Increase telephone conversions using Google Ads call assets

70% of mobile searchers call a business directly from search results. If your business generates leads or sales over the phone, Google’s call assets could make paid advertising much more effective for you.

Brief summary

• 70% of mobile searchers call businesses directly from search results – call assets and call-only ads can significantly improve paid advertising effectiveness for phone-dependent businesses
• Call-only ads vs call assets serve different purposes – call-only ads generate exclusively phone calls with no website option, while call assets add phone numbers to standard ads alongside website links
• Call-only ads eliminate mixed messaging – unlike regular ads with both website and call options competing for attention, call-only ads focus entirely on driving immediate phone contact
• Risk of losing 19 out of 20 prospects exists with website-first approaches – call-only campaigns capture leads exactly when they’re actively searching and ready to purchase
• Call-only ads work best for urgent services requiring immediate consultation – emergency services, healthcare, legal advice, home repairs, where quotes need discussion of specific circumstances
• Call assets suit businesses benefitting from both channels – professional services, retailers with online and phone sales, companies where customers prefer research before calling
• Advanced call tracking provides deeper insights – Speech Analytics, caller journey tracking, and call outcome categorisation deliver more accurate ROI measurement than duration-based metrics alone
• Call-only campaigns typically cost more per conversion but bid directly for high-intent actions (phone calls) rather than website visits that may not convert
• AI-powered optimisation transforms call advertising – Smart bidding strategies use machine learning to optimise for call conversions, while Performance Max integrates calls across all Google channels
• Comprehensive setup requires specific configuration – using tracked phone numbers, compelling ad copy, mobile bidding strategies, and proper integration with call tracking platforms like Mediahawk
• Four-phase implementation roadmap ensures success – baseline establishment, strategy testing, optimisation/scaling, and advanced integration with AI-powered features for maximum effectiveness

Understanding call-only ads vs call extensions

Before diving into implementation, it’s crucial to understand the fundamental differences between call-only ads and call assets, as each serves different business objectives and customer journeys.

Call-only ads:

Call-only ads are designed exclusively to generate phone calls with no option for users to visit your website. The phone number appears as the headline, making the call-to-action immediately clear and prominent. These ads are specifically created for mobile devices and appear only to users who can make phone calls.

The primary goal is immediate phone contact rather than website traffic or brand awareness. When someone clicks your call-only ad, their phone automatically dials your business number, directly connecting search intent and phone conversation.

Call-only ads work best for urgent services where immediate conversation provides more value than website browsing – emergency services, healthcare, legal consultation, or home repairs where quotes require discussion of specific circumstances.

Call assets (extensions):

Call assets (previously extensions) add phone numbers to standard text ads while preserving the option for users to click through to your website. The phone number appears as an additional element alongside your headline, description, and website link.

The dual-purpose approach allows prospects to choose their preferred interaction method – they can either call immediately for urgent needs or visit your website for more detailed research before making contact.

Call assets suit businesses that benefit from both phone conversations and website visits, such as professional services, retailers with both online and phone sales, or companies where customers prefer to research before calling.

Visual differences

Call-only ads display the phone number as the main headline, followed by business name verification, description lines, and a prominent ‘Call’ button. No website URL appears because clicking anywhere on the ad initiates a phone call.

Call assets appear as additional clickable phone numbers within standard text ads, giving users two distinct options: click the headline/description to visit the website, or click the phone number to call immediately.

Mobile optimisation makes call-only ads particularly prominent on smartphone screens, where the large ‘Call’ button and phone number headline create strong visual emphasis on immediate contact.

What is a call-only campaign?

This is a mobile optimised campaign that is specifically designed for businesses that rely on phone calls. An Ads call asset displays a prominent phone number, URL (for branding purposes), two lines of description text and a call button.

Call assets are expressly designed to appear in search results on mobile devices that can make phone calls. Instead of directing searchers to a destination URL and a landing page, the prospect can only call.

