When it comes to managing Bing Ads campaigns effectively, one of the most powerful yet often overlooked strategies is dayparting—also known as ad scheduling. Dayparting allows advertisers to control when their ads appear based on the time of day or day of the week. By showing your ads only during peak performance periods and pausing them during low-conversion hours, you can significantly lower costs, improve return on ad spend (ROAS), and increase overall campaign efficiency. Looking for expert Bing Ads management to maximize ROI? Click here to get started!
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the mechanics of dayparting in Bing Ads, explore how to analyze performance data to determine the best times to show your ads, and share advanced strategies to optimize your campaigns for maximum profit.
Dayparting in Bing Ads is the practice of scheduling your ads to run at specific hours and days, rather than continuously throughout the day. This can be especially useful if you notice patterns in user behavior, such as higher conversion rates in the evening or during weekdays.
For example, a local plumbing service may find that their highest-quality leads come in between 8 AM and 6 PM on weekdays. By running ads exclusively during these hours, they avoid spending money on clicks during the late night or early morning when conversions are minimal.
This targeted approach allows you to stretch your budget further and focus on high-impact time windows, which directly contributes to lower overall costs.
There are several reasons why dayparting is an effective cost-reduction strategy:
Avoid Wasting Budget on Low-Performing Hours
Not all hours are created equal. Many campaigns see clicks during off-peak hours that rarely convert. By limiting ad exposure during these times, you prevent unnecessary spending.
Improve Click-Through Rate (CTR) and Quality Score
Ads shown during optimal periods tend to receive more relevant clicks, boosting CTR. Higher CTR can improve your Quality Score, which lowers your cost per click (CPC).
Better Conversion Optimization
By analyzing historical data, you can identify windows when your audience is most likely to convert. Focusing on these hours ensures a higher ROAS for each dollar spent.
Competitive Advantage
Many advertisers run ads 24/7. If you target your ads strategically using dayparting, you may outperform competitors during key periods while paying less during low-traffic hours.
Before implementing dayparting, it’s critical to understand your campaign’s hourly and daily performance trends. Bing Ads provides built-in reporting tools to help with this analysis. Here’s a step-by-step approach:
Access the Time Segment Report
Navigate to your campaign, click on “Reports”, and select “Segment” → “Time” → “Hour of Day”. This will show performance metrics like clicks, impressions, CTR, conversions, and cost broken down by hour.
Look for Patterns
Identify the hours with the highest conversion rate and lowest cost per conversion. These are the time windows you’ll want to prioritize in your dayparting schedule.
Consider Day-of-Week Trends
Some campaigns perform differently on weekdays versus weekends. Segment your data by day of week to spot any notable differences. For example, B2B services often see lower engagement on weekends, while e-commerce campaigns may spike on Friday evenings.
Factor in Geographic and Device Data
If your campaign targets multiple locations or devices, check performance across these segments. You may find that mobile users convert best in the evenings, while desktop users perform better during work hours.
By combining hourly, daily, and device-level insights, you can create a highly optimized dayparting schedule that reduces wasted spend and improves ROI.
Once you’ve identified the optimal times to run your ads, implementing dayparting in Bing Ads is straightforward. Here’s how to do it:
Navigate to Your Campaign
Go to the “Campaigns” tab in Bing Ads and select the campaign you want to schedule.
Click on “Ad Schedule”
In the left-hand menu, select “Ad Schedule”, then click “Create schedule”.
Select Time and Day
Choose the days and hours you want your ads to appear. Bing Ads allows you to set different bids for different times, giving you flexibility to increase bids during peak performance hours and decrease bids during lower-performing times.
Apply Bid Adjustments
You can apply bid multipliers to specific hours or days. For example, if conversions are twice as likely at 6 PM, you might increase your bid by 50% during that time to ensure top ad placement.
Monitor and Optimize
Dayparting is not a “set it and forget it” strategy. Continuously monitor performance metrics and adjust your schedule as needed. Seasonal trends, holidays, or new marketing campaigns can shift user behavior, so staying flexible is key.
Once you’ve implemented basic dayparting, you can use advanced strategies to maximize cost efficiency:
If your campaign targets multiple locations, consider overlaying your dayparting schedule with geographic bid adjustments. For example, a restaurant chain may see high lunchtime conversions in one city but not another, allowing you to focus budget only where it matters.
Bing Ads allows you to create automated rules that adjust bids or pause ads based on time of day, cost, or performance metrics. For example, you could automatically pause ads after a specific hourly cost threshold to avoid overspending.
Performance often varies between desktop, mobile, and tablet. Pairing dayparting with device-specific bid adjustments ensures you pay more when conversions are likely and less when traffic is less profitable.
Set aside a portion of your budget to experiment with different ad schedules. Track performance over several weeks to identify optimal windows. Small changes in timing can lead to substantial cost reductions and improved ROI.
Consider special events, holidays, or promotions when creating your schedule. For example, an online retailer may see peak conversions on Black Friday evening and should adjust bids accordingly.
Dayparting is a powerful tool when used correctly. It allows you to concentrate your budget on the times that matter most, reduce wasted spend, and improve overall campaign performance. In the next sections, we’ll explore real-world case studies of businesses that cut costs by 30–50% using dayparting, as well as actionable tips for integrating dayparting with other advanced Bing Ads strategies like remarketing and audience targeting.
