Bing Ads Call Tracking: How to Count Phone Calls and Call Clicks as Microsoft Ads Conversions (2026)

If your business closes deals on the phone, Microsoft Ads can look like it produces nothing, because calls are the one conversion it does not count for you. A call from a call extension is recorded as a click. A tap on the phone number on your website is invisible unless you send an event. A call to a tracked number on your site only reaches Microsoft if you upload it. We found our own Phone Click goal had never recorded a single event, and our website’s call button trigger had been pointing at an old number for years. This guide covers every way to track Bing Ads calls, what Microsoft can and cannot count, and the exact setups we use.

Microsoft Ads has no native phone call conversion, so count call intent with a UET event on tel: link clicks, count real calls by uploading them as offline conversions, and make only qualified calls part of the Conversions column.

• Calls from call extensions are billed and reported as clicks, not conversions.
• Microsoft forwarding numbers give call duration and missed-call reporting in a few markets, subject to eligibility.
• Microsoft Ads does not offer true call-only ads.
• Tel: link clicks become conversions through a UET custom event, easiest to send with Google Tag Manager.
• Real calls, including duration and outcome, reach Microsoft through offline conversion uploads matched by MSCLKID or a hashed phone number.
• Count calls as Unique and keep click-to-call events secondary if you also upload qualified calls.

Does Bing Ads track phone calls?

Partly. Microsoft reports calls from its own call extensions, but none of its conversion goal types is a phone call. Microsoft’s conversion goal type reference lists destination URL, duration, pages viewed, event, app install, offline conversion, in-store transaction and app download. A Microsoft support reply in a community thread confirmed that calls from call extensions are not tracked as conversions.

So think of Bing Ads call tracking as three separate paths:

How do call extensions work in Microsoft Ads?

A call extension adds your phone number to search ads. On a smartphone, tapping it starts a call. Microsoft’s call extension help says it shows on all devices in Australia, the UK and the US, and on smartphones in most other markets. A click on the number is billed like any other ad click, up to your bid.

Where are call extensions in Microsoft Ads?

Go to Campaigns, then Ads & extensions, then Extensions, and create a call extension. Microsoft shows one call extension per campaign. Ad group associations override account and campaign associations, per Microsoft’s ad extensions overview. For the wider extension setup, see our guide to manual and automated Microsoft Ads extensions.

Should you use a Microsoft forwarding number or your own number?

Microsoft’s call extension API reference is the source for the US and UK restriction and the toll-free change. If you need call outcomes, a forwarding number alone is not enough: it tells you a call happened, not whether it was a customer.

Can you schedule call extensions to business hours?

Yes. Extensions support start and end dates and day and time schedules, with the option to use the searcher’s time zone. Schedule call extensions to the hours someone actually answers, so you do not pay for calls that go to voicemail.

Do calls from call extensions count as conversions?

No. They count as clicks. The phone metrics describe calls to a forwarding number, but they never enter the Conversions column or automated bidding. To make them count, export the calls you care about, match them to clicks and upload them as offline conversions, covered below.

Does Bing have call-only ads?

No. Microsoft’s ad types include no call-only format, and a Microsoft support reply in a 2023 community thread confirmed there is no true call-only ad. The closest option is a call extension set to show just the phone number, combined with smartphone-heavy targeting, and serving still is not guaranteed. Google has also stopped creation of new call-only ads, according to Google’s help center, so the format is disappearing across platforms.

How do you track tel: link clicks with UET and Google Tag Manager?

This is the setup we run on our own site. It assumes your UET base tag already fires on every page; if not, start with our Microsoft UET tag setup guide.

Step 1: create the conversion goal

1. In Microsoft Ads, go to Conversions, then Conversion goals, and create a new website goal.
2. Choose a category. There is no phone call category in Microsoft’s goal category list; Contact or Outbound click both fit.
3. Choose Event as the goal type and set a condition such as Action equals phone_click. Microsoft’s event goal reference allows conditions on action, category, label and value.
4. Set the count to Unique and decide whether it should be included in Conversions.

