[frame align=”left”]
[/frame]On July 29th Google sent out an email to most Adwords advertisers announcing enhancements to their click-to-call functionality in AdWords ad text. This is important information to read and understand as an Adwords advertiser. Many businesses currently list their phone numbers in their ad copy – which isn’t a bad thing – however a few changes to how you are able to list a phone number are being implemented, and unfortunately these changes will come at a price.
You can read the full email after the jump, but what it comes down to is this:
- All currently non-clickable numbers displayed in your ads will be converted to a click-to-call number. As such you will start to incur extra charges if searchers click on your number.
- If you are currently using both a call extension and a phone number in your ad text, only the newly clickable phone number (in your ad text) will show. Google states that their intention here is to reduce confusion for users in knowing which number to click.
- If you would like your call extension number to display, you need to delete your phone number from your existing ad. Instead use the available call extension to input your phone number – which in return will free up some characters for you to use within the body of your ad. It’s a win/win situation: your phone number still displays, and you have free characters to use for your ad body.
The email reads:
Dear AdWords Advertiser,
If you currently have a phone number in your ad text or have plans to start adding your phone number in an ad, this is an important notice that in the coming weeks, we will be launching a new enhancement to AdWords ads that will impact charges on clicks to these numbers.
To help our mobile users connect more easily with advertisers, all non-clickable phone numbers displayed in AdWords ad text will be automatically converted into a Click-to-call number. Currently when advertisers enter a phone number directly into their ad text instead of using Call Extensions, the phone number is not clickable and will not generate a call. This can be a frustrating experience for mobile users who attempt to initiate a call to this phone number.
The new Click-to-call enhancement ensures that all phone numbers shown in AdWords ads are clickable and allows users to easily place calls from their mobile device. If your ad text includes a phone number, you will begin to receive clicks and calls on this number once the enhancement is enabled in your account. As with phone calls placed via a Call Extension, you will be charged for clicks on your phone number that result in a call.
Please note that AdWords policy does not allow for phone numbers to be inserted into ad headlines. As with all Click-to-call ads, advertisers will be charged when a user either clicks on the headline or the phone number listed in the ad. Please see below for additional information regarding this change.
Which phone number shows?
If you are currently using both Call Extensions and a phone number in your ad creative, only the newly clickable phone number in your ad creative will show. This is designed to help reduce user confusion from seeing two potentially different numbers. If you would like your Call Extension number to display, simply delete all phone numbers from your existing ad text by following these steps. You’ll also receive an additional line of ad text displaying your phone number if the Call Extension is used.
Measuring results
You’ll be able to review how many calls you receive on the clickable phone number listed in your ad text for each campaign, ad group, keyword and ad on the “Campaigns” tab in your AdWords account. Just select the “Click-type” option under the “Segment” drop down and view your report. Please note that since these are not calls generated from a Call Extension, they will not be reported in the Extensions tab reports.
Recommendations for featuring a phone number
You can simply leave your phone number in your ad text and benefit from this change which will automatically make your phone numbers clickable and enable users to call you. However, to get the most value from click-to-call, we recommend that you remove your phone number from your ad creative and create a Call Extension with your phone number directly. This has several benefits. With a manually created Call Extension your number will appear as an additional line of ad text which frees up space in your ad creative for other promotion. In addition, when you create a Call Extension, your phone number appears on a separate line in the ad, and you’re able to take advantage of other powerful enhancements such as Vanity Numbers, Call-only and Call Metrics reporting.
We are committed to providing our users with the best mobile web experience and encourage you to learn more about Call Extensions by visiting our Help Center.
Sincerely,
The Google AdWords Team