How can I create custom reports to analyze performance by location in Bing Ads?

Creating custom reports to analyze performance by location in Bing Ads (Microsoft Advertising) allows you to gain detailed insights into how different geographic areas impact your campaign's performance. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to create and use custom reports for location performance analysis:

### **1. Access Bing Ads Reporting**

- **Log In**: Sign in to your Bing Ads account.
- **Navigate to Reports**: Go to the "Reports" section, usually found in the left-hand menu or under the "Tools" tab.

### **2. Choose a Report Type**

- **Custom Report**: Select "Custom Report" from the reporting options. This allows you to build a report tailored to your specific needs.
- **Location Report**: Alternatively, you can choose a predefined "Location Performance Report" if available, which focuses specifically on geographic performance.

### **3. Define Report Parameters**

- **Select Metrics**: Choose the key performance metrics you want to analyze, such as clicks, impressions, CTR, conversions, cost-per-click (CPC), and return on ad spend (ROAS). You may also want to include metrics like conversion rate and cost-per-conversion.
- **Choose Dimensions**: For location performance, make sure to include "Geographic Location" or similar dimensions that show performance data by location.

### **4. Configure Location Settings**

- **Location Filter**: Apply filters to narrow down the report to specific locations. You can select individual cities, regions, or countries depending on your needs.
- **Geographic Breakdown**: Ensure that the report is set to break down data by geographic location. This might be under "Geography" or a similar option, where you can specify country, state, city, or even postal code.

### **5. Customize Report Layout**

- **Columns and Rows**: Arrange columns to display the most relevant data. For instance, you may want columns for location name, impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost.
- **Grouping and Sorting**: Group and sort data to highlight the most important insights. For example, you could group by location and sort by conversion rate to identify high-performing areas.

### **6. Set Date Range**

- **Date Range**: Choose the date range for the report. This could be a specific time period, such as the past 30 days, or a custom range based on your campaign needs.
- **Compare Dates**: Optionally, compare performance across different date ranges to identify trends or changes over time.

### **7. Generate and Review the Report**

- **Generate Report**: Click on the "Generate" or "Run Report" button to create the report based on your settings.
- **Review Results**: Examine the report to analyze how different locations are performing. Look for patterns, trends, or anomalies in the data.

### **8. Export and Share**

- **Export Options**: Export the report in your preferred format, such as Excel (.xlsx), CSV, or PDF, for further analysis or sharing with stakeholders.
- **Automated Reporting**: Set up automated reporting if you need regular updates on location performance. This can be done by scheduling reports to be generated and emailed at specified intervals.

### **9. Analyze and Optimize**

- **Performance Insights**: Analyze the data to understand which locations are performing well and which are not. Look for insights such as high-performing areas with low costs or locations with high conversion rates.
- **Optimize Campaigns**: Use the insights to make data-driven decisions. For example, you might increase bids for high-performing locations, adjust your targeting, or optimize ad copy based on location-specific performance.

### **10. Example Custom Report Setup**

**Scenario**: You want to analyze the performance of your ads in different cities to optimize your local targeting.

1. **Go to Reports**: Navigate to the "Reports" section in Bing Ads.
2. **Select Custom Report**: Choose "Custom Report."
3. **Add Metrics**: Include metrics like clicks, impressions, cost, conversions, and conversion rate.
4. **Add Dimensions**: Choose "Geographic Location" as a dimension to break down data by city.
5. **Set Date Range**: Choose the last 30 days.
6. **Generate Report**: Create the report to review performance by city.
7. **Export**: Save the report as an Excel file.
8. **Review and Act**: Analyze which cities have the highest conversion rates and lowest cost-per-conversion. Adjust your bids and targeting strategies accordingly.

### **Tips for Effective Reporting**

- **Granularity**: Adjust the granularity of your location data based on your needs. For larger campaigns, you might want more detailed geographic breakdowns (e.g., city vs. state).
- **Custom Segments**: Create custom segments based on performance metrics to identify trends within specific geographic areas.
- **Regular Updates**: Regularly update and review your location performance reports to stay informed about changes and make timely optimizations.

By following these steps, you can create detailed and insightful reports that help you analyze and optimize your Bing Ads campaigns based on geographic performance.