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6 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your AdWords Call-Only Ads

Katherine Buchholz Product Marketing Manager, DialogTech

Search marketers know marketing has gone mobile, and many have realized what it takes to be successful in the mobile space. Step one is to adopt a mobile-first mindset, which is on its way: 72% of all digital advertising will be mobile within the next four years (eMarketer). Step two is to optimize mobile marketing for a growing number of call conversions: By 2019 there will be 61 billion calls driven from mobile search (BIA/Kelsey).

Luckily, Google now provides search marketers with tools like call extensions and call-only ads to capitalize on these call conversions. Call-only ads take call extensions one step further and do exactly what they say: They only allow mobile callers to click-to-call your business. In fact, these ads will only display on devices that can make calls. See the image below: the headline spells out your phone number, there are no links to your website, and there is a call button similar to what we’ve seen in call extensions.

call-only ad

After you get started setting them up, here are 6 ways you can get the most out of your call-only ads.

Bid Based on Specific Keywords

Google reports that 70% of mobile searchers will call a business directly from the search results. Understanding which search terms these mobile searchers are using will help marketers capitalize on call-only ads. Be sure to take some time to understand the intent of your leads and customers when they search on a mobile device. Are they only researching? Does that keyword trigger a call? Then you can adjust bids based on the keywords you find drive the most calls to your business.

Tailor Your Ad Copy to Trigger Calls

Don’t rely solely on the phone number and call button to persuade searchers to call. You want to ensure your ad copy is consistent with the action you want them to take. For example, while a “Learn more” or “Get a free quote” call to action is certainly still relevant to a caller, it doesn’t inspire immediacy in the searcher. Try “Call us now” or “Call for a custom quote today” instead.

Bid Based on the Value of a Call

Determining the value of a call to your business can also help guide your bidding strategy. What is your ultimate goal in driving calls from call-only ads? Maybe you are looking to make a sale, provide more information on the latest car model, or maybe you’re just looking to book an in-home consultation for your product or service. You can maximize the value of these calls by designing your bidding strategy based on your cost-per-conversion or ROI goals. It can also help dictate how you bid on certain keywords or what kind of ad copy you’re using to drive more calls to your business.

Use Trackable Numbers to Measure Conversions

Search marketers need to keep in mind that a click on a call-only ad does not equate directly to a call. Two clicks need to occur: a click on the ad itself and then a second click to place the call. Enter call tracking. Call tracking software gives search marketers the ability to track inbound phone calls back to the specific ads and keywords driving said calls and therefore measure the true conversion.

Personalize the Call Experience

Once a mobile searcher has clicked on your call-only ad and initiated a call, you can create a more personalized call experience by controlling how their call gets routed. You can route calls based on the time of day or day of week, or to a specific call center, store, dealer, or agent, And with more mobile callers it’s increasingly important to be able to use technology like geo-location when trying to pinpoint a caller’s location and route them based on their location.

Monitor the Nature of Each Call

Let’s say somebody clicked on your call-only ad, placed a call, you tracked the keyword that drove the call, the call was routed to your sales team, and a sale was made. After all that work, can you tell how the call was handled? What about identify words and phrases that were spoken in the conversation? Getting insight into conversations through call recordings helps you monitor the nature of every call, determine why kind of call it was, and eliminate keywords from your bidding strategy. For example, if you can determine a lot of your calls from a specific keyword are service-related, you can then adjust your bidding strategy and reallocate that budget toward keywords driving sales calls (and revenue).

If you want to learn more about paid search and mobile click-to-call strategies, check out our live webinar next Thursday, September 10 at 2pm ET, 11am PT.