You Can Now Import Google Conversion Goals into Bing - Why It Matters

Microsoft just announced that their Ads interface will now allow advertisers to import Google conversion goals into Bing.

This is a good move for Microsoft, which continues to find opportunities to help streamline advertisers’ capabilities for cross-platform workflows. Let’s dig into the significance of the release and what it might mean for advertisers now – and for Microsoft’s direction going forward.

What the release means for advertisers

First of all, a couple of caveats: this update will automatically start importing data, so if you’re not interested, you’ll have to manually opt out. It may also create issues with attribution as tracking codes differ on client sites – so if you do put it into play, be sure to monitor and troubleshoot as needed. 

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I think the release is super-helpful for advertisers running campaigns on Microsoft because it allows them to leverage a similar optimization strategy as the one they use in Google. Reporting on the same goals, merely segmented by channels, will also give advertisers a clean comparison when analyzing Microsoft and Google performance.

What the release means for Microsoft Ads

Microsoft is typically considered the “clunkier” interface and tends to follow on the back of Google Ads, so this new feature will help reduce friction for advertisers looking to divert some budget away from Google. Copying and/or piping in Google’s functionality is generally a good move.

If Microsoft can level up its advertising UI, it can make a better case for advertisers to use its enhanced audience targeting capabilities – specifically, its singular ability to target potential customers based on their LinkedIn profile information. (Well, LinkedIn has this ability, but it’s unique among search options.)

This is a game-changer when you work with a B2B client with a more niche ICP. For those brands, although Google has a wider net of audience members, Microsoft can potentially generate more bang for the buck with higher-quality leads and conversions. 

This leads me to one recommendation for Microsoft (not that they’ve asked me). If there was one thing I’d suggest Microsoft prioritize, it would be modernizing their interface to help advertisers quickly navigate within the UI.

As Google costs keep rising, we love looking for ways to help our clients find efficient alternatives – so any improvement that makes a platform more viable is something we’re tracking closely. 

Keep an eye on this space as more of those improvements hit the JDM radar!