This differs from the click-to-call extension that you may be more familiar with. These extensions, when viewed by mobile users, place a ‘Call’ button in the ad that immediately makes a phone call to your business.

When presented with this ad, your prospect usually has two options: to click the ad and visit the landing page on your website, or to click the button and make a call. This almost sends a mixed message to your lead about which action you want them to take. It’s also much more difficult to write effective, targeted ad copy when you’ve got two different CTA’s fighting for attention.

Given the choice, a prospect might decide to visit your site first. Even with a highly optimised landing page, you risk losing 19 out of 20 prospects who click on the link. Using a call-only campaign you capture the lead at the exact time that they’re actively searching and ready to purchase.

When to use call-only ads vs call assets

Choosing the right approach depends on your business model, customer behaviour patterns, and conversion objectives.

Call-only ads are ideal when:

• Immediate consultation is essential for conversion. Legal services, healthcare, emergency repairs, and financial advisory services often require detailed discussions that can’t be effectively handled through website forms or online chat.
• Your service requires personalised quotes that depend on specific circumstances. Tradespeople, contractors, and professional services often need to understand unique requirements before providing accurate pricing or advice.
• Mobile users represent your primary audience and typically call rather than browse websites extensively. Mobile-first call strategies benefit local services, urgent care providers, and time-sensitive businesses.
• Website conversion rates are consistently lower than phone conversion rates for your industry. If analytics show that phone calls convert at significantly higher rates than web forms, call-only ads maximise your highest-performing conversion path.
• Complex services require explanations that are better delivered through conversation than website content. B2B services, technical solutions, and customised offerings often require interactive discussion to address specific needs.

Call assets work best when:

• Both research and consultation matter in your sales process. Customers might want to browse your services, pricing, and credentials before deciding to call, particularly for high-value purchases or ongoing service relationships.
• You have strong website conversion paths alongside phone conversions. E-commerce sites with phone support, service businesses with online booking systems, and companies with both digital and phone sales benefit from dual options.
• Different customer segments prefer different contact methods. Younger demographics might prefer online forms while older customers prefer phone calls, making both options valuable for comprehensive market coverage.
• You want to maximise total conversions rather than focusing exclusively on phone calls. Call extensions enable measurement of both digital and phone conversion paths for complete ROI analysis.
• Your business has extensive online resources that support the sales process. Educational content, detailed service descriptions, pricing information, and customer testimonials help qualify prospects before phone conversations.

Can I track calls in the same way as my other campaigns?

Yes. When you create your call-only ad, you need to select the ‘My own phone number’ option (see image below) so that you can add your own tracking number.

Using a Mediahawk number means you are able to choose the type of number you use (this can be a geographic number or a service number) and capture exactly the same information that you can get from your other tracking numbers, including:

• number of calls
• benchmarking to ascertain the value of a call based on the duration
• date and time of call
• keyword data
• source, medium, and more.

Using the Mediahawk API, you can integrate the call data directly into your own reporting software. You can also listen to calls and score them within the reporting portal as you would do normally.

Advanced call tracking capabilities with Mediahawk provide additional insights beyond basic Google Ads reporting:

• Speech Analytics automatically analyses call content to identify successful conversion patterns, common objections, and call quality indicators that help optimise both ad copy and call handling processes.
• Caller journey tracking shows the complete customer path from keyword search through multiple touchpoints to final conversion, enabling sophisticated attribution analysis that improves budget allocation decisions.
• Call outcome categorisation automatically scores calls based on conversion likelihood, appointment bookings, or sales completions, providing more accurate ROI measurement than duration-based metrics alone.

Step-by-step setup instructions

Implementing both call-only ads and call extensions requires specific configuration steps to ensure optimal tracking and performance measurement.

