Just this past week I had three AdWords clients phone me to find out why their phone number was wrong in their Google AdWords ads. It was not a mistake, but rather a Google feature.
If you have phone extensions enabled in your Google AdWords account AND enable call metrics so that Google can track phone calls as conversions then you will not see your “correct” phone number in your ads. When you enable these terrific features this is what happens.
- Google creates a Google Voice phone number for your ads and places this number above or below your ad text. It is a click to call feature.
- Google will forward to your selected “correct” phone number any of the calls you get.
- Google will bill you $1 for each call as well as your cost per click charge.
- Google will track the length of the call, is it from a mobile phone, and even list the area code.
- Google will record the call as a phone call at the campaign and ad group level in your account.
- If you list your phone number in your ad, Google will replace it with their own generated phone number to get the $1 per call additional charge.
What we have found with call metrics is that AdWords generates much more activity than a completed email form on a website. We’ve had some clients with 40+ phone calls in one ad group recorded in their programs on top of regular email related conversions. This really helps clients see the real value of an AdWords program and helps them to measure the return on their ad spend.
If you need savvy AdWords help, we invite you to review our program and contact us for more information.