Can Microsoft Ads give you the Edge for B2B PPC lead generation?

Let’s face it, Google is a monster! 93% of all searches are placed through Google’s search engine and the competition to claim top ranking positions is fierce across most keywords.  PPC costs as a result have dramatically increased, an average of 10% across all industries, but as high as 35% in certain areas.  The introduction of AI Overview means that organic results have been pushed further down the page, and marketers need to adapt to another form of no click search.

With sales and lead targets growing by an average of over 30%, how can you gain an Edge against the competition through PPC lead generation?

Big players lock into Microsoft platforms

Large corporations have stringent IT processes, often partnering with one software provider and locking down employee access to vary from these products.  The largest software provider in B2B for office-based applications is, of course, Microsoft.  This includes search browsers.

What this means is employees are forced to use a particular search engine in these circumstances.  That search engine is, more often than not, Edge and therefore Bing.

Why is this important for Marketers?

A locked down software package means that all company IT equipment will be issued with Edge and Bing as the default browser and search engine.  Most companies that use company issued computers also set Edge and Bing as default, and often employees don’t change this.  So even if there isn’t a locked down environment, many B2B searches will be placed on Bing.

In short, if a buyer has a company PC and is using a search browser within a compliant environment, then nine times out of ten they will be using Edge and Bing.

So, you’re telling me to move away from Google?

Nope!  Why on earth would you do that?  Google still accounts for 93% of all searches.  What we are recommending is rebalancing your budget, and your PPC time to give more attention to Microsoft Ads, Webmaster tools and train on the difference between Edge and Google search algorithms.

OK, but what does the data say?

If we look at the average data from the last couple of years, we can see that Microsoft ads is considerably cheaper than Google ads for PPC clicks.  Although the other stats lag behind Google, they are close enough that when compared over a period of lead acquisition, Bing and Microsoft Ads emerges as a much lower cost.