Introduction
AdWords advertisers recently received a notification from Google to the effect of a change in call extensions. So what does this new extension do and how will it help. Well, to sum up the whole thing what the extension will do is that whenever you are using a main number for different locations, on the map actually when a call will be placed it will go directly to the local business number regardless of the number identified on the map. This was the simplest way to put it and now let’s take a closer look at the specifics.
When you receive a call-only ad, usually what you will see is the number of the caller and not the company name. But last summer Google has tested an extension which will enable users to see the business names of the caller after the phone number. So if supposedly you were used to seeing this: (800) 888-8888, with this new call extension, you will see this: (800) 88-8888- X Company. While conducting its tests, Google noted that there were more conversions due to this update and thus it is going forward with the prospect of providing it globally.
Google made several announcements with regards to call-only ads extensions and this one seems to catch the eye of many for the simple fact that their business name would be displayed and also because of the conclusive test results shown by Google. The account-level extensions which Google is coming up with are for advertisers which use one single main number for call extensions. With this extension, advertisers will no longer need to apply the same call extension to various numbers within their accounts.
From the announcement Google made, AdWords will be also affected by showing results including the advertiser’s local address as mentioned in their Google My Business account when a search is made locally. This will be a good thing for businesses since local searches will be re-directed to the business nearby.
Since January 19, 2017, the display of phone numbers has changed on Google AdWords. Before that date, only advertising accounts with a call extension could see their phone number appear on their advertising. Since then, Google My Business phone numbers may appear on all accounts that have a location extension. As a result, phone numbers on Google My Business may be preferred over call extensions.
Why use Google My Business information?
Google is increasingly promoting Google My Business cards, whether it's for local SEO of a website, or for AdWords advertising. Google no longer allows advertisers to add a location extension to AdWords without owning their clients' Google My Business listing. The information provided on the company profile is very visible on the search engine and is considered relevant by Google. This change means that the numbers used in call extensions are not always used on ads for numbers on Google My Business. Call extensions and location extensions are part of the seven ad extensions on Google AdWords.
Highlighting Google My Business's phone number makes it possible to standardize the search results of the same company on the search engine. Indeed, it may happen that search results show different phone numbers for the same company. These two numbers appearing on the map can confuse users. Users may wonder, for example, if an error was not made on the ad or Google My Business. By promoting the Google My Business number, this company could see the same phone number used on its listing.
Disadvantages
If you do not manage your Google AdWords account on your own, you might wonder why another number was used on your ads. Advertisers can create specific tracking numbers to ensure that you accurately record the number of calls from your advertising campaigns. This allows you to accurately measure the performance of AdWords campaigns.
Calls can be a very important source of conversions for some companies. Thus, by creating this option, Google will not reduce the number of calls from a company. However, recorded calls from AdWords advertising may decrease if the call extension is disadvantaged. You might say that your ads do not work as well as they used to, but they do not, because you simply will not have recorded all the calls.
This inconvenience for conversion tracking is a problem that Google is aware of. An advisor at Google has confirmed that in-house teams are working to improve tracking for online advertising.
What if you do not want to use your Google My Business AdWords campaign number?
If you want to increase your calling expense at the expense of the number on Google My Business, you have two choices:
- Remove the Google My Business location extension to use only the AdWords call extension. This option is not recommended because extending a location is a huge asset for targeting customers close to you.
- Contact the Google team to have this option removed from your AdWords account. This will have no impact on your impressions rate and the phone number of your extension will be used for your online ads.
However, if you want to keep the Google My Business number for your ads, it is strongly advised to verify that all information on your listing is up-to-date.
That's all for now:
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