Bing and Microsoft Ads offline conversions: what to do when your tool doesn't support them

But the question is real, and people search for it, so let me give you something useful anyway.

Why it's worth caring about. Microsoft Ads traffic tends to be different from Google's: older audiences, more desktop, more B2B in some sectors. And the same problem applies: if the platform only hears about the form fill, it optimises for form fills. Bing accounts that never get the later stages back are in exactly the same position as Google accounts that don't.

Microsoft Advertising has its own way to import offline conversions, based on its own click ID (the msclkid). I'd check Microsoft's current documentation for the exact requirements, because they change, and I'd rather point you to the source than quote a rule from memory.

What I can tell you about the shape of the problem, because it's the same as everywhere.

The click ID has to be captured when the visitor lands. On Microsoft, that's the msclkid parameter on the landing page URL. If your form doesn't save it, or your redirect strips it, there's nothing to upload later. This is the same relay race as the GCLID on Google.

The click ID has to travel with the lead into the CRM, and it has to still be there when the deal closes.

The conversion has to be sent within the platform's window, with the right timestamp and the right conversion goal.

And every fake lead that reaches the stage you send teaches the platform the wrong customer.

So the practical advice, whichever tool you use. Add a hidden field for the msclkid alongside your other click IDs. Test it on the ugly paths: embedded forms, redirects, return visits. Record the date of each stage in your CRM. And keep a habit of tracing one recent won deal end to end.

If you're on several platforms, here's the honest split. Use a tool that covers the platforms it supports (for us, Meta, Google Ads, TikTok and LinkedIn), and handle Microsoft separately with its own import until you have a reason to consolidate. That's not elegant, but it beats sending nothing.

How do you decide whether Microsoft Ads deserves its own offline setup? A quick way to think about it.

Look at spend. If Microsoft is a small share of your budget, the effort of a separate flow may not pay back yet, and the simplest step is to make sure you capture the msclkid on every lead, so you can act later.

Look at the sales cycle. If your leads convert quickly, a periodic upload may be enough, because the windows are forgiving. If cycles are long, capture matters more.

Look at the trend. If Bing spend is growing, build the capture now, because the click IDs you don't store today can't be recovered later.

And look at your tool. Ask any vendor, including us, plainly: which platforms do you send to, and which don't you? A clear answer is worth more than a long feature list.

Are you running Microsoft Ads? How do you get sales back into it today?