Microsoft Advertising traffic (formerly Bing Ads) shows up in Google Analytics 4 under the Paid Search channel, as long as your ad URLs carry UTM tags. Universal Analytics, which earlier versions of this article covered, stopped processing data in 2023 and 2024, so everything below reflects GA4 only.
You do not need to rebuild your tracking setup from scratch. Most of what changed is where you look, not what you track. Get the UTM tags and the UET tag configured correctly, and Microsoft Ads traffic and conversions become visible in both platforms.
What Is Microsoft Advertising's UET Tag?
UET (Universal Event Tracking) is Microsoft Advertising’s tracking tag. It is a single snippet placed sitewide that records engagement and conversions after someone clicks a Microsoft Ads (Bing) ad, and it is still the current way to track conversions inside Microsoft Advertising itself.
Bing Ads became Microsoft Advertising in April 2019. Bing remains the consumer search engine brand; Microsoft Advertising is the name of the advertising platform built on top of it.
UET supports four goal types:
- Destination: a goal fires when a specific URL loads, such as a thank-you page.
- Duration: a goal fires based on how long a session lasts.
- Pages per visit: a goal fires based on how many pages someone views in a session.
- Event: a goal fires on a specific action, like a button click, and requires custom event code in addition to the UET tag.
How Do You Set Up UET Tracking?
Add the UET tag through Google Tag Manager, either as a first-time setup or as a replacement for older Campaign Analytics goals.
If you have no existing conversion tracking
- Create your first goal in Microsoft Advertising. This generates your UET tracking tag.
- Install the tag sitewide through Google Tag Manager.
- Add any additional goals and connect them to the same tag.
If you already have Campaign Analytics goals set up
- Create a new goal in Microsoft Advertising’s Goals and Conversions section.
- Install the new UET tag sitewide through Google Tag Manager.
- Remove the old Campaign Analytics tags to avoid double-counting conversions.
- Turn off analytics under the old Campaign Analytics settings.
How Do You See Microsoft Ads Traffic in GA4?
Microsoft Ads traffic shows up in GA4 under the Paid Search channel, labeled by session source/medium as bing / cpc, but only if your ad URLs carry the right UTM tags. Microsoft’s own auto-tagging (msclkid) does not set this for you.
GA4 classifies traffic into its Paid Search channel when the source matches a recognized search engine and the medium contains a term like cpc, ppc, or paid. For Microsoft Ads, that means tagging your destination URLs with utm_source=bing and utm_medium=cpc.
Microsoft Advertising also appends its own click identifier, msclkid, to ad URLs automatically. That parameter is useful for Microsoft’s own reporting, but it does not populate GA4’s source/medium fields on its own. Skip the UTM tags and GA4 will often log that traffic as “(not set)” or fold it into organic search instead of Paid Search.
|
Task |
Then (Universal Analytics) |
Now (GA4) |
|
See Bing/Microsoft traffic |
Acquisition > All Traffic > Channels > Bing / cpc |
Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition, filter Session source/medium to bing / cpc |
|
Track conversions |
Goals set up in the Shared Library, tied to the UET tag |
GA4 events/conversions, reconciled manually against Microsoft Advertising since there is no native import between the two |
|
Auto-tagging |
UET auto-added utm_source, utm_medium, utm_term, and utm_campaign |
msclkid auto-tags clicks for Microsoft’s own reporting, but GA4 still needs explicit UTM parameters to classify the session as Paid Search |
To see the traffic once it is tagged correctly, go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition and filter Session source/medium to bing / cpc, or build a custom Explore report if you want to segment it further.
Why Don't My Microsoft Ads and GA4 Numbers Match?
There is no native data sync between Microsoft Advertising and GA4, and the two platforms count differently by design, so some gap between them is normal and not necessarily a sign your tracking is broken.
Microsoft Advertising attributes conversions on a click basis. GA4 attributes them on a session basis. Cookie consent settings and cross-device behavior can widen the gap further on top of that.
If the two platforms are telling a similar story about trend direction, week over week or campaign over campaign, that is generally a good sign. Chasing an exact match between the two totals usually is not worth the time.
FAQ
Is Bing Ads the same as Microsoft Advertising?
Yes. Microsoft renamed Bing Ads to Microsoft Advertising in April 2019. Bing is still the consumer search engine brand; Microsoft Advertising is the name of the ad platform.
Do I still need UTM tags if Microsoft Ads has msclkid?
Yes. msclkid auto-tags clicks for Microsoft’s own reporting, but it does not populate GA4’s source/medium on its own. Without utm_source=bing and utm_medium=cpc on your ad URLs, GA4 often files that traffic under “(not set)” or folds it into organic search instead of Paid Search.
Why don’t my Microsoft Ads conversions match my GA4 conversions?
There is no native data sync between the two platforms, and they measure differently: Microsoft Advertising counts on a click basis, GA4 counts on a session basis. Cookie consent settings and cross-device behavior widen the gap further.
Is Universal Analytics still available?
No. Standard Universal Analytics stopped processing new data on July 1, 2023, and Universal Analytics 360 followed on July 1, 2024. Any instructions referencing the UA interface, including earlier versions of this article, no longer apply.
Where do I set up UET tracking today?
Inside your Microsoft Advertising account, with the tag placed sitewide through Google Tag Manager, rather than through GA4 directly. GA4 and Microsoft Advertising remain two separate tracking systems that you reconcile with consistent UTM tagging, not a shared setup.
Getting UTM tagging, UET, and GA4 aligned is a one-time setup, but keeping it aligned as both platforms continue to change is an ongoing job.
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If you want a second set of eyes on your Microsoft Ads and GA4 setup, or help making sense of the numbers once it is running, FourFront’s Paid Ads and Analytics teams can help. Contact us today for a free website assessment.
This article was originally posted in March 2015 by our former teammate, Daniel Tetteh. Because the original version answered this question in Universal Analytics, the content was updated by Leah Hart in August 2016.
