Can Bing/Yahoo be a Better Value for Your PPC Marketing Campaign than Google?
As far as search engine marketing goes, it’s no secret that Google takes the market share for PPC marketing. Google also boasts of the widest reach in terms of potential audience, which means your ads have a high probability of generating leads and increasing sales.
That doesn’t mean, however, that other paid search platforms aren’t worth considering. Particularly when in 2015, Bing Ads experienced a 19.7 percent growth in market share, and Yahoo Ads saw a 10 percent increase in paid search clicks during the previous year. In contrast, Google paid search clicks fell down by 11 percent from the previous year.
While such reports are by no means indicative of a trend of Google losing market share in pay per click advertising, it does suggest that some segment of Internet users are on Yahoo and Bing, which means that you may be missing critical marketing opportunities.
1. Bing Ads and Yahoo Ads Have Less Competition and Cheaper CPCs (Cost Per Click)
- Many small to medium enterprises (SMEs) often treat Bing Ads and Yahoo Ads as an afterthought, not knowing the opportunities they offer.
- Both ad platforms use an auction system similar to AdWords’ bid system, which means that advertisers on Bing and Yahoo can reap the benefits of less competition, including prime ad positions and less expensive clicks.
- With better ad positions, your ads have a better chance of having higher clickthrough rates for less money.
2. Bing Offers a More Granular Approach to PPC Campaigns and Ad Groups
- Bing advertising offers several options that give you granular control over your PPC campaign and ad group settings in ways that Google can’t.
- For example, you can schedule different campaigns according to different time zones, allowing for easier ad scheduling when you’re targeting a global audience.
- In addition, Google AdWords only allows you to set language, ad scheduling, location, and network at the campaign level, with ad groups restricted to their respective campaign’s settings.
- In contrast, Bing Ads offers these options at the ad group level, giving you finer control over each aspect of your ad group’s functions.
3. Superior Conversions and Sales
- Several reports show that businesses tend to enjoy better sales conversion rates on Bing ads and Yahoo ads.
- Even though clickthrough rates with CPCs are estimated to be around 50 percent to 70 percent lower on Bing, advertisers usually achieve better return on investment (ROI).
4. Customer Support for Small to Medium Businesses
- One great thing about Bing is the fact that it offers great customer support, even to small and medium businesses with small advertising accounts.
- In contrast, Google only offers a dedicated account representative to your account if you have a minimum yearly ad spend of $500,000. Bing on the other hand, offers support to clients with a minimum ad spend of $500 a month.
When it comes right down to it, Bing ads and Yahoo ads offer several opportunities no business should ignore. Set aside a portion of your advertising budget for both platforms to make sure you make the most out of what is available to you.