The electronics market is fiercely competitive. With millions of similar sites competing for the same real estate in the search results, ranking is tough. That’s why businesses generate leads and sales through paid ads. With PPC ads, you get immediate traffic, leads, and sales. But which platform is best? Bing or Google?
Both ad networks have benefits and drawbacks. While Google dominates the search engine industry with close to 90% of global search share, Bing only holds about 3.98% (some say as high as 12%). Still, those smaller Bing queries often cost less and convert better when targeting niche and affluent buyers.
People who buy electronics are typically tech-savvy early adopters and bargain hunters. So when you’re selling things like laptops, speakers, or gadgets, choosing the right ad network is essential. Making the wrong choice will result in minimal reach at a massive cost. On the other hand, the right choice can bring in laser hits at bargain rates. The better you understand the key differences, the more profitable your ad campaigns will be.
Let’s start with a simple overview of pros and cons for running ads for electronics and gadgets on each network:
Google Ads pros:
· Largest reach. If someone is searching for something online, they’re probably doing it on Google or YouTube. Google’s massive ecosystem, which includes millions of websites in the Display Network, means your ads will show up pretty much everywhere.
· Automated bidding tech. Google uses machine learning and real-time data to optimize bids for clicks, conversions and ROI. Over time, the system learns which users are more likely to convert and will bid more aggressively for those users.
· Scales easily. Once you have an effective campaign, it’s easy to increase your ad spend and maintain performance. Google handles high volumes of ads well and makes it easy to track everything on the back end.
Google Ads cons:
· Highly competitive in the electronics market. Basic electronics like noise-canceling headphones and gaming consoles are extremely competitive and have a high cost per click. You’re bidding against tech giants like Amazon, Best Buy, and savvy dropshippers. Small margins will burn your budget fast with little returns.
· Sharp learning curve. Google Ads isn’t plug-and-play. There’s a lot to configure, including campaign and match types, audience segments, bidding strategies, and more. One wrong setting (like targeting broad match with no negative keywords) can tank your entire budget with nothing to show.
· Hard to stand out. Your ads show up on search results pages with other ads, organic listings, AI Overviews, shopping carousels, and local pack results. There’s a lot of clutter on Google’s pages and unless your ads are truly unique, it’s hard to get noticed.
Bing Ads pros:
· Fewer distractions and less clutter. Bing’s search results pages aren’t crowded like Google’s. Your ads have a better chance of standing out to users.
· Cheaper cost per click. There’s less competition on Bing, which makes your cost per click lower. This also makes your cost per acquisition lower, too.
· Better for reaching affluent users. Bing’s main user base consists of older professionals who use the default browser set by their Microsoft laptops and desktops. They have more disposable income for high-end electronics, so you’re advertising to decision-makers directly.
Bing Ads cons:
· Harder to scale. Even when performing well, your ads can hit a ceiling. Bing only captures around 3-12% of global search traffic, and that means there’s a limit to how many clicks you can generate. It’s hard to scale without maxing out your budget.
· Smaller reach. Unlike Google, Bing doesn’t have a massive ad ecosystem. You’ll miss out on some casual scrollers and mobile shoppers who live on Google’s websites, like YouTube.
· Fewer features. Bing Ads are a bit behind Google in terms of innovation. Most of Google’s advanced tools like detailed audience insights and Performance Max don’t exist on Bing.
Now let’s explore how each network supports the key elements of a successful electronics PPC ad campaign.
1. Market reach and audience volume
Before running paid ads, you need to know who’s using each network and how many ideal customers you can realistically reach. Google may dominate search, but Bing isn’t just a quiet, unknown search engine. There are die-hard Bing fans out there and plenty of users who simply have a preference for Bing over Google.
Google Ads reach:
Google has an enormous reach with around 8.5 billion queries per day, allowing you to tap into endless audience potential. However, running Google Ads in the electronics industry requires an aggressive strategy. Competition is fierce, and even the most well-crafted ad content won’t reach many people if you don’t have the right budget and bidding strategy.
Bing Ads reach:
Since Bing is owned by Microsoft, Bing Ads tend to reach older, higher-income audiences using default web browser settings on Microsoft devices. This can be an advantage for some electronics businesses. According to Microsoft, the average Bing user is between 35-65 years of age, and one-third have a household income of $100,000+. Bing users also spend around 22% more than the average person. These big spenders are more likely to invest in quality, high-end electronics and make repeat purchases from trusted brands.
While the volume of Google’s reach is unmatched, Bing’s precision and targeted demographic can be powerful for electronics brands looking for quality customers rather than just generating one-off sales.
2. Cost per click (CPC)
If you don’t budget your PPC budget wisely, you’re guaranteed to overspend. Even though Bing is cheaper, the cost of clicks can add up fast. If you don’t optimize your ad strategy, you’ll be paying for irrelevant clicks from people who either have no intention of making a purchase or aren’t your target audience to start with.
To optimize your cost per click (CPC), you need to optimize your target audience and bidding strategy. Although the general principles are the same, each network offers different features and settings to accomplish this goal.
Optimizing CPC for Google
The competition on Google is massive, and your cost per click can spike fast. If you’re not careful, you might see clicks as high as $3 to $5. That’s not bad if your ads bring highly targeted leads who spend a good amount of money with you. However, if you aren’t there yet, a high CPC will just waste your budget.
Focus on long tail keywords
To optimize your CPC for Google, don’t bid on broad terms like “laptop” or “Bluetooth speaker.” Instead, use more specific phrases that indicate intent to purchase, like “best budget gaming laptop” or “wireless earbuds under $50.” These long tail phrases are less competitive, cheaper, and tend to convert better.
