Top Bing Ads Mistakes That Kill Your ROI
- November 23, 2025
- 3:00 pm
If your Bing Ads campaigns are not generating strong ROI, the most common reason is that you’re making avoidable mistakes that quietly drain your budget, limit conversions, and weaken your overall performance. Many advertisers assume Bing is simply a “smaller Google Ads,” but that assumption alone leads to missteps—from targeting errors to poor landing pages—that dramatically reduce profitability. Fixing these issues doesn’t require extra ad spend; it requires understanding exactly where campaigns leak money and applying proven optimization disciplines. If you want to stop wasting ad spend and start seeing real results from Bing Ads, our expert Bing Ads management services can help you audit, optimize, and scale campaigns efficiently. Here’s a breakdown of the top mistakes that may be killing your ROI—and how to fix them.
Treating Bing Ads Exactly Like Google Ads
The worst mistake advertisers make is assuming that Bing Ads works identically to Google Ads. Yes, both platforms share similar features, but the audience, intent, device usage, and CPC dynamics differ significantly. When advertisers copy their Google Ads campaigns into Bing without adjustment, performance typically tanks.
Why This Kills ROI
Bing has an older, more mature demographic (often with higher income and desktop-heavy usage).
Search intent varies, so Google keywords don’t always translate.
Bing’s CTR and CPC can differ dramatically across industries.
Ad extensions and audience targeting behave slightly differently.
How to Fix It
Rebuild—not just import—campaigns. Use Bing-specific keyword research.
Analyze device and demographic performance instead of using Google assumptions.
Customize ad copy to match Bing’s audience style.
Using Broad Match Without Tight Controls
Broad match can work on Bing, but using it without guardrails is one of the fastest ways to destroy ROI. The platform tends to trigger broader interpretations of queries than many advertisers expect.
Why This Kills ROI
Irrelevant traffic pours in, especially for single-word keywords.
Bing’s AI aggressively expands search queries to “close variants,” sometimes too loosely.
Low-quality clicks waste budget and dilute conversion tracking.
How to Fix It
Use broad match with audience filters like In-Market Audiences.
Add negative keywords aggressively (weekly or daily, depending on spend).
Start with exact and phrase match, then scale into controlled broad match when stable.
Neglecting Negative Keyword Lists
If you do not actively manage negative keywords on Bing Ads, your ROI will sink—fast. Bing’s keyword matching requires tighter refinement than many advertisers expect.
Why This Kills ROI
Bing may match your ads to unrelated queries that only share partial phrases.
Competitor names, research queries, job-seeker phrases, and mis-intent terms can slip in.
Wasted spend can climb 20–40% without negative keyword maintenance.
How to Fix It
Build shared negative lists by category (research terms, wrong intent, competitor brands).
Review search term reports at least twice a week.
Continually update your master exclusion list across all campaigns.
Ignoring Audience Targeting Features
Many advertisers rely solely on keyword targeting, but Bing’s audience features have become extremely powerful. Ignoring them limits your ROI potential.
Why This Kills ROI
You miss high-intent users from in-market segments.
You waste money by showing ads to low-quality, low-purchase-intent audiences.
Competitors who layer audiences outperform you with the same keywords.
How to Fix It
Add in-market audiences at +10% to +30% bid adjustments.
Use remarketing lists for higher-intent users.
Create “exclude” audiences for low-value segments.
Poor Geo-Targeting Setup
Misconfigured geo-targeting silently drains budgets more than almost any other mistake. Bing tends to show ads outside intended regions if targeting isn’t set correctly.
Why This Kills ROI
Bing’s default setting shows ads to “People in, or who show interest in your targeted locations.”
This means people outside your target areas may see (and click) your ads.
CPC can skyrocket if competition in unintended regions is high.
How to Fix It
Change settings to: “People in your targeted locations.”
Exclude unwanted countries, states, or regions manually.
Check search term location reports weekly.
Not Separating Search and Audience Network
Bing automatically includes the Audience Network (its Display-like placements) unless you turn it off. Many advertisers accidentally mix traffic sources, causing ROI volatility.
Why This Kills ROI
Audience Network placements often have lower intent than search.
CTR and CVR drop significantly when search and display are combined.
Display-style placements can burn budget with minimal conversions.
How to Fix It
Separate Search and Audience campaigns.
Track performance individually.
Scale Audience Network only if it shows profitable CPAs.
