Microsoft Ads Use msclkid But GA4 Thinks They're Organic Search

You're paying for Microsoft Ads clicks. But in GA4, they're showing up as "bing / organic" — free search traffic.

You can't tell the difference between someone who clicked your $5 ad and someone who found you through SEO. Your entire paid budget looks like free traffic.

The msclkid Problem

Microsoft Advertising automatically adds msclkid (Microsoft Click ID) to track every ad click:

yoursite.com/demo?msclkid=abc123def456

This parameter tells Microsoft which ad, keyword, and campaign generated the click. It's how Microsoft Ads:

• Measures campaign performance
• Attributes conversions to specific ads
• Optimizes bidding strategies
• Tracks ROI in Microsoft Ads Manager

But here's the critical issue: GA4 doesn't recognize msclkid for traffic classification.

Unlike Google's gclid — which GA4 reads automatically — Microsoft's msclkid is completely invisible to GA4's attribution logic.

Why Your Paid Traffic Looks Organic

When someone clicks your Microsoft ad, here's what GA4's classification logic sees:

1. Referrer: bing.com (search engine)
2. UTM parameters: None present
3. Click parameter: msclkid (unrecognized)

GA4's decision:

• Traffic from bing.com → Search engine traffic
• No paid indicators (no UTMs, unrecognized click ID) → Must be organic
• Result: "bing / organic"

The Real Impact

What this means for your reporting:

Your $2,000 monthly Microsoft Ads budget looks like:

• Source/Medium: bing / organic
• Channel: Organic Search
• Campaign: (not set)
• Cost: $0 (as far as GA4 knows)

Meanwhile, your actual organic Bing traffic:

• Also shows as: bing / organic
• Also classified: Organic Search

You literally cannot differentiate paid from free traffic. They're completely mixed together in GA4 reports.

Why Google Ads Works But Microsoft Ads Doesn't

Simple answer: GA4 is Google's product.

Google built native support for their own tracking parameters:

• ✅ gclid (Google Ads) - Automatically recognized
• ✅ gbraid (iOS Google Ads) - Automatically recognized
• ✅ wbraid (App campaigns) - Automatically recognized

But competitor click IDs get no special treatment:

• ❌ msclkid (Microsoft) - Ignored
• ❌ fbclid (Facebook) - Ignored
• ❌ ttclid (TikTok) - Ignored
• ❌ li_fat_id (LinkedIn) - Ignored

It's not a bug. It's by design.

The Fix: Add UTM Parameters

Microsoft's msclkid and UTM parameters work together without conflict. You need both:

• msclkid → Microsoft Ads conversion tracking
• UTM parameters → GA4 traffic classification

Step-by-Step Fix

In Microsoft Ads:

1. Navigate to campaign settings
2. Click Settings → Tracking template
3. Add UTM parameters:

Recommended structure:

?utm_source=bing
&utm_medium=cpc
&utm_campaign={campaign}
&utm_content={adgroup}
&utm_term={keyword}

Available Microsoft dynamic parameters:

• {campaign} - Campaign name
• {campaignid} - Campaign ID
• {adgroup} - Ad group name
• {adgroupid} - Ad group ID
• {keyword} - Keyword that triggered ad
• {matchtype} - Match type (Exact, Phrase, Broad)
• {device} - Device type (m/t/c)
• {network} - Network type

4. Save changes

What happens when user clicks:

Microsoft appends msclkid automatically:

yoursite.com/demo?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand_search&msclkid=abc123

Result:

• Microsoft reads msclkid for conversion tracking
• GA4 reads the UTMs for paid classification
• Both systems work properly with complete data

What Changes in GA4

Before (msclkid only):

• Source/Medium: bing / organic
• Channel: Organic Search
• Campaign: (not set)
• Paid traffic mixed with SEO
• Impossible to measure Microsoft Ads ROI

After (msclkid + UTMs):

• Source/Medium: bing / cpc
• Channel: Paid Search
• Campaign: brand_search
• Content: ad_group_enterprise
• Term: saas platform pricing
• Clear paid vs organic separation
• Accurate ROI measurement

You can finally:

• Compare Microsoft Ads to Google Ads performance
• Calculate true cost per acquisition
• Optimize budget allocation between platforms
• Prove Microsoft Ads ROI to stakeholders

Advanced: Apply UTMs Account-Wide

Efficiency tip: Add UTMs at the account level to cover all campaigns automatically.