Step 2: create the GTM trigger

1. In Google Tag Manager, create a trigger of type Click, Just Links.
2. Set it to fire on Some Link Clicks where Click URL starts with tel:.
3. Use Just Links rather than All Elements. When a phone number is wrapped around an icon, an All Elements trigger sees the icon, not the link. Google’s trigger documentation explains the link click options.

Step 3: create the UET event tag

1. Create a tag with the Microsoft Advertising Universal Event Tracking template, following Microsoft’s GTM instructions.
2. Leave the UETQ variable as uetq.
3. Choose the custom event track type and enter the action name from your goal, for example phone_click.
4. Add event_category as phone and event_label as the page path, so you can see which pages drive calls.
5. Do not add an event_action parameter in the table. It can override the action you set above.
6. Fire it on the tel: trigger.

Step 4: test before you publish

Preview the container, tap a phone link, and confirm a request to bat.bing.com carrying evt=custom and your action name. Then publish. Goal status in Microsoft can take up to 24 hours to update.

Not using Google Tag Manager?

Add this to the click handler of your phone links, after the UET base tag:

window.uetq = window.uetq || [];
window.uetq.push('event', 'phone_click', {
  'event_category': 'phone',
  'event_label': window.location.pathname
});

Older guides show a different syntax with ec and ea keys. Microsoft’s current documentation uses the format above.

What did we find when we tested our own phone tracking?

Our Microsoft Ads account already had a Phone Click goal set to Action equals outbound_click. It had never recorded a conversion, and we assumed that meant nobody called. Wrong. When we checked in September 2026, our site never sent that event at all. Worse, the Tag Manager trigger behind our GA4 and Meta call tracking matched an old phone number that had not been on the site for years, so every platform had been blind to calls.

A conversion goal that has never fired is not evidence that nobody converts. It is usually evidence that nobody tested it.

Ishant Sharma, Founder and CEO, Hustle Marketers

On 25 September 2026 we created the Just Links trigger for any tel: link, added the UET event tag with the outbound_click action to match the existing goal, repointed the old trigger for GA4 and Meta, and published. A live test on our ecommerce PPC landing page sent evt=custom with ea=outbound_click to Microsoft within seconds.

How do you count real calls, not just clicks?

A tap on a phone number shows intent, not a conversation. To count real calls, use call tracking software with dynamic number insertion on your site. It shows each visitor a tracking number, stores the MSCLKID from the landing page URL, and ties the call to that click. Then send qualified calls to Microsoft as offline conversions.

Microsoft’s offline conversion rules that trip people up:

• Create an offline conversion goal first and wait about two hours before the first upload.
• Upload the Microsoft Click ID, the exact goal name, the conversion time, and optionally value and currency.
• Conversion times must fall after the click and within 90 days of it.
• Set the time zone correctly, or conversions land on the wrong day or are rejected.
• Uploaded conversions can take up to six hours to appear.
• You can restate or retract uploaded conversions if a deal falls through.

Filter before you upload. Microsoft has no minimum call length, so decide your own rule, such as calls over 60 seconds or calls your team tagged as a genuine enquiry. Counting the right conversions is what lets bidding scale profitably; our epoxy flooring Microsoft Ads case study shows what an account with trustworthy conversion data can reach, with 240 conversions at 10.8x ROAS.

What if the caller never clicked an ad?

Use enhanced conversions. Microsoft’s enhanced conversions help lets you upload a hashed phone number, formatted in E.164 such as +14255551234 and hashed with SHA-256, instead of an MSCLKID, once enhanced conversions are turned on for the goal. That matches callers who clicked an ad earlier and phoned later from a different device.

Should you send call conversions through the UET Conversions API?

If your call tracking or CRM can send server-side events, yes. Microsoft’s Conversions API guide accepts events from the last seven days in batches of up to 1,000, using a token from your UET tag settings. For older calls, use the offline upload.

How should you set up call conversion goals?

Microsoft’s conversion goal reference confirms that goals excluded from Conversions still appear in the All conv. columns but do not drive automated bidding. That is exactly where click-to-call events belong once you upload real calls.

