Quick Answer
Bing Ads is now called Microsoft Advertising, and the right agency builds your account for Microsoft instead of copying Google. It should also set up conversion tracking before it touches anything else. You should own the account, and reports should show leads and revenue. At 94n, management runs about $500 to $1,200+ a month once results are proven.
Search for “Bing Ads agency” and you mostly find agencies pitching themselves. Few tell you how to judge one, and plenty are Google Ads shops that copy their Google campaigns into Microsoft and call it a strategy. In my experience, that is the setup that fails most often. You can auto-import some simple campaigns, especially brand campaigns, but non-brand campaigns almost always need a new structure.
“Bing Ads” or “Microsoft Advertising”: what are you actually hiring for?
Bing Ads was renamed Microsoft Advertising in April 2019, and Bing stayed on as the name of the search engine. People still search for “Bing Ads” and “Microsoft Bing Ads,” which is why agencies keep using the old name on their sites. When you hire a Bing Ads manager today, you are hiring someone to run Microsoft Advertising.
Beyond search results on Bing, the platform’s display and native ads run across Microsoft properties such as Microsoft Edge, Outlook and Bing, plus partner publisher sites. A good agency should be able to tell you which of those placements make sense for you and which to leave switched off.
Plenty of agencies still say “Bing Ads” or lean on Google imports. If they are doing it on purpose and are open with you about it, I count that in their favor. Each channel has its own quirks and benefits once you know how to build it, so what matters is whether they can explain how they will build yours.
Is Microsoft Advertising worth paying an agency to run?
For the right business it is, even though Bing’s share of US search sits at only around 10%, depending on how you measure it. StatCounter’s US desktop data puts Bing at 12.82% against Google’s 81.99% for August 2026. Across all devices, Bing’s US share drops to 8.92%.
That smaller share changes how the account has to be built. With less search volume to work with, a Microsoft account needs a more consolidated structure than a typical Google account, so each campaign collects enough data to learn from. A Microsoft account split into dozens of small campaigns is often a copy of a Google setup that was built for far more traffic.
Microsoft is rarely a company’s primary channel, especially for our US clients, given Google’s standing. Even so, it is a great channel for a few particular industries, and in my experience it runs more affordably than Google. Whether the extra reach justifies a management fee comes down to what a lead is worth to you.
What does a Bing Ads agency cost?
Bing Ads pricing has two separate parts: your ad spend, which goes to Microsoft, and the agency’s management fee. Microsoft’s guide to agency accounts describes the standard setup, where the client owns the accounts and is billed directly by Microsoft for valid ad clicks. The client may then pay the agency its fee on top. When you compare proposals, list the Microsoft spend and the agency fee on their own lines.
Common fee models
Agencies usually price Microsoft Advertising management in one of four ways, and each creates a different incentive:
- A flat monthly fee for an agreed scope is easy to budget, and the agency gains nothing by pushing your spend up. It is also closest to how we price Microsoft work at 94n.
- A percentage of ad spend rises as your budget rises. On a small Microsoft budget the fee may be too low to pay for real work. On a large one, the agency earns more when you spend more, whether or not results improve.
- A hybrid charges a base fee plus a percentage above a set spend level, which can suit an account that is still growing.
- Performance-based pricing ties the fee to leads or sales. It only works when tracking is solid and both sides agree on what counts as a result.
What we charge at 94n
A lot depends on budget and goals, and our standard pricing applies when Microsoft is a primary channel for the company, which is rare for our US clients. Because of our partnership with Microsoft, we will often run it for a current client for free for a month or two to prove the results. We are also able to give them ad credits, so the test is fairly affordable to try.
Once results have been proven, we charge between $500 and $1,200+ a month, depending on the scope of work. I think this is a pretty simple channel if you know what you are doing, but it still requires expert input.
Judge the cost against what a lead is worth
The right budget depends on your type of business and what each lead or purchase can produce. A $1,000 monthly fee is expensive when a sale is worth $200, and cheap when a single sale is worth six figures.
