• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, October 1, 2013

Bing on Tuesday began rolling out call extensions for Bing Ads on desktop and mobile. The feature places phone numbers alongside ads served in Bing and Yahoo search results, where more than 150 million monthly unique searchers can click-to-call businesses from smartphones, tablets and desktops through Skype.

The platform helps to manage data on received calls, such as time length and cost. Reporting features deliver impressions, calls and spend data.

Marketers receive detailed reports for individual calls, but only those calls that the business receives. Marketers can associate appropriate values for these leads and take steps to optimize budgets.

Click-to-call through Skype also helps Bing compete with Google, which has offered a similar feature for years. Bing data estimates that phone calls -- especially those from a mobile device -- are 10 times more likely to result in a sale, compared with a click. Online Media Daily first reported Bing's intention to add the feature in February.

Microsoft has also updated the Location Extensions product to include a directions link that, when engaged, directs consumers to a map of the business location. The tool also supports improved reporting that shows location extension performance details. It allows business owners to promote up to two business locations in one ad. Analytics and developer tools accompany the upgrade.