Explore the Differences Between the Paid Search Advertising Platforms

A paid search advertising campaign is a great way to stand out in the digital marketplace, offering a direct path to consumers to boost your brand awareness and drive high-quality traffic to your website. The key is a well-tested, continuously optimized strategy that ensures you find the right audience in the right areas while sticking to your budget.

Building the right strategy includes defining the ideal geographies to target and the best keyphrases to capture potential customers. It also includes finding the right platform. Usually, people associate paid advertising with Google since it dominates the market, but businesses are also finding success with MSN ads.

So how do you know which to use or whether a combined effort is best? Our expert SEM team explains what makes these platforms similar, what sets each apart, and how we create the ideal strategies for our clients.

Like a good marketing agency, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn more.   

SEE MORE: Google Ads: Common Objectives

What Are the Similarities Between Google and MSN Ads?

Google and MSN ads let you reach audiences within their search platforms and on non-search websites, mobile apps, and videos. You'll set the keyphrases you want to target and go through a bidding process to show up when people search those terms or log on to related sites or apps. Both platforms typically only charge when someone clicks on your ad. When you meet your preset budget, the platforms stop showing your ads so you only spend what you want.

What Are the Primary Differences and Benefits of Each?

Most of the differences between the two platforms are in reach and demographics, though there are also crucial cost considerations. Google is the bigger platform, owning almost 73% of the market. It should come as no surprise as the company has 1 billion users and generates nearly 62% of all search queries in the United States. On the other hand, MSN ads are closely linked to Bing, most popular in the United States. MSN ads cater to an older, higher-income audience using Internet Explorer as its primary browser.

The benefits of using Google ads are obvious. The audience is expanding, and it has the most refined ad platform for optimization. But there are cases in which Bing may be the better option. Costs Per Click are much cheaper, so you get more bang for your buck. MSN lets you increase online conversions, improve your click-through rate, and enhance your remarketing audience clicks. Additionally, MSN's network includes LinkedIn Profile Targeting, allowing you to reach highly relevant audiences based on their profile information.

How Does One Firefly Help You Establish the Right Paid Search Strategy?

At One Firefly, we don't believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. The SEM team listens closely to our clients’ goals and learns about their businesses before building their campaigns. We'll craft solutions geared to them based on overall goals and budgets. Typically, that means expanding their traffic and reach by using both types of ads to ensure no quality leads are missed.

The key to a successful SEM Campaign is constant optimization. Our team adjusts geographies, keyphrases, and budget allocations each month to ensure high-quality traffic and profitable leads. We offer our clients valuable insights into what is going on in their campaigns, both in overall performance and ongoing optimization.

Need help getting started on your paid advertising journey? Our expert SEM team will draft a strategy that optimizes your budget and puts you in front of the right audience. Reach out to learn more by calling, filling out our contact form, or chatting with us below.