Microsoft Ads CPA

Microsoft publishes no CPA benchmark; like Google, costs are auction-set. The published survey context: LocaliQ's 2026 benchmarks pool Google and Microsoft search campaigns at $66.69 average cost per lead. The Microsoft-specific story is lower competition, lower volume, same keywords.

Auction-based pay-per-click, same keyword-auction mechanics as Google Ads; advertiser sets bids and budgets. No rate card, no published CPA benchmark first-party.▸Microsoft · checked 2026 No rate card, no benchmark table, verified 2026-08-01. Product mechanics mirror Google's: keyword auctions, automated bidding including a Target CPA equivalent, import tooling from Google campaigns.

The 2026 survey▸LocaliQ · 2026 survey explicitly covers both engines' search campaigns in one dataset, so the per-industry rows on the benchmarks table are your Microsoft context too. The survey does not publish a per-engine split, so any claimed "Microsoft is X% cheaper" figure needs its own source and vintage; we do not print one because the current survey does not support one. The honest cross-engine method is your own split test: Google vs Microsoft walks through it.

• Import the Google campaign structure, then re-set targets: a Google-tuned target CPA lands in different auction density. Let Microsoft's bidding learn its own level for two conversion cycles.
• Expect thinner volume per keyword. Thin conversion data makes automated bidding noisier; consolidate ad groups sooner than you would on Google (learning mechanics).
• Judge the engine on marginal CPA against your ceiling, not on beating your Google average: cheaper marginal conversions extend reach even when the average matches.