Setting up call-only ads

• Step 1: Create a new campaign in Google Ads and select ‘Search’ as the campaign type, then choose ‘Phone calls’ as the main conversion goal you want to focus on for this campaign.
• Step 2: Choose call-only ad format within your ad group creation process. Select ‘Call-only ads’ when prompted for ad type preferences.
• Step 3: Configure phone number tracking by selecting ‘Use my own phone number’ rather than Google’s forwarding numbers. Enter your Mediahawk tracking number to enable call attribution and analysis.
• Step 4: Create compelling ad copy with strong headlines that encourage immediate calling, clear value propositions in description lines, and a verified business name to build trust and credibility.
• Step 5: Set mobile bidding strategies optimised for call conversions, using target CPA or maximise conversions bidding if you have sufficient historical call data to inform Google’s algorithms.
• Step 6: Configure call reporting in Google Ads to track call duration, call-through rates, and conversion values, integrating with your Mediahawk dashboard for comprehensive analysis.

Setting up call assets

• Step 1: Access assets in existing campaigns through the ‘Assets’ section of the Campaigns menu, select the plus (+) icon, then select Call from a list of choices. The ‘Add call asset’ view then appears.
• Step 2: Add asset details, including your tracked phone number, country/region settings, and call reporting preferences, to ensure accurate measurement and attribution.
• Step 3: Configure device preferences to show call assets on mobile devices while maintaining standard click-through options on desktop computers, where phone calls are less common.
• Step 4: Set scheduling options to display call assets only during business hours when staff are available to handle enquiries, improving call quality and customer experience.
• Step 5: Enable call reporting to track calls that last longer than specified durations (typically 30-60 seconds) as conversions, providing insight into call asset effectiveness.
• Step 6: Integrate with call tracking by using Mediahawk numbers in your call assets to gain deeper insights into caller behaviour, keyword attribution, and call outcome analysis.

How much will it cost?

Google call-only campaigns use the same AdWords bidding process as pay-per-click ads, but you bid for calls instead of clicks to your website. Your bid should match the value that you place on a phone call from your ad, and you can control this in the same way as you would a normal PPC campaign budget.

Call-only ads typically cost more per conversion than standard clicks because you’re bidding directly for high-intent actions (phone calls) rather than website visits that may or may not convert. 

On the other hand, call extensions add minimal cost to existing campaigns while potentially increasing total campaign value through additional conversion opportunities without requiring separate budget allocation. 

Bidding strategies should reflect call value rather than click value. If your phone calls convert at higher rates than website forms, higher cost-per-call bids often deliver better overall ROI than lower cost-per-click strategies. 

What are the benefits of using a call-only campaign?

If you’re in a service-based business where there is a greater need for a customer to talk to you, you’re likely to see an increase in the number of calls you receive. Using a tracked phone number enables you to monitor the results within your reporting system. Using unique tracked numbers, you can test multiple ads to find out which ad copy performs better, and achieves the best click through rate. The detailed insight that Mediahawk reports provide you with allows you to fine-tune your campaigns to improve results further.

Additional benefits of comprehensive call advertising include:

• Higher conversion rates typically result from phone conversations compared to website forms, as direct dialogue enables immediate objection handling, personalised solutions, and relationship building that digital forms cannot provide.
• Qualified lead generation improves because phone calls naturally filter out casual browsers, leaving you with prospects who have a genuine interest and immediate needs for your services.
• Competitive advantage emerges when competitors focus only on website traffic while you capture prospects ready for immediate conversation and conversion through strategic call advertising.
• Gathering customer insight through phone conversations provides valuable market research about customer needs, pain points, and decision-making factors that inform broader marketing strategy improvements.
• Relationship building begins immediately through personal conversation, which creates stronger customer connections than digital-only interactions and improves long-term customer value.

Advanced optimisation best practices

Call advertising optimisation requires you to go beyond basic ad copy testing to include comprehensive conversion analysis and customer journey optimisation.

