MSCLKID is the click identifier Microsoft Advertising automatically adds to your landing page URL whenever someone clicks one of your Bing or Yahoo search ads. Aesthetix CRM recognizes this identifier for lead attribution, so you can see which patients came from your Microsoft Advertising campaigns. This guide covers what happens automatically, what's different about Microsoft Advertising compared to Google Ads and Meta Ads, and the one setup step needed to get a clean MSCLKID value onto a contact record.
Unlike Google Ads, there is no Microsoft Advertising account connection to set up in Aesthetix CRM. MSCLKID recognition works directly off your landing page URL, so you don't need to link an account under Settings → Integrations for this to function.
What you do need:
Auto-tagging enabled in your Microsoft Advertising account. This is what appends MSCLKID to your destination URL automatically. It's on by default, so this is usually already in place.
An Aesthetix CRM landing page with a native form, calendar, chat widget, or order form. The conversion needs to happen on an Aesthetix CRM element for any attribution data, including MSCLKID, to be captured.
Microsoft Advertising is handled differently from Google Ads and Meta Ads inside Aesthetix CRM, and it's worth understanding the distinction before you set anything up.
Google Ads: Connects directly to Aesthetix CRM under Settings → Integrations. Ad Manager lets you build and manage Google Search campaigns, and offline conversions can be sent back to Google Ads automatically through Ad Manager or a workflow action, matched using GCLID, GBRAID, or WBRAID. See the Google Ads Conversion Tracking guide for the full setup.
Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram): Also connects directly to Aesthetix CRM. Ad Manager supports building and managing Meta campaigns, and the Facebook Conversions API sends conversion events back to Meta.
Microsoft Advertising (Bing/Yahoo): There is no account connection, no campaign management, and no way to send conversions back to Microsoft Advertising from inside Aesthetix CRM. MSCLKID is recognized only for lead attribution purposes. It tells you that a patient came from a Bing or Yahoo ad click, but it does not sync spend, campaign performance, or offline conversions the way Google Ads and Meta Ads do.
In short: Google and Meta are two-way — Aesthetix CRM can both receive attribution and send performance data back to the ad platform. Microsoft Advertising is one-way — Aesthetix CRM can receive and record the click, but nothing is sent back.
No setup is required for this part. When MSCLKID is present anywhere in the landing page URL at the moment of a qualifying conversion, Aesthetix CRM classifies that contact's session source as Paid Search — the same category used for Google Ads clicks (GCLID, GBRAID, WBRAID). This happens automatically the moment a patient converts through a native Aesthetix CRM form, calendar, chat widget, or order form; there is nothing to configure for the session source itself to register correctly.
Session source alone tells you a lead was Paid Search, but it won't tell you whether that click came from Google or Microsoft unless you also capture the raw MSCLKID value. To do that, add the native Attribution field to the form on your Bing/Yahoo ad's landing page.
What you need: Access to the Form Builder for the form used on your Microsoft Advertising landing page.
Steps:
Open the form in Form Builder.
Click Add Object Fields, then select the Attribution category.
Drag Attribution - MSCLKID onto the form.
Open the field's settings and check Hidden, so it captures the value without showing on the live form. Leave the Hidden value blank.
Click Save.
Expected outcome: Once saved, this field pulls the MSCLKID value from the URL automatically and writes it directly to the contact's record when the form is submitted — no additional workflow step is needed. You'll find it on the contact record under its custom field, alongside the contact's Paid Search session source.
Session source (Paid Search): Contacts → the contact record → Activity tab, bottom-right column. This shows First and Latest Attribution.
The MSCLKID value itself: on the contact record's custom fields, under Attribution - MSCLKID, once the field above has been added to your form.
Because Microsoft Advertising has no account connection in Aesthetix CRM, a few things that work for Google Ads and Meta Ads don't apply here:
No ad spend or campaign performance reporting. Review that inside Microsoft Advertising directly.
No automatic offline conversion sending. There is no equivalent to the Add to Google Ads workflow action for Microsoft Advertising. If you want to send conversions (such as booked consultations) back to Microsoft Advertising, that needs to be configured directly inside Microsoft Advertising using its own UET conversion goals and offline conversion import tools.
No campaign creation or management. Microsoft Advertising campaigns are built and managed in the Microsoft Advertising platform, not in Aesthetix CRM's Ad Manager.
If you're looking for a combined view of Microsoft Advertising spend alongside your Aesthetix CRM lead and booking data, that would require a custom reporting setup. You can submit a Custom Build Request for a quote.
Does Aesthetix CRM connect to my Microsoft Advertising account the way it connects to Google Ads?
No. There is no account connection for Microsoft Advertising. MSCLKID recognition works directly from the landing page URL and does not require linking an account.
Can I send offline conversions back to Microsoft Advertising like I can with Google Ads? Not from Aesthetix CRM. That needs to be set up directly in Microsoft Advertising using its own UET conversion goals and offline conversion import tools.
Will a Bing or Yahoo ad lead be labeled "Microsoft Ads" on the contact record?
No. It's grouped under the same Paid Search source used for Google Ads. To confirm a lead specifically came from Microsoft Advertising, check the MSCLKID custom field on the contact record.
Do I need to do anything for MSCLKID to affect a contact's session source?
No. This happens automatically as soon as MSCLKID is present in the URL at the time of a qualifying conversion.
Do I need to do anything to see the MSCLKID value on the contact record itself?
Yes. Add the Attribution - MSCLKID field to your form through Add Object Fields, and mark it Hidden, as described above.
What if I don't see "Attribution - MSCLKID" under Add Object Fields?
Reach out to your Onboarding Manager or our support team so we can confirm your account's form builder configuration.
Can I use Ad Manager to manage my Microsoft Advertising campaigns?
No. Ad Manager currently supports Google Ads and Meta Ads campaign management. Microsoft Advertising campaigns are managed directly in the Microsoft Advertising platform.
Does Microsoft Advertising serve ads on Yahoo too?
Yes. Microsoft Advertising's syndicated partner network includes Yahoo, and MSCLKID is used for both surfaces.
