Want your Google Ads search campaigns to drive more calls to your business? Google Ads Call Assets, which used to be referred to as Call Extensions, make it easy to add a clickable phone number to your search and display ads. Implementing Call Assets can significantly lift ad performance. Follow these tips to utilize them effectively.
Call Assets Video Tutorial
What are Google Ads Call Assets?
Call Assets allow advertisers to prominently display a phone number within responsive search ads and Smart campaigns. When shown on mobile devices, users can call your business directly from the ad or click through to your website using a call extension. A call forwarding number on desktop devices will show that each phone call can be tracked.
Definition and Purpose
Call assets are a powerful ad extension in Google Ads that allow advertisers to add a clickable phone number to their search and display ads. The primary purpose of call assets is to drive more phone calls to a business, thereby increasing the chances of conversion and revenue. By incorporating a call asset into an ad, advertisers provide customers a convenient way to contact them directly. This enhances the overall user experience and boosts the effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns. Whether on mobile devices or desktops, call assets make it easier for potential customers to reach out, leading to more meaningful interactions and higher conversion rates.
Examples of Google Ads Call Extensions
First, you can see what a call asset will look like on a mobile device. Including a business phone number in call assets is crucial as it enables direct communication with potential customers, enhances the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and contributes to higher click-through rates.
Second, you can see what a call asset will look like on a desktop device.
Campaigns that Use Call Assets
Call Assets can be added to search and Smart campaigns running on the Google Search Network. They won’t serve on the Display Network.
Google Ads call extensions play a crucial role in enhancing the performance of search and Smart campaigns by providing a direct way for customers to contact businesses.
How to Add Call Assets to Search Campaigns
First, sign in to your Google Ads account. From there, you want to click on the campaign to which you want to add call assets. Once you are in the campaign, click on the Assets link on the menu on the left-hand side. Then, click on the ‘Call’ button on the Assets page and click on the blue plus-sign (+) to add your Call Asset. The image below will show you exactly where you need to go.
You can also visit this link directly: https://ads.google.com/aw/assetreport/associations/call
Call assets can be added at the account, campaign, or ad group level, depending on your structure. To add call assets, enter the phone number and optional business hours.
Requirements for Call Assets
Your phone number must be verified by Google and relevant to the advertised business.
Call Asset Specs
- Phone number with optional call button
- Can set business hours for when someone will be available to answer the phone
- Max 30 characters for phone number
Benefits of Using Call Assets
Adding a clickable call option directly on ads provides multiple advantages:
- Increased ad click-through rates
- Ads drives more calls
- Conversion tracking with call reporting
- Improved reconnect rates for calls
Measuring Call Asset Performance
Advertisers can leverage Google Ads’ built-in call reporting feature to gauge the effectiveness of call assets. This tool offers valuable insights into the number of phone calls generated by an ad, along with details on the duration and outcome of those calls. Additionally, conversion tracking can measure the number of conversions resulting from phone calls, such as sales or leads. By analyzing the performance data of call assets, advertisers can fine-tune their campaigns to enhance the effectiveness of their call assets and drive more conversions. Regular monitoring and optimization based on these insights can significantly improve the return on investment from call campaigns.
Eligible Numbers and Disclaimers
Not all phone numbers are suitable for use as call assets. Google Ads has guidelines that exclude vanity numbers, premium numbers, and fax numbers from being used as call assets. Furthermore, all phone numbers must be verified by Google to ensure they accurately represent the advertised business. Disclaimers may sometimes accompany call assets, particularly when using shared-cost or non-standard cost numbers. Advertisers must adhere to Google’s policies and guidelines for call assets to avoid disapprovals or penalties. Ensuring compliance with these requirements is crucial for successfully implementing call assets in ad campaigns.
Troubleshooting and Optimization
To ensure the optimal performance of call assets, advertisers should follow these best practices:
- Verify Phone Numbers: Before adding a phone number to an ad, verify it to prevent disapprovals. This step ensures that Google recognizes and accepts the number.
- Set Business Hours: Display call assets only during business hours to increase relevancy. This ensures that calls are received when someone can answer, preventing missed opportunities.
- Monitor Performance: Regularly check call asset performance metrics to identify improvement areas. Use conversion tracking and call reporting to gain insights into the effectiveness of your call campaigns.
- Use Location Targeting: Ensure call assets are shown only to users within your service area. This prevents irrelevant calls from outside your target region.
- Adjust Bids and Use Smart Bidding: Optimize call asset performance by adjusting bids and employing smart bidding strategies. This can help increase the frequency of call ads, especially if phone calls are driving significant conversions.
By implementing these best practices, advertisers can enhance the performance of their call assets, leading to more phone calls and higher conversion rates.
Advanced Call Asset Strategies
To maximize the potential of call assets, advertisers can employ advanced strategies such as:
- Call-Only Campaigns: Focus exclusively on driving phone calls by using call-only campaigns. This approach ensures that the primary call-to-action is to make a phone call.
- Custom Call Extensions: Create custom call extensions to highlight specific products or services. This can attract more targeted calls from interested customers.
- Call Tracking Systems: Utilize call tracking systems to monitor phone call length and integrate this data with customer journey analytics. This provides deeper insights into customer behavior and campaign effectiveness.
- Geographic Analysis: Analyze call data to determine which geographic regions or campaign/ad group themes generate the most phone calls. This information can be used to optimize targeting and resource allocation.
- Campaign and Ad Group Optimization: Continuously refine campaigns and ad groups to improve the performance of call extensions. This includes adjusting bids, keywords, and ad copy to align with customer intent better.
By leveraging these advanced strategies, advertisers can fully harness the power of call assets, driving more conversions and increasing revenue.
5 Tips for Using Call Assets
1. Verify Number Beforehand
Confirm that Google accepts your phone number before adding it to prevent disapprovals. Your phone number must match the number on your website. Google will verify that it is the same as your contact phone number.
2. Set Business Hours
Increase relevancy by showing call assets only during open business hours. Unless you have a 24/7 call center, you should only show your phone number when you will answer it. You don’t want to pay for phone calls that you don’t respond.
Use call assets to get more customers to call you with your Google ads campaigns.
3. Monitor Performance
Check your campaign metrics to see the impact on website clicks and direct phone calls. You can also use your conversion tracking for call reporting to see how many phone calls you drove over a specific duration through your ads campaign.
4. Use Location Targeting
You don’t want phone calls from outside your service area, so make sure your location targeting is only to the locations you serve.
5. Adjust Bids and Use a Smart Bidding Strategy
Use bid adjustments to show call ads more often, especially if you see great performance from phone calls. In addition, the Maximize Conversions or Target CPA bid strategies will help you drive more phone calls. Your overall performance will improve as Google collects more data about your campaigns and what drives conversions.
Conclusion
All businesses that drive phone calls should add Call Assets to their campaigns. In addition, place your phone number prominently on your website. With phone call conversion tracking, you can track every time someone clicks on your call asset, calls you on desktop devices using call forwarding, and every phone call on your website that ties back to Google Ads campaigns.
