For Swiss B2B SMEs, Microsoft Advertising is increasingly becoming an interesting complement to Google Ads. The reasons are lower competition on Bing, often cheaper click prices, interesting audience signals from LinkedIn, and new possibilities around Copilot. Through the platform, many purchasing-power business users can be reached who use Windows, Edge, and other Microsoft products in their daily work.
On top of that: across the entire Swiss search market, StatCounter shows Bing at just over 10 percent for June 2026. On desktop devices, Bing is even at around 17 percent. This difference matters especially in B2B, since research, quote comparisons, and the final procurement decision often happen at an office computer. Microsoft Advertising and Bing Ads don’t replace Google Ads. But they open up additional contacts that pure Google campaigns miss.
These factors are driving the Bing Ads comeback
The following conditions and developments explain the Bing Ads comeback and show how the platform can be used to advantage today.
Less competition can lower the click price
In many industries, fewer advertisers compete on Bing for the same search terms than on Google. This can make clicks cheaper. Cross-platform benchmark data from Databox put the median cost per click in November 2024 at $0.97 for Microsoft Ads and $1.33 for Google Ads.
These averages show that Microsoft Ads can generally enable lower click prices. Whether this advantage materializes in a specific Swiss B2B campaign depends heavily on the market environment. Search term, industry, region, ad quality, and bidding strategy all influence the actual price.
A click that costs 30 percent less brings little if it doesn’t turn into a matching business inquiry. What matters is cost per lead and its quality. Microsoft Advertising via Bing Ads should therefore never be judged by a low CPC alone.
LinkedIn data sharpens B2B targeting
A distinguishing feature of the platform is the combination of search intent and professional context. With LinkedIn data, Bing Ads can be targeted by company, industry, and job function. These profile attributes are available for search, shopping, audience, and Performance Max campaigns, among others. This means an ad isn’t tied to a keyword alone, but also to relevant business attributes.
A Swiss ERP software provider, for example, could advertise on search queries like “production planning software” and increase bids for people from manufacturing companies or matching functional areas. LinkedIn data for Bing Ads doesn’t replace precise keyword selection. But it helps weight valuable user groups more heavily and reduce wasted reach.
This approach is especially interesting for B2B offers that require explanation. A single inquiry can carry a high deal value. As a result, audience quality often outweighs maximum reach.
Copilot creates additional touchpoints
Copilot advertising extends the classic search ad into conversational contexts. Users tend to phrase longer questions to AI, describe problems in more detail, and expect directly usable answers. Microsoft reports that AI-powered ads achieved a 25 percent higher relevance, and that conversions from Copilot ads have risen by a factor of 1.3 since the November 2024 relaunch.
For B2B SMEs, the biggest practical benefit lies in more detailed demand. Instead of just typing “CRM Switzerland,” a person might ask for a CRM solution for a sales team with multiple locations. Copilot advertising can become visible during an early research phase, before a fixed shortlist of providers exists.
Campaign creation also benefits from AI. Copilot supports Microsoft Advertising with ad drafts, campaign structure, diagnostics, and performance evaluations. The suggestions still need expert review. Product claims, Swiss language variants, and technical details should not be adopted automatically.
Performance Max unlocks multiple Microsoft channels
Since 2024, Microsoft has significantly expanded Performance Max. A single campaign can distribute ads across the available Microsoft inventory. Companies provide goals, budget, creative assets, audience signals, and conversion data; the system then optimizes delivery. Microsoft cites an average of eight percent additional conversions for Performance Max.
For small marketing teams, this campaign type reduces manual effort. But it requires enough data. Without correctly set up conversions, automation optimizes toward unclear signals. For B2B campaigns, qualified actions should count, not simple page views, for example:
- Submitted contact forms
- Scheduled consultation appointments
- Downloads with complete business data
- Phone-confirmed inquiries
- Offline deals imported from the CRM
Consent Mode improves privacy-compliant measurement
With UET Consent Mode, the Microsoft tag can adjust its access to cookies based on a visitor’s consent status. Microsoft requires the transmission of corresponding consent signals for users from Switzerland, the European Economic Area, and the United Kingdom. Since 2025, Microsoft has extended Consent Mode with modeled conversions. The system estimates, based on available signals, how many closings likely occurred despite missing direct measurement. This allows data loss from restricted tracking to be offset in a privacy-compliant way, at least partially.
For Swiss SMEs, this is more than a technical side issue. Faulty consent signals lead to incomplete conversion data and weaken automated bidding. Before expanding Microsoft Advertising with Bing Ads, consent banners, the UET tag, and conversion goals should therefore be tested together.
The Microsoft ecosystem expands reach
The Bing Ads comeback today doesn’t mean the return of a single search engine. Microsoft Advertising covers numerous touchpoints across Bing, Copilot, Outlook, Microsoft Start, Windows, Xbox, and other connected channels.
This breadth can bring enormous additional reach, but it also complicates evaluation. Campaign reports should therefore be broken down by network, device, and ad format. This shows whether inquiries come from Bing search, audience placements, or Copilot advertising.
Which Swiss companies benefit from Microsoft Advertising with Bing Ads?
Microsoft Advertising with Bing Ads is especially interesting for companies whose customers research professionally and whose products or services achieve high deal values. In such cases, just a few additional business inquiries can more than offset campaign costs. This includes, among others:
- Software, cloud, and IT service providers
- Machine building, industrial, and automation companies
- Consultancies, fiduciaries, and specialized financial service providers
- Providers of business equipment or technical components
- Training providers with clearly defined professional groups
- Export-oriented SMEs with multilingual target markets
The platform is less suitable if there’s already barely any search volume on Google for a very narrow offering. Without functioning tracking or clear conversion goals, an additional advertising channel brings little either. LinkedIn data for Bing and automated bidding can only reach their full effect with a well thought-out campaign foundation.
Want to find out what potential Microsoft Advertising via Bing Ads holds for your company? Get in touch and let’s work together to build a solid foundation for your own Bing Ads comeback.