Call-only ad optimisation:

• Headline testing with call-focused messaging should emphasise immediate availability, expertise, and value proposition. ‘Call now for free quote’ often outperforms generic headlines by creating urgency and clear value exchange.
• Description line optimisation should address common customer concerns or objections while reinforcing the call-to-action. Include business credentials, response time commitments, or special offers available only to callers.
• Geographic and temporal targeting maximises call quality by showing ads only when and where your business can provide immediate service. Local service businesses benefit from geographic radius targeting combined with business-hour scheduling.
• Negative keyword management prevents calls from unqualified prospects by excluding terms that indicate non-commercial intent, competitor research, or service areas outside your capabilities.
• Call quality analysis using Speech Analytics identifies which ads generate the highest-quality conversations, enabling budget reallocation toward the most effective creative and keyword combinations.

Call asset optimisation:

• Phone number verification ensures Google displays your assets consistently while building trust through verified business status indicators that appear alongside your phone number.
• Asset scheduling aligns call availability with business hours, preventing after-hours calls that cannot be answered while maintaining 24/7 website availability for research and information gathering.
• Call-to-action message testing within ad copy should guide users toward calling when appropriate while maintaining website visit options for research-oriented prospects.
• Integration with other assets, including sitelinks, structured snippets, and location extensions, creates comprehensive ad experiences that serve different customer needs within a single ad placement.
• Performance monitoring tracks call-through rates, call duration, and conversion outcomes to identify optimisation opportunities and budget allocation improvements.

Call reporting and conversion tracking

Comprehensive call measurement requires integration between Google Ads reporting and advanced call tracking platforms to understand true advertising ROI and optimisation opportunities.

Google Ads call reporting setup

Call conversion configuration in Google Ads requires defining a minimum call duration that indicates genuine interest, typically 30-60 seconds, depending on your business type and sales process complexity.

Conversion value assignment should reflect the average value of phone call conversions compared to other conversion types, enabling accurate ROI calculation and campaign optimisation decisions.

Attribution model selection affects how call conversions are credited to different touchpoints in the customer journey. Data-driven attribution often provides the most accurate insights for businesses with sufficient conversion volume.

Call details reporting shows call duration, time of day patterns, and geographic distribution, providing insights for campaign optimisation and business operation improvements.

Advanced tracking with call tracking platforms

Keyword-level call attribution through Mediahawk’s tracking capabilities shows which search terms drive phone conversations, enabling precise keyword optimisation and budget allocation.

Call outcome tracking categorises calls by result (appointment booked, quote provided, sale completed) rather than just counting call volume, providing more accurate conversion measurement and campaign optimisation guidance.

Caller journey analysis reveals the complete path from initial search through multiple touchpoints to final conversion, supporting sophisticated attribution analysis and customer experience optimisation.

Integration with CRM systems connects call advertising data with customer lifetime value, enabling long-term ROI analysis and strategic budget allocation decisions based on actual business outcomes.

ROI measurement and optimisation

Cost per qualified call provides more meaningful metrics than cost per call volume, focusing optimisation efforts on campaigns that generate calls most likely to convert into actual business.

Revenue attribution connects call advertising spend to actual sales outcomes, enabling confident budget increases for campaigns with proven positive ROI rather than relying on proxy metrics.

Competitive benchmarking compares your call advertising performance against industry standards and competitor activity, identifying opportunities for market share growth through strategic campaign improvements.

AI-powered optimisation and Performance Max integration

Artificial intelligence and automated campaign types are changing how businesses approach call advertising, enabling further optimisation and broader reach.

Smart bidding for call conversions

• Target CPA bidding for call conversions uses machine learning to optimise bids based on the likelihood of generating calls that meet your specified duration and quality criteria.
• Maximise conversions bidding automatically adjusts bids to generate the maximum possible call conversions within your budget constraints, using historical performance data to inform real-time optimisation decisions.
• Target ROAS optimisation focuses bidding on calls that generate specific revenue outcomes, particularly valuable for businesses that can accurately track call-to-sale conversion rates and customer values.
• Bid adjustment automation uses AI to modify bids based on device type, time of day, location, and audience characteristics that correlate with high-quality call conversions.

