---
title: "9 Microsoft Ads Fixes to Check Before You Blame Bing for Zero Conversions"
description: "Microsoft Ads spending without leads? Check nine tracking, import, targeting and landing-page problems before you decide whether the account needs a cleanup or a takeover."
url: "https://groas.com/post/9-reasons-your-bing-ads-spend-money-and-don-t-convert-and"
image: "https://pub-87da24ecbbfc4c3bad6875f3aa013712.r2.dev/generated-images/94f5126a-7e6f-49a3-9392-f6408cb46ef0.png"
published: "2026-10-30T05:47:00.459Z"
modified: "2026-10-30T05:47:00.512Z"
---

October 30, 2026 · 10 min read

# 9 Microsoft Ads Fixes to Check Before You Blame Bing for Zero Conversions

[Alexander PerelmanHead Of Product @ groas](https://groas.com/author/alexander-perelman)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-433793253/)

![A clay shop owner furiously shakes a gumball machine that won't pay out, unaware its plug is pulled and coins leak from a crack behind him.](https://pub-87da24ecbbfc4c3bad6875f3aa013712.r2.dev/generated-images/94f5126a-7e6f-49a3-9392-f6408cb46ef0.png)

In this article

1. [1. Check that Microsoft Ads can record a conversion](#1-check-that-microsoft-ads-can-record-a-conversion)
2. [2. Separate search spend from Audience Network spend](#2-separate-search-spend-from-audience-network-spend)
3. [3. Reprice the bids copied from Google](#3-reprice-the-bids-copied-from-google)
4. [4. Put imported broad match on a budget](#4-put-imported-broad-match-on-a-budget)
5. [5. Rebuild the negative coverage the import changed](#5-rebuild-the-negative-coverage-the-import-changed)
6. [6. Exclude syndicated partners using placement data](#6-exclude-syndicated-partners-using-placement-data)
7. [7. Narrow location targeting to the people you mean to reach](#7-narrow-location-targeting-to-the-people-you-mean-to-reach)
8. [8. Recheck device and schedule bids on Microsoft’s traffic](#8-recheck-device-and-schedule-bids-on-microsofts-traffic)
9. [9. Match the landing page to the search that bought the click](#9-match-the-landing-page-to-the-search-that-bought-the-click)

An account can spend $3k a month on Microsoft Ads, collect clicks, and record zero leads for three straight months. I’ve seen it. The owner blamed Bing; I suspected the Google import. If your bill keeps arriving while conversions do not, this list is for you. **Most accounts like this need a settings cleanup before they need a verdict on Bing.** I’ve ordered the nine checks by the damage they can do, not by how easy they are to fix.

## 1. Check that Microsoft Ads can record a conversion

I start here every time. If tracking is broken, the rest of the account cannot tell you what is working. A Google import can bring over conversion goals that look configured but [measure nothing without UET installed](https://synthesisinsights.com/blog/import-google-ads-to-bing/). The goal can count only events the UET tag records. On the Microsoft side, a [tag marked Unverified or Tag inactive](https://www.adcore.com/blog/microsoft-ads-support-most-common-issues/) may be missing from a page, use the wrong ID, or be blocked by a consent banner.

The opposite problem is possible too: an imported goal and a UET goal both count the same thank-you page. Now one lead looks like two. Either way, bids optimized against that number are working from a bad premise. **If Microsoft never saw the thank-you page load, your CPA is fiction.** If it counts the page twice, your CPA looks better than it is.

![Clay figure staring at an empty inbox tray as coins fall into a shredder labeled Bing spend](https://pub-87da24ecbbfc4c3bad6875f3aa013712.r2.dev/generated-images/3dba053e-5f8f-40c2-8252-6864bd3ecc65.png)

First check: open Tools > Conversion goals and inspect Tracking status. Then open UET tags and confirm a tag shows Tag active. If it does not, use the UET Tag Helper extension on your site and thank-you page to see what fires. Keep one primary goal per action, set duplicates to secondary, and turn off conversion-goal import before the next sync undoes the cleanup. **No Tag active, no optimization.** Do this before changing bids.