Weak Ad Copy That Doesn’t Match Intent
Even with great keywords, poor ad copy sabotages ROI. Bing users respond differently to style, clarity, and offer presentation.
Why This Kills ROI
Generic ad text leads to lower CTR and Quality Score.
Lower Quality Scores directly increase CPC.
Ads that fail to match intent cause conversion drop-off even before the visitor lands on the page.
How to Fix It
Use direct, benefit-driven headlines.
Match each ad to keyword intent—commercial, transactional, or informational.
Use the maximum number of extensions available to boost relevance.
Sending All Traffic to a Generic Landing Page
One-size-fits-all landing pages kill ROI on Bing, especially for transactional campaigns. Bing users tend to prefer clear, structured experiences with minimal distraction.
Why This Kills ROI
Mismatched landing pages reduce Quality Score.
Lower Quality Scores raise CPC.
Conversion rates drop when users don’t instantly see the offer they clicked for.
How to Fix It
Create keyword-specific or intent-specific landing pages.
Simplify layouts: strong headlines, tight copy, a single CTA.
Use fast-loading, mobile-responsive pages optimized for clarity.
No Mobile/Desktop Bid Adjustments
Bing’s desktop usage is significantly higher than Google’s, yet many advertisers apply the same bid strategy across both platforms.
Why This Kills ROI
Desktop often converts better on Bing.
Mobile traffic may be cheaper but lower intent.
Failing to adjust bids gives you a skewed budget distribution.
How to Fix It
Check device performance: adjust mobile or desktop bids by ±20–40%.
Separate campaigns by device if performance differs drastically.
Track conversion value, not just conversion volume, by device.
Not Monitoring Search Term Reports Carefully
Search term reports are your best defense against wasted spend. Bing requires vigilance because its matching can be more flexible than expected.
Why This Kills ROI
Keywords drift into low-intent queries quickly.
Irrelevant terms can quietly consume thousands per month.
Negative keywords and match types lose effectiveness without review.
How to Fix It
Audit search terms 2–3 times weekly (daily for large budgets).
Add both broad negatives and phrase/variant negatives.
Move strong search terms into exact-match ad groups.
Using Too Few Ad Variants
If you run only one or two ads per ad group, you’re letting Bing optimize with limited data—and usually in the wrong direction.
Why This Kills ROI
Bing’s automated optimization needs variation to learn.
Poor-performing ads get stuck longer without rotation.
Ad copy stagnates, reducing CTR and relevance.
How to Fix It
Use at least 4–6 ad variations per ad group.
Test different angles: urgency, benefits, features, proof.
Refresh ad copy monthly to prevent “ad fatigue.”
Ignoring Dayparting Opportunities
Many advertisers run Bing campaigns 24/7, assuming maximum coverage equals maximum ROI. In reality, ad performance fluctuates by time of day, day of week, and even season.
Why This Kills ROI
Your budget is wasted during low-intent periods.
CPC may spike at certain hours without corresponding conversions.
Ignoring timing reduces efficiency and increases CPA.
How to Fix It
Analyze hourly and daily performance reports.
Apply bid adjustments to reduce spend during low-performing periods.
Increase bids during peak hours where conversion rates are highest.
Not Leveraging Remarketing Properly
Remarketing is one of the most powerful ways to recapture lost conversions, yet many Bing advertisers either underutilize it or set it up incorrectly.
Why This Kills ROI
High-intent users who visited your site once are lost without follow-up.
Generic remarketing can annoy users instead of converting them.
Missed opportunities increase overall CPA and reduce LTV (lifetime value).
How to Fix It
Segment remarketing audiences by behavior (cart abandoners, repeat visitors, high-value page visitors).
Use dynamic remarketing to show tailored offers.
Layer audience lists with search keywords for higher intent.
Overlooking Conversion Tracking Accuracy
Poor or incomplete conversion tracking is a silent ROI killer. Without accurate tracking, all other optimizations are guesswork.
Why This Kills ROI
CPC and CPA decisions are based on faulty data.
Keywords or ads that truly perform may be cut prematurely.
Optimizations like bid adjustments, remarketing, and ad rotation become ineffective.
How to Fix It
Set up Bing UET (Universal Event Tracking) correctly.
Track micro-conversions (form completions, newsletter sign-ups) alongside macro-conversions.
Regularly audit tracking to ensure all goals fire correctly.
