Bing search
Text ads on Bing results, the search engine built into Windows and the Edge browser. Some patients search there by default without thinking about it.
Microsoft Ads for Dentists
Test another source of searches before you commit to it.
Microsoft Advertising, formerly Bing Ads, shows a practice’s ads to people searching on Bing and Microsoft’s partner sites. For most dental practices it is not a replacement for Google Ads but a possible addition. We treat it as a controlled test: set up carefully, measured against what already works, and kept only if it produces qualified inquiries.
Incremental testConceptual diagram
Baseline · Google Ads
- Implant campaign · running
- Tracking · verified
- Qualified inquiries · known
Test · Microsoft Ads
- Same treatment · same area
- Separate tracking tag
- Fixed test budget
KeepAdjustPause
[01] Where the ads appear
A smaller audience you may be missing.
Microsoft’s search audience is generally smaller than Google’s, and its size varies by market. The question is not whether it is bigger, but whether it adds qualified inquiries your dental PPC campaigns are not already reaching.
Search partners
Ads can also show on partner sites that use Microsoft’s search results. Quality varies, so partner traffic is reviewed and limited where it does not produce inquiries.
Other Microsoft placements
Microsoft also offers placements across its own products and an audience network. For dental search campaigns these are optional and assessed separately, not switched on by default.
[02] Readiness
Five things to have first.
A Microsoft test is most useful when there is something reliable to compare it with. If these are missing, fixing them usually comes first, often within your Google campaigns.
- Google Ads tracking you trustCalls and forms are measured reliably, so there is a baseline to compare against.
- Campaigns that already workAt least one treatment campaign producing qualified inquiries at a cost the practice accepts.
- Room in the scheduleCapacity for the treatments being advertised and someone to answer calls.
- A test budget you can spareEnough to learn from over several weeks without cutting campaigns that already perform.
- Relevant landing pagesTreatment pages that work on desktop as well as mobile, since a share of Bing searches happen on computers.
[03] Importing from Google
An import is a draft, not a campaign.
Microsoft lets advertisers import campaigns from Google Ads, which saves time. But settings, defaults and tracking differ between the platforms, so every import is reviewed before it spends.
Check · Location
Targeting optionsCheck that location settings reach people in the area, not only people interested in it, and that radius targets map correctly.
Check · Networks
Partner trafficDecide deliberately whether to include search partners and other placements rather than accepting what was imported.
Check · Bidding
Automated strategiesA new account has little conversion history. Automated bidding usually needs time and data before it can be relied on.
Check · Keywords
Match behaviorMatch types work similarly but not identically. Search-term reports are reviewed early and exclusions added.
Check · Ads and assets
Copy and extensionsConfirm headlines, call buttons, locations and sitelinks came across correctly and still match each landing page.
Check · Tracking
Microsoft’s tagMicrosoft uses its own tracking tag and call reporting. Google conversion tags do not carry over.
[04] Audience and landing pages
Same patients, different screens.
Bing is the default search engine on many Windows computers, so a larger share of its searches tend to happen on desktop than on Google, though this varies. Treatment pages that work well on a phone also need to read clearly on a larger screen, with an easy way to book or call.
If pages need work, that belongs to dental website design; speed and tracking setup to website development. Location targeting follows the same rule as Google: around your real offices, reaching people who are actually nearby.
[05] Running the test
Four steps, then a decision.
We agree what success looks like before the test starts, so the decision is based on qualified inquiries rather than click costs or impressions. Not every inquiry becomes a patient, and the comparison accounts for that.
- Step 01Scope
Choose one or two treatments that already perform on Google and a defined area around each office.
- Step 02Setup
Import or build carefully, install tracking, set exclusions and agree a fixed test budget.
- Step 03Run
Let it run long enough to gather inquiries, reviewing search terms and partner traffic as it goes.
- Step 04Decide
Compare qualified inquiries and cost per qualified inquiry against what the practice considers acceptable.
Local competitionSearch volume in your areaBudgetLanding pagesTracking qualityCall handling
Costs stay separate. Ad spend is billed by Microsoft to the practice. Any management fee is charged separately. We don’t publish typical costs, because they depend on your market and treatments.
[06] Microsoft and Google
Practical differences, not a winner.
Neither platform is better for every practice. These are the differences that usually matter when deciding whether to add Microsoft to an existing plan.
| Microsoft Ads | Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Usual role | An addition tested after Google | The usual starting point for dental search ads |
| Audience | People searching on Bing, Windows, Edge and partner sites | People searching on Google and its partner sites |
| Volume | Usually smaller; varies by market | Usually larger; varies by market |
| Cost | Sometimes lower per click, but not reliably so | Often competitive for high-value treatments |
| Setup | Can import from Google, then needs review | Built and managed directly |
| Judged by | Qualified inquiries, compared with Google | Qualified inquiries and booked appointments |
[07] In the wider plan
Paid search is only one channel.
Ads stop when the budget does. Organic search work builds visibility that lasts, and local SEO decides how you appear on the map for nearby searches, which ads on either platform cannot buy.
If you are weighing Microsoft against other uses of the same budget, that decision belongs in a dental marketing strategy.
[08] To assess a test
What we need from you.
With this information we can tell you whether a Microsoft test makes sense now, or whether something else should come first.
About the practice
Locations, treatments you want to grow, capacity and how calls are answered.
About current ads
Access to Google Ads and any existing Microsoft account, and how conversions are tracked today.
About the goal
The inquiries you want more of and what you are willing to spend to test the channel.
[Q] Questions
About Microsoft Ads for dentists
Is Microsoft Advertising the same as Bing Ads?
Yes. Bing Ads was renamed Microsoft Advertising. Many people still use the older name, which is why this page lives at that address.
Is it cheaper than Google Ads?
Sometimes, but not reliably. Clicks may cost less in some markets, but there are also fewer searches, and what matters is the cost of a qualified inquiry. A test is the only reliable way to know for your practice.
Should we run Microsoft Ads without Google Ads?
Usually not. For most practices Google is the larger source of searches. Microsoft is typically evaluated as an addition once Google campaigns are measured and working.
Can we just import our Google campaigns?
Importing is a reasonable starting point and saves time. It is not a finished setup: location, network, bidding and tracking settings need review afterward, and the accounts drift apart over time.
What if the test does not work?
Then it is paused. A well-run test tells you something useful either way, and keeping a channel that does not produce qualified inquiries is not a good use of budget.
Are the same privacy rules relevant?
Yes. Dental inquiries can involve health information. Microsoft’s advertising policies and the privacy laws that apply to your practice in the US or Canada both apply to targeting and tracking. This is not legal advice.
[→] Next step
Find out if a test is worth running.
Tell us about your practice and your current Google campaigns. We’ll review your tracking and results and tell you plainly whether Microsoft Ads is worth testing now.
[ Next ] — Diagnose your practice
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