Step by Step Guide to Building a Microsoft Bing Ads API Integration in Go

Introduction

Hey there, fellow Go developer! Ready to supercharge your advertising game with the Bing Ads API? You're in the right place. This guide will walk you through integrating this powerful tool into your Go projects. The Bing Ads API is a game-changer for advertisers, offering programmatic access to campaign management, reporting, and more. Let's dive in!

Prerequisites

Before we start coding, make sure you've got:

• Go installed (I know, obvious, right?)
• Bing Ads API credentials (if you don't have these, hop over to the Microsoft Advertising developer portal)
• Your favorite code editor ready to rock

Setting up the project

First things first, let's set up our project:

mkdir bing-ads-integration
cd bing-ads-integration
go mod init github.com/yourusername/bing-ads-integration

Now, let's grab the packages we'll need:

go get github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/azidentity
go get github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/azcore

Authentication

Authentication is key (pun intended). We'll use OAuth 2.0:

import (
    "github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/azidentity"
)

func getToken() (*azidentity.TokenCredential, error) {
    cred, err := azidentity.NewClientSecretCredential(
        tenantID, clientID, clientSecret, nil,
    )
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    return cred, nil
}

Basic API Requests

Let's make our first API call:

import (
    "github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/sdk/azcore/policy"
    "github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go/services/bingads"
)

func getAccountInfo(cred *azidentity.TokenCredential) (*bingads.Account, error) {
    client, err := bingads.NewAccountManagementClient(cred, nil)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    account, err := client.GetAccount(context.Background(), accountID, nil)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return account, nil
}

Working with Campaigns

Creating a campaign is a breeze:

func createCampaign(client *bingads.CampaignManagementClient) (*bingads.Campaign, error) {
    campaign := &bingads.Campaign{
        Name: to.StringPtr("My Awesome Campaign"),
        BudgetType: bingads.BudgetTypeDailyBudgetStandard.ToPtr(),
        DailyBudget: to.Float64Ptr(50.00),
    }
    
    result, err := client.AddCampaigns(context.Background(), accountID, []bingads.Campaign{*campaign}, nil)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return &result.CampaignIds[0], nil
}

Managing Ads

Let's create a text ad:

func createTextAd(client *bingads.CampaignManagementClient, adGroupID string) (*bingads.TextAd, error) {
    ad := &bingads.TextAd{
        Text: to.StringPtr("Check out our amazing products!"),
        Title: to.StringPtr("Amazing Products"),
        DisplayURL: to.StringPtr("www.example.com"),
        FinalURLs: &[]string{"https://www.example.com/products"},
    }
    
    result, err := client.AddAds(context.Background(), adGroupID, []bingads.Ad{ad}, nil)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return result.AdIds[0], nil
}

Handling Reporting

Reporting is crucial. Here's how to request a report:

func requestReport(client *bingads.ReportingClient) (*bingads.ReportRequestStatus, error) {
    request := &bingads.ReportRequest{
        ReportName: to.StringPtr("My Performance Report"),
        Format: bingads.ReportFormatCSV.ToPtr(),
        ReportType: bingads.ReportTypeAccountPerformanceReport.ToPtr(),
        ReturnOnlyCompleteData: to.BoolPtr(false),
    }
    
    result, err := client.SubmitGenerateReport(context.Background(), request, nil)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    
    return result, nil
}

Error Handling and Best Practices

Always implement retry logic and respect rate limits:

func retryableRequest(f func() error) error {
    maxRetries := 3
    for i := 0; i < maxRetries; i++ {
        err := f()
        if err == nil {
            return nil
        }
        time.Sleep(time.Second * time.Duration(math.Pow(2, float64(i))))
    }
    return fmt.Errorf("max retries exceeded")
}

Testing

Don't forget to test your integration:

func TestGetAccountInfo(t *testing.T) {
    mockClient := &MockBingAdsClient{}
    account, err := getAccountInfo(mockClient)
    assert.NoError(t, err)
    assert.NotNil(t, account)
}

Conclusion

And there you have it! You're now equipped to integrate the Bing Ads API into your Go projects. Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The API offers a wealth of features to explore. Keep experimenting, and happy coding!

For more in-depth information, check out the official Bing Ads API documentation. Now go forth and conquer the world of programmatic advertising!