If your goal is to maximize ROI from Bing Ads, retargeting is one of the most powerful strategies you can deploy. Simply put, retargeting allows you to reach users who have already interacted with your brand—whether by visiting your website, engaging with your content, or even abandoning a shopping cart. Unlike broad targeting, retargeting focuses on audiences that have already shown interest, which naturally increases conversion rates. Boost your Bing Ads ROI today with expert Bing Ads services!
In this article, we’ll break down exactly how to create high-converting retargeting campaigns for Bing Ads, step by step, so you can turn hesitant prospects into paying customers.
Before diving into strategies, it’s essential to understand how Bing Ads retargeting works. Bing calls this feature Universal Event Tracking (UET) combined with audience targeting. The UET tag is a small piece of code placed on your website that tracks user behavior and builds audience lists. Once installed, you can create highly customized retargeting campaigns targeting specific actions, such as:
Visitors who viewed a product page but didn’t make a purchase
Users who added items to the cart but abandoned checkout
People who visited high-value pages like pricing or service pages
This granular data allows you to craft campaigns tailored to each audience segment, which is key to higher conversion rates.
Pro Tip: If your UET tag isn’t installed correctly on all pages, you could miss critical tracking data. Double-check your implementation and test it before launching campaigns.
Before creating your first retargeting campaign, you need to clearly define what success looks like. Bing Ads retargeting campaigns can serve different purposes, and your strategy should align with your goal. Common objectives include:
Driving conversions: Targeting users who visited product or pricing pages
Increasing engagement: Encouraging users to return to content or blog posts
Reducing cart abandonment: Focusing on users who abandoned checkout
By setting clear goals upfront, you can segment audiences more effectively, craft compelling ad copy, and select the right bidding strategy.
Example: If your goal is to reduce cart abandonment, your campaign should target users who added items to the cart in the last 7–14 days, with ads offering incentives like discounts or free shipping.
One of the biggest mistakes advertisers make is treating all visitors the same. High-converting retargeting campaigns are built on audience segmentation. Here’s how to approach it:
Not all visitors behave the same way. Consider segmenting audiences based on:
Pages viewed: Product pages vs. blog pages
Duration of visit: Users who spent 30+ seconds vs. 5 seconds
Engagement level: Clicked on multiple pages vs. bounced immediately
This allows you to tailor ads that resonate with each behavior type.
Visitors closer to the purchase stage need different messaging than casual browsers. Typical purchase-intent segments include:
Cart abandoners
Product page viewers
Pricing page visitors
Tip: Use dynamic remarketing to show the exact product or service the visitor engaged with, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
Bing Ads allows you to layer demographics, location, and device targeting on top of your retargeting lists. This is crucial for optimizing performance:
Mobile users may respond better to short, visually compelling ads
Desktop users may prefer detailed content and CTA-driven ads
Targeting specific age groups or locations can increase relevance
Segmenting in multiple dimensions helps you deliver more personalized campaigns that convert better.
Once you’ve defined your audiences, the next step is crafting ad creatives that grab attention and drive action. Retargeting ads must be highly relevant to the user’s previous interaction. Here’s how to do it effectively:
Dynamic Ads automatically pull in the products or services users viewed on your website. For e-commerce, this is a game-changer because it reduces friction between interest and conversion.
Your messaging should address the user’s intent and provide a reason to return. Examples:
Highlight special offers or discounts
Emphasize urgency with limited-time promotions
Reinforce benefits of your product/service
Pro Tip: Avoid generic messages like “Come back to our site.” Instead, focus on value: “You left your favorite shoes in the cart—grab them before they’re gone!”
Bing Ads supports text ads, image ads, and responsive ads. Test different formats to see which performs best with your audience:
Text Ads: Great for straightforward offers
Image Ads: Excellent for visual products or services
Responsive Ads: Automatically optimize layout and size for better performance
Testing multiple ad types ensures you capture attention in the most effective way.
Even the best retargeting ad can fail if the landing page doesn’t convert. For high-performing campaigns, your landing page should align closely with the ad message and provide a seamless user experience.
If your ad promises a discount on a product, the landing page should immediately display that product with the discount applied. Consistency reduces friction and confusion.
Minimize form fields, reduce unnecessary navigation, and make CTAs prominent. Every extra step between ad click and conversion increases the chance of drop-off.
Add elements like reviews, testimonials, guarantees, and security badges to increase credibility and confidence in the purchase decision.
Many users will interact with your retargeting ads on mobile devices. Ensure your landing pages are fast-loading, responsive, and easy to navigate on all screen sizes.
Bidding strategy is a critical factor in campaign performance. For retargeting campaigns, you want to focus on maximizing conversions while controlling cost-per-acquisition (CPA).
Manual CPC: Gives you more control over bids for specific audience segments
Enhanced CPC / Target CPA: Lets Bing automatically adjust bids for higher conversion potential
Bing allows you to adjust bids based on:
Device type
Location
Time of day
For example, if you notice conversions spike on mobile devices during evening hours, increase bids for that segment to capture more conversions.
