Cracking on with Advertising on Microsoft
Right, so let's chat about Microsoft Advertising, once known as Bing Ads (yes, they’ve moved on from that retro name). Essentially, it's Microsoft’s answer to Google Ads, offering a unique ecosystem across Bing, MSN, Outlook, LinkedIn, and more. It’s the often-overlooked cousin of Google, but trust me, there’s serious potential here. With typically lower CPCs and a professional-skewing audience, it’s the hidden gem your PPC strategy might be missing.
But I’ll be honest, Microsoft’s documentation can feel like wading through bureaucracy. They've recently serviced up a major change to bidding strategies, is this going to save us time, or just confuse us more? Let's find out.
Why This Bidding Consolidation Matters and Why You Shouldn’t Yawn
As of August 4, 2025, Microsoft retired standalone Target CPA (TCPA) and Target ROAS (TROAS) bidding strategies for any new campaigns. Instead, they’ve rolled those into Maximise Conversions and Maximise Conversion Value, now with optional goals baked in, including the CPA or ROAS targets you know and love (360 OM, 2PPC Land). The key takeaway? You can still aim for your target cost per acquisition or a return-on-spend goal, but now you do it through a different interface. It’s like ordering your flat white through the same barista, but they’ve swapped out the menu layout. Makes cross-platform management simpler, especially if you’re balancing Google Ads alongside Microsoft, because Google made a similar shift a few years ago (360 OM, 2PPC Land).
If you've got existing campaigns using TCPA or TROAS, breathe easy, they continue as they were, no need for a mid-campaign panic or manual updates (360 OM, 2PPC Land).
How to Move Forward Without Tripping Over Your Own Feet
So what’s the next step for you, marketing maestro?
New campaigns: Choose Maximise Conversions (optionally with target CPA) or Maximise Conversion Value(optionally with target ROAS) when setting up. It’s just a couple extra clicks and you’re still calling the shots on performance goals (Seer Interactive,360 OM, 2PPC Land)
Existing campaigns: Let them run as is, they’re not broken, just living in historical bliss.
Tools & APIs: Don’t worry if you're automating setup or updates via Microsoft Ads Editor, APIs, or bulk tools, requests to apply TCPA or TROAS will auto-map to the new maximise strategies, preserving your original targets (Seer Interactive,360 OM, 2PPC Land).
Consider campaign consolidation: By grouping campaigns thoughtfully, you give Microsoft’s smart bidding more data to chew on, especially vital given the smaller search volume on Microsoft compared to Google. The platform recommends around 30 conversions in 30 days for best machine learning performance (Seer Interactive). Consolidation helps feed that data beast efficiently.
Here’s the Story of What’s Changed and What to Do
Microsoft's given us a bit of a rejig in the bidding playground. They’ve pulled the leg off standalone Target CPA and ROAS from August 4, 2025 for new campaigns, anyway. But they haven’t taken away your ability to aim for cost or return goals. Now you slide them into the Maximise strategies, like a friendly optional add-on instead of a separate lane.
If you’re already running campaigns with the old methods, good news, they’re untouched. And your bulk changes? They’ll magically morph into the new format, keeping everything smooth. The moral of the story? It’s not about losing control or learning a new song, it’s just singing the same tune through a different microphone.
Meanwhile, it’s a great excuse to tidy up your account. Consolidate campaigns to feed smart bidding with more data, boost performance, and keep your PPC strategy tight. Especially useful in Microsoft’s leaner search world, give the system enough chops to learn what makes your audience tick (and convert).
How Dadek Digital Can Help
Looking for a bit of extra muscle with this transition? We at Dadek Digital can audit your current Microsoft setup, tidy up your campaign structure, and make sure your bidding strategies are watertight and aligned with your business goals. We’ll help you keep your campaigns optimised and maybe even crack a few subtle jokes along the way.