## 2. Separate search spend from Audience Network spend

A search campaign can spend part of its budget on Audience Network placements. That is a different kind of click from someone typing a query into Bing, yet it can sit inside the budget you thought was reserved for search. One practitioner teardown describes [30% or more of budget going to non-converting placements](https://www.danielog.net/turn-off-microsoft-audience-network-bing-ads/). In one advertiser case after the February 2023 multi-channel change, [26.81% of search budget went to Audience expansion](https://searchengineland.com/microsofts-audience-network-expansion-higher-cpcs-lower-ctrs-no-added-value-434430), with a 0.14% CTR and zero direct conversions.

The mechanism is not mysterious. Search responds to expressed intent; an Audience placement interrupts someone doing something else. When both draw on one budget, the placement mix can change without the advertiser noticing. That is why I look at the split before deciding the keywords are bad.

![Overhead photo of a search budget pie with a large Audience Network slice](https://pub-87da24ecbbfc4c3bad6875f3aa013712.r2.dev/generated-images/71d4eea4-b0d4-46fc-bb89-355353f0fd0d.png)

First check: segment a search campaign by Network. Compare spend and conversions for Search and Audience separately. If Audience has meaningful spend and no conversions, review the campaign’s distribution controls, exclude the worst websites, and request support help if you need the network fully off. I used to leave it on for reach. I was wrong on small budgets. **Search budget should buy searches first.**

## 3. Reprice the bids copied from Google

An imported bid is a starting point, not a verdict on what a Microsoft click is worth. The [average CPC cited for Microsoft is $1.37, against $2.06 for Google](https://searchlab.nl/en/statistics/microsoft-ads-statistics-2026), and [Google-level bids are a common import problem](https://www.adcore.com/blog/microsoft-ads-support-most-common-issues/). A bid built for one auction does not automatically make sense in another.

That does not mean every Microsoft keyword deserves a mechanical discount. It means you need to see what you are paying and what those clicks produce. If imported bids push CPC up while conversions lag, the account burns its test budget before you learn which queries are worth keeping. Say you spend $20k a month on Google: copying the structure at full bids gives Microsoft no room to establish its own baseline.

First check: sort campaigns by CPC, then compare the same keyword on Google and Microsoft over the last 30 days. Look at conversion rate as well as price. If Microsoft CPC sits at or above Google’s while conversions are weaker, test a bid reduction and recheck in a week. Pause scheduled auto-imports first, or Google may restore the bids you just changed. A [15% to 30% reduction is a common post-import starting range](https://searchlab.nl/en/statistics/microsoft-ads-statistics-2026), not a substitute for reading your results. **Pay for the traffic you have, not the auction you imported.**

## 4. Put imported broad match on a budget

Broad match can make an imported account look busy fast. On a smaller query pool, that same Google structure may lean harder on variants that spend but do not bring buying intent. Microsoft also [matches close variants aggressively](https://www.ultragranular.com/blog/microsoft-ads/common-pitfalls-of-importing-a-google-ads-campaign-to-microsoft-ads/). A clean Google search terms report does not clear the Microsoft version of the keyword.

The symptom is familiar: spend rises, the campaign reports plenty of clicks, and the actual searches are synonyms, reordered phrases, or curiosity queries you would never have chosen deliberately. Broad match is useful when you can see what it finds and afford to test it. Left alone after import, it gets to make that choice with your whole budget.

![Ink cartoon of a small fishing net catching junk while big fish swim past](https://pub-87da24ecbbfc4c3bad6875f3aa013712.r2.dev/generated-images/a80b43ff-8c3b-463a-ab94-e6ef82fd8f7d.png)

First check: open the Microsoft search terms report for your highest-spend broad keywords. Mark the queries that belong in exact or phrase match, and move those terms into tighter groups. If you want discovery, keep a broad-match test with a capped budget and mine its search terms weekly. Do not declare broad match a failure based on the setting alone; judge the searches it bought. **A search terms report nobody reads is a subscription to junk clicks.**

## 5. Rebuild the negative coverage the import changed

A negative list can arrive from Google intact at a glance and still block less than it used to. Microsoft Ads has [phrase and exact negatives, but no broad-match negative](https://www.ultragranular.com/blog/microsoft-ads/common-pitfalls-of-importing-a-google-ads-campaign-to-microsoft-ads/). A Google broad negative imported as phrase blocks a narrower pattern. If `free trial download` changes to phrase, `download free trial` can still get through.