Use device targeting
People shopping for electronics use a mobile device or desktop computer, but desktop users deliver higher conversion rates for big ticket items. Use this to your advantage and implement device targeting to adjust your bids. Google’s mobile search volume is massive, but if your items are expensive, you’ll get more conversions by targeting desktop users.
Use automated bidding strategically
Google’s smart bidding tools like Target ROAS or Maximize Conversion Value can help, but the system needs adequate data to produce good results. Monitor your ad performance closely and adjust your thresholds based on sales, not clicks.
While Google can help you reach a lot of people, you need laser-focused targeting to keep CPCs under control.
Optimizing CPC for Bing
Bing Ads have a low cost per click – around $1.54 (33-43% cheaper than Google). And since consumer electronics ads have one of the highest click through rates (CTR) on Bing (2.88) enticing ads will get clicks. A well-optimized Bing Ads strategy can boost ROI at a much lower cost compared to Google. But it won’t happen automatically – you need a plan.
Target desktop users for high-ticket items
Most of Bing’s traffic comes from desktop users, including office workers, older adults, and enterprise buyers. This makes Bing ideal for advertising premium electronics. Since these items require deeper research, they’re more likely to be purchased from a laptop than a phone.
Use LinkedIn profile targeting
With Bing Ads, you can target users based on job function, industry, and even by company based on LinkedIn profiles. If you’re selling niche gadgets or high-end tech, this feature makes ads outperform Google for B2B buyers.
Target affluent buyers
Since Bing users tend to be older and more affluent, test ad variations with straightforward, benefit-driven language. Don’t use hype. Phrases like “Engineered for performance” or “Business-ready tech” will typically outperform trendy phrasing for this audience.
With lower competition and a high-value audience, optimizing CPC on Bing is about precision rather than scale. If you’re willing to spend the time testing and adjusting your ad campaigns, the ROI can be huge.
3. Consider your price point
While Google has a higher average conversion rate for electronics, that doesn’t automatically equal higher profits. Google has a higher CPC, which significantly reduces revenue for low-ticket items.
Profitability depends on what you’re selling and how well you target your audience. It’s not just about getting a higher conversion rate. Premium electronics can generate higher profits even with a lower conversion rate, especially when you advertise them on Bing where there’s a lower CPC.
Compare two companies selling wireless headphones.
Company A sells $50 headphones and runs ads on Google.
Company B sells $200 headphones and runs ads on Bing.
They both start with the same ad budget and get the same number of clicks, but the company that advertises on Bing gets a lower conversion rate and higher profits. Here’s what the math looks like for each campaign:
Company A’s Google Ads campaign breakdown:
· Ad budget: $3,000
· Product price: $50
· Cost per click (CPC): $3.00
· Clicks: 1,000
· Conversion rate: 5%
· Conversions: 50
· Revenue: $2,500
· Profit: -$500
In this example, Company A spent $3,000 and generated $2,500 in revenue. The higher conversion rate is countered by a higher CPC.
Company B’s Bing Ads campaign breakdown:
· Ad budget: $3,000
· Product price: $200
· Cost per click (CPC): $1.00
· Clicks: 1,000
· Conversion rate: 2.5%
· Conversions: 25
· Revenue: $5,000
· Profit: $2,000
In this example, Company B spent the same $3,000 and generated $5,000 in revenue with half the conversions and still managed to bring in 5x the profits.
While you can make up the difference on Google Ads through volume, if you don’t have a massive budget to scale your campaigns, Bing is likely the more profitable option.
4. Cost per acquisition (CPA)
How much you spend to gain a customer matters. Google Ads CPA averages $101.40 for electronics on the search network, while Bing averages a $39.85 CPA. That makes acquiring customers on Bing around 60.7% cheaper than Google Ads. That’s a major advantage and it’s hard to ignore.
5. Audience targeting
How deeply you can target your audience will make a difference. Aside from the basics, both Google and Bing do this differently.
· Google Ads: the leader in AI-driven bidding, granular audience signals, and new ad formats like Performance Max. Google Ads are ideal for brands that need hyper-targeting across YouTube, Google Search, Display Ads, and more.
· Bing Ads: Offers unique targeting based on LinkedIn profile data like industry and job function, creating a huge advantage for B2B gadgets.
Google might be great for general electronics and gadgets, but for premium and enterprise-focused products, Bing is the clear winner.
6. Ad formats
People respond differently to ads based on the format. Google offers just about everything, including text, shopping, display, video, AI Overviews, and now Performance Max ads. Bing is pretty solid with basic formats, but is limited with additional options. However, Bing is working on Copilot AI ads that appear to be generating higher click through rates so far.
Reach further and spend smarter with a tailored ad strategy
If you want to reach the largest audience possible and don’t mind paying for it, Google ads is ideal. But if you’re launching high-end electronics and want customers ready to convert, Bing Ads have lower costs and a better demographic fit.
Although there are pros and cons to both, you don’t have to choose just one. A hybrid strategy is often the best approach: scale on Google, optimize on Bing, and test both to see what works best.
Want better results from Google or Bing Ads? We’d love to help!
Whether you’re aiming to scale or you’re just getting started, our team of PPC experts build ad campaigns that actually convert without bleeding your budget dry. If you’re tired of trying to figure it all out yourself and you’re ready to sell more, we’re here to help. Contact us today and let’s build a strategy that works.
.jpeg)
