Now that you’ve implemented your call ads and are measuring them the right way, you can move on to improving their performance. Use all of the performance data that’s available to you to optimize the impact of your call ads. Find out which targeting is effective and then get more of that.
Understand the different types of conversions your Google Ads campaigns and keywords are driving
If you’re running call assets or call ads with the “Visit website” link you’ll be driving calls alongside other conversion types. It’s important to understand which conversions your different keywords and campaigns are driving.
The trends across the different conversions that you’re driving will influence your strategy. Call-heavy campaigns and keywords may benefit from different bidding and ad copy.
Plan on reviewing your campaign performance segmented by conversion type regularly. Know which of your campaigns and ad groups drive calls more frequently than others, and be more aggressive on those terms if calls are valuable to you.
Tip
If you notice large enough differences in conversion types within a campaign, you could split out a call campaign to target those call-heavy keywords specifically.
Advanced Tip
Consider incorporating Remarketing Lists for Search Ads or Customer Match with your call campaigns. For example, if someone has already added something to the website shopping cart, consider routing them to a top sales rep.
Bid according to the value that calls deliver to you
In order to set the appropriate bids for your call ads you should understand a call’s value to you. The goal should be to maximize return on investment while driving as many calls as possible at a profitable CPA.
To understand the value of a call, talk to your teams that answer those calls and take a look at sales data from phone calls. Identify typical conversation rates and average order values. Think about things like the profitability of your phone call customers and what their lifetime value is. When feasible, import call conversions to see sales or leads that resulted from calls directly in Google Ads. You may want to consider implementing a third party solution that integrates Google Ads performance data or Google Analytics with data from other media channels.
To help you generate more calls, use call bid adjustments to show your call assets more often with your search ads. This option prioritizes calls without bidding higher for clicks to your website. You can see how often your call assets show in the “interaction coverage” column. Raise your call bid adjustments to show call assets more frequently in campaigns that drive high-value call conversions.
Example
You have 40% call interaction coverage in a campaign that drives valuable calls for you, and you’d love to increase that figure. Adding a +300% call bid adjustment can then lead to 80% call interaction coverage. Because only the bid for calls is increasing, you could see your total cost go up by only 10% while getting double the call interaction coverage.
Google Research
Consumers are 2.8X more likely to call from a search ad for businesses in the telecom and finance verticals.
If you want the maximum amount of control over your bids for the calls you’re driving, you should use call campaigns. Your bids will apply directly to calls and your ads will only show on devices that can make calls. There’s no bid modifier necessary.
If you’re looking to save time and optimize bids for each and every auction, automated Google Ads Smart Bidding can set your bids to maximize calls wherever you’re tracking calls as conversions. The bidding algorithm will predict which impressions are likely to lead to a call or any other type of conversion you’re tracking and set the appropriate bid for that auction. While some calls in “All conversions” – such as ones manually dialed after users see your ad from a computer – won’t be factored into target CPA or target ROAS strategies, those strategies will still account for mobile calls and website call conversions across all devices.
Note
Smart Bidding strategies will work best if you regularly import your most up-to-date conversion data.
Optimize your website to receive calls
Give your customers every possible chance to get in touch with you and connect them with a great experience, including on your mobile site. Just a few changes can help you optimize your site to drive phone calls and increase the number of calls you receive.
Even if you decide to run call ads for mobile users, be sure to optimize your site to drive more calls. Here are a couple of things that you try to incorporate onto your site:
- Have an accessible call button on each page of your mobile site
- Make your phone number clickable on mobile
- On desktop sites be sure that your number is featured prominently and isn’t an image - make it easy for customers to copy and paste that number
Optimize your site to receive calls and track the overall call volume that you receive. A call-friendly site may see fewer online conversions, but more quality conversions overall.
Deliver a great experience when someone calls you
Cultivating personalized, relevant experiences, just as you do for your website, tends to increase conversion rates and win customers. Now that you’re driving calls with Google Ads, you want to get the best possible value from those calls.
To start, make it easy for your customers to move from one channel to the next. That way you can prove that you’re there for them, no matter how they want to talk to you. Next, optimize your call center for your most valuable callers. Invest in creating a specialized process for routing calls driven by your Search ads. Finally, use contextual signals to tailor the call center experience. Answering the phone is only the first step. Knowing what to say is the second.
Conclusion
Successful online advertising is more than your website. Many people still want to talk with another person when they’re researching or buying a new product. Using call assets and call ads, you can connect with these consumers and deliver the best user experience at the right time. Identify what your call strategy should be and then do everything you can to drive more calls.
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