As a digital marketer, clients often ask me how Bing Ads traffic appears on Google Analytics. It’s a valid question, considering Google still dominates the search engine market, and Bing is often a secondary consideration for many advertisers. But as Bing continues to grow its market share, understanding Bing Ads traffic on Google Analytics is becoming increasingly important.

So, let’s explore how Bing Ads traffic appears on Google Analytics and clear up any confusion once and for all!

The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Bing Ads Traffic on Google Analytics

First off, it’s important to realise that Bing Ads traffic is tracked in the same way as Google Ads (formerly known as AdWords) traffic in Google Analytics. This is because the tracking URLs for both Bing and Google are similar. They both use UTM parameters to identify the source, medium and campaign associated with a particular click.

This means that when a user clicks on a Bing Ads ad and lands on your website, Google Analytics will recognise the UTM parameters in the URL and log the visit as Bing Ads traffic. It will also recognise the specific campaign, ad group and keyword associated with the click, providing rich insights into the performance of your Bing Ads campaigns.

However, this process of tracking Bing Ads traffic in Google Analytics is not automatic. You need to make sure that your Bing Ads account is correctly linked to your Google Analytics account and that auto-tagging is turned on. This will ensure that UTM parameters are automatically added to your Bing Ads URLs and that your data is accurately recorded in Google Analytics.

It’s also worth noting that Bing Ads traffic will be segmented separately in your Google Analytics reports, allowing you to easily compare the performance of your Bing and Google Ads campaigns. This is helpful for identifying trends and optimising your advertising strategy across both platforms.

But what about organic Bing traffic? This type of traffic is tracked differently in Google Analytics, as it does not involve any UTM parameters. Instead, Bing traffic will appear as ‘organic search’ under the ‘All Traffic’ section of your Google Analytics reports, just like any other search engine. However, you can still see the specific keywords that drove Bing organic traffic to your site by navigating to the ‘Organic Search’ section under ‘Acquisition’.

Step By Step Process

1. Bing Ads traffic will appear in Google Analytics as referral traffic.

2. When a user clicks on a Bing Ads ad and lands on your website, the referral information is passed to Google Analytics and recorded as the referral source.

3. To view this referral traffic in Google Analytics, go to the “Acquisition” section.

4. Click on “All Traffic” and then “Referrals.”

5. You should see the traffic from Bing Ads listed under the “Source/Medium” column.

6. To set up conversion tracking, add the Google Analytics tracking code to your website.

7. Configure the conversion tracking settings in your Bing Ads account.

8. By tracking Bing Ads traffic in Google Analytics, gain valuable insights into the performance of your campaigns, including user behavior, conversion rates, and return on investment.

So, there you have it – a comprehensive understanding of how Bing Ads traffic appears on Google Analytics! By ensuring that your Bing Ads account is correctly linked to your Google Analytics account and that auto-tagging is turned on, you can accurately track the performance of your campaigns and optimise your advertising strategy across both Google and Bing. And don’t forget to regularly monitor your data and adjust your approach accordingly, as you strive for digital marketing greatness!

Author: Ryan Griffiths

Ryan is an Australian Digital Marketing Specialist and the director of Geek Media. With a main focus on SEO and Paid Ads such as Google PPC and Facebook/Meta Ads. He has grown multiple e-commerce brands into 6 figure companies.