Google Ads vs Bing Ads in 2025

As we enter into the new year of 2025, many businesses including yours I'm sure have wondered how they’re going to get more traffic to their business from Ads. You’ve heard of Bing Ads (now branded as Microsoft advertising) and Google Ads. You have two great options here but now the question is, which one should I choose?

In this blog, we’ll explore what Google and Bing's ads are, their differences and similarities and how they stack up against each other. By the end of this blog, you’ll hopefully have the insights you need to make an informed decision on which step to take for your business. 

Market Share and Reach

Let’s start with the big one, market share. As I’m sure you’ve guessed Google ads remain on top with a staggering 81.95% share of the search engine market.

This total share of Google makes it so that they have a global reach of 90%, which is almost an audience so vast that it makes up most of the internet!

Now you may be thinking, what’s the point of even using Bing Ads if Google already makes up most of the market share while Bing has a 3.73% market share, which may seem like crumbs compared to Google it still does have its merits. Bing still has over 500 million unique monthly visitors. Which if you ask me is definitely something to write home about. 

However small Bing's influence might be, it is growing however small. Their market share is up 0.32% since 2023. However small Bing’s market share may be compared to Google, it does have its niches and demographics where it may even outshine Google. Something to take from this section is that size isn’t everything, it’s about knowing where your audience is. 

Cost and Performance 

Ads can be pricey as I’m sure you already know all too well. Here’s where Google and Bing stand in the costs per click. 

Cost-Per-Click(CPC)

Google Ads averages a CPC of $2.69.

Bing Ads are much friendlier with an average CPC of $1.55. That’s 32% lower than Google, with some advertisers reporting savings of up to 70%.

For businesses on a budget, Bing ads may be something to seriously consider if your audience allows for it. 

Click-Through-Rate

Google’s CTR ranges between 4-6%

Bings CTR still sits at an impressive 2.83%.

Conversion Rate

Google ads on average have a conversion rate of between 3 and 5 and deliver an average ROI of £2 in revenue for every £1 spent. 

Whereas Bing ads have an average conversion rate of 2.94%, with an average ROI of £2.53 for every £1 spent. 

Audience and Demographics

Understanding your audience is key to any successful ad campaign and the users on Google and Bing are quite different.

Google Ads

A vast, diverse audience spanning all age groups and demographics

Strong in mobile advertising, with 52% of PPC clicks coming from mobile devices

Bing Ads

Appeal to an older demographic.

Favoured by 23% of business executives, making it a goldmine for B2B advertising

Bing Ads mostly consist of desktop users, particularly those in office environments where Bing is the default browser on their PC

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Features and Targeting Options

Both platforms offer a suite of tools to help you tune your campaign to get it running smoothly. 

Google Ads

• Leverages AI for campaign optimisation and audience targeting 
• Offers detailed market insights and forecasting tools 
• Allows bidding for revenue or revenue at target cost, not just clicks 

Bing Ads

• Provides control at the ad group level for adjustments like location, language and ad scheduling 
• Boast superior divide targeting, letting you tailor ads by device type and operating system
• Features time zone-specific campaigns, a perk which Google does not have. 

Ad formats and networks

Both platforms support a variety of ad formats, from text and shopping ads to display and video ads. However, Google’s reach gives it a slight edge.

Google has access to the whole Google display network, spanning over 2 million websites, apps and videos, as well as a huge market for video ads with YouTube. 

Bing Ads have a smaller network but with access to unique audiences not typically reached on Google. 

So where does this leave us? Google Ads remains the champion when it comes to ads. Offering unmatched reach and advanced features, However, Bing ads do have their merits when it comes to costs and unique audience access. 

Both Google and Bing both leverage AI, with Google having its version of ChatGPT Gemini, but no built-in AI in the search engine, which is another area Bing shines with having its AI Bing chat in the search engine, with over 1 billion chats since its launch in 2023.

For most businesses, Google ads would be the preferred method. Since Google has such a vast audience base. But as we mentioned earlier in this blog, it’s about where your audience actually is. 

We suggest doing the research and seeing which one works best for you, you can run a test. On both advertising the same thing and see which one works out best for you. You won’t know until you have the results in. 

Digital marketing is constantly changing, stay informed, experiment with both platforms and tweak your strategy to stay ahead of the competition. 

If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency to take care of your ads for you, get in contact with our founder Matt. We can see if we can help you out and what’s the best route to take for your business. We promise no sales jargon! Just a friendly chat. 

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