Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising compared
Google handles most search volume in the US, so nearly every account starts there. Microsoft Advertising shows ads on Bing, Yahoo and partner sites, and its audience leans toward desktop and work computers. Some B2B advertisers find that worth testing once Google is running cleanly.
Microsoft lets you import campaigns straight from Google Ads. That gives you a starting point, though budgets, bid strategies, location settings and some assets come across differently and need checking after each import.
Management on either platform covers the same basics: keyword lists and match types, negative keywords, ad copy and assets, bidding, conversion tracking and a regular pass through the search terms. Running both means two sets of settings to watch and two invoices from the platforms, both paid by you.
Negative keywords and the search terms report
The search terms report shows the actual queries that triggered your ads. Reading it is the single most useful routine task in a search account, and it is where wasted clicks become visible.
Each pass sorts terms into three piles. Good terms you are already covering. Good terms worth adding as their own keywords. Poor matches that should become negatives: jobs, salary, training, templates, competitor names you have decided not to bid on, services you do not offer.
Negatives can sit at campaign level, at ad group level, or in shared lists applied across campaigns. A careful manager also checks that a new negative does not block searches you want, because a single broad negative can switch off a whole service line without anyone noticing.
Account ownership comes first
Before anyone builds a campaign, settle who owns the account. The safe arrangement is simple: the Google Ads account is created under your business, billed to your payment method, and you hold admin access. The provider links its manager account to yours or is added as a user.
This matters later. The account holds years of keyword history, conversion data and ad tests. If it sits in a provider's name and the relationship ends, you may lose that history and have to start again.
The same applies to Microsoft Advertising, Google Tag Manager and GA4. Ask for access levels to be written into the agreement, and check now and then that you can still log in yourself.
Questions about search ads management
What are negative keywords?
Negative keywords stop your ads showing for searches you do not want, such as job searches, training courses or services you do not offer. They are added from the search terms report, which lists the real queries behind your clicks. Most managed accounts add to the negative list every week.
Should Google's automatic recommendations be switched on?
Many managers turn off auto-apply and look at each recommendation by hand. Some are useful, such as fixing a missing asset. Others widen targeting or raise budgets. Ask your provider how they handle them, and check the change history now and then to see what was applied.
How do I know what changed in my account?
Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising both keep a change history you can open yourself. A provider should also send a plain summary of what they changed, why, and what they are watching next. If you only receive charts with no notes, ask for the reasoning behind the changes.
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Social ads management
Ongoing campaign upkeep: new creative, audience tests, budget pacing and lead form syncing to your CRM.
Landing pages and forms
Single-purpose pages for your ads, with a clear offer, a short form, consent text and conversion tracking set up together.
Follow-up setup
Alerts, tasks and simple follow-up sequences in your CRM, so new inquiries are answered by the right person.