How do you optimize bids and budgets for mobile vs. desktop traffic?

Optimizing bids and budgets for mobile vs. desktop traffic in Microsoft (Bing) Ads is all about understanding how your audience behaves on each device and adjusting your strategy accordingly to maximize ROI. Here's a full breakdown of how to do it effectively:

📱💻 Why Optimize by Device?
Users interact differently on mobile vs. desktop:

Mobile: Higher on-the-go searches, local intent, shorter sessions.

Desktop: Longer sessions, more detailed research, often higher-value purchases.

So, by adjusting bids and budgets per device, you align spend with performance.

🔧 Step-by-Step: How to Optimize Bids & Budgets by Device
1. Analyze Performance by Device
Go to your campaign or ad group level reports in Microsoft Ads and segment by device.

Track key metrics:

CTR

CPC

Conversion rate

Cost per conversion (CPA)

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

👉 Look for trends: Are mobile users converting? Do desktop users spend more?

2. Adjust Device Bid Modifiers
Once you identify device performance, use bid adjustments to control your exposure:

🔹 If Mobile Performs Better:
Increase mobile bids by +10–50% (or more based on performance).

Prioritize mobile-friendly landing pages and creatives.

Consider mobile-only campaigns for hyper-local or app installs.

🔹 If Desktop Performs Better:
Boost desktop bids or reduce mobile bids to focus your budget where it matters.

Use desktop-targeted ads for complex products or longer research cycles.

📌 You can set bid modifiers from -100% to +900% for:

Mobile

Tablet

Desktop

Example: If your mobile CPA is $12 and desktop is $20, you could set:

Mobile: +30% bid adjustment

Desktop: base

Tablet: -25% (if underperforming)

3. Create Device-Specific Campaigns or Ad Groups
Split your campaigns or ad groups by device if performance is very different.

Benefits:

Tailored ad copy and extensions (e.g., "Tap to Call" for mobile)

Custom budgets for each device

Control over landing pages and tracking

Example:

Mobile campaign: "Order food now—free delivery in 30 minutes!"

Desktop campaign: "Browse our full menu and reviews online."

4. Use Mobile-Preferred Ads & Extensions
Microsoft Ads automatically detects device, but you can:

Write mobile-specific ad copy (shorter, action-oriented)

Use call extensions or location extensions more aggressively on mobile

Optimize your mobile landing page (fast load, thumb-friendly design)

5. Budget Allocation Based on Device Share
After testing, shift your budget toward the higher-performing device.

For example:

If mobile accounts for 70% of traffic and has a lower CPA, increase its share of your daily budget.

If desktop drives higher AOVs, keep budget allocated there for profitability.

📊 Tip: Use campaign experiments to test these budget shifts before rolling them out account-wide.

6. Time of Day + Device Optimization
Layer ad scheduling with device targeting.

Example:

Mobile: Boost bids during lunch and evening (on-the-go behavior).

Desktop: Focus on 9 AM–5 PM for B2B or research-heavy services.

7. Monitor & Refine Continuously
This isn't set-and-forget. Monitor:

Device-level conversion rates over time

ROAS fluctuations by day and device

The impact of seasonality (e.g., holiday shopping = mobile-heavy)

Adjust your bid modifiers and budgets accordingly.

✅ Quick Recap: Optimization Tactics

Device   When to Boost   What to Do
Mobile   Lower CPA, fast conversions   + Bid adj, mobile-only ads, use call/location extensions
Desktop   Higher AOV, longer conversions   + Bid adj, detailed ad copy, desktop-friendly pages
Tablet   Often unpredictable   Test performance, consider - bid adj if underperforming