By Sarah Suri, Multimedia Communications Specialist

Let’s be real, we’ve all “googled” something before. I mean, after all, Google is the #1 search engine. I think with Google conquering the world, people have a tendency to forget about Bing. I know, we all give Bing a really hard time (the memes are endless!), but what if I told you that their online advertising platform gives Google AdWords a run for their money? Still don’t believe me? Let’s get down to the nitty gritty details.

First, I want to compare each search results page. I searched for ‘new homes in Orange County’ and got the following results:



  • I think it’s cool that both platforms display different kind of ads. I can only see one matching ad on both, which is definitely an advantage because if your ad is not displayed on Google’s search engine, there is a very good chance it will appear on Bing’s.
  • Related searches: Bing shows these on the top and bottom of the page, while Google displays them only at the bottom.
  • You have twice the chance of your ad being shown on Bing, since the top three ads are displayed at the top AND bottom of the first page.

I understand that all of you Google fans are questioning Bing’s ad abilities, but you might be surprised at the statistics I was able to pull. Now, to make things interesting, and of course for my own fun, I have conducted a contest to show you which platform I think rates best based on several different categories. Each category receives one point. The platform with the most points wins! This is the ultimate showdown of Bing Ads vs. Google AdWords!

(I really need to stop binge-watching Iron Chef)


  1. Charges: TIE - You are being charged per click on both platforms.
  2. Impressions: AdWords has a higher reach, hence more impressions  (one
    point for AdWords).



  1. Cost Per Click (CPC): AdWords has more clicks but at a higher cost per click ($1.76 vs Bing’s $0.03) (one point for Bing). 
  2. CTR (Click-Through Rate): Bing has a high CTR, which means with a lower CPC and high CTR, you are able to get more targeted customers (one point for Bing). 
  3. Conversions: So, according to my extensive research, I have seen that Bing has a slightly lower conversion rate than AdWords, but has a lower cost per lead. I can’t pick which one is better, since each campaign varies on what your end goal is. This one will just have to be a TIE. 
  4. Exact vs. Close Variant Matching: With Bing, your search results are shown based on exact search matches, while Google has the advantage of capturing plurals, misspellings, typos and accounts for them in your search.  People would consider this as a disadvantage to Google, but I personally think that with this option, you are able to significantly expand your customer reach. Advantage...Google AdWords (one point). 
  5. Remarketing Campaigns: Google takes it home on this one, because it has faster access to information in regards to website visitors. Bing doesn’t come close. Sorry, Bing. Advantage...Google AdWords (one point). 
  6. Budget:  You can only set a ‘daily’ budget for each campaign on AdWords. Bing Ads has a little more flexibility as you can set a ‘daily’ or ‘monthly’ budget. My preference is definitely with Bing on this one, because I save time and don’t have to rely on manual calculations using my jumbo calculator. (Yes, it’s 2018 and I’m not ashamed to use a jumbo calculator!) Advantage…Bing (one point).  
  7. Location settings: You can target your audience by location at the campaign and ad-set level.  On AdWords, you can only target on a campaign level. If you want to really filter your target audience, your best bet would be to utilize Bing Ads. Advantage...Bing (one point). 
  8. Reach/Partner Network:  Google’s search engine and partner network trump Bing’s ad reach by a mile, especially for display advertising. Advantage...Google AdWords (one point). 
  9. Extensions: Both platforms offer multiple forms of extensions, like Call, Callout, Review, etc. TIE.


Google AdWords: 7 points

Bing Ads: 7 points

So, I guess we didn’t crown our Battle of the Ads winner, but we did learn some valuable information. As you can see, there are advantages and disadvantages to each platform. We live in an imperfect world, so you can’t expect your ad platforms to be perfect, right?

If your ultimate goal is to save money, use Bing Ads for a more targeted reach and get more value for your conversions, i.e. campaigns for local grand opening events or campaigns to target your competition. If you want to reach a wider audience and connect with recent website visitors, use Google AdWords. Where you spend your money honestly depends on the specific campaign you want to run.  As for recommendations, I would say to split your budget and run multiple campaigns on both platforms, that way you are not limiting yourself!

Bing it on!


Sarah Suri is a Multimedia Communications Specialist at Get Community. She loves to travel, cook and eat delicious food, and live life like a musical!

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