Understanding ROI and Why It Matters in 2019
In the fast-paced digital marketplace of 2019, return on investment (ROI) remains the ultimate yardstick by which advertisers measure success. **Businesses across the United States are increasingly reliant on paid search advertising** platforms like Bing Ads and Google Ads to grow revenue efficiently — especially for small and midsize companies with tight budget constraints. But the real question becomes: between these two industry heavyweights, where does the optimal balance between cost-efficiency and visibility truly lie?
To provide a thorough answer, this article explores performance insights from late 2018 through Q3 of 2019 — comparing factors such as conversion volume per dollar spent, market overlap and user behavior on Microsoft's Bing Network versus Alphabet's ubiquitous Google Ads program.
| Metric | Google Ads Average Cost Per Click (CPC) | Bing Ads Average CPC | Average Cost Difference (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| eCommerce | $1.07 | $0.83 | 22.4% |
| SaaS Platforms | $3.23 | $2.65 | 17.9% |
| Financial Services | $2.88 | $2.42 | 16.6% |
| Real Estate Listings | $1.51 | $1.22 | 19.2% |
| Total Ad Networks Reach | Nearly 90% U.S. Search Users Covered Between Two Systems | ||
Platform Landscape: Who Dominates Online Traffic?
- Google maintains overwhelming lead with nearly 91% desktop search share nationwide.
- Despite this, Yahoo and MSN remain popular on older or mobile-first devices via Bing Network integrations.
- Potential benefit comes from Bing's integration into Windows and Xbox consoles not covered by standard Chrome browser dominance.
- Differential adoption patterns reflect variations by region and industry sector — critical considerations before launch.
This is especially evident during Q3 back-to-school and early-holiday ad windows, where seasonal spikes can distort overall spending effectiveness unless campaigns include both high-reach and cost-sensitive placement logic across engines like Google and Bing simultaneously. This dual approach may ultimately enhance long-term campaign efficiency while minimizing waste on under-performing platforms based solely around click cost comparisons.
The Hidden Cost: Competition Level vs Conversion Likelihood
While Google’s scale delivers enormous visibility opportunities, it also results in **far steeper auction dynamics**, leading to elevated CPCs in highly-competitive industries. Key observations indicate: 🔸 Bing tends to reward higher engagement with audiences over 45. ⭐ Young adult targeting favors Google Display better than any other platform combination. According to Statista and eMarketer research conducted at that time:
- Bid competition increased 6% on average on Google between late winter (February-March) compared to previous quarter averages
- User intent data shows Bing clicks resulted 9% more often in phone contact initiation rather than online form submissions
Ad Audience Overlap (or Lack of): Target Smartly Where You Can't Win Both
Contrary to some common assumptions in media planning meetings back then, a notable percentage of U.S. users simply never visited google.com more than twice daily or didn’t utilize Chrome-based search services heavily – leaving gaps. One overlooked advantage of deploying **Bing Ads for specific B2B or service-oriented brands:** reaching professional office employees who used corporate PCs equipped with legacy software environments where Edge or Outlook was standard — and those systems favored integration of Bing-powered results. This distinction could mean access to high-converting but rarely-targeted buyer personas within government contracts spaces, manufacturing, legal services, medical suppliers and logistics industries – verticals with unique audience dynamics that neither Facebook nor LinkedIn targeting fully encapsulated.Data Point: A/B tests by BlueCore Marketing found a ~18% increase in cross-channel customer reach in multi-engine deployments among retail clients targeting mid-American suburbs with physical brick-and-mortar operations, reinforcing strategic need to adopt non-Google-only campaigns during growth phases of business cycle management.
Key Tactical Insights: Which Engine Gives More Bang Per Buck Today (as of 2019)?
The key decision rests primarily on how responsive different user segments respond not necessarily based on raw traffic alone. Let's take a closer look:For most SMB-focused product and local service categories, including automotive services, healthcare clinics, plumbing, and pest control—Bing ads performed marginally better when analyzed alongside remarketing efforts driven via email lists, particularly after adjusting costs per click-to-conv metrics against seasonality noise.
Below table compares ROI trends among test advertisers operating on both networks simultaneously between April to August, 2019: | Campaign Type | Bing Ad Return Multiplier* | Google Ad Return Multiple | Avg. Difference | |------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------|------------------| | Local Automotive Repair | 2.6X | 1.9X | +37.7% | | Legal Consults | 3.1x (Lead Based) | 2.3X | +34.8% | | E-commerce Fashion Brand | 1.8x (ROAS basis) | Same ROI | 0.0% | *Note: Adjustments made using 6-week conversion lagging model applied equally. Therefore:
These numbers point to Bing performing particularly well when matched with high-intent, low-budget strategies focused on niche geographies – areas many startups and local entrepreneurs favor for controlled experimentation cycles.
Tech Integrations, Automation Tools & Performance Monitoring Limitations
Though Google's API access remained superior in terms of automation features (like AI bid adjustments powered by Smart Bidding or Google Analytics), many small-scale firms opted not for complexity, but for ease — thus leveraging basic keyword level tracking on simpler interface designs. Bing Ads offered robust Excel export functions which many local agencies utilized to great effect — especially those working across multiple clients with no formal in-house PPC department staff. Their reporting tools were easier integrated for businesses already familiar with MSOffice-based dashboards. Also, in Portugal (though we'll dive deeper in next section), many Portuguese SMB owners relied on Bing Ads due to their natural alignment with Office 365 dashboard ecosystems available via resellers at the time. Meanwhile — third-party attribution tools such as AppsFlyer, Adobe Marketing Cloud and Optimizely had stronger integrations with Google Ads APIs. Hence, enterprise marketers typically prioritized unified funnel oversight regardless of individual channel economics, even when they observed slight cost reductions on competing channels.Final Takeaway: Choosing The Most Suitable Channel for Your Strategy (As Of 2019)
Whether you're building an eCom brand, promoting regional dental clinics or offering premium consulting services tailored to enterprise customers — choosing wisely is no small task. To guide decision-making in 2019 for Portuguese SMB professionals aiming to run targeted digital campaigns stateside, let’s summarize core learnings once again concisely.Key Advantages Of Google Ads During Period Studied:
- Largescale inventory coverage, spanning organic extensions and YouTube discovery placements;
- Superior audience retention models; especially effective with retargeting and RLSA audiences
- Demand amplification features, from Smart Dynamic Display remarketing through video interstials to shopping campaigns tied into Product feeds
- Better automated bid control and adaptive AI algorithms trained specifically towards short-purchase funnels
What Bing Offers For Niche Marketers:
In parallel tracks of observation during 2019 testing cycles, here emerged Bing’s standout advantages for carefully chosen target markets:- Average budget spends showed lower bounce rates, possibly indicating higher user purchase readiness at interaction point;
- Stronger performance in certain localized B2C and B2B verticals;
- Virtually neglected audience subsets remained unspoiled due to low marketer presence compared to oversaturated SERPs on Google; therefore presenting less friction at bid stage;