Microsoft ads Bing offline conversion tracking

Microsoft Advertising is smaller than Google Ads but often cheaper per click, and B2B and desktop-heavy audiences are strong there. The mechanics of offline conversions are the same as elsewhere: tie a later sale to the ad click. This page explains the steps, with the usual caution that Microsoft updates its tools, so check its help centre for current details. For the Google equivalent see Google Ads offline conversions.

Step 1: capture msclkid

Microsoft adds msclkid to ad links when auto-tagging is on. Store it in a first-party cookie when the visitor lands, and write it to the lead at the form. If a privacy browser removes it, add a custom parameter that carries the same value in your ad URL, and restore it on the server. Open Tracked's Click ID Restorer (every plan) turns a custom parameter into msclkid on the server. See Safari removes click IDs.

Works worldwide

Runs on your domain, anywhere

Your tracking runs on your own domain, so a visit from any country is handled the same way.

Step 2: create the goal

Step 3: upload

Upload conversions with the click ID, the goal name, the time and the value. You can upload a file in the interface or use the API. Many teams export new stage changes from the CRM each day and upload them. A server container can send them as they happen. Microsoft accepts uploads within a window after the click, so do not wait for the end of the month.

Matching and consent

• Match on msclkid first. Enhanced conversions options exist for some set-ups; check what applies.
• Send only data you have consent to use for advertising.
• Respect consent signals for UET. See consent management for Microsoft Advertising.

Common problems

A worked example: a B2B equipment supplier

A supplier of industrial equipment advertises on Microsoft Advertising to reach office workers searching during the day. Enquiries come through a form and a salesperson follows up. The supplier turns on auto-tagging, stores the msclkid with each enquiry, and each week exports the enquiries that became orders from the CRM. It uploads them with the click ID, the order value and the date. After a couple of months the account shows which campaigns and keywords produce orders rather than enquiries, and the supplier moves budget towards them. The weekly upload is simple, and it is enough to change how the account is run.

If your volume grows, automate the upload. A webhook from the CRM to a server container, and a tag that sends each conversion as it happens, saves the manual work and shortens the delay between a sale and the platform's learning. Keep the weekly manual upload as a fall-back for a while, and compare the two, so you trust the automation before you retire the process.

Terms you will see

msclkid

The click ID Microsoft Advertising adds to ad links.

Auto-tagging

The setting that adds the click ID to your ad URLs automatically.

Offline conversion goal

A goal for conversions you upload after they happen.

UET

Microsoft's Universal Event Tracking tag.

Upload window

How long after a click a conversion can still be imported.

Keep a simple log of each upload: the date, the number of rows, how many Microsoft accepted and how many it rejected. Rejections tend to cluster around the same causes, such as a missing click ID or a wrong goal name, and the log shows them quickly. If the share of rejected rows grows, look at the capture on the form first, because that is where most of the loss begins.

If you also run Google Ads, reuse the same lead record and the same stages. The only difference is the click ID and the upload route. Keeping one stage list for all platforms makes reports comparable, so you can see, for example, that a Microsoft click costs less than a Google click for the same qualified lead. That comparison is often the reason a team keeps the smaller platform running.

Frequently asked questions

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Written by

The Open Tracked team

We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?

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