Multiply that gap across a long list and you have leaks in every ad group that relies on it. I used to assume an import carried negatives over one to one. I was wrong. The list may be present; its coverage changed in transit. That is why comparing list names or keyword counts is not enough by itself.

First check: open Shared Library > Negative keyword lists and compare what arrived with the Google lists. Then read Microsoft search terms for queries those negatives were meant to catch. Re-add two-word negatives in both orders where needed, and confirm the lists are attached to the right campaigns. Do this alongside the broad-match review: one exposes unwanted queries, the other stops you paying for them again. **Negatives are coverage, not a box marked complete.**

## 6. Exclude syndicated partners using placement data

Audience Network is not the only place a search campaign can spend outside Bing itself. Syndicated search partners can also take clicks, and [support teams flag syndicated and Audience placements that spend without converting](https://www.adcore.com/blog/microsoft-ads-support-most-common-issues/). If you lump all those clicks together, a poor partner can make an otherwise useful search campaign look broken.

I do not start by declaring every partner bad. I start by making the partner show its work. A placement that spends without a conversion is a candidate for exclusion; a placement that earns its share of the budget is not the immediate problem. The distinction matters when you are deciding whether the account needs a cleanup or a complete change of manager.

First check: run Reports > Website URL (publisher), sort by spend, and flag placements with spend and zero conversions. Exclude the worst websites at campaign level. Then test one campaign limited to Bing, AOL and Yahoo search before applying that change across the account. Compare what happened rather than treating the new setting as a victory on its own. **If a placement never produces a lead, it is not diversification. It is a tax.**

## 7. Narrow location targeting to the people you mean to reach

One location option can widen a local campaign beyond its service area. Both Google and Microsoft allow targeting based on presence or interest, and [mismatched location settings after import](https://www.adcore.com/blog/microsoft-ads-support-most-common-issues/) are a routine source of overspend. A Dallas plumber, for example, can pay for a click from someone in Chicago searching for Dallas. The query mentions the right city; the person is still in the wrong place for that account.

That distinction gets buried when cheaper clicks make the campaign appear efficient. The targeting setting is deciding who can enter the auction, so fix that eligibility before asking automated bidding to find better customers inside it.

First check: open campaign Settings > Location options. For a local account that serves people in its targeted area, confirm the setting is Presence: people in or regularly in those locations. If you genuinely need the broader presence-or-interest option, keep it, but inspect the User location report separately. Do not let an imported radio button make that decision for you. **Most local accounts should buy presence, not curiosity.**

## 8. Recheck device and schedule bids on Microsoft’s traffic

Google’s device and hour-of-day adjustments can look like finished strategy when they land in Microsoft Ads. They are not. Microsoft traffic has a different desktop mix: Bing holds [14.2% of US desktop share, with desktop share running 42% higher than mobile](https://searchlab.nl/en/statistics/microsoft-ads-statistics-2026). An imported mobile boost or desktop discount may therefore be steering spend away from the part of this account that converts.

I have seen the familiar setup: daytime boosts built for one traffic pattern, desktop bids cut 20%, and mobile calls expected to do the heavy lifting. The mistake is not favouring mobile. It is carrying that preference across without checking whether Microsoft users respond the same way. A different mix changes where the budget goes; your conversion data tells you whether that change helps.

First check: segment by Device and compare conversion rate and CPA for desktop, mobile and tablet. Then segment by Hour of day. If desktop converts while mobile spends without results, remove the imported mobile boost and reset the desktop discount before rebuilding the schedule around the hours that perform. If the data says otherwise, follow it. **Make Microsoft earn each device and schedule adjustment.**

![Office worker at a desktop computer clicking an ad while mobile phones sit ignored](https://pub-87da24ecbbfc4c3bad6875f3aa013712.r2.dev/generated-images/d67c58b3-3787-45ed-b5d1-9d6d9389075f.png)

## 9. Match the landing page to the search that bought the click

Sometimes the click is fine and the page is the leak. A relevant search term can lead to a page whose headline promises something else, whose form is buried, or whose phone number sits in the footer. The [Microsoft audience figures cited here include an average age of 45 and 40% earning over $75k](https://searchlab.nl/en/statistics/microsoft-ads-statistics-2026), but you do not need a demographic theory to spot the problem. If the page makes the visitor hunt for the offer in the ad, you added friction after paying for the visit.

