Bing Ads for affiliates: costs, setup and gambling rules
Bing Ads, now Microsoft Advertising, as a second search channel after Google: where ads run, what they cost, how to set up, and what the gambling policy allows.
Bing Ads is now Microsoft Advertising, the pay-per-click platform behind ads on Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Microsoft properties such as MSN and Outlook.com. For US affiliates it can work as a second search channel after Google, often with less competition per click. Gambling ads sit under a strict, state-limited policy that you need to check first.
Last updated: 29 October 2026. Microsoft can change its policies without notice, so confirm anything you plan to spend on.
How Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) works
Microsoft Advertising is a keyword auction: you bid on searches, write ads, and pay when someone clicks. Microsoft renamed Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in April 2019, and Bing stayed the name of the search engine. Most practitioners still say "Bing Ads", "Microsoft Ads" or "Microsoft Bing Ads", and they all mean the same platform.
The network has two halves:
Search advertising. Ads on Bing search results and on partner engines, including AOL, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. Your ad distribution setting decides whether you buy the whole network or only Microsoft sites and select traffic.
Audience advertising. Display, native and video ads on MSN, Microsoft Start, Microsoft Edge, Outlook.com and publisher partners, run as Audience campaigns. This is the Microsoft Audience Network.
On search, the main format for affiliates is the responsive search ad, backed by keywords and match types much like Google's. Dynamic Search ads and multimedia ads also serve on search placements, and Performance Max can span both halves. Shopping campaigns exist but rarely suit affiliate offers, so we leave them out here.
Who searches on Bing
Bing's audience is smaller than Google's. Microsoft sells Bing, Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia inventory through one account, so you reach searchers who use those engines instead of Google or alongside it. How much of that audience is new to you is something your own data will show. Each partner engine has its own user base, and you can see the split in your reports once traffic arrives.
Practitioners commonly describe the audience as older and more desktop-heavy than Google's. We could not verify a current Microsoft demographic split or market-share figure, and the numbers quoted around the industry are years out of date, so we do not repeat them. Treat the profile as a hypothesis and check it in your own device and age reports after the first few weeks.
That profile, if it holds for your keywords, favours considered purchases: insurance quotes, travel, software trials, financial products. It is a weaker fit for impulse offers built for mobile social traffic.
Bing Ads vs Google Ads for affiliates
Bing Ads vs Google Ads is not a choice between two equals. Google has far more search volume, and Microsoft Advertising is the channel you add once Google campaigns are profitable. Here is how they compare on the points that matter to an affiliate:
| Factor | Google Ads | Microsoft Advertising |
|---|---|---|
| Search volume | Largest by a wide margin | Smaller; includes Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia traffic |
| Competition and CPC | Crowded auctions | Often fewer bidders and lower CPCs, keyword by keyword |
| Setup effort | Built from scratch | Google Import copies campaigns, on a schedule if you want |
| Professional targeting | No LinkedIn data | LinkedIn profile targeting by company, industry and job function, where available |
| Display reach | Google Display Network, YouTube | MSN, Outlook.com, Edge, partners |
| Gambling ads | Separate Google approval process | Program approval by market; US casino and sportsbook ads only through state pilots |
Two features make the second channel cheap to test. Google Import pulls campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads from Google Ads, once or on a recurring schedule, and recent versions cover several campaign types beyond search. Microsoft warns that not everything transfers, so review budgets, bids and extensions after each import. For bulk changes, Microsoft Advertising Editor works much like the desktop Google Ads Editor.
LinkedIn profile targeting is the feature Google cannot match. You can layer company, industry or job function on search and Audience Network campaigns in the markets where Microsoft offers it, which suits B2B offers such as software or business finance. Our verdict: Microsoft Advertising is a second source, not a Google replacement. If you are still choosing a first channel, see how Google compares with Facebook for affiliates.
How much Bing Ads cost
Bing PPC ads have no price list: you pay per click, and the auction sets the price for each keyword, location and time of day. We found no Microsoft-published average CPC, and third-party benchmarks vary too much to quote one.
What you can expect is the direction. Fewer advertisers bid on most keywords, so CPCs are often lower than Google's for the same term. Not always: in narrow commercial niches the same large brands bid on both platforms, and prices converge. Lower volume also means a campaign spends more slowly, so a test needs more days to reach a useful sample.
Set your bids from your own numbers, not from benchmarks:
Value per click = payout × conversion rate. A $90 CPA at a 2% conversion rate is worth $1.80 a click. These are example numbers, not benchmarks.
Starting bid: below that value, to leave room for rejected leads and tracking loss.
Budget: enough clicks to see conversions. At 2%, 50 conversions take about 2,500 clicks.
Billing options depend on your country and account type; the billing setup screen shows which ones you get, so plan cash flow before launch.
How to run Bing Ads: setup in six steps
Running Bing Ads takes an account under your real business, a tracking tag, and either an import from Google or a fresh campaign. The order below is the one that avoids rework:
Create the account. Sign up at Microsoft Advertising with your legal business name, address and a payment method in that business's name. The account interface, often called Bing Ads Manager, is where you build, budget and report.
Install UET. Universal Event Tracking is Microsoft's site tag for conversions and remarketing. Place it on your landing pages, define conversion goals, and tag every ad with UTM parameters so analytics separates Microsoft traffic from Google. For affiliate offers, store the click ID in your tracker so you can match conversions later.
Import or build. Use Google Import for proven campaigns, or create a search campaign by hand. Pick the goal, then set location targeting and language.
Set budget and bidding. Start with a daily budget you can afford to lose while learning, and a bid strategy you can read, such as manual CPC, until you have conversion data.
