Bing, Microsoft’s Internet search engine, has been around for 12 years. If you recall, this wasn’t Microsoft’s first search engine into the market. MSN Search, Windows Live Search, and Live Search were all originally offered by Microsoft. Bing is frequently derided, yet it is far from a failure.
Revenue and deals
In the fiscal year 2020, the firm generated $7.74 billion in revenue from search advertising.
Of course, this is nothing in comparison to Google’s $147 billion in ad revenue over the previous 12 months. However, Microsoft’s LinkedIn professional network and Surface device line generate more money.
In recent years, the corporation has outsourced parts of its advertising business, putting Bing in places where Microsoft has authority or where Google couldn’t compete. Bing was prominently displayed in search boxes on Windows computers and Office software, ensuring that a sizable percentage of PC users would consciously (or unknowingly) utilise the search engine.
Bing was awarded a contract in to manage searches and ads on Yahoo, AOL, and other Verizon Communications Inc. internet assets. Although not the most prestigious, these have a high volume of traffic, resulting in a large number of visitors looking for consumer goods and local businesses. This boosts the number of people who use Bing and the amount of advertising income that flows through Microsoft’s accounts.
Advertisers on Bing
Although Bing has a low market share (5.67 percent in the United States as of June 2021), it has attracted a large number of advertisers. “I was present at Bing’s launch in 2009. It was an exciting period for advertisers because we could see Microsoft was serious about search advertisements and excited about the future,” says Melissa Mackey, a well-known PPC expert.
Microsoft Ads’ unique audience often yields better results for advertisers. Advertisers can now gain audience targeting capabilities that aren’t accessible with any other search provider because to their collaboration with LinkedIn. Microsoft Ads continues to provide innovative solutions for marketers while keeping the customer-centric approach that has made them a PPC industry favourite.”
The following are the key demographics for Bing users, according to digital marketing agency Aborg: Bing users are typically less tech-savvy.
This also supports the following statistics concerning search engine users:
- Users of Bing are more likely to be blue collar than white collar.
- The majority of Bing searchers are over 35 years old.
- Based on their age, Bing searchers are more likely to have children.
Those characteristics might be particularly appealing to advertising with a certain target market in mind.
The company is also focusing on a few main verticals to build specialised solutions in the future (co-bidding pilot for retailers and brands as well as working with agencies to help them deploy Microsoft technology). One Microsoft is a platform for marketers that combines advertising, Azure machine learning, and other Microsoft technologies to create unique experiences.