Performance Max campaign integration

• Call-focused objectives within Performance Max campaigns enable call generation across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discover networks using unified creative assets and audience targeting.
• Cross-channel call optimisation uses machine learning to identify which channels and placements generate the highest-quality calls, automatically shifting budget toward the most effective touchpoints.
• Creative asset optimisation tests different combinations of headlines, descriptions, and images across all Google properties to identify creative elements that most effectively drive call conversions.
• Audience expansion uses Google’s AI to identify and target prospects similar to your best calling customers across all available inventory, expanding reach while maintaining call quality.

Privacy-compliant call tracking

First-party data focus ensures call tracking strategies remain effective as third-party cookies disappear, using direct customer relationships and consent-based tracking for attribution analysis.

Privacy-preserving attribution provides insights into call advertising effectiveness while respecting user privacy preferences and regulatory requirements.

Consent management integration ensures call tracking complies with privacy regulations while maintaining measurement capabilities necessary for campaign optimisation and ROI analysis.

Optimising your call-only campaign

• Use the description text to encourage prospects to call, e.g.: “Call for a quote today”.
• Create multiple ads with unique phone numbers and tweak the descriptions to see which variations and keywords generate more calls.
• Use your call tracking data to determine the precise ROI on your call-only campaigns and stop wasting budget on ads that are performing poorly.
• Adjust ad scheduling and bidding based on call volume patterns and conversion rate variations throughout different times of day, days of the week, and seasonal periods.
• Identify location-based opportunities for budget reallocation, bid adjustments, or expanded targeting based on call quality and conversion rate variations across different areas.
• Monitor competitor call advertising activity and adjust your strategy to maintain competitive advantage in high-value keyword auctions and market positioning.
• Use insights from call tracking and outcome analysis to improve staff training, response procedures, and follow-up processes that maximise conversion rates from advertising-generated calls.

Decision framework for choosing the right approach

Selecting between call-only ads, call extensions, or combined strategies requires systematic evaluation of business objectives, customer behaviour, and performance requirements.

Business assessment questions:

1. What percentage of your conversions come from phone calls vs. website forms? Businesses with >70% phone conversions often benefit from a call-only focus, while those with balanced conversion types should consider call extensions.
2. How complex is your sales process? Services requiring detailed consultation, customisation, or immediate scheduling typically perform better with call-only ads that facilitate immediate conversation.
3. What is your mobile traffic percentage? High mobile traffic businesses often see better results from call-only ads, while desktop-heavy industries might prefer call assets that serve both device types effectively.
4. Do you have dedicated phone staff during ad running hours? Call advertising requires adequate staffing to handle increased call volume and provide a quality customer experience that converts prospects to customers.

Performance-based decision criteria:

Current call conversion rates vs. web form conversion rates should guide strategy selection. If phone calls convert significantly higher rates, increased call advertising investment often improves overall campaign ROI.

Cost per acquisition differences between call and web conversions help determine optimal budget allocation between call-focused and website-focused advertising strategies.

Customer lifetime value variations between phone-acquired and web-acquired customers influence long-term strategic decisions about call advertising investment levels.

Competitive analysis reveals opportunities to gain an advantage through call advertising when competitors focus primarily on website traffic generation.

Your implementation roadmap

• Phase 1: Baseline establishment implements introductory call tracking across existing campaigns to establish performance benchmarks and identify optimisation opportunities.
• Phase 2: Strategy testing runs parallel campaigns with call-only ads and call extensions to determine which approach delivers better results for your specific business and market conditions.
• Phase 3: Optimisation and scaling expand successful approaches while refining underperforming elements based on comprehensive performance analysis and customer feedback.
• Phase 4: Advanced integration incorporates AI-powered optimisation, Performance Max integration, and sophisticated attribution analysis to maximise call advertising effectiveness and business impact.

The most successful businesses begin with comprehensive call tracking implementation, then systematically test different approaches to identify optimal strategies for their specific market conditions and customer behaviour patterns.

Have you implemented a call-only campaign yet? We’d be very interested to hear your experiences of how they’ve performed.

This article was originally published in April 2015. It was revised and updated in December 2024.