Understanding dayparting is one thing, but seeing it in practice illustrates its true value. Here are a few examples:
A small plumbing company noticed most high-quality leads came in between 8 AM and 6 PM on weekdays. They implemented dayparting to run ads only during these hours. Within one month:
Cost per lead decreased by 40%
Total leads remained steady
ROI improved because budget was no longer wasted on low-performing hours
An online electronics store discovered that conversions peaked on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. By scheduling ads around these periods and lowering bids on weekdays:
CPC decreased by 25%
Conversion rate increased by 18%
Monthly ad spend stayed the same, but revenue jumped due to higher-quality traffic
A software-as-a-service company targeting other businesses found weekends had nearly zero conversions. By pausing ads on Saturday and Sunday and increasing bids slightly during Monday–Thursday mornings, they:
Reduced wasted spend by 30%
Increased total conversions by 12%
Improved overall campaign efficiency
These examples show that even small adjustments to ad schedules can dramatically reduce costs and boost campaign effectiveness.
To get the most out of dayparting, combine it with other advanced strategies:
Use dayparting to focus on high-converting periods for remarketing campaigns. Users who have already interacted with your site are more likely to convert during certain times, so concentrating your remarketing spend on these windows increases ROI.
Bing Ads allows you to target audiences by demographics, interests, and past behavior. Pairing dayparting with audience segmentation ensures your ads are shown at the optimal time to the right people. For instance, a business targeting young professionals might see higher conversions in the evening after work hours.
Experiment with ad copy based on time of day. Users may respond differently to messaging in the morning versus the evening. For example:
Morning ads: Emphasize productivity and solutions
Evening ads: Focus on relaxation, leisure, or deals
Dayparting allows you to test these variations efficiently without wasting spend on poorly performing times.
During holiday seasons or major events, adjust your dayparting schedule to capitalize on peak shopping hours. For instance, e-commerce businesses may benefit from running ads late into the evening during Cyber Monday to reach last-minute shoppers.
Implementing dayparting is only half the battle. You must continuously monitor and measure performance to ensure your strategy is delivering results. Key metrics to track include:
Cost per Conversion (CPC) – Are you paying less for leads or sales?
Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Are your ads performing better during scheduled hours?
Conversion Rate – Are more users taking the desired action during peak times?
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) – Is your revenue increasing relative to spend?
Create a baseline before implementing dayparting, then compare performance after adjustments. Regular review and optimization are critical—user behavior can change over time, and your ad schedule should reflect that.
While dayparting can be highly effective, several pitfalls can reduce its impact:
Setting Too Narrow a Schedule
Running ads only during a very narrow window may miss valuable traffic. Start with broader ranges and refine over time.
Ignoring Mobile Traffic
Mobile users often behave differently from desktop users. Make sure to analyze performance by device and adjust schedules accordingly.
Failing to Adjust for Seasonality
Dayparting based on old data may not account for seasonal spikes or shifts in user behavior. Re-evaluate schedules regularly.
Neglecting Bid Adjustments
Simply scheduling ads without adjusting bids may leave money on the table. High-performing hours may warrant higher bids, while low-performing periods should have reduced bids or be paused entirely.
Not Monitoring Performance Continuously
Dayparting is dynamic. Ignoring shifts in traffic or conversion trends can quickly undermine the benefits.
Start Small and Test
Implement dayparting on one campaign first to understand its impact before rolling it out across all campaigns.
Use Analytics Tools
Combine Bing Ads data with Google Analytics or your CRM to get a complete picture of user behavior and conversion trends.
Pair With Smart Bidding
Automated bidding strategies like Enhanced CPC or Target ROAS can work alongside dayparting to further optimize performance.
Review Weekly
Make it a habit to check campaign performance at least weekly. Look for patterns, adjust schedules, and refine bids.
Document Learnings
Keep notes on what worked and what didn’t. This will help guide future campaigns and provide a roadmap for scaling.
Dayparting is a powerful yet underutilized strategy in Bing Ads that can significantly reduce costs while improving campaign performance. By analyzing historical data, scheduling ads for optimal times, and integrating advanced strategies like audience targeting, remarketing, and device-specific bids, advertisers can achieve a higher return on ad spend and better overall efficiency.
Whether you’re running a small local business or managing large-scale e-commerce campaigns, the principles of dayparting apply universally: show your ads when they matter most, avoid wasting budget during low-performing times, and continuously optimize based on data.
If implemented correctly, dayparting can reduce ad spend, increase conversions, and give you a competitive edge over advertisers who rely solely on 24/7 campaigns.
Ready to lower your Bing Ads costs and maximize conversions? Our team of experts can help you implement advanced strategies like dayparting and audience targeting. Get started today!
Marketing LTB is a full-service marketing agency offering over 50 specialized services across 100+ industries. Our seasoned team leverages data-driven strategies and a full-funnel approach to maximize your ROI and fuel business growth.
Bill Nash is the CMO of Marketing LTB with over a decade of experience, he has driven growth for Fortune 500 companies and startups through data-driven campaigns and advanced marketing technologies. He has written over 400 pieces of content about marketing, covering topics like marketing tips, guides, AI in advertising, advanced PPC strategies, conversion optimization, and others.