google-versus-bing

Since the majority of Americans prefer Google as their search engine of choice, it is obvious why so many companies choose to bid on PPC ad space in the Google search results page.

However, studies show that advertising on Bing could actually yield a higher ROI for some industries. So, where should your industrial company focus its advertising? On this page, we’ll take a look, but first, let’s talk about PPC.

What is PPC advertising?

PPC, or pay-per-click, advertising is an Internet marketing strategy in which an advertiser pays anytime the ad is clicked.

Commonly, these ads are displayed in the search results page of a search engine. You can tell that a search result is a PPC ad because it will have a small green box with the word “ad” inside it next to the title.

Advertisers make bids on targeted keywords that they want their ad to show up for when that keyword is searched by a user. That way, the ads that win a spot on the search engine results page are relevant to what the user was searching for.

If the ad is clicked, the advertiser then pays the bid, hence the name pay-per-click. There are limited spaces available for these ads to be displayed, so when a lot of advertisers are bidding on the same keyword, the bids can quickly skyrocket.

According to ubersuggest.com, some of the most highly-searched keywords for industrial companies include “industrial engineering,” “industrial design,” “industrial fan,” and “industrial furniture.”

Metrics that are used to measure the success of a PPC advertising campaign are cost per lead (CPL) and return on investment (ROI).

CPL is calculated by taking the total marketing spend divided by the total number of leads. This metric gives the advertiser an idea of how much they are spending in order to generate new leads. A lower CPL is ideal because it means the advertiser is spending less to get their leads.

When leads turn into sales, ROI tells the advertiser how much money they made for every dollar spent on advertising. The higher the ROI, the better. Advertisers closely track these metrics in order to determine which ad campaigns are the most successful.

Who uses what search engine for PPC?

According to Data Analyst, Adam Read, a study of Bing and Google showed differences in demographic and psychographic information. The results of the study are found below:

Those who prefer Google tend to be:

  • Primarily male
  • Aged 18-44
  • Google Chrome users
  • Mobile device users
  • Online after 8pm

Those who prefer Bing tend to be:

  • Primarily female
  • Aged 45+
  • Internet Explorer users
  • Tablet users
  • Online from 4am-7am and 10am-3pm

 

What’s the difference in advertising?

Consider who your target industrial customer is and advertise where you will likely reach them. In addition, the PPC advertising landscape looks a little different in Bing than it does in Google.

Because Bing has a much lower search volume than Google, there are less competitors fighting over ad space. This means your industrial company will have a better chance of earning a top ad position in the search results, and your ad will have a much better chance of standing out amongst the competitors.

Not to mention, individual bids are lower on Bing since there is less competition. Therefore, average cost-per-lead when advertising through Bing tends to be lower than the average CPL when advertising through Google. When a lead from an ad on Bing results in a sale, ROI tends to be higher than if the sale came through Google.

However, we can’t forget that your ad will have a greater reach if it is displayed in Google’s search results because of the significantly higher search volume. Advertising on Google tends to bring in a high quantity of leads while advertising on Bing tends to bring in more qualified leads.

What’s the strategy?

Overall, ads on Bing and Google both yield results. One may not be better than the other – it’s just a matter of what your industrial company is trying to accomplish. Also, it is important not to limit yourself to one or the other – splitting your advertising budget between the two search engines may be the best strategy for your industrial company.

If you only advertise on one search engine, you’re putting all of your eggs in one basket. Doing that could mean you miss out on the opportunity the other search engine has to offer. Also, if it doesn’t drive the results you need, you will have to adjust your strategy.

Choosing a search engine to advertise on may not be a clear decision. There are a lot of factors to take into account to ensure you get the best results for your industrial company.

Where do you advertise?

Has your industrial company found more success with a certain search engine? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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