By: Nikki Kuhlman, VP of Search at JumpFly
For many advertisers, Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) is the "forgotten platform". It is often treated as a secondary thought, where agencies simply set up a scheduled import from Google and hope for the best. When the performance doesn't immediately match Google's scale, the budget is cut, and the platform is dismissed as "not working".
However, the problem usually isn't the platform; it’s the lack of attention. Microsoft Ads rewards those who treat it as its own unique ecosystem. If you’re giving Microsoft 10% to 25% of your budget, you can't afford to give it 0% of your strategy. By making a few low-lift, high-impact changes, you can transform Microsoft from a budget-waster into a reliable growth engine.
One of the most common ways to bleed money on Microsoft is by letting your ads run 24/7. Because daily budgets reset at midnight, it is incredibly common to see your entire budget spent on clicks with zero results before business hours even begin. Nighttime is rarely the right time for Microsoft advertising.
The Fix:
Turn off campaigns from midnight to early morning: Depending on your primary time zone, wait until 5:00 a.m. (Pacific) or 7:00 a.m. (Eastern) to start your ads.
Test with bid modifiers: If you aren't ready to go completely dark, try a negative 50% bid modifier during the midnight-to-morning block and let the data guide you.
Prune evening hours: Review performance from 6:00 p.m. to midnight and trim spend where intent is low.
Mobile performance on Microsoft does not mirror mobile performance on Google. Often, a significant portion of Microsoft's mobile spend is pushed toward the "audience network," which can lead to a drop in overall conversion quality.
The Strategy:
Start with a negative 20% bid modifier on mobile: This acts as a safety net while you gather data.
Watch for "Tablet Spikes": While tablets usually perform like desktops, they are prone to sudden, massive spend increases that can tank your results. In some cases, turning tablet off entirely is the best way to bring conversions back.
Review individually: Don't apply a blanket rule across the whole account; evaluate mobile and tablet performance campaign by campaign.
Many marketers shy away from smart bidding on Microsoft because they don't meet the high conversion thresholds recommended for Google. However, you can still leverage these tools by taking a gradual approach.
The Roadmap:
Start with ECPC: Use Enhanced CPC to begin gathering baseline data.
Move to Maximize Conversions: Once you have even 10 conversions in a 30-day period, make the switch.
Add Target Goals: As soon as the "learning" phase ends, implement a Target CPA or Target ROAS.
Pro Tip: Microsoft allows you to set a Maximum CPC within a "Maximize Conversions" strategy without needing a complex portfolio bid strategy. This is a powerful way to cap your costs if you see CPCs spiking.
Microsoft’s search partner network is a mixed bag. While some partners—like DuckDuckGo—often perform surprisingly well with low CPCs, other sites can be "money wasters".
The Maintenance Plan:
Don't just turn off all search partners: You could lose half your conversion volume.
Start with a curated exclusion list: Block known low-quality partner websites and apps right out of the gate.
Run monthly publisher reports: Regularly audit the "Website URL (Publisher)" list and exclude any site that shows a spike in clicks without conversions.
The "Nuclear Option": If you've optimized everything else and the Audience Network is still wasting money, you can ask a Microsoft representative to opt you out entirely—but they usually won't do this until you've proven you've done your due diligence with the steps above.
Nikki Kuhlman is the VP of Search at JumpFly
You can find her on LinkedIn