Keeping Up With Google: How Microsoft Advertising’s New Features Stack Up

Google may get the lion’s share of attention, but don’t sleep on Microsoft.

Just recently, Microsoft Advertising introduced a suite of powerful features for advertisers, some of which close the gap with Google Ads, while others — like search terms insights for Performance Max (PMax) — push Microsoft ahead of Google’s current capabilities.

Changes to bid strategies, PMax, and Search Ads 360 (SA360) integration are among the key updates we’ll explore to help you better understand their potential benefits to your business and how they stack up against Google’s current offerings.

What You Need to Know About Microsoft Advertising’s Updates

From new bid strategies to improved integration with other platforms, these updates offer tools to better manage your ad campaigns, improve targeting, and enhance performance. 

Maximize Conversion Value Bid Strategy

The addition of the "Maximize Conversion Value" bid strategy is a significant update that could elevate the effectiveness of Microsoft Ads campaigns. With the increased use of offline conversion data and first-party information, value-based bidding is no longer limited to ecommerce campaigns. It's now essential for lead generation, as well.

This new bidding strategy allows advertisers to focus on the quality of conversions rather than just quantity, giving you greater control over campaign performance.

Search Themes and SA360 Integration

Two other notable updates include the rollout of search themes and enhanced SA360 integration. These features offer advertisers:

• Improved Ad Relevance. By aligning audience targeting with search themes, advertisers can more effectively reach users with relevant ads based on their search behavior.
• Streamlined Cross-Platform Management. The SA360 integration simplifies campaign management across Google, Microsoft, and other platforms, and allows advertisers to more easily track performance and optimize ad spend from a single interface.

Search Terms Insights for PMax

While some of these changes may seem like Microsoft playing catch-up to Google Ads' long-standing features, the rollout of search terms insights for PMax is an effort to set Microsoft apart from Google’s current capabilities.

Search terms insights are critical for understanding the exact queries users are entering that trigger ads and for tracking cost, click, and conversion metrics. Microsoft’s new PMax feature stands out because Google’s own PMax campaigns lack this transparency.

By allowing advertisers to see which search terms are performing best, Microsoft provides a valuable tool for optimizing campaigns and aligning targeting with high-converting keywords. This new feature pairs well with the Search Themes rollout, helping advertisers refine their audience targeting using top-converting search terms found within the insights reports.

Enhanced Display and Video Capabilities

Microsoft has also introduced more display and video format and bidding options. While details are somewhat vague at the moment, there are some key takeaways:

• AI-Based Solutions for Video Assets: Video creation can be a challenge if you don’t have the resources for videography, so AI-driven solutions that assist with video production are a welcome addition, providing more flexibility while keeping costs manageable.
• Longer Ad Formats Beyond Bumper and Standard Video Ads: While longer ad formats are particularly advantageous for pharmaceutical clients, they also provide opportunities for other industries that have strong long-form creative assets.
• Potential New Bidding Strategies for Display and Video: Although the specifics are unclear, the bid strategies seem likely to align with Google's conversion and action-focused bidding, enhancing not just awareness and consideration but also driving purchase and lead intent with these ad formats.

What Do These Microsoft Updates Mean for You?

These new Microsoft Advertising features create opportunities for advertisers to improve campaign performance and manage their ad strategies more effectively.

So what now? Here are three strategies we recommend you consider:

1. Adopt the Maximize Conversion Value Bid Strategy for Better Quality Control. With the ability to focus on conversion value, you can optimize for both quality and quantity, ensuring that lead generation and sales efforts are as efficient as possible.
2. Leverage Search Themes and Insights for Improved Targeting. The combination of search themes and search terms insights helps refine audience targeting based on what real users are searching. This level of transparency can enhance relevance and drive better performance in your campaigns.
3. Optimize Display and Video Ad Performance with AI and New Formats. AI-based video solutions and the addition of longer ad formats provide more flexibility and options for advertisers to reach their target audience effectively, while new bidding options could lead to more conversion-focused strategies for display and video ads.

Don’t Let These Tools Become Your Competitor’s Advantage

Microsoft Advertising’s new features provide an expanded toolkit for advertisers looking to diversify their ad spend and expand their targeting beyond Google to reach underserved audiences. enhance ad performance, improve targeting, and optimize campaign efficiency. From the maximize conversion value bid strategy to search terms insights for PMax, these updates position Microsoft as a competitive force in the paid search landscape.

If you’re ready to take advantage of these updates and turn them into a competitive advantage for your business, let’s chat.