• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 17, 2014

Recent data from independent search agencies suggests that the Bing-Yahoo Network continues to take more search budget market share. In fact, one report estimates a 55% uptick in overall marketing budgets, while Google has seen a 2% decrease year-on-year. The increase reflects changes made by Microsoft recently to make the Bing Ad platform faster and more efficient. It also shows in new partnerships like the one with American Express.

Small changes can make a big difference in the way that brand marketers and their agencies view ad platforms. David Pann, GM for the Search Network at Microsoft, explains how the Bing Ad platform's new look and feel makes it easier to navigate through online insertion orders taking less than an hour to build. Advertisers can view up to a million keywords in one view, and pages load up to twice as fast. Bing Ads Editor start-up is also up to twice as fast when downloading accounts and posting changes. Local bulk edits are up to three times as fast. Performance data is available 700% faster than before, from 4 hours to 30 minutes of the ad serving up in queries.

Tools also have been updated to deliver data on actionable insights. Top Mover automatically locates key drivers contributing to account performance variations. Auction Insights reveals key performance stats for branding or agencies using the platform, along with their competitors. Changes to the Campaign Planner feature recently launched in the U.S. help identify trends, build forecasts and research industry benchmarks, competitor performance and keyword suggestions.

Making it easier for small businesses to reach consumers remains a major part of Bing's charter. Bing Ads is encouraging people to Shop Small on Saturday, Nov. 29, as part of being a premiere partner of American Express and Small Business Saturday.

Microsoft put together a Bing Ads Search Marketing Toolkit with information and tips on how to create and build successful search marketing campaigns on Bing Ads, along with a $100 Bing Ads coupon to get started. Workshops at select Microsoft Stores across the country will provide hands-on experience and insight.