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10 min read
For savvy B2B marketers, Microsoft Ads is a goldmine. It offers access to a mature, professional audience with significant purchasing power, often at a lower cost-per-click than its Google counterpart.
Simul Sarker
CEO of DataCops
Last Updated
December 9, 2025
The Opportunity: For savvy B2B marketers, Microsoft Ads is goldmine. It offers access to mature, professional audience with significant purchasing power, often at lower cost-per-click than Google counterpart.
The Requirement: To tap into this value, you must first master its measurement system, which begins and ends with Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag.
The Reality: Installing UET tag is mandatory price of admission. It's piece of code that powers everything from conversion tracking and remarketing to Microsoft powerful automated bidding strategies.
The Critical Truth: However, it's crucial to understand its limitations from outset. UET tag, like all traditional tracking pixels, is browser-side tool. It's inherently vulnerable to ever-growing wave of ad blockers and privacy restrictions that are punching black holes in your data.
This Guide: Provides complete, step-by-step walkthrough for implementing UET tag. We show you how to install it, verify it's working, and set up conversion goals. But we also show you its place in modern, resilient measurement framework.
Universal Event Tracking (UET) tag is Microsoft Advertising version of Google Ads tag or LinkedIn Insight Tag.
It's single JavaScript snippet that you install across your entire website.
Once active, its mission is to provide critical data for three essential functions:
Its primary job is to tell you when user who clicked your ad completes valuable action, such as:
Requesting demo
Downloading whitepaper
Making purchase
UET tag allows you to build powerful audience lists for remarketing.
You can:
Target users who visited your product pages but did not convert
Create "similar audiences" to find new prospects who resemble your best customers
Microsoft most powerful bidding strategies, like "Maximize Conversions" or "Target CPA," rely entirely on data fed to them by UET tag.
More accurate and complete this data is, better algorithm can perform to find you high-value clicks.
While tag is essential for all three, its reliability for conversion tracking is where cracks begin to show.
All browser-side pixels are fighting losing battle against data loss.
Large and growing percentage of users run ad blockers that prevent UET tag from ever loading.
For these users, you have zero visibility.
Apple ITP and other privacy-centric browsers severely limit ability of tags like UET to track users over time.
Making attribution for longer B2B sales cycles nearly impossible.
Data reported by UET tag is, by definition, incomplete.
It's guess based on fraction of your traffic that is not blocking it.
Microsoft offers seemingly convenient feature: ability to import your conversion goals directly from linked Google Ads account.
Do not use this as long-term solution.
Why it's strategic error:
Makes entire Microsoft Ads measurement dependent on Google own flawed, pixel-based data
Creates data lag
Obscures true, independent performance of your Microsoft campaigns
Prevents you from ever conducting clean, apples-to-apples comparison between two platforms
To measure Microsoft Ads accurately, you must use Microsoft native tools.
Let's get tag installed correctly. Process is straightforward and can be done via direct installation or, more commonly, through Google Tag Manager.
Log in to your Microsoft Advertising account
In top menu, click on Tools
From dropdown, select UET tag
Click + Create UET tag button
Give it clear name (e.g., "Main Website UET Tag")
Save the tag
You will now be presented with tracking code
You don't need entire code block if you're using GTM
Only piece of information you need is Tag ID, numerical string that is clearly displayed
Copy this ID
Google Tag Manager is recommended method for its flexibility and ease of use.
If you are not using tag manager, you will need to paste code directly into your site.
Copy entire UET tag JavaScript snippet provided by Microsoft
Access your website source code (you may need developer for this)
Paste code snippet on every page of your website, right before closing </body> tag
Save and publish changes
Log in to your Google Tag Manager account and open your website container
Navigate to Tags and click New
Name your tag something descriptive, like "Microsoft Ads - UET Tag"
Click Tag Configuration box
Choose "Microsoft Advertising Universal Event Tracking" tag type from list
In Microsoft Advertising Tag ID field, paste Tag ID you copied from Microsoft Ads in Step 1
Click Triggering box below it
Select All Pages trigger to fire tag on every pageview
Save the tag
Click Submit and Publish your container to set changes live
Never assume installation worked. Always verify.
Method 1: Use UET Tag Helper
Easiest method is to install UET Tag Helper extension for Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
Steps:
Install UET Tag Helper extension
Navigate to your website
Click extension icon
It will tell you if UET tag is found and implemented correctly
Method 2: Check in Microsoft Ads
Go back to UET tag section in Microsoft Advertising.
Within few hours, status of your tag should change from "Unverified" to "Tag active," with green checkmark.
With tag active, you now need to tell Microsoft what "conversion" is.