Write ad groups, keywords and ads. Keep ad groups tight, use all the headline and description fields your responsive search ads allow, and add the assets that fit, such as sitelinks.
Submit, review, optimise. Ads go through editorial review before they serve. A disapproval names the policy; fix the ad or request an exception. Then prune keywords on search-term data weekly.
Review pages are where affiliates most often run into trouble. Microsoft has a separate misleading-content policy, so read it before you submit. Our checklist: state the affiliate relationship plainly on the page, write your own comparisons instead of copied operator text, and do not dress an ad landing page up as independent news.
Gambling ads on Microsoft Advertising: what the policy allows
Microsoft allows gambling ads only in listed markets, only for approved advertisers, and in the US only for certain products and states. The rules below come from Microsoft's "Gambling and games" policy (updated 5 October 2026) and its Pilot Programs Policies page, both read on 29 October 2026.
Who counts as a gambling advertiser. The definition covers any content that promotes or is affiliated with online gambling, including "sites that offer both information and links related primarily to the promotion of online gambling". A casino review or bonus comparison site is likely to fall inside that definition, so assume the policy applies and confirm with Microsoft through the participation form.
Requirements for every gambling advertiser:
Apply to the Gambling and Contests Advertising Program through Microsoft's participation form and accept its terms.
Hold the licence or registration each target market requires, and prove it.
Geo-target approved markets only, and age-target 18+ or the local gambling age, whichever is higher.
Avoid anything that appeals to minors, glorifies gambling or presents winning as likely. Microsoft's own example: "Enter for a chance to win $10,000" is allowed, "Enter to win $10,000" is not.
United States specifics:
Online casino and sports betting run as pilots. Self-serve accounts are not eligible; the account must be a managed one. You must prove a licence or eligibility for every state you target. As of 29 October 2026, the casino pilot covers Connecticut, Delaware, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island; the sports betting pilot covers 31 jurisdictions, from Arizona and New York to Washington D.C.
Online lottery: only a state lottery authority or its contracted licensee.
Paid fantasy sports: campaigns must exclude California, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas and Washington.
Social casino: first-party platforms only. The policy bars aggregator and affiliate advertisers, and its US social gaming block says campaigns must not target Idaho, Nevada or Washington.
Paid-entry sweepstakes and contests fall under the gambling rules.
Prediction markets: only CFTC-designated contract markets or NFA-registered brokers, in a separate list of pilot states.
The casino and sports betting pilot rules do not mention affiliates either way. For an affiliate that leaves three checks before any spend. First, whether Microsoft will give you a managed account and accept you into the pilot, not only the operator you promote. Second, whether each target state licenses or registers affiliates, so you have the proof Microsoft asks for; our guide to online gambling legality in the US covers where each product is legal. Third, the state list on the pilot page on the day you apply, since it changes. Some non-US markets ban affiliate gambling ads outright.
This is a summary of Microsoft's published policy, not legal advice.
What works on Bing for affiliates
The offers that fit Microsoft Advertising are the ones a careful desktop searcher compares before buying. In our view that means insurance and other lead-gen with clear disclosures, travel, software and SaaS trials, subscriptions and B2B services, where LinkedIn targeting adds a real edge. Financial services are a restricted category with their own policy, so read it before you build.
Gambling belongs on the list only where Microsoft has approved you, the state allows the product, and the offer meets the operator's own advertising rules. Offers that need to hide what they are from reviewers do not belong on any list.
The decision rule
If your vertical is policy-compatible and Google already converts, import your best campaigns and give Microsoft Advertising 10 to 20% of the Google budget for a month. That is our rule of thumb, not a Microsoft figure. Keep it if cost per conversion holds; drop it if volume never reaches a readable sample.
FAQ
Can I advertise on Bing?
You can advertise on Bing through Microsoft Advertising, which serves search ads on Bing and partner engines and audience ads on MSN, Outlook.com and Edge. Gambling and other restricted categories need approval and must follow market rules.
Is Bing Ads the same as Microsoft Advertising?
Bing Ads and Microsoft Advertising are the same platform. Microsoft renamed Bing Ads in April 2019 to reflect placements beyond search. Bing remains the search engine's name, and people still use both names for the ad product.
What is the difference between Google Ads and Bing Ads?
The main difference between Google Ads and Bing Ads is scale: Google has far more volume, Bing usually less competition. In a Bing Ads vs Google Ads test, Microsoft adds Google Import and LinkedIn profile targeting, which Google lacks.
Does anybody use Bing anymore?
Yes, and Microsoft's ads reach beyond bing.com: they also serve to searchers on Yahoo, AOL, DuckDuckGo and Ecosia. The network is much smaller than Google's, so judge it on your own traffic and conversion data.
How much does it cost to run Bing Ads?
The cost of Bing Ads depends on the auction for each keyword, so there is no fixed price. CPCs are often lower than Google's because fewer advertisers bid. Set bids from your payout times conversion rate.
Can affiliates run gambling ads on Bing?
Possibly, but not through a standard self-serve account. Microsoft limits US casino and sportsbook ads to pilot states, managed accounts and advertisers with state licence proof, and bars affiliates from social casino ads. Check the pilot page and apply through the participation form before you build anything.
Sources
Microsoft Advertising Help, Gambling and games
Microsoft Advertising Help, Pilot Programs Policies
Microsoft Advertising Help, Restricted Content
Microsoft Learn, What is the Microsoft Advertising Network?
Microsoft Learn, Google Ads Import
Microsoft Advertising, Unlocking the power of Google Import tools
Microsoft Advertising, Reach specific audiences with LinkedIn Profile Targeting
