Bing Removed Sidebar Text Ads (So You Can Get More Leads)
Bing Ads is a platform similar to Google AdWords. Our home service customers benefit daily from our online advertising efforts through both platforms. If you were walking down the street, and a man reached out to you with $100 in his hand, would you tell him “No, thank you”? Not utilizing both the Bing Ads and Google AdWords platforms is a similar mistake.
If you’re interested in starting an advertising campaign on the Bing Ads platform, however, it’s important to consider the recent changes on the platform, as these can impact the strategies showcased in articles that were published prior to March of this year.
Bing Removed Sidebar Text Ads
If you’re already implementing Bing Ads and you’re seeing a dramatic change in your campaign results over the last month or so, there’s a reason. Bing stopped displaying sidebar text ads on March 26, 2018. That’s because research showed that the top ads and sidebar Product Ads received greater clicks in the absence of these sidebar text ads. Top ads in position three experienced a 100% increase in Click through Rate (CTR) after the sidebar text ads were removed from the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
Changes Were Inspired by Research (and Google)
Google made this same move two years ago, and their ads have also seen an improvement. With this change, however, Google added a fourth ad to the top of the SERP. Like Google’s change in 2016, Bing has increased the number of ads displayed from three to four – but at the bottom of the SERP, rather than the top. While the removal of sidebar ads for Google brought a decrease in clicks for bottom of page (BOP) ads, Bing’s changes encourage an increase in engagement for BOP ads.
Who’s Affected?
So far, the changes have only been made in the US. Other countries are not affected by the update, but this will likely change in the future, depending on the results for US ads.
Although Bing partners with Yahoo and AOL, these ad changes apply to Bing’s platform exclusively.
What Should You Do about Bing’s Changes?
Monitor the performance of your ad campaigns over time, keeping this change in mind all the while.
PPC is both strategy and art. With it comes writing, data analysis, empathizing with online consumers and experimenting through A/B testing. Just as you would have before these changes, track your own efforts meticulously and watch your results closely.
Likewise, keep an eye out for case studies from notable sources, such as WordStream, Search Engine Land and the VitalStorm blog, which can advise you on new strategies to try for your own campaigns.
Start Getting More Home Service Leads with Bing Ads
Our talented paid search team stays up to date on the latest Bing Ads trends, so you know your campaigns will be in good hands with VitalStorm. If you’re ready to have your campaign (and your new leads) managed by a team of highly skilled professionals, reach out to VitalStorm today.