Supercharge your call-only ads with ad extensions

When people want dedicated service or to get specific questions answered, they often pick up the phone to speak to a real person. Advertisers also drive more value from having these direct conversations with customers - on average, calls convert three times better than web clicks.

Hundreds of thousands of advertisers are already using call-only ads to generate more phone calls from mobile search. We are now introducing upgrades to call-only ads, starting with the launch of ad extensions. For the first time, you’ll be able to show ad extensions with call-only ads to promote more relevant information about your products and services, and give people more reasons to choose your business. In early experiments, we’ve found that implementing new extensions to call-only ads can improve clickthrough rate by 10% on average.

Introducing ad extensions for call-only ads

The following extensions for call-only ads will begin rolling out to all advertisers starting today:

• Location extensions - highlight information about your nearby business locations for customers who want to visit your store in person.
• Callout extensions - promote unique offers and benefits, such as 24-hour call center service.
• Structured snippets - provide more specific details about your products and services using predefined headers like “Destinations” and “ Types”. For example, a rental car company might list various car classes like sedans, hybrids and SUVs.

Advertisers and agencies like Hertz, Vortex Industries and DexYP will be taking advantage of extensions to enhance their call-only ads with additional details and improve their visibility in search results.

“Calls help us effectively engage an increasingly mobile-first audience. They also drive better conversion rates compared to mobile text ads that take customers to our site. With new ad extensions for call-only ads, we hope to improve our CTR and call volume by taking up more real estate in search results, and showing customers additional relevant information like different car classes and ancillary product options.”
- Jeremy Venlet, Director- Digital Operations and Performance, Hertz

“Choosing the right partner for commercial door repair is an important decision for any business, which is why we offer extensive service and support over the phone to help guide our customers to book on-site appointments with our expertly trained technicians. Partnering with our digital agency, YPM, Inc. we've made call-only campaigns a big part of our digital strategy since phone calls are so important to our business. Making ad extensions available with call-only ads is huge step forward because they'll allow us to go beyond the standard description text in ad copy to showcase our unique value propositions, such as prompt and efficient service, and a proven track record of delivering results for our customers.”
- Stacey Muto, Marketing Director, Vortex Industries, Inc.

“DexYP partners with hundreds of thousands of local businesses to sustain and grow their customer base through online marketing channels. For many of these clients, driving leads and sales from phone calls is their top performance goal. For those that utilize Search Engine Marketing, call-only campaigns have been instrumental to helping these businesses generate more calls from mobile search, where more and more consumers are looking to connect with local businesses each year. We're incredibly excited to further improve our clients’ campaigns by adding new ad extensions. For example, the enhancement with location extensions will help further promote businesses who can assist customers over the phone, or at a nearby store location. Providing more relevant details in call-only ads will help them stand out more in search results and give users more reasons to call.”
- Brandon Hulme, Sr. Product Manager, SEM Products and Platforms, DexYP

If you already have location, callout, or structured snippet extensions set up at the account-level, you don’t need to take any extra steps - the extensions will automatically be eligible to appear with your call-only ads. You can also tailor the messaging on your extensions at the campaign-level to help them work better with call-only ads. For example, highlight your fast call center service or offer a special discount when customers book an appointment over the phone for the same week.

To learn more about call-only ads, visit the Help Center and check out best practices for driving more calls to your business.

Posted by Manas Mittal, Product Manager, Mobile Search Ads