“Dear AdWords Advertiser…”
Google sent an email today announcing a change to text ads appearing on mobile devices. In the next few weeks they will make all phone numbers appearing in ad text click-to-call; advertisers will be charged when a searcher calls the number associated with the ad.
The change makes sense – if someone finds you one a phone, the logical step is to let them call you. If you’d strongly prefer they visit your mobile-optimized website, take the phone number out.
If your ads use both Call Extensions and a phone number in the ad text, only the newly clickable phone number in the ad text will show. If you prefer the Call Extension number to display, delete phone numbers from your existing ad text. I recommend using Call Extensions because you’ll have more characters to write your ad and the phone number appears as a bonus line beneath.
You’ll be able to review how many calls you receive on the clickable phone number under Campaigns > Segment > Click-type. These are separate from Call Extensions and activity will not appear in the Extensions tab reports.
“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”
