How can advertisers track form submissions as conversions in Bing Ads?

Tracking form submissions as conversions in Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) is a great way to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns in driving valuable leads or sign-ups. The process is done using Universal Event Tracking (UET), which enables advertisers to track specific actions on their websites, such as form submissions, downloads, or other interactions.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to track form submissions as conversions in Bing Ads:

1. Set Up Universal Event Tracking (UET)
The first step to tracking form submissions is to set up UET tags on your website. UET is a piece of tracking code that allows you to track user actions on your site.

Steps to Set Up UET:
Create a UET Tag:

Log in to your Microsoft Advertising account.

Go to Tools > UET Tags > Create UET Tag.

Give the tag a name (e.g., "Form Submission").

Copy the generated UET tag code.

Install the UET Tag:

Paste the UET tag code in the header section of every page on your website, or use a tag manager (like Google Tag Manager) to implement the code across your website.

Verify Tag Installation:

Once the UET tag is added to your website, use the UET Tag Helper (a browser extension) to verify that the tag is firing correctly on your site.

2. Set Up Conversion Tracking for Form Submissions
After installing the UET tag, the next step is to create a conversion goal in Microsoft Advertising to track when a form submission occurs.

Steps to Set Up a Conversion Goal:
Go to Conversion Tracking:

In Microsoft Advertising, navigate to Tools > Conversion Tracking.

Click Create a new conversion goal.

Choose Goal Type:

Destination Goal: If the form redirects users to a Thank You page or confirmation page after submission, you can use a Destination Goal.

Select Destination as the goal type.

Enter the URL of the Thank You page (e.g., www.example.com/thank-you).

This method works well if users land on a unique page after submitting the form.

Event Goal: If the form submission doesn't trigger a unique page but is tracked by an event (e.g., a button click), you can use an Event Goal.

Select Event as the goal type.

Configure the goal to track an event triggered when the form is submitted. This might require additional event tracking code to fire when the form is submitted.

Set Conversion Value (Optional):

If each form submission has a specific value to your business (e.g., the value of a lead), you can assign a conversion value to each form submission.

This step is optional but helpful for evaluating the return on investment (ROI) of your ads.

Choose a Goal Category:

For form submissions, categorize the goal as a Lead or Sign-up to keep your goals organized and focused on lead generation.

Save and Apply the Conversion Goal:

Once you've created the conversion goal, save it and apply it to your campaigns.

3. Track Form Submissions as Conversions
Once you've set up the conversion goal, Microsoft Advertising will start tracking form submissions as conversions. You can monitor this data in the Campaigns tab or through reports to measure how many form submissions were driven by your ads.

Key Metrics to Monitor:
Conversions: The number of form submissions generated by your ads.

Conversion Rate: The percentage of clicks on your ads that result in form submissions.

Cost per Conversion (CPC): The cost per form submission, helping you understand the efficiency of your ads.

Total Conversion Value (if assigned): The total value of all form submissions, based on the value you assigned.

4. Use Custom Events for More Advanced Tracking (Optional)
If you want more granular tracking (e.g., tracking different types of forms or specific actions like "submit" button clicks), you can use custom events in the UET tag.

How to Track Custom Events:
Add Event Tracking Code: You can add custom JavaScript code to the form submission button or action. For example, you might have a submit button that triggers a custom event.

Define Custom Event Parameters: When the form is submitted, the custom event can send parameters such as the form ID or type to UET. This allows you to track different forms on the same website and create more specific conversion goals.

5. Optimize Campaigns for Form Submissions
Once you have set up conversion tracking, you can optimize your campaigns to increase form submissions and improve your ROI. Some bidding strategies you can use include:

Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): If you have a target cost you're willing to pay for each form submission, use Target CPA to let Microsoft Advertising automatically adjust bids to achieve your desired CPA.

Maximize Conversions: Use Maximize Conversions bidding to allow Microsoft Advertising to automatically adjust bids to maximize the total number of form submissions within your budget.

Enhanced CPC: If you want to maintain control over your bids but still allow for some optimization, use Enhanced CPC to adjust your bids based on the likelihood of a form submission.

6. Create Remarketing Lists for Form Interactions
If someone interacts with your form but does not submit it (for example, they fill out part of the form and leave the page), you can use remarketing to re-engage them with targeted ads and encourage them to complete the form submission.

How to Set Up Remarketing for Form Interactions:
Create Remarketing Lists: Set up remarketing lists in Microsoft Advertising to track users who visited the form page but did not submit the form.

Target Specific Audiences: Create campaigns specifically targeting users who interacted with your form but did not convert, offering incentives or reminders to encourage them to complete the submission.

7. Monitor and Analyze Form Submission Conversions
Once your conversion tracking is set up, it's important to continually monitor your form submission performance and analyze the data to make improvements.

Key Insights to Analyze:
Which keywords and ads are driving the most form submissions?

What is the average cost per form submission?

Which devices or locations are generating the highest number of submissions?

Is the conversion value (if assigned) aligning with your business goals?

Adjust Campaigns Based on Data:
Optimize Ads and Landing Pages: If certain ads or keywords are underperforming, you can adjust them based on conversion data. You can also test variations of your landing page to improve form submission rates.

Bid Adjustments: Use device or location bid adjustments to focus on areas or devices that are delivering the best form submission rates.

Summary of Steps:
Set up UET tags on your website to track user actions.

Create a conversion goal for form submissions, either through a destination (thank-you page) or event (form submission).

Optionally assign a conversion value to each form submission.

Monitor and optimize campaigns based on form submission data.

Use remarketing to target users who interacted with your form but did not submit it.