Microsoft Advertising is the channel most accounts treat as an afterthought, which is exactly why it is often efficient. Its audience skews professional and its ads now appear in Copilot experiences as well as Bing search. A little attention goes a long way.
Setup
1. Did you import from Google, then fix it?
Google import saves time, but review bids, budgets, negative keywords, audiences and conversion goals afterwards. Scheduled imports can silently overwrite your Microsoft-specific changes.
2. Is UET firing with enhanced conversions and consent?
Install the UET tag, enable enhanced conversions and pass consent signals. Verify goals are recording before you scale.
Campaigns
3. Are you testing Performance Max?
Microsoft's Performance Max runs across search, audience and partner inventory. Feed it strong assets and audience signals, and compare it against your search campaigns.
4. Are you using LinkedIn profile targeting?
A feature unique to Microsoft: bid up on company, industry and job function from LinkedIn data. For B2B it is one of the cheapest ways to reach decision makers in search.
5. Are you watching Copilot placements?
Ads now appear inside Copilot answers. Write clear, specific ad copy and keep landing pages fast and relevant, since conversational queries are longer and more intent-rich.
6. Have you checked search partner and audience network quality?
Review placements and exclude low-quality partners. Not all reach is good reach.
Optimization
7. Are bids and budgets set for Microsoft's volume?
Volume is smaller than Google, so learning periods can be longer. Consolidate campaigns so automated bidding has enough data.
8. Are you reviewing search terms separately?
Query matching differs from Google. Mine the search terms report on its own schedule and build Microsoft-specific negatives.