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When it comes to driving direct leads and increasing customer engagement, phone calls can be one of the most valuable actions for businesses. For local businesses, service providers, and even e-commerce brands, a simple phone call often closes the gap between interest and conversion. Google Ads is a powerful tool for driving not just clicks but calls—especially if you know how to optimize your campaigns specifically for this action.
In this blog, we’ll cover four genius ways to drive more calls from your Google Ads, helping you connect with potential customers more effectively and maximize your ad spend.
1. Use Call-Only Ads
One of the most straightforward ways to drive more calls from Google Ads is to create call-only ads. These are designed to generate phone calls rather than website visits, making them ideal for businesses that rely on customer interaction over the phone.
How It Works:
Call-only ads feature a prominent “Call” button that users can click to immediately dial your business. Instead of driving traffic to a landing page, call-only ads focus solely on initiating phone calls, making the conversion process as easy as possible for the user. This ad format appears primarily on mobile devices, where users are already primed to call.
Benefits:
Direct Engagement: With a call-only ad, the user’s next step is a phone call—there’s no risk of them getting lost or distracted on a website.
High Intent: Users who call tend to be further down the funnel and are often ready to make a purchase or request more information.
Mobile-Focused: As mobile continues to dominate, call-only ads tap into user behavior, making it easier for them to contact you with just one tap.
Best Practices:
Compelling Ad Copy: Highlight urgency, availability, or offers (e.g., “Call now for a free consultation”).
Call Tracking: Always enable call tracking to measure your campaign’s effectiveness and optimize based on real results.
Correct Targeting: Ensure that your ads target the right location and audience to avoid unnecessary or unqualified calls.
Bonus Tip: Use dayparting to schedule your ads to run during business hours when someone is available to answer the phone. This prevents missed calls, which can lead to lost opportunities.
2. Leverage Call Extensions
If you don’t want to run call-only ads, another excellent option is to add call extensions to your existing search ads. Call extensions allow you to display your phone number alongside your ad, giving users the option to click and call directly from the search results.
How It Works:
When you add call extensions, Google displays a clickable phone number next to your text ads. On mobile devices, this usually appears as a “Call” button, while on desktop, it shows as a visible number that users can dial. Call extensions can also be set to display during specific times, ensuring your phone number only shows when you're available to answer.
Benefits:
Increased Visibility: Call extensions take up more space in the ad and make your business stand out. They also make it easy for users to contact you directly from the SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
Flexibility: Since call extensions are added to search ads, users still have the option to visit your website or call your business, giving them more flexibility.
Improved Conversion Rates: By providing both a clickable link and a call option, you cater to users at different stages of the customer journey—those ready to act and those seeking more information.
Best Practices:
Localize Your Ads: Make sure to use local phone numbers in your call extensions. Local numbers build trust, especially for businesses targeting specific regions.
Test Ad Copy: Test different variations of ad copy to see which combination of text and call extension drives the most calls.
Set Bid Adjustments: You can set higher bids for call extensions to prioritize them for mobile users, who are more likely to call.
Bonus Tip: Call extensions can also be used in combination with other extensions like location extensions or site link extensions to give users more ways to connect with your business.
3. Optimize for Mobile Devices
The majority of calls from Google Ads will likely come from mobile users. Optimizing your campaigns for mobile ensures that potential customers can easily contact your business with minimal friction.
How It Works:
Google Ads allows you to create device-specific ads, meaning you can prioritize mobile optimization if your goal is to drive more phone calls. Make sure your ads are mobile-friendly and consider adding mobile-specific copy that encourages users to call directly.
Benefits:
Better User Experience: A mobile-optimized ad leads to a smoother user experience, especially when it includes a direct call-to-action, such as “Call Now.”
Higher Call Volumes: Mobile devices naturally lend themselves to phone calls, making it easier for users to contact your business directly.
Device Targeting: Google Ads allows you to bid more aggressively for mobile users, which helps you prioritize calls over other conversion actions.
Best Practices:
Mobile-Specific Keywords: Use keywords that are likely to be searched on mobile devices (e.g., “plumber near me”).
Short, Action-Oriented Copy: On mobile, less is more. Keep your copy concise and focused on the action you want the user to take.
Ad Scheduling: Since mobile users are often on-the-go, schedule your ads during times when your business can respond quickly to calls.
Bonus Tip: Optimize your landing pages for mobile to capture leads from users who may prefer to browse before making a call.
4. Track Call Conversions and Adjust Bids
Driving calls is only part of the equation. To maximize your return on investment (ROI), you need to track which ads, keywords, and campaigns are generating the most valuable calls. By using Google’s call tracking features, you can see how many calls are generated by your ads, along with call duration and other relevant metrics.
How It Works:
Google Ads allows you to set up call conversion tracking, which monitors calls made directly from your ads. This data helps you evaluate which campaigns are driving quality calls and which may need adjustment. You can then adjust your bids to favor campaigns that are performing well.
Benefits:
Data-Driven Decisions: Tracking calls allows you to optimize campaigns based on real user behavior, improving the quality of calls and the cost-per-call metric.
Bid Optimization: Adjusting bids based on call performance ensures that your budget is spent on ads that generate high-quality calls, rather than just clicks.
Best Practices:
Monitor Call Duration: Calls lasting longer than a few minutes are likely higher-quality leads. Focus on optimizing for these campaigns.
Exclude Low-Quality Keywords: Remove keywords or adjust bids for terms that generate clicks but not calls.
Test Call-to-Action Variations: Experiment with different CTAs in your ad copy to see which ones generate more calls.
Bonus Tip: Use location-based call tracking to see which geographic areas are producing the most qualified calls, and adjust your bids and targeting accordingly.
Final Thoughts
Driving more calls from Google Ads is about making it easy for potential customers to connect with you when they’re ready to engage. Whether through call-only ads, call extensions, mobile optimization, or tracking and adjusting bids, each of these strategies can help boost your call volume and, ultimately, your conversions.
Ready to Drive More Calls?
At Socially Savvy Solutions, we specialize in creating high-converting Google Ads campaigns that get your phone ringing. Whether you're a local business or a national brand, we can help you optimize your ads for more calls and better results.
Contact us today and let’s get started on a strategy that works for you!
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