Avoid overexposing your audience to the same ad. Frequency capping ensures users see your retargeting ads a limited number of times, preventing ad fatigue and wasted spend.
The Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag is not just for building audiences—it’s a goldmine for understanding user behavior and optimizing your campaigns. By tracking specific actions on your website, you can gain insights into which visitors are most likely to convert.
Set up UET to track events such as:
Add to cart
Checkout initiated
Form submission
Time spent on page
This allows you to identify high-intent users and prioritize them in your retargeting campaigns.
Using UET data, you can create highly specific audiences, for example:
Visitors who spent more than 3 minutes on a product page but didn’t purchase
Users who viewed multiple product categories
Returning visitors who haven’t converted in 30 days
Custom audiences let you tailor messaging for different segments, which improves relevance and conversion rates.
UET can reveal where users drop off in the funnel. For instance, if most visitors abandon at checkout, you can run retargeting campaigns with incentives like free shipping or limited-time discounts to recover lost sales.
Sequential retargeting—or retargeting in stages—guides users through the conversion journey instead of bombarding them with a single message. This strategy works particularly well for higher-ticket items or complex services.
Target visitors who are familiar with your brand but haven’t engaged deeply yet. Ads should focus on benefits, social proof, and educational content rather than pushing for an immediate sale.
Example: “Discover why 10,000 customers trust our software.”
Once users engage with your content or browse products, target them with comparison-based messaging, testimonials, or case studies to nurture interest.
Example: “See how our solution saves businesses 20% on operational costs.”
For high-intent audiences, serve ads designed to drive action—limited-time offers, free trials, or product demos.
Example: “Complete your purchase today and get 10% off!”
Sequential retargeting increases relevance at each stage, reduces wasted spend, and improves conversion rates across the funnel.
Even the most well-crafted retargeting campaigns can be improved. A/B testing allows you to compare different versions of ads and landing pages to find what works best.
Experiment with:
Headlines: Which grabs attention better?
Images: Product photos vs. lifestyle images
CTAs: “Buy Now” vs. “Get Started Today”
Run tests for each audience segment to identify which combinations resonate most.
Small tweaks can make a huge difference:
Button placement and color
Headline messaging
Form length and layout
Mobile responsiveness
Measure conversion rate, bounce rate, and time on page to identify the winning version.
A/B testing is an ongoing process. Continuously analyze results and make incremental improvements. Over time, these optimizations compound into significantly higher ROI.
High-converting campaigns require data-driven decisions. Bing Ads provides extensive metrics to measure performance, and understanding these is critical for ongoing optimization.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measures how compelling your ad is to retargeted users
Conversion Rate (CVR): Tracks the percentage of clicks that result in a desired action
Cost Per Conversion (CPA): Helps ensure campaigns remain profitable
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The ultimate indicator of campaign effectiveness
Break down metrics by audience, device, location, and ad format. If certain segments underperform, adjust bids, creatives, or messaging accordingly.
Keep an eye on ad fatigue. If CTR drops or conversions stagnate for a segment, refresh creatives or reduce exposure. This prevents wasted spend and maintains engagement.
Once your retargeting campaigns are optimized and delivering results, it’s time to scale. Scaling is about increasing conversions without drastically increasing CPA.
Broaden retargeting windows (e.g., from 7 days to 30 days)
Include similar audiences or in-market audiences provided by Bing Ads
Raise bids for high-performing segments to capture more traffic. Focus on audiences with the highest conversion likelihood to maintain profitability.
Consider extending retargeting campaigns beyond Bing Ads to include:
Microsoft Audience Network
LinkedIn Ads (via LinkedIn-Bing integration)
Email marketing campaigns for warm audiences
Multi-channel retargeting reinforces your message and increases the probability of conversion.
Even experienced marketers can make mistakes that reduce performance. Some pitfalls to avoid include:
Not segmenting audiences: Treating all users the same lowers relevance.
Overexposing users: High frequency without variation leads to ad fatigue.
Ignoring mobile optimization: A large portion of Bing traffic comes from mobile users.
Neglecting landing page alignment: Ads and landing pages must match in messaging and design.
Failing to track conversions: Without proper UET setup, you can’t optimize effectively.
Avoiding these mistakes ensures your campaigns are efficient, cost-effective, and high-converting.
Creating high-converting retargeting campaigns for Bing Ads requires a strategic approach, from UET tracking to audience segmentation, ad creative, and landing page optimization. By implementing sequential funnels, A/B testing, and ongoing performance analysis, you can turn browsers into buyers and maximize ROI.
Retargeting is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy—it’s a continuous cycle of testing, analyzing, and refining. With careful planning and execution, Bing Ads retargeting campaigns can become your most profitable advertising channel.
Ready to skyrocket your Bing Ads conversions? Get professional help setting up and optimizing retargeting campaigns 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.