Microsoft Ads for webshops
Almost every account I audit has Microsoft Ads switched on through the Google import and then forgotten. It’s cheap traffic with an older, higher-spending audience — but only if someone treats it as its own channel.
Scope
- Search
- core
- Shopping / feed
- core
- Audience Network
- where it earns it
- Import hygiene
- included
- Performance Max
- with guardrails
Usually a small add-on to Google Ads management rather than a standalone retainer. I’ll say so if it isn’t worth it.
How I work — in order
-
Check what the import broke
Sync rules, duplicated negatives, budgets carried over at Google scale. This alone is often the whole win.
-
Split it off
Its own budgets, bids and negatives. Bing users behave differently; copied settings hide that.
-
Feed and coverage
Merchant Center equivalent set up properly, so Shopping actually covers your catalogue.
-
Report what happened
Reported next to Google, so you can see what the extra channel is worth on its own.
What you get
- A channel that stops being a copy of your Google account
- Incremental volume at a CPC that is usually well below Google
- Clean feed coverage on Shopping
- Full ownership: your account, your data, documented
What I need from you
- Access to the Microsoft Advertising account, or permission to create one
- Your product feed and Merchant Center setup
- Your real margins
- Realistic expectations: it is a smaller market, not a second Google
Fair questions
About Microsoft Ads specifically.
Is there enough volume in Belgium to bother?
Less than in the UK or the US, and I’ll tell you straight if your niche is too thin. But when it works, it works at a lower CPC than Google for the same intent — and the setup cost is a one-off.
Can’t I just leave the Google import running?
You can, and most people do. The import copies structure and budgets that were sized for a different auction, so you usually end up either spending nothing or overpaying. Ten minutes of proper setup beats it.
Do you run this without Google Ads?
Rarely. It works best alongside Google Ads, because the feed, negatives and margin data are shared. If you only want Microsoft, mail me and I’ll be honest about whether it’s worth a retainer.
Microsoft Ads on autopilot since the import?
Mail me and I’ll tell you in one look whether there’s anything left on the table.