The differences between Microsoft Ads and Google Ads- which is best for your veterinary practice?

April 4, 2025

Although the online advertising landscape evolves quickly, pay-per-click (PPC) ads are still one of the most powerful promotional tools available to veterinary practices today.

Google Ads is probably the first platform that comes to mind when thinking about PPC advertising, but Microsoft Ads could also help you to connect with pet owners in your local area. Choosing the right platform will ultimately help you to maximise your advertising budget and form meaningful connections that will help your practice to grow and thrive, so it’s important to carefully consider your options before making a decision.

To demystify your decision process, let’s take a look at both Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, paying particular attention to how they could help you to grow your practice.

What are Google Ads?

The Google Ads platform has been the dominant PPC platform for a long time, and for good reason. Not only does it support a variety of advertising formats, but it also enables access to campaigns that are supported by AI technology and ad targeting that aligns with people’s expectations surrounding the privacy of their data.

There are also several new features to the Google Ads platform, including automated bidding which aim to further simplify the PPC advertising process for businesses like yours.

What are Microsoft Ads?

Powered by Bing, Microsoft’s PPC advertising offering has experienced some significant growth throughout 2025 so far, largely due to its integration capabilities with AI technologies, including ChatGPT. This platform is also focused on delivering privacy-friendly advertising options, as it recognises that online privacy is something that users actively want.

Do Microsoft and Google Ads work in the same way?

Both Microsoft and Google Ads operate using a PPC model, which enables advertisers to place bids on keywords in order to display their advertisements to their target audience. But while the two platforms have many similarities, there are also some core differences that are important to note.

You don’t need us to tell you that Google still dominates the online search landscape on a global level, so Google Ads can support a much larger reach and offers advanced ad targeting options to enable businesses like yours to maximise their advertising budget.

However, this doesn’t mean that Microsoft Ads can’t compete…

In fact, Microsoft’s Bing search platform has a more specific user demographic who tend to be older and more affluent, which may align with your practice’s target audience. Additionally, as there is less competition, Microsoft Ads tend to have lower cost-per-click (CPC) rates and could enable you to drive better value from your ad spend overall.

Now we’ve got a bit of an overview of each platform, let’s take a closer look at some of the most significant factors that you should consider before deciding whether to choose Google or Microsoft Ads.

  1. Reach and market share

Although Bing has grown significantly recently and, as of January 2025, holds around 12% of the market share and reach, just over 78% of the global search market still belongs to Google [1].

We’ve already noted that the user demographics of Microsoft and Google differ significantly. So, it’s really important to think about who you want to reach with your PPC ads.

If your target audience is older, Microsoft Ads may be an excellent platform for you. However, if your target audience is younger and grew up viewing Google as the go-to search engine, Google Ads could provide you with better outcomes.

It’s also worth noting that Google has two networks that can display your ads. As well as the Google Display Network which comprises more than two million websites, your ads can also be placed on the Google Search Network.

Why does this matter…

Well, the Google Search Network includes Google Maps, and as a local business, maintaining visibility here can have a hugely positive impact on the number of people who know who you are, what you do, and where to find you.

But where are Microsoft Ads visible?

Microsoft Ads are displayed on multiple search engines, including Bing and AOL, as well as on a range of Microsoft partner sites, including Outlook and LinkedIn. As this platform offers less overall visibility than Google Ads, you need to be sure that placing PPC ads on these search engines and partner sites will help you to connect with the right audience.

  1. Audience targeting capabilities

Both Microsoft Ads and Google Ads provide a range of audience targeting options, which you should be utilising in order to ensure you aren’t wasting your advertising budget targeting the wrong people.

The Google Ads platform provides both audience and content targeting tools. Content targeting enables you to decide where you want your ads to be placed, whereas audience targeting ensures ads are being placed in front of the right people.

Microsoft Ads offers a similar variety of targeting options and can also help you to connect with people based on location. One of the main draws for Microsoft Ads is the ability to place adverts on LinkedIn, however this will likely be of very limited value for veterinary practices focused on forming business to consumer connections.

Google currently has more sophisticated audience gathering capabilities, which puts the platform marginally ahead here. However, as targeting is critical to the success of every PPC campaign, there are plenty of tools provided by each platform to help you reach the right people.

  1. Advertising formats

When it comes to innovative and immersive ad formats, Google is firmly ahead of the pack. However, Microsoft Ads also supports a range of formats, including video ads, responsive ads and shopping ads.

Notably, both platforms are consistently updating the range of ad types they support.

One of the most notable new additions to the Google Ads platform is Google Performance Max, which is designed to leverage machine learning to optimise your ads in line with consumer trends.

Is Google Ads or Microsoft Ads better for my veterinary practice?

Both Microsoft Ads and Google Ads have the potential to help your veterinary practice to increase your reach and connect with more people in your local area.

There are a number of factors that should inform which platform you decide to use, with many veterinary practices likely to find that Google Ads is currently better placed to support their advertising and marketing goals.

There’s also nothing to stop you running campaigns on both platforms to determine whether it’s worth spreading your advertising budget or funnelling it all into a single platform.

Both Google Ads and Microsoft (Bing) Ads can be valuable tools for attracting pet owners who are actively searching for a vet or veterinary services.

Google offers broader reach, more advanced targeting, and better visibility on platforms like Google Maps which is ideal for local veterinary practices.

Microsoft Ads, on the other hand, offer lower competition, potentially lower costs, and access to an older, more affluent audience, which may closely match your client base.

Used effectively, either platform—or a combination of both—can help you reach the right people at the right time and grow your practice with measurable results.

If you’re ready to turn online searches into real-life consultations, we’re here to help!

At VetsDigital, we understand the veterinary industry and know how to connect with pet owners online. Whether you want to build local awareness, fill more appointment slots, or promote a new service, we’ll tailor a PPC strategy that works for your practice and your budget.

Want to know where your ad spend will go furthest?

Book a free PPC review with our team and get expert, honest advice on how to reach more pet owners and get better results from your digital marketing.

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Resources:

[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/216573/worldwide-market-share-of-search-engines/

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