How do you avoid double-counting phone clicks and calls?

• Keep the tel: click event and the uploaded call in separate goals, with only one included in Conversions.
• Check for auto-generated events. If you used the Simplified Conversion Goal Setup, Microsoft can detect on-site actions such as button clicks and checkouts and create events named AutoEvent_, as a 2026 support reply explains. Make sure one of these is not counting the same call click as your own goal.
• Do not count the same call from a call extension and a website number twice. If you upload forwarding-number calls, exclude them from any website call export.

Why aren’t my Bing Ads call conversions showing?

Why choose Hustle Marketers and Ishant Sharma for Bing Ads call tracking?

For phone-led businesses, untracked calls make Microsoft Ads look far weaker than it is. Our own Phone Click goal had never recorded a single event because the call button trigger pointed at an old number. We rebuilt the trigger in Google Tag Manager, added enhanced conversions and confirmed the event live on the site. We bring that same hands-on testing to every client account.

Ishant Sharma has worked in paid search since 2013 and leads Hustle Marketers, a Microsoft Advertising Partner and Google Partner agency. The team holds six 2026 Clutch awards and a 4.9 out of 5 rating from 591 verified client reviews, and has helped 2,500+ brands generate $780M+ in trackable revenue.

What does our Bing Ads specialist team set up for call tracking?

• Call extensions with the right choice between a Microsoft forwarding number and your own number
• Phone click events through Google Tag Manager, tested live before any goal goes primary
• Call conversion goals with sensible counting, value and duration rules
• Offline imports of qualified calls, so bidding learns from real enquiries rather than every ring
• A double-counting check across call extensions, website taps and auto-generated events

Who should set up your call tracking: an agency or a consultant?

If you need calls tracked once and handed back to your team, our Bing Ads consultant service covers the build and testing. If calls are your main lead source and you want bidding optimised on them every week, our Bing Ads specialist team runs tracking and campaigns together.

Bing Ads call tracking questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

Does Bing Ads track phone calls?

It reports calls from call extensions that use a Microsoft forwarding number, but it does not count calls as conversions on its own. Use a UET event for phone clicks and offline uploads for real calls.

Can Microsoft Ads count phone calls as conversions?

Yes, through offline conversion uploads or the Conversions API. There is no native phone call goal type.

Does Bing have call-only ads?

No. The closest option is a call extension showing only the phone number, with smartphone-focused targeting.

Can you upload calls to Bing Ads?

Yes. Create an offline conversion goal, match calls to clicks with the MSCLKID or a hashed phone number, and upload within 90 days of the click.

Where are call extensions in Bing Ads?

Under Campaigns, then Ads & extensions, then Extensions. Microsoft shows one call extension per campaign.

Who can use a Microsoft forwarding number?

Advertisers in supported markets whose ad group has at least 10 clicks and $10 spend in the last 30 days. Microsoft’s pages list the US, UK and Australia, while the API reference lists only the US and UK.

Should phone calls count as unique conversions?

Yes. Unique stops repeat calls from one click inflating your numbers and misleading automated bidding.

How do I track phone number clicks on my website in Microsoft Ads?

Send a UET custom event when someone clicks a tel: link. Google Tag Manager with a Just Links trigger and the Microsoft UET template is the simplest way.

Where to go from here

Tap the phone number on your own site today and check whether Microsoft receives an event. If it does not, set up the trigger and tag above in under an hour. If calls are your main lead source, add call tracking and upload qualified calls so bidding learns from real conversations. Our Bing Ads agency team builds call tracking and offline imports for lead generation accounts, and you can book a Free ROI Audit to find out how many of your Microsoft Ads calls are going uncounted.

About the author: Ishant Sharma is the founder of Hustle Marketers, a Microsoft Advertising Partner and Google Partner agency, and has managed Google Ads and Microsoft Ads accounts since 2013. His team has worked with more than 2,500 brands, and he builds conversion tracking for lead generation businesses where phone calls matter as much as forms.