Neglecting Competitor Insights
Bing Ads’ competitive landscape differs from Google’s. Ignoring competitor activity can leave you blind to opportunities or threats.
Why This Kills ROI
You may overpay for keywords that competitors dominate with better ads.
You might miss gaps where your ads could perform better.
Lack of insight can allow competitors to consistently outperform your campaigns.
How to Fix It
Use Auction Insights to monitor competitor share, impression share, and overlap.
Adjust bidding strategies or ad copy to outperform top competitors.
Identify low-competition, high-intent keywords for efficient scaling.
Using Single-Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) Incorrectly
Single-Keyword Ad Groups can help with relevancy and Quality Score, but if implemented poorly, they create management nightmares and reduce ROI.
Why This Kills ROI
Too many ad groups increase complexity and errors.
Poorly structured SKAGs can cannibalize performance between similar keywords.
Time-intensive maintenance reduces focus on high-performing campaigns.
How to Fix It
Use SKAGs strategically for high-intent, high-volume keywords.
Group closely related keywords to minimize overlap.
Regularly review performance and merge underperforming SKAGs.
Ignoring Bing-Specific Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are more than cosmetic—they directly impact CTR, Quality Score, and ultimately ROI. Many advertisers fail to leverage Bing’s unique extensions fully.
Why This Kills ROI
Lower CTR means higher CPC and less efficient spend.
Missing extensions reduce ad real estate and visibility.
Competitors using all available extensions gain a consistent advantage.
How to Fix It
Use Sitelink, Callout, Structured Snippet, Location, and Call extensions wherever relevant.
Monitor performance and adjust extensions based on engagement.
Implement dynamic ad extensions to automate relevance.
Not Testing Bing’s Automated Bidding Features
Bing’s automated bidding strategies—like Enhanced CPC, Maximize Conversions, or Target CPA—can improve ROI when used correctly. Ignoring them keeps campaigns stuck in manual inefficiency.
Why This Kills ROI
Manual bids often underperform due to lack of granular adjustments.
Opportunities for higher conversion volume at lower CPA are missed.
Competitors using automation may outperform without increasing spend.
How to Fix It
Start with small campaigns to test automated bidding performance.
Compare automated vs. manual over at least 2–4 weeks.
Gradually scale automation on high-performing campaigns while maintaining oversight.
Failing to Optimize Landing Pages Continuously
Even after creating dedicated landing pages, stopping at launch is a mistake. Bing users respond to subtle improvements in UX, copy, and CTA placement.
Why This Kills ROI
Conversion rates plateau without ongoing testing.
Traffic may flow efficiently, but revenue remains flat.
Competitors continuously testing can outperform you with minor tweaks.
How to Fix It
Run A/B tests on headlines, CTAs, images, and form fields.
Optimize page speed and mobile responsiveness.
Track performance changes and implement winners immediately.
Not Regularly Reviewing and Pruning Low-Performing Campaigns
Many advertisers leave poorly performing campaigns running indefinitely, hoping they’ll improve. This is a guaranteed ROI drain.
Why This Kills ROI
Wasted ad spend accumulates over weeks or months.
Poor-performing campaigns can distort automated bidding algorithms.
Valuable budget is tied up where it cannot generate strong returns.
How to Fix It
Set clear KPIs for CTR, conversion rate, and CPA.
Pause or restructure campaigns consistently underperforming.
Allocate freed-up budget to high-performing ad groups for scaling.
Conclusion: Fixing Bing Ads ROI Leaks
Improving Bing Ads ROI is less about increasing spend and more about eliminating avoidable mistakes. From poor targeting, keyword mismanagement, and weak ad copy to landing page mismatches, conversion tracking errors, and neglecting automated features, every mistake directly chips away at profitability.
By carefully auditing campaigns for these 20 mistakes, implementing Bing-specific strategies, and committing to continuous testing and optimization, advertisers can see measurable ROI improvements without additional budget. Remember, Bing is not just a “smaller Google”; it has its own audience, quirks, and opportunities. Mastering these nuances is the fastest path to converting clicks into revenue efficiently.
If you systematically address these mistakes and track performance diligently, your campaigns will not only stop losing money—they’ll start scaling profitably.
If you’re ready to fix these Bing Ads mistakes and finally maximize your ROI, our professional Bing Ads management service provides a full audit, optimization, and campaign scaling strategy tailored to your business. Start turning clicks into revenue today
About Marketing LTB
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.
About the author, Bill Nash
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.