Are there benchmarks or industry standards for view-through conversion rates on Bing Ads?

While Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) does not publicly provide exact view-through conversion rate benchmarks by industry, there are general guidelines and insights you can use to assess your own campaign performance. View-through conversion rates can vary widely depending on several factors, such as the industry, ad format, audience targeting, and campaign objectives.

Industry Variations
View-through conversion rates are influenced by the nature of your business and the behavior of your target audience. Here are some general trends observed across different industries:

Retail/E-commerce:

Retailers and e-commerce businesses often see higher view-through conversion rates, particularly around seasonal promotions, holidays, and sales events.

Typical rates can range from 1% to 3%, depending on the type of product and the effectiveness of remarketing campaigns.

Travel & Hospitality:

Travel ads, especially for flights, hotels, and vacation packages, can have lower view-through conversion rates due to the long decision-making process.

Conversion rates might fall between 0.5% to 2%, but they can rise significantly during peak travel seasons or for last-minute deals.

B2B (Business-to-Business):

For B2B services, the sales cycle is often longer, which means view-through conversions may be more significant for awareness and consideration rather than immediate action.

View-through conversion rates for B2B campaigns may range from 0.5% to 2%, although these can vary based on the product complexity and target audience.

Financial Services:

Financial services ads, such as those for loans, insurance, or investment, typically have a longer buying cycle, and view-through conversions play a major role in lead generation.

Expect view-through conversion rates in the range of 0.5% to 2% for these campaigns, depending on the offer and audience targeting.

Health & Wellness:

Health-related ads might experience a wider range of view-through conversions, especially for products or services related to personal care, wellness, or lifestyle.

These types of ads can have view-through conversion rates ranging from 1% to 3%, depending on the specific target audience (e.g., age, location, health condition).

Education & Training:

For education-related services, such as online courses or universities, view-through conversions can be a significant metric, as users may see the ad, do research, and return later.

View-through conversion rates in education could range between 1% to 4%, depending on the appeal of the offer and targeting precision.

Factors That Impact View-Through Conversion Benchmarks
Ad Position and Visibility:

Ads that are placed in higher positions (e.g., top of search results or prominently displayed in display network placements) tend to have better visibility and thus higher potential for view-through conversions.

Higher-position ads typically lead to better brand recall and, consequently, higher view-through conversion rates.

Frequency of Exposure:

View-through conversions are influenced by the frequency of exposure. Overexposure can lead to ad fatigue, reducing the likelihood of conversion.

A balanced exposure strategy helps optimize these rates, especially in remarketing campaigns.

Ad Creative:

Engaging and relevant ad creatives are key to driving view-through conversions. Strong visuals, clear messaging, and effective calls-to-action (CTAs) lead to higher brand recall and improved view-through conversion rates.

Audience Targeting and Segmentation:

The more precise and relevant your audience targeting, the more likely your view-through conversions will be. Retargeting ads that focus on users who have previously interacted with your brand or shown interest in similar products often result in higher view-through conversion rates.

Seasonality and Timing:

Campaigns during high-demand periods or for time-sensitive offers (like Black Friday or other major sales) tend to have higher view-through conversion rates.

Device and Platform Type:

Devices such as mobile phones or tablets can sometimes result in lower view-through conversion rates, but this depends on the type of product or service being advertised. In some cases, users may view ads on mobile and complete the conversion on desktop later.

Cross-device conversions are an important consideration when analyzing performance.

How to Measure and Compare View-Through Conversion Rates
If you're looking to benchmark your own view-through conversion performance, you can:

Compare with Past Campaign Performance: Track view-through conversion rates across similar campaigns or over time to gauge improvements or declines in performance.

Use Microsoft Advertising Insights: Microsoft Advertising provides detailed analytics and insights that allow you to track performance metrics like click-through rate (CTR), view-through conversions, and conversion rates. You can use this data to evaluate the effectiveness of your ad campaigns.

A/B Test and Optimize: Conduct A/B testing on your creatives, targeting strategies, and ad formats to optimize for higher view-through conversions. Regular testing helps refine what works best for your specific audience.

Compare Across Similar Industries: While industry benchmarks are not always exact, you can use general industry reports, case studies, or insights from Microsoft Advertising and other platforms to get a rough sense of how your campaigns compare with others in your vertical.

Conclusion
View-through conversion rates are a key metric to track in understanding the impact of brand awareness and post-click conversions. While exact benchmarks for Bing Ads can vary, understanding the general ranges by industry and considering factors like ad relevance, targeting, frequency, and creative effectiveness can help you optimize your campaigns. By focusing on data-driven optimizations and industry-specific performance trends, you can improve your view-through conversion rates and better assess the overall effectiveness of your campaigns.