In Microsoft Advertising, go to Tools > Conversion goals
Click + Create conversion goal button
Give goal specific name (e.g., "Ebook Download" or "Contact Form Submission")
For most common type of tracking, select Website
Choose goal category (e.g., "Submit lead form")
For goal type, select Destination URL (this is simplest and most reliable method for tracking form submissions)
In "Destination URL" details, set logic to Equals to
Paste full URL of "thank you" or confirmation page that users see after they convert (example: https://yourcompany.com/thank-you-contact)
Configure remaining settings like attribution, revenue (if applicable), and count
Save the goal
Your UET tag will now report conversion every time user who has interacted with your ad lands on that specific destination URL.
You have now correctly installed UET tag and are tracking browser-side conversions.
You are ahead of many advertisers, but you are still operating with incomplete dataset.
You must augment browser-side UET tag with server-side signal.
This is accomplished using Microsoft Advertising Conversions API (CAPI).
This API allows your server to talk directly to Microsoft server, sending conversion data in way that is 100% invisible to ad blockers.
DataCops platform uses unblockable first-party script to:
Capture every user action with perfect accuracy
Filter out fraudulent bot traffic
Send clean, complete conversion data directly to Microsoft CAPI
The Complete System:
UET Tag: Handles your remarketing audiences
DataCops + Microsoft CAPI: Handle your accurate, server-side conversion counting
This hybrid model is new best practice:
Gives you audience data you need from browser
Ensures core conversion and revenue metrics are undeniably accurate via server
1. UET tag is essential but insufficient Mandatory for Microsoft Ads, but vulnerable to blockers and ITP.
2. Three core functions of UET tag Conversion tracking, remarketing, automated bidding.
3. Remarketing is strongest function Browser-based audience building remains indispensable.
4. Conversion tracking is weakest function Data loss from ad blockers and privacy restrictions creates black holes.
5. Avoid Google Ads import trap Long-term reliance on imported goals obscures true Microsoft performance.
6. Installation is straightforward Via manual HTML or Google Tag Manager (recommended).
7. Verification is critical Use UET Tag Helper or check for green checkmark in Microsoft Ads.
8. Server-side signal completes picture Microsoft CAPI with first-party platform (DataCops) recovers lost conversions.
Pre-Installation:
[ ] Access to Microsoft Advertising account
[ ] Admin access to website or Google Tag Manager
[ ] Copy Tag ID from Microsoft Ads UET tag settings
Installation (GTM Method):
[ ] Create new tag in Google Tag Manager
[ ] Select "Microsoft Advertising Universal Event Tracking" tag type
[ ] Paste Tag ID in Microsoft Advertising Tag ID field
[ ] Set trigger to "All Pages"
[ ] Save tag
[ ] Submit and publish GTM container
Post-Installation:
[ ] Install UET Tag Helper extension and verify tag fires
[ ] Check for "Tag active" with green checkmark in Microsoft Ads
[ ] Create conversion goals in Microsoft Advertising
[ ] Define destination URLs for conversions
[ ] Set attribution windows
Advanced Setup:
[ ] Implement Microsoft Advertising Conversions API for server-side tracking
[ ] Deploy first-party data platform (DataCops) to bypass blockers
[ ] Filter bot traffic for accurate conversion counting
[ ] Unify browser-side and server-side signals
You have installed UET tag correctly. Now complete tracking system:
Step 1: Understand Limitations
UET tag is blocked by significant percentage of B2B audience
Privacy restrictions limit long-term tracking
Conversion data is incomplete
Step 2: Implement Server-Side Tracking
Set up Microsoft Advertising Conversions API
Deploy first-party data platform (DataCops)
Send conversion data directly from server to Microsoft
Step 3: Verify Complete System
Compare UET tag conversions to actual sales
Calculate data loss percentage
Monitor server-side conversion delivery
Step 4: Optimize with Clean Data
Build remarketing audiences from complete user data
Use automated bidding with accurate conversion data
Optimize campaigns based on undeniably accurate metrics
Tools: DataCops provides first-party tracking that bypasses ad blockers, filters bot traffic, and implements Microsoft Advertising Conversions API automatically. Completes UET tag with server-side signal for complete, accurate conversion counting.
The bottom line: UET tag is essential foundation for any successful Microsoft Advertising effort. Installing it correctly is non-negotiable first step. But in today's privacy-first world, stopping there means accepting incomplete data and flawed optimization. By following this guide, you have built solid foundation. Next and most critical step is to complete your measurement architecture with server-side solution that protects you from data loss and ensures every dollar of ad spend is measured with absolute accuracy.
About DataCops: First-party analytics platform that complements Microsoft Ads UET tag with unblockable tracking, bot filtering, and Microsoft Advertising Conversions API integration. Provides complete, accurate conversion data while UET tag handles audience building.
