Customers usually want to find the quickest possible way to contact the businesses they’re interested in. As a result, Google has introduced the option to run Google Ads call only PPC campaigns. Call-only ads can help you connect with customers more effectively if the goal of your business is to attract potential customers and clients to call you.
What is Google’s Call-Only ad?
Call-only ads help get phone calls to your business by encouraging customers to call you by clicking on your ad. When the user clicks on the ad, it will call your business directly instead of sending them to your site. Call-only ads appear only on mobile devices that are capable of making phone calls and will also be shown only when your business can take calls, so there won’t be any missed opportunities. Call-only ads are not available in the display network.
Call-only campaigns are different from call extension ads. Call extension ads allow a telephone number to be extended onto a regular ad while call-only ads do not allow the user to click onto the advertiser’s website. Call-only ads feature your business name, business phone number, headline, business description, URL, and a prominent “call” button. Based on the bid you entered in your Ads account, you get charged for each click-to-call. Call-Only ads image (courtesy by Google)
When to use Call-Only ads?
They are useful for,
- Local Businesses (e.g. restaurants, doctors)
- Emergency Services (e.g. Plumbers, Electricians, locksmiths)
- Business based on mobile phones
How to create Google’s Call Only ads?
First, go to your Google Ads dashboard, then click Ads.
Then select Call Ads and select an ad group for the ad. Then add the relevant information such as the business phone number and description.
To display phone numbers with your ads, you have to add a verification URL when creating your ads. The given URL should link to a landing page where Google can confirm the phone number you’d like to show on your ads. (e.g. www.whitedigital.in/home/contact).The phone number on your landing page must match the number you show in your ads.
It is recommended that you add all extensions that are relevant to your business such as
- location extensions,
- structured snippet extensions
- Callout extensions.
Extensions give your ad greater visibility and prominence on the SERP by expanding your ad with additional information and there’s no cost to add them.
If you want to track details from the calls and count them as conversions, you will need to set up call reporting, which is highly recommended.
How does call reporting work?
When you set call reporting, Google assigns a call forwarding Phone number to your ad which measures the performance of your ad. This is what happens when you use call reporting,
- When the customer clicks your ad, you will be charged for the click
- Then the call goes to your business. Customer’s calls get routed through a Google forwarding number, which gathers data about the call like call duration, call start time, and caller’s area code.
- Then you can use this information to optimize your campaign.(For example if you get more calls from a particular area code, you can target that location)
Guidelines to Optimize Call-Only Campaigns
Here are a few guidelines, to get more calls for your business;
Use Call -Centric Keywords
Use Keywords that are most likely to bring calls.
Your keywords have to target people who need quick solutions like finding an emergency plumber.
Set Ad Schedule
Create an ad schedule to only run your ads during business hours, when there is someone to answer the calls.
Location Targeting
If you are a local business, target the location that you serve. Use a local phone number, which encourages more people to call.
Begin by Bidding High
If it is a new Call-Only campaign, you can bid high since the bidding is more competitive. So, that we can get the top positions at the very beginning.
Use Perfect Call-To-Action
Write a strong Call-To-Action that will encourage people to take action like “Call now”, or “Get a free quote today”.
Conclusion
Call-only ads are the best way to generate more calls, especially if the goal of your business is to get more calls. And also follow the above guidelines to get the best out of your campaigns.
