Most pay-per-call publishers start on Google and never look further. That leaves money on the table. Microsoft Advertising — the ad network behind Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo results and the Microsoft Start network — reaches a different slice of searchers, and for many call verticals that slice is exactly the one buyers want.
Why Bing works for calls
- Older, desktop-heavy audience. Bing is the default search engine on many Windows PCs and in Microsoft Edge. That audience skews older, which suits Medicare, final expense, home insurance and home services.
- Lower competition. Fewer advertisers bid on Bing, so cost per click is often lower than Google for the same keyword. Your mileage will vary by vertical and season.
- Easy setup. You can import a working Google Ads campaign directly into Microsoft Ads, including keywords, ads and assets, and then adjust bids.
Setting up a call campaign
Import your best-performing Google campaign first rather than building from scratch. After import:
- Replace the phone numbers with Bing-specific tracking numbers so you can measure each platform separately.
- Check the call extension (call asset) schedule matches the buyer's hours in their time zone.
- Review the search partner network. Microsoft's syndicated partners can add volume but sometimes lower-quality calls. Start with the partner network on, but segment results and exclude underperforming sites.
- Set audience and age bid adjustments if your buyer accepts only certain ages. For a Medicare campaign, there is little reason to pay full price for clicks from people under 60.
Desktop calls are still calls
Because more Bing traffic is on desktop, fewer people will tap a call button. Your landing page needs to do more work: a large, clear phone number at the top of the page, a short headline confirming what the caller will get, and a reason to call now ("speak to a licensed agent in under 2 minutes"). Many desktop users call from their mobile phone while reading the page — so the number must be easy to read, not just clickable.
Bidding and budgets
Microsoft Ads supports automated bidding similar to Google, but smaller accounts often do better with enhanced CPC or manual CPC at first because there is less data. Feed billable calls back as conversions through your call tracking platform, then move to Target CPA once you have consistent volume.
Bing budgets often max out sooner than Google — you may hit the ceiling of available searches in a state. When that happens, broaden match types carefully, add related keywords, and add states your buyer accepts rather than raising bids endlessly.
Quality checks
- Listen to a sample of calls from each traffic source every week.
- Watch the billable rate by device. If desktop calls are long but tablet calls are short and non-billable, adjust device bids.
- Check for click fraud signals — sudden spikes in clicks from one site in the partner network with no calls.
Where it fits in your mix
Treat Microsoft Ads as the second search engine in your plan: smaller volume, often better margin. For senior-focused campaigns it can be a primary source. Combined with Google Ads, it gives you broader reach in the same high-intent moment.
Looking for campaigns that pay for inbound calls from search? Join BFOUNT as a publisher to see Medicare, final expense, home and auto pay-per-call offers.