When it comes to navigating any PPC platform, the first thing is to understand the basics behind the way it structures its ads. When you know this, it’ll allow you to apply what you know to your paid media strategy. With that, you can know the platform that’ll successfully attract your audience.
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To help you with that, we’ve highlighted some important aspects for two of the top ad platforms.
1.  Microsoft Advertising
Are you aware that over 35% of desktop searches in the United States are from Microsoft Search Network? When it comes to paid search, it’s the strongest competitor of Google ads, and it’s established its position of being worthy of it.
Reach
With this platform, marketers can reach over 20 million unique searches every month on its network.
Ad Formats
- Expanded Text Ads
- Responsive Search Ads
- Dynamic Search Ads
- Product Ads
- Audience Ads
- Microsoft Advertising in Bing Smart Search
Pricing
The purpose and structure of Microsoft ads are similar to Google ads since the platform heavily relies on search queries when it comes to targeting people. Thereby, you’ll also need to make use of a bidding system for some particular keywords to determine the rank of your ads.
Bing has an average CPC (Cost Per Click) of $1.54.
The cost for each keyword is determined by your bid and the keywords in your ad.
Ad Placements
- People will see search ads on the search results page on search engines like Bing, Yahoo, and AOL.
- Since Bing, Yahoo, and AOL are partner websites, users will also see these ads on sites within their network.
Pro
More reach for people targeting desktop users: Companies can make use of Microsoft ads to target over 40 million desktop users they can’t reach via Google.
Con
The ads are less flexible: Microsoft ads only give room for a maximum of two headlines compared to Google’s three and even fewer characters compared to Google ads.
2.  YouTube Advertising
YouTube is the second most popular search engine globally, which makes it accessible to almost â…“ of the users on the internet. It’s known to be the best PPC platform for video content, such as top-quality explainer videos.
Reach
On average, YouTube receives 14.3 billion views monthly, which is more than what Facebook and Instagram receive together. With a lot of people who visit frequently, the platform allows businesses to reach a potential of 2.56 billion users.
Ad Formats
- In-feed video ads
- Masthead ads
- Outstream ads
- Bumper ads
- Non-skippable in-stream ads
- Skippable in-stream ads
Pricing
The price you pay for YouTube ads is determined by your targeting options, bidding selection, bid, and ad format. Nevertheless, on average, the cost per view or ad click is between $0.10 and $0.30.
Ad Placements
- Video partners in their Display Network
- YouTube videos
- YouTube search results
Pro
High reach: Since more than 80% of internet users in the United States make use of YouTube regularly, it’s seen as the perfect platform for targeting important audiences.
Con
Disruptive ads: If you don’t have an engaging ad, most users will just see it as someone who’s interrupting what they’re viewing and instantly click the skip button.
It is necessary to note that nobody can become a PPC specialist overnight. Nevertheless, with constant practice and some ups and downs, you’ll be able to know how you can master several ad platforms to drive traffic to your brand.
