What is a Call Extension?

Any company looking to be reached by prospective customers should include call extensions. This is particularly important to local businesses and mobile campaigns especially when people are searching for things nearby. If you provide your phone number beside your ad, people can reach you to learn more about your business.

Call extensions are simple to set up. First, you will navigate to the ad extensions tab, select call extensions, and then click on new extension. Then finally, you just type in your phone number. 

You’ll see two options: “Call-only Format” and “Call Metrics”.

• Call-only Format: This displays only phone numbers on mobile devices, and people can easily contact you directly without any struggle, one tap on the phone number will allow you to call them.
• Call Metrics: This is a tracking tool that provides you with a special phone number for your ad. When a person is going to call this number, it is taken into account in Google Ads. It can be useful for the evaluation of the advertisements that you launch.

What you should note is that using call metrics will cost you $1 for every click. That can, of course, be helpful for tracking but it’s possible to consider other call tracking services that can provide more options and lower costs.

The call extensions are one of the ad extensions in Google Ads that extend your advertisement by including your phone number. This helps those people to easily call your business directly from the search results page. A new phone number can be added at the account level, campaign level, or ad group level of your account.

But, unfortunately, Google does not always display call extensions. They will only show up if Google feels they would enhance your ad’s effectiveness and if your ad stands high enough in the search rankings.

Businesses can benefit from call extensions in several ways. By enabling direct calls from the advertisement, they enhance user experience and boost click-through rates. Putting a phone number on display gives your company more legitimacy. Additionally, call extensions help in more precise call tracking, offering insightful data on the efficacy of campaigns. They are especially helpful for local businesses in drawing in clients who live close by and can get in touch with you with ease.

Any campaign will profit from call extensions, but local campaigns and campaigns with a significant chance of mobile impressions would benefit most from them.