How to Add Your Phone Number to a Google Ad
Short answer. Google’s page on call assets says they are how you add a phone number to an existing ad. Putting the number in the ad text may get the ad disapproved. The number should reach that location and stay under the business’s control.
Why not paste the number into the headline?
Call assets are the easiest way to add a phone number to an existing ad. If you include a phone number elsewhere in the ad text, the ad may be disapproved. Use the call asset. The page does not say the headline or the description is an allowed place for the number.
On the Business Profile, a phone number does not belong in the business name. On the ad, it belongs in the call asset.
What does a call asset do when it shows?
People can reach the number you added. On a phone, a clickable call button can show under a responsive search ad. On a desktop, a Call us button can show. That click displays your number, or a Google forwarding number if call reporting is on, plus a QR code that opens the dialer. People can also click the ad and go to the website. The asset does not have to appear on every impression. An auction decides.
You can schedule it for hours when someone can answer. That schedule is not the missed-call rule on a pay-per-lead campaign, which is a different product. See what Google Local Services Ads are and Local Services Ads vs regular Google Ads.
How do you add the call asset?
Go to Assets in the Campaigns menu. Select the plus icon, then Call. Choose the account, a campaign, or an ad group. Select Create new, or Use existing. For a new asset, enter the phone number. Continuing means you agree to the Call Ads Supplemental Terms. You can turn on call reporting, and you can count calls as conversions. Google can create a conversion called Call from ads, or you can make your own. Under advanced options, limit the days and hours if you want.
Edit later on the same Assets page. Open the Call summary, select the asset, use the pencil, and apply. The most specific asset wins. An ad group asset replaces a campaign asset, and a campaign asset replaces an account asset. Call assets can run on Search and Smart campaigns. You can add one to a Display campaign, but it may not serve.
Which numbers are allowed?
Vanity numbers, premium numbers, and fax numbers are not acceptable call-asset numbers. Google verifies that the number represents the business being promoted. On the Business Profile, provide a number that connects to that individual location. Use a local number instead of a central call-center line whenever possible. The number must be under the direct control of the business. Do not use a number or URL that redirects people to some other page or some other business, including a social page. Premium numbers are not acceptable on the profile either.
The call-asset page says an ad can be disapproved as an unverified number if it is not in E.164 form, a plus sign and digits with no spaces, and if that exact number is not in the website source code. The other path is verifying the domain in Google Search Console. If the site swaps numbers with dynamic insertion, scanning the code cannot confirm them, and switching the format to E.164 does not fix that. Prove domain ownership, then resubmit the asset. If you also use location assets, an ad for a specific location may dial the location’s number instead of the call-asset number.
What does a click on the call button cost?
A click on the mobile call asset, and a click on the desktop Call us button, costs the same as a headline click. That is a standard cost-per-click charge. The page does not publish a dollar amount, so this article will not invent one. Counting calls as conversions can affect automated bids. Call reporting uses Google forwarding numbers on the Search Network.
A pay-per-lead campaign does not use that click charge for its leads. There, a standard click is free and a valid lead is what you pay for. The business phone is prefilled from the profile and can be edited in the campaign settings. You still do not paste it into ad text. Those campaigns do not ask you for headlines.
What should the profile phone match?
Point both numbers at a line you control for that location. Google’s ranking page says complete, accurate information makes a profile more likely to show, and that there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. See how to rank higher in Google Maps.
FAQ
Can the number sit in the headline if a call asset also exists?
The call-asset page says a phone number elsewhere in the ad text may lead to disapproval. Put the number in the call asset.
Will the call button show every time?
No. Call assets do not serve on every impression. The auction decides.
Can the profile use a call-center number?
Use a local number instead of a central helpline whenever possible. It must be under the business’s control and connect to that location.
Is a call-asset click the same as a Local Services lead?
No. A call-asset click is charged like a headline click. A pay-per-lead campaign charges for a valid lead, not for that click.