One of our current clients sells complex software solutions in the medical space across Europe and the US, and uses Microsoft Ads to find B2B leads. Their ROI on the work we have done for them over the last two years sits at 5,200%.
They do not spend much, and quality leads do not come in every month. With an average order value of $250,000, though, it makes sense to treat the account as a visibility play rather than a volume game. Being there at the right moment with a potential high-value client is how you win.
What a good Microsoft Advertising agency does differently
Much like any media channel we manage, we build a Microsoft account from scratch and in line with the channel’s best practices. We start with tracking and planning the account build, then work through the peripherals such as negative keywords, extensions, assets and audiences. These are the areas where a real Microsoft agency and a Google shop reselling the channel differ most.
Conversion tracking comes first
Bing Ads conversion tracking runs on Universal Event Tracking (UET), a tag you add to every page of your site. Microsoft calls UET “a prerequisite for conversion tracking and remarketing in paid search.” Without it, the platform cannot tell which clicks became leads or sales.
Tracking also decides which bid strategies you can use, because Microsoft requires conversion tracking before you can use Maximize conversions or Target CPA. That means a UET tag with an active conversion goal, or offline conversions. Microsoft also recommends letting a bid strategy collect at least 30 conversions before you judge it. Ask any agency how they will set up UET and what they will count as a conversion before they touch a campaign.
A build sized for Microsoft’s volume
Because Microsoft’s share is so much smaller than Google’s, the account works better with fewer campaigns that each get more data. Ask to see how the agency would structure your account. If the answer is “the same as your Google account,” they have not thought about the difference in volume.
Google Import used with care
Microsoft’s Google Ads import copies campaigns across once or on a recurring schedule, such as daily, weekly or monthly. It saves real time on simple campaigns, especially brand campaigns. The risk is a scheduled import that keeps overwriting your Microsoft account with a structure built for Google’s volume. A good agency will tell you which campaigns they import and which they rebuild.
Features Google does not have
With LinkedIn profile targeting, you can raise or lower bids based on a searcher’s company, industry and job function in Search, Shopping and Audience campaigns. The feature is also rolling out to Performance Max campaigns. Microsoft describes it as “bid only,” so it does not narrow who sees your ads, and you can target up to 1,000 companies per ad group or campaign. For B2B advertisers, this is often the strongest reason to run Microsoft at all.
An agency should also know Microsoft’s research tools, starting with Microsoft’s Keyword Planner, which gives search volume, trends and cost estimates. Older guides also mention Microsoft Advertising Intelligence (often searched as “Bing Ads Intelligence”), an Excel-based tool for keyword and bid research.
Red flags that should end the conversation
When clients come to us after a bad Microsoft setup, it is usually the basics that went wrong. The account had no clear framework that fit the client’s goals and business model, and tracking was left until last or done poorly.
More than anything, it is auto-imports from Google Ads that kill an account, because there isn’t the same volume. The cost is the missed opportunities from the wrong structure, followed by a loss of trust in the channel, and sometimes in marketing professionals in general.
Walk away if you hear or see any of these:
- “We’ll just import from Google.” That is fine for brand campaigns, but a whole strategy built on imports means nobody has built for Microsoft.
- A plan with no UET setup or conversion goals in the first week, which leaves bidding as guesswork.
- An agency that wants to hold your account. Under Microsoft’s standard setup, you own the account and the agency is linked to manage it (Microsoft Learn), so you keep your history if you leave.
- Monthly reports built on clicks and impressions, with no cost per lead or sale.
- A 12-month lock-in with no clean exit.
- Guaranteed results, since no agency controls Microsoft’s auction or your conversion rate.
Your evaluation checklist
Ask every agency you talk to these questions, which are ordered by what matters most:
- Can they show you Microsoft Advertising results for other clients?
- Can they explain how they will set up UET and which conversions they will count?
- Do you know exactly what the fee covers and which pricing model it uses?
- Will the account and its data stay in your name?
