It’s essential for small business owners to regularly evaluate their marketing tactics so they can focus on the ones that will help them grow their businesses. If you’re a small business owner, then you’ve definitely heard of Google Ads. But do you know if you’re displaying the ads that are best for your business? Many types of businesses can benefit from using a type of Google Ad known as a click-to-call ad. But what is a click-to-call ad anyway, and how do you set one up? This article breaks down what you need to know about click-to-call ads, how to set up click-to-call in Google Ads, and how to know if these ads are right for your business.
What are click-to-call ads?
Click-to-call ads are an ad unit within Google Ads that call a business directly when a prospect clicks on them. They can only appear on mobile devices and can be an essential part of a mobile marketing strategy. There are two situations where an ad can become click-to-call: when running a call-only ad or when running a call extension on a text ad.
When we talk about call extensions, we’re referring to phone numbers that appear alongside text ads and give prospects the option to call the business. On mobile devices, the ad will appear with a click-to-call button, and on desktops or tablets the phone number will appear next to the ad.
Should you use click-to-call ads for your business?
Click-to-call ads work better for some businesses than others, and they are mainly effective for businesses who’re more dependent on phone calls, or want to encourage prospective customers to call. Some types of businesses that might benefit from using click-to-call ads include car dealerships, travel agencies, and home services.
That said, any business that invests in paid search ads can benefit from attaching a call extension to their ads. It can help them increase conversions, potentially decrease acquisition costs, and gives them an edge over competitors that aren’t using call extensions. Prospective customers are already researching online about these products and services, and click-to-call ads make it easy for these prospects to move forward in the sales process.
No matter what industry they’re in, it’s essential for companies who use click-to-call ads to have a streamlined process in place for handling the calls, as well as customer service and sales representatives who are highly trained and provide an excellent experience for prospects.
Before diving in and investing in click-to-call ads, it’s essential to consider if they are the right fit for your business. It’s important to ask yourself the following questions:
- Are click-to-call ads effective for businesses in my industry?
- Are my prospective clients searching for my products on their mobile devices?
- Do I prefer prospects to call me or visit my website?
- Would a call help to move prospects down the sales funnel? Or do they need to go to my website for that to happen?
- If my prospects are searching on mobile, is their intent different than if they were searching on desktop? In other words, are they at a different stage in the sales funnel? If so, be sure to adjust your message so it’s relevant to that prospect type.
By considering these questions, you can get a clearer sense of whether or not click-to-call ads would be a worthy investment for your business.
What are the benefits of click to call ads?
Industries that are well suited to click-to-call ads can benefit from them in many ways. Some of the most important benefits of these ads include:
They improve conversion rates
A company’s number of conversions generally decreases if their website or ad doesn’t display the business’s phone number. In fact, a recent Quick Sprout study showed that adding a click-to-call ad resulted in a 400 percent increase in call-to-conversion rate. On top of this, click-to-call ads give your business the chance to upsell consumers on the phone. Why do click-to-call ads have such a dramatic effect on conversion rates? Well, consider this. When users click-to-call on your mobile ad, they’re already thinking about buying your product, which means they’re pretty far down the sales funnel. In many cases, talking to a sales or customer service representative is just what you need to win them over.
They give you an edge over your competitors
A recent Google study of 3000 mobile searchers found that 95 percent of small-to-medium sized businesses do not use click-to-call features. But nearly half of these mobile searchers said they would search somewhere else if click-to-call features were not present. This means that not having these features can significantly harm your business’s sales. In addition, 70 percent of mobile searchers use click-to-call and consider calls to be an important channel for consumers. The study also found that 61 percent of the searchers considered click-to-call to be “Extremely or Very Important” when deciding to make a purchase, and that 47 percent described feeling “frustrated,” annoyed,” or “more likely to explore other brands” when they were not able to directly call the business.
They make it easier for prospective customers to get in touch with you
With click-to-call ads, the phone number is placed at the top of the page with the word “Call”, and the call button is displayed right next to the copy. This means the phone number is in a very prominent location, which makes it easy for prospects to see it and take action. Click-to-call ads also simplify the process of getting in touch with you. Instead of sending customers to a landing page with a phone number, all they have to do is tap on a click-to-call ad to call your business. This helps motivate prospects to take action and can move them down the sales funnel more quickly
How to set up click-to-call campaigns in Google Ads
There are two ways that you can set up click-to-call campaigns in Google Ads. One way is by adding a call extension to a normal ad. This is where you set up a call extension so that when your text ads appear on a mobile device, your phone number and a click-to-call button will display beside them.
