Microsoft Unveils Bing’s New Local Search Ads

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Microsoft’s local search ads are designed to give businesses greater prominence in search results. These ads run on the local results entity on Bing’s search engine results page and Bing Maps on PC. When a user searches for a local business in Bing, they will see the new local search ad units alongside other search results.

Businesses can use local search ads to promote their products and services to potential customers in the area. In addition, the ads provide essential business information such as the company’s location, phone number, and hours of operation. This feature is particularly useful for businesses that rely on foot traffic, as it makes it easier for customers to find them and make a purchase.

To get started with local search ads, businesses need to have a Microsoft Advertising account and set up location extensions. Once this is done, they can create a local search ad that will appear in local search results when someone searches for a relevant keyword or phrase.

Other Microsoft Advertising Updates in March

In addition to local search ads, Microsoft has rolled out several other updates to aid advertisers. One of the most significant new features is the code-free custom conversion setup wizard. This tool allows businesses to set up custom conversion tracking without updating the website code. Instead, they can enable Microsoft Clarity insights within the Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag and set up conversion tracking by event.

Microsoft has also introduced a new option within the UET settings to delete unused tags. This feature is helpful for businesses that need to clean up conversion data, have duplicate tags, or have a new website. To delete tags, businesses need to check the box next to the undesired UET tag and delete it. Note that tags can only be deleted if they are not associated with a conversion goal or audience or shared with another account.

Furthermore, Microsoft is rolling out updates to custom combinations, which were announced last month. This means that businesses can create combined lists of the following audience types: Customer Match, Custom Audiences, Remarketing, and Dynamic Remarketing. Previously, it was only possible to combine Customer Match with other Customer Match lists or Custom Audiences with other Custom Audiences.

Lastly, later this month, Microsoft will enable shopping advertisers to upload feeds in French in Canada and Spanish in the United States. This will allow potential customers to see ads in their preferred query language in their country. Advertisers can upload new feeds using the existing file feed upload process. When uploaded, ads will show in the user’s query language in the associated countries.

Final Thoughts

In summary, Microsoft’s local search ads are a new tool for businesses looking to increase their visibility in local search results. To start using local search ads, businesses need to set up location extensions and create an ad. Microsoft’s additional updates for advertisers make it easier to track conversions, clean up UET tags, and create custom audience lists. The code-free custom conversion setup wizard is a noteworthy feature, as it enables custom conversion tracking without updating website code. Overall, these updates will save time and effort and allow digital marketers to focus on optimizing their campaigns.

Source: Search Engine Journal