In Microsoft Ads:

1. Click Tools → Tracking
2. Select Account tracking template
3. Add UTM structure
4. All campaigns (current and future) inherit these UTMs

Benefit: Set it once, never worry about it again.

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Still Showing as Organic

Problem: Added UTMs but some traffic still shows as organic.

Cause: URL redirects stripping parameters.

Fix:

• Check for 301/302 redirects on landing pages
• Ensure redirects preserve query parameters
• Test manually by clicking ads

Issue 2: UTMs Not Populating

Problem: Dynamic parameters show as {campaign} literally.

Cause: Incorrect syntax or tracking template error.

Fix:

• Verify exact syntax: {campaign} (single curly braces, lowercase)
• Clear Microsoft Ads cache (wait 5-10 minutes after saving)
• Test with manual values first

Issue 3: Duplicate Organic Traffic

Problem: Getting both organic and paid traffic from same keywords.

Cause: This is normal! Paid and organic can co-exist.

Fix:

• With UTMs, you'll now see both separately:
  • Paid: bing / cpc
  • Organic: bing / organic
• This is correct behavior

FAQ

Why does Google Ads work automatically but Microsoft Ads doesn't?

GA4 is Google's product. They built native support for gclid (their own parameter) but not competitors' click IDs like msclkid. This gives Google Ads a tracking advantage, but manual UTMs level the playing field.

Will this break Microsoft Ads conversion tracking?

No. Microsoft's UET tag and conversion tracking operate completely independently using msclkid. UTMs only affect GA4 classification. Both systems track conversions simultaneously without conflicts.

Should I use "bing" or "microsoft" as utm_source?

Use bing for consistency with organic search reporting. GA4 groups all Bing traffic together, so using "bing" for paid ads makes source/medium comparisons easier.

What utm_medium should I use?

Use cpc (cost-per-click) to match Google Ads convention. GA4 will classify this as "Paid Search" just like Google Ads traffic.

Can I track Microsoft Shopping Ads separately?

Yes, use utm_medium to differentiate:

• Search ads: utm_medium=cpc
• Shopping ads: utm_medium=shopping

This separates them in GA4 reports.

How long until I see the fix working?

Immediate for new clicks. Test by clicking your own ad and checking GA4 Real-time reports within 60 seconds. Historical data remains unaffected.

What about Microsoft Audience Network?

Audience Network (display ads) uses the same tracking template. UTMs automatically apply to both search and display campaigns.

Does this affect Bing Webmaster Tools?

No. Bing Webmaster Tools tracks organic search separately. UTMs only affect paid ad tracking in GA4.

Can I use the same UTMs for Google and Microsoft Ads?

Use different campaign names to differentiate platforms:

• Microsoft: utm_campaign=bing_brand_search
• Google: utm_campaign=google_brand_search

This prevents attribution confusion in GA4.

Why don't Microsoft Ads and GA4 numbers match perfectly?

Expect 5-15% variance due to:

• Ad blockers (block GA4, not Microsoft tracking)
• Bot filtering differences
• Attribution window differences
• Session timeout differences

This is normal across all platforms.

Related Resources

Internal Guides

• Fix Microsoft Ads UTM Conflict - Complete setup guide
• Platform Click ID Conflicts - All platforms comparison
• Complete UTM Tracking Guide (GA4 2025) - UTM fundamentals

Microsoft Official Documentation

• Microsoft Ads Auto-tagging - msclkid documentation
• URL Tracking Parameters - Dynamic parameters guide

Conclusion

Microsoft Ads' msclkid is invisible to GA4. Without manual UTM parameters, all paid Bing traffic shows as organic search with zero campaign attribution.

The solution:

• ✅ Microsoft automatically adds msclkid (for Microsoft Ads tracking)
• ✅ You manually add UTMs (for GA4 attribution)
• ✅ Both parameters coexist without conflicts
• ✅ Microsoft Ads uses msclkid for conversions
• ✅ GA4 uses UTMs for traffic classification
• ✅ Complete tracking across both platforms

Result: Finally see which Microsoft Ads campaigns drive conversions, compare Microsoft vs Google performance, and calculate true ROI instead of assuming paid traffic is organic.

---

Related Documentation:

• Platform Click ID Conflicts
• Microsoft Ads Tracking Validation