Why has Bing started offering Product Ads?
As we have discussed throughout the month of February, Product Listing Ads(PLAs) are search ads that include richer product information such as image, price and description. They deliver key information about a product to help users make a decision right at the moment they are getting ready to buy.
They are now a huge revenue driver for Google and are even placed above both paid ads and organic results on their Search Engine Results Page.
With the massive success Google has had using PLAs, Bing decided it was time to join in and offer their own version-which they call‘Product Ads’. Last year,Bing finally launched this Beta for its premium customers in order to improve their users search experience and increase revenue for their online advertisers.
What is the difference between Google PLAs& Bing Product Ads?
There is hardly any noticeable difference between Google’s Product Listing Ads and Bing’s Product Ads. However, there is one major difference that sets them apart. While Google PLAs only show up on Google, Bing Product Ads are displayed on both Yahoo!& Bing, providing extra bang for your digital marketing buck and a potentially greater chance to reach more customers and increase your conversion rates.
Along with Product Ads, Bing has also released a special feature called Rich Caption. This feature is free and it provides advertisers the opportunity to share more information about products directly on the Bing search result pages, including your product’s price and availability.
How Do Bing Product Ads Work?
Bing Product Ads are very similar to Google PLAs. When someone enters a search query relevant to a particular item, Bing find ads from the product catalogs their advertisers submit via the feeds in Bings Merchant Center account. These ads are delivered on both Bing and Yahoo! and charged on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis, just like Google.
The image below shows what happens when someone searches on Bing for ‘Canon Digital Cameras’. As you can see, a Product Ad based around this search is visible right at the top containing an image, price etc.
Using Product Ads in Bing can have the same positive effect for your business as Google PLAs, ensuring your products are always at the top of the search results page capturing as much attention as possible.
To find out more about how to optimize your PLAs, be sure to attend our next Webinar “Proven Strategies for Running A Successful PLA Campaigns” You can register here. As an added bonus, all attendees will receive a complimentary copy of NetElixir’s PLA Strategy Checklist.
