Microsoft Ads vs Google Ads: what's different, and when to run both

Start with Google Ads in most cases, then add Microsoft Ads once your Google campaigns are profitable and properly tracked. Google has the larger search audience, and Microsoft lets you import your Google campaigns, so the second platform takes far less setup.

From a distance the two look alike, and since August 31, 2026, both offer AI Max for Search. The differences that matter are where ads show, who you can single out, and how you track results. If you’re still deciding whether Microsoft deserves any budget, start with whether Microsoft Advertising is worth it.

Where do Microsoft and Google ads show?

Microsoft search ads show on Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and partner sites, and its audience ads run on MSN, Microsoft Start, Edge, Outlook.com, and publisher partners. Google ads show on Google Search and, depending on campaign type, across Shopping, YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Maps.

How do Copilot ads compare with Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Both platforms now put ads inside AI answers, and in both cases you can’t buy the placement on its own or see separate results for it. Copilot ads are built automatically from eligible Microsoft campaigns. Google’s come from eligible Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns.

On Microsoft, eligible campaigns are opted in automatically, with no opt-out and no Copilot-specific metrics. Negative keywords still apply, and search ads need a logo to be eligible.

On Google, ads can show inside AI Overviews in English in 12 markets, including the US, when the campaign uses broad match, AI Max, Performance Max, Shopping, or Dynamic Search Ads. There’s no opt-out or segmented reporting, and adult, alcohol, gambling, finance, healthcare, and political ads are excluded there. AI Mode ads are in testing in the US. Our AI search ads page compares these placements.

How is targeting different?

Both platforms target by keyword, location, schedule, device, and audience. Microsoft’s distinct advantage is LinkedIn profile targeting, which adjusts bids by a searcher’s company, industry, job function, and seniority. Google doesn’t offer LinkedIn data.

LinkedIn targeting works as a bid adjustment: you bid more (or less) for people who match, and everyone else searching your keywords can still see the ad. Company lists hold up to 10,000 names, which makes account-based targeting practical for B2B firms that know exactly who they want.

What campaign types does each platform offer?

Both offer Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns. Google’s Performance Max spans Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Maps, while Microsoft adds audience ads across MSN, Microsoft Start, Edge, and Outlook.com.

Retailers get two extra Microsoft features. Offer Highlights pull product details from Merchant Center into Copilot, Edge, and Bing in English-speaking markets, and Copilot Checkout (US) works with PayPal, Shopify, and Stripe.

Can you import Google Ads campaigns into Microsoft?

Yes. Microsoft’s Google Ads import brings your campaigns over, including Performance Max, so you start from keywords and ads that already work. Then fix a few things:

• Tracking. Install Microsoft’s UET tag and set up conversion goals. Your Google tag doesn’t report to Microsoft.
• Logo. Add one so your search ads are eligible for Copilot.
• Budgets. Expect less volume than Google in most accounts, and set budgets from Microsoft’s own data instead of mirroring Google.
• Partner sites. Review where your ads run and exclude sites that send poor leads.
• Audiences. Add LinkedIn profile bid adjustments if you sell B2B.
• Repeat imports. If you schedule them, check which settings sync so they don’t overwrite changes you made in Microsoft.

Is AI Max available on both platforms?

Yes. Google’s AI Max for Search is an opt-in layer on existing Search campaigns, and Microsoft made AI Max for Search generally available on August 31, 2026, serving on Bing and Copilot.

On Google, AI Max adds broad and keywordless matching, text customization, final URL expansion, and brand and location controls. Test it on each platform separately and read the search terms it matches. A result on Google won’t necessarily repeat on Microsoft.

How does conversion tracking differ?

Microsoft tracks conversions with its UET tag. Google uses the Google tag, often paired with GA4. Running both means installing both, each with its own conversion goals.

Each platform also credits itself. Say a customer clicks a Bing ad on Monday and a Google ad on Thursday, then fills out your form: both accounts can count that conversion. We dig into that problem in numbers your team can trust.

When should you run both, and how do you compare them fairly?

Run both when Google is profitable and tracked and you want more leads at a similar cost, or when you sell to business buyers that LinkedIn targeting can reach. Compare the two side by side on cost per lead, measured in your CRM.

• One definition of a lead. Use the same qualified-lead standard for both. Platform-reported conversions don’t count.
• Same dates. Pick one window, long enough to cover a full sales cycle.
• Like for like. Brand against brand, non-brand against non-brand. Branded search usually looks cheap and skews the picture.
• Volume as well as cost. Microsoft might deliver a lower cost per lead on fewer leads. Decide whether those leads are worth having, then shift budget in steps.

Microsoft Ads vs Google Ads at a glance

	Microsoft Ads	Google Ads
Search reach	Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, partners	Google Search and partners
Other placements	MSN, Microsoft Start, Edge, Outlook.com	YouTube, Display, Gmail, Maps
AI answers	Copilot, automatic, no separate metrics	AI Overviews; AI Mode in US testing
B2B targeting	LinkedIn company, industry, function, seniority	Google audience segments
AI Max for Search	Generally available since Aug 31, 2026	Opt-in layer on Search campaigns
Tracking	UET tag	Google tag, GA4

How might a Tampa B2B firm use both?

Keep Google as the main lead source, import the best campaigns into Microsoft, and use LinkedIn bid adjustments to pay more for the buyers you want. Then judge both platforms on cost per qualified lead.

Picture a managed IT services firm in Westshore that sells to mid-size companies across Tampa Bay. Its Google Search campaigns already bring in steady leads. It imports them into Microsoft, installs UET, adds a logo, and keeps location targeting tight to the counties it serves.

Then it adds LinkedIn adjustments: higher bids for IT and operations job functions, director-level seniority and up, and a company list of the few hundred local firms it most wants to win. After a full sales cycle, the team compares cost per qualified lead from each platform and moves budget toward whichever earns it.

Our Google Ads management comes first, and we add Microsoft Ads once those campaigns are working. For a second set of eyes first, our free ad account audit covers Google or Microsoft accounts and returns the top 5 fixes within 3 business days of getting read-only access.

Common questions about Microsoft Ads vs Google Ads

Is Bing Ads the same as Microsoft Ads? Yes. Bing Ads was renamed Microsoft Advertising in 2019. The network now reaches well beyond Bing, including Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and ads inside Copilot.

Can I see how my ads perform inside Copilot or AI Overviews? Not separately. Microsoft offers no Copilot-specific metrics, and Google provides no segmented reporting for ads inside AI Overviews. Judge them through overall campaign results and the leads in your CRM.

Should I start Microsoft Ads if Google Ads isn’t working? Usually not. Importing a struggling Google account copies the same problems to a second platform. Fix tracking, landing pages, and search terms on Google first, then expand.