The second way to set up click-to-call campaigns is by running a call-only ad. This is where you set up a call-only ad from a normal or call-only campaign, which lets you aim for click-to-calls only, instead of aiming for calls and website clicks.
Let’s take an in-depth look at both methods of setting up click-to-call campaigns in Google Ads.
How to add a call extension to a normal ad
Call extensions let you add phone numbers to your Google Ads, so people can click or tap a button to call your company directly. Adding a call extension is the only way to add a phone number to your existing ads. Google Ads doesn’t allow phone numbers in the main description text fields, so your options are call-only ads or call extensions.
To set up a call extension, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- On the page menu, click Ads & Extensions.
- Click Extensions then click on the plus (+) icon.
- Select Call Extensions. The Add Call Extension view will appear.
- Select whether you want to add the call extension to your Account, Campaign, or Ad group.
- Select Create New to make a new call extension, then enter your phone number, or
- Select Use Existing if you’ve previously created a call extension. Then select your number from the list that appears.
There are also some optional settings that you can implement if you choose:
- Call reporting is now turned on by default, but you can turn it off in account settings if you want. You’ll then choose which conversion you want to associate with the calls, or you can create one here if you haven’t yet.
- Under Device preference, choose Mobile if you’d like Google to prioritize mobile placements over desktop ones. Note though that this doesn’t mean your extension will only appear on one device or the other. To control the latter you need to use device type bid adjustments at the campaign level.
- Under Advanced options, choose if you’d like to schedule your call extension to show only on certain days and hours.
How to set up a call-only ad
When setting up a call-only ad, you have the option of setting it up in a normal ad campaign, or as part of a call-only campaign.
If you’re setting up a call-only ad in a normal campaign, follow these steps:
- Start by clicking the red +AD button from within your Ad Group of choice
- Then select Call-Only Ad. This process is very similar to setting up a normal ad with some slight differences, including:
- There’s no destination URL
- Google will ask for your business name
- You’ll need to input a phone number to direct the call to and two website URLs. One URL will be displayed in your ad, and the other URL will link to a landing page where Google can confirm that the number used in your ad is also on your website. The number on the landing page needs to match the number displayed in your ads. You can also “verify” via Google Search Console or by placing a retargeting code from your Ads account onto your website.
If you’re setting up a brand new call-only campaign, here’s the procedure you’ll need to follow:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- Navigate to the page menu on the left and click Campaigns.
- Click the plus (+) button and select New Campaign.
- Either select a sales or leads goal OR continue without a goal.
- Choose the Search campaign type.
- Navigate to Select the ways you’d like to reach your goal, check the box next to Phone Calls and enter your phone number.
- Click Continue.
- Type your campaign name at the top of the page.
- In the Add Display Network select No.
- Select your target goal and bidding settings.
- Enter your daily budget and any other campaign settings.
- Click Save and Continue.
To set up a new call-only ad, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- Click Ads & Extensions, then click Ads.
- Click the plus (+) button.
- Select Call-only ad.
- Click Select an ad group to choose your ad group and save the ad.
- Fill in the following fields:
- Two headlines. (Filling in two headlines lets you include more text in your ad.)
- Your business name and phone number.
- Two descriptions. (Only one is required.)
- Your display URL and verification URL.
- Navigate to Call Reporting and click On to collect call data.
- Select a Conversion action.
- Click Save New Ad.
How do you know if your click-to-call ads are effective?
Once you’ve started running your click-to-call ads, it’s essential to make sure they’re actually effective. It’s important to track your calls and conversions for your click-to-call ads to make sure they’re helping you meet your marketing and sales goals.
One way to do this is through Google Ads, which contains features to help you track and analyze the performance of your call extensions and call-only ads. These let you see call details, including the number of impressions your call ad received, phone calls received, and the phone-through rate (PTR).
Another option is to use a call tracking provider such as CallRail to measure the effectiveness of your click-to-call ads. CallRail offers a call tracking integration specifically for Google Ads, which lets you collect and analyze call data and measure phone call conversions from your click-to-call ads as well as other marketing campaigns.
If you’re a small business owner who hasn’t explored click-to-call ads, now’s the time to consider trying them. Remember that these ads are best for companies that rely on customer phone calls to conduct business, or who want to encourage their customers to call. If your company fits into either of these categories, consider investing in click-to-call ads to benefit your business.
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