly. Microsoft's matching can be broader than you expect, so add negative keywords for irrelevant searches as they appear. Check the placement report too, because partner network traffic can look cheap while sending visitors who never enquire.
How do you compare Microsoft Ads with Google Ads results?
Keep a simple record of every enquiry and which platform it came from. Ask your team to note whether each lead became a paying customer. A platform that sends fewer leads which convert better can be worth more than one that sends many weak ones, and you will only see that if you track beyond the form fill.
If the numbers favour Microsoft, raise the budget in steps rather than all at once, and keep watching cost per enquiry as you grow. If they do not, pause the campaign and keep the account. Search habits shift, and a paused account with clean tracking is quick to restart later.
Is Microsoft Ads worth it for a UK small business?
Microsoft Ads is not a replacement for Google. It is a modest, sometimes cheaper extra source of enquiries from people at desks, with a targeting option Google cannot match. Treat it as a controlled experiment: import what already works, track properly, set a clear success measure and let the numbers decide.
For a broader view of how search, social and display channels fit together on a small budget, see the paid media overview.
Microsoft Ads for UK Small Business — FAQ
Is Microsoft Ads cheaper than Google Ads in the UK?
Clicks can cost less, because fewer advertisers bid in each auction, but there is no guarantee for your keywords and Microsoft does not publish a UK price list. The honest way to find out is to import a proven Google Ads search campaign, run it on Microsoft Advertising with a modest daily budget, and compare cost per lead rather than cost per click. A cheaper click that never turns into a call or a booking is not a saving. Judge the channel on enquiries and revenue, and give it enough clicks to make the comparison fair before deciding.
How much does it cost to start advertising on Microsoft Ads?
Microsoft's own new advertiser guidance says you can start with a small daily budget and scale up as you see results, and that you only pay when someone clicks your ad. Your real cost is the daily budget you choose plus the time it takes to set up conversion tracking properly. Most small businesses are better off setting a budget they would be comfortable losing during a test, then reviewing results weekly before raising it.
Can I copy my Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Ads?
Yes. Microsoft Advertising has a built-in Google import tool that connects to your Google Ads account and brings campaigns, keywords and ads across. It saves hours, but it is not a finished job. After importing, check location targeting is set to the UK areas you serve, confirm budgets and bids look sensible, review which partner sites your ads can show on, and make sure the Microsoft UET tracking tag is installed on your site so conversions are recorded. Imported campaigns that run without tracking tell you nothing useful.
Who uses Bing in the UK?
Bing's share of UK search is small overall but much stronger on desktop computers than on phones, according to Statcounter's country data. That points to people searching at work and on Windows machines, where Bing is the default in Edge and the Windows search box. For a small business that means office managers, procurement staff and anyone researching a considered purchase from a laptop or office PC. If your customers mostly search on mobile in the moment, such as late night takeaway orders, the channel is likely to be thin.
What is LinkedIn profile targeting in Microsoft Ads?
It lets you raise or lower your bids for searchers based on their LinkedIn company, industry or job function. Microsoft describes it as bid only, so it does not narrow your audience to those people. It adjusts how much you pay to reach them. For a business selling to other businesses, such as an IT support firm, a commercial cleaner or an accountant, it is one of the few things Microsoft Ads offers that Google Ads does not. Check Microsoft's availability list for your market before planning around it.