First check: take your top three Microsoft search terms and inspect the ads and landing pages tied to them. Does the headline match the search? Is the offer visible without a hunt? Does the form ask for three fields or thirteen? Fix one page per ad group before raising bids to buy more of the same experience. **A better-priced click still needs a page that can convert it.**

This is also where I decide whether the account needs a cleanup or a takeover. I ask for a pass-or-fail sheet covering all nine checks: tracking, Audience spend, bids, broad match, negatives, partners, locations, devices and schedule, and landing pages. This [Google Ads account audit checklist](https://groas.com/post/google-ads-account-audit-checklist-2026-red-flags-fixes) shows the same red-flag logic on the Google side. An agency asking to take over should be able to show the failures and the fix order before it touches a bid.

If two or fewer checks fail and you will mine search terms weekly, clean it up yourself. If tracking never worked, four or more checks fail, or the account has spent five figures with nothing to show, hand the execution over. A tool that only flags the problems can leave you with homework; this [comparison of diagnostic tools and managed execution](https://groas.com/post/adalysis-vs-managed-google-ads-audit-tool-execution-comparison-2026) explains the distinction. groas runs [Search Ads across Google, Bing and ChatGPT](https://groas.com/pricing) for a flat $1,499 a month, with bids, keywords and budgets worked around the clock and a dedicated manager accountable for the result.

On that $3k account, I would still start with entry 1. **Until a real lead can be recorded once, every other fix is decoration.**

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I ensure that my Microsoft Ads account is successfully recording conversions and leads?

The primary step is verifying tracking status under Tools > Conversion goals and confirming that a UET tag displays 'Tag active.' If tracking is broken, bids optimized against that data will be inaccurate. If a tag is inactive, use the UET Tag Helper extension to check what is firing on your thank-you page.

### How does Audience Network spending affect the budget of a search campaign?

A search campaign may spend part of its budget on Audience Network placements, which are a different type of click than those from search queries. These non-converting placements can consume up to 30% of a search budget, making it necessary to segment spend and exclude non-converting websites.

### Should I use the same bids that worked on Google Ads in my Microsoft Ads campaigns?

Imported bids should be treated as a starting point rather than a final metric, as the average CPC for Microsoft is significantly lower than Google. If Microsoft CPC is equal to or higher than Google while conversions lag, it is recommended to test a bid reduction of 15% to 30% before rechecking results.

### What should I do about broad match keywords that are imported from another platform?

The best practice is to review the Microsoft search terms report for high-spend broad keywords. Identify queries that should be targeted with exact or phrase match and move those terms into tighter groups. If keeping the test, set a capped budget to mine its search terms weekly.

### How do I confirm that negative keyword lists are covering all the relevant exclusions?

Although a negative list may appear present, the coverage changes when imported due to differences between phrase and broad-match negative implementation. It is crucial to compare lists in Shared Library > Negative keyword lists and manually re-add two-word negatives in both possible orders.

### How can I identify and exclude syndicated search partners that are wasting budget?

Run reports sorted by spend and flag any placements that are spending money but are generating zero conversions. Exclude the worst websites at the campaign level, and then test a single campaign limited to Bing, AOL, and Yahoo search before making account-wide changes.

### What is the correct location targeting setting for local service businesses?

For local accounts serving a specific area, the setting should be Presence: people in or regularly in those locations. While both Google and Microsoft allow targeting by presence or interest, choosing presence ensures you are reaching the right customer base for your service area.

### Why should I check device and schedule adjustments before relying on imported settings?

Microsoft traffic has a notably different desktop mix compared to other platforms, with Bing holding a significant US desktop share. Imported mobile boosts or desktop discounts may steer spending away from devices that actually convert, so performance data must be used to rebuild the schedule.

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