- Will reports show cost per lead or sale and return on ad spend?
- Do they use LinkedIn profile targeting, display and native ads, and Keyword Planner where they fit?
- Is there a short notice period and a clean exit?
- Can they connect you with a US business like yours?
Microsoft runs a partner program with Partner, Select Partner and Elite Partner badges. Individuals can become a Microsoft Advertising Certified Expert by passing the Search, Display & Video, and Retail exams in Microsoft’s Learning Lab. Treat those credentials as the minimum bar, since they show an agency has learned the platform but do not prove it can grow your business.
Questions to ask on the sales call
These questions show quickly whether an agency knows Microsoft or only knows Google, and a strong agency answers each one with specifics:
- “How would you structure my account differently from my Google account?” A good answer mentions consolidating campaigns because of lower volume.
- “What will you import from Google, and what will you rebuild?” Look for brand imports and rebuilt non-brand campaigns.
- “How will you set up UET, and what counts as a conversion?” They should name actions such as form fills, calls or purchases.
- “Who owns the account if we part ways?” The answer should be you.
- “Can I talk to a current Microsoft client?” A confident agency says yes.
When to outsource and when to keep it in-house
Bring in an agency when you are trying to scale and it is not working, or when you are not getting results at all. Working out why can be hard if you do not have much experience with the platform, and in reality it could be any number of things. That is the point where outside help is worth paying for.
If your in-house team already runs Google Ads well and your Microsoft account is small and steady, you may not need an agency yet. A capable team can run the channel, but its simplicity tempts people into shortcuts, such as a full Google import, that hold the account back without anyone noticing.
An agency that has Microsoft as a partner can also offer things an in-house team usually cannot. Access to beta features can help build out or further scale an account, and partner ad credits can make a test cheaper to run.
What the first 90 days should look like
A good agency will give you a clear plan for the first three months, and it should look something like this:
- Weeks 1 to 2: access set up in your name, UET installed and tested, conversion goals agreed, and a baseline of current results.
- Weeks 3 to 6: the new account build goes live, with negative keywords, extensions, assets and audiences in place.
- Weeks 7 to 12: a first real read on cost per lead or sale, and a bid strategy decision once there is enough conversion data.
Measure the agency against the baseline you set in weeks 1 to 2. If your deals are large, like our medical software client’s, quality leads may not arrive every month, so look at the trend over a full quarter.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bing Ads the same as Microsoft Advertising?
Yes, Bing Ads was renamed Microsoft Advertising in April 2019 (Search Engine Land). Bing is still the name of Microsoft’s search engine, which is why many people and agencies still say “Bing Ads.” The platform now covers search ads on Bing plus display and native ads across Microsoft properties such as Edge and Outlook (Microsoft Advertising).
How much does a Bing Ads agency cost?
Fees depend on scope and on whether Microsoft is a main channel for you. At 94n we charge between $500 and $1,200+ a month once results have been proven. For current clients, we often run it free for a month or two first. Your ad spend is separate and is billed to you directly by Microsoft (Microsoft Learn).
Can I just import my Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft Advertising?
You can, and Microsoft supports one-time and scheduled imports (Microsoft Learn), which work well for simple campaigns, especially brand campaigns. Non-brand campaigns almost always need a new, more consolidated structure, because Microsoft has far less search volume than Google.
Who should own my Microsoft Advertising account?
The account should be in your name, because under Microsoft’s standard agency setup the client owns the accounts and is billed directly by Microsoft, while the agency is linked to manage them (Microsoft Learn). That way, you keep your data and history if you change agencies.
How to get started
Do a little homework before you speak to any agency:
- Work out what a lead or sale is worth to your business.
- Check whether a UET tag is already on your site.
- Make sure you can grant access to an account in your own name.
Then run every agency through the checklist and the sales-call questions above. If you already run Google Ads and want to know whether Microsoft is worth testing, the team at 94n is happy to talk it through. You can see how we run Microsoft Ads alongside Google Ads and how we set up conversion tracking.