A pipe bursts at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday. The homeowner grabs their phone, searches Google for “emergency plumber near me,” and several ads appear. The ad that has a call button is often the one that gets the call — and the job. Google Ads call extensions make this happen by adding a clickable phone number directly to your search ads.
For service-based local businesses, a click-to-call button can make all the difference. You either get the call and win the business, or the customer moves on to the next search result, and you lose to a competitor.
Not familiar with call assets in Google Ads? We’ll help you understand why they matter and how to set them up step by step.
What are Google Ads call extensions?
Google Ads call extensions, now called call assets, add a clickable phone number to your search ads. When someone sees your ad in a Google search, they can tap to call you directly from the results page. You can set up call assets at the account, campaign, or ad group level.
Call assets cost the same CPC as a headline click. There’s no extra charge for the call action itself.
A call button removes the friction between “saw your ad” and “called you.” Instead of clicking to a landing page and hunting for a phone number, potential customers contact you immediately.
▶️ Not familiar with embedding a call option on a website? Learn what is click-to-call and how it works for your business.
Why call assets matter for your growing business
Here’s how call assets within a Google Ads campaign can impact your business:
- Speed to lead: A phone call closes faster than a form submission. In home services, the first company to pick up often gets the job.
- Local trust factor: A visible phone number signals legitimacy. For services where people are letting someone into their home, seeing a real number builds trust.
- Higher clickthrough rates: Google Ads with call assets take up more space in search results. More visibility means more clicks, and more clicks mean more chances to convert.
- Better mobile experience: More than 60% of Google searches happen on mobile devices. Call assets let people skip the extra steps on your website and connect with you instantly.
💡 Pro tip: The number you use matters. A local area code builds more trust than an 800 number. Quo, formerly OpenPhone, gives you business phone number options with local area codes. Quo numbers work from your existing phone — no second device needed.
How to set up a call extension with Google Ads
Setting up a call asset in your Google Ads account takes just a few minutes. Here’s how:
- Go to Assets inside Campaigns in your Google Ads account.
- Click the + icon and select Call from the list of choices.
- Choose the level: Account, Campaign, or Ad Group.
- Enter your phone number if you’re creating a new asset. If you’re using an existing asset, select your number from the list that appears.
You can read more about setting up call reporting and business hours scheduling below.
Account vs Campaign vs Ad Group level: When to use each
Not sure whether to use account, campaign, or group level for your call asset? Here’s how to differentiate between them:
- Account: You use one number across all campaigns. Account level is the simplest setup and works for most single-location service businesses.
- Campaign: Useful if you run separate campaigns by service type. For example, if you set up one campaign for HVAC and one for plumbing, you can have separate campaign-level numbers for each.
- Ad Group: The most granular option. It’s good for agencies or multi-location businesses that need detailed conversion tracking per service area.
💡 Pro tip: Don’t use your personal number for work. Use a dedicated business number — ideally a shared number with your team so you can split responsibility for calls and texts.
Best practices for call tracking and business hours
Once your call asset is live, you want to make sure your ad actually helps your business. Call tracking and scheduling your business hours make sure your digital marketing is paying for the right clicks.
On call tracking:
- Enable Call Reporting in Account Settings.
- Set your Conversion Action on your campaign to Calls from ads so you can track calls that lead to conversions.
Google assigns a temporary forwarding number that routes to your real business number, like your Quo number. The Google forwarding number captures the call data, and you can route calls to your main company number. You could also route calls to a dedicated line for campaigns to see how many phone calls your ad is driving.
Set a minimum call duration of 60 seconds so misdials and hang-ups don’t count as call conversions. A high volume of short calls usually means one of two things: you’re reaching the wrong audience or no one on your team is picking up.
💡 Pro tip: Use AI call tags in Quo to track trends around qualified versus unqualified leads or competitor mentions. That data helps you optimize your ad targeting and bidding strategies.
On business hours:
There are two separate schedule controls:
- The call asset schedule, which is when the call button shows.
- The campaign ad schedule, which is when the whole ad runs.
Traditionally, you’d set the schedule match your business hours, so you’re not paying for calls no one answers.
But if you have an AI voice agent like Sona, you can confidently run your ads 24/7. Sona greets callers, answers questions, and captures messages — at a fraction of the cost of a live answering service. Sona can even send text messages with booking links to turn missed calls into booked appointments.
▶️ Learn more about how to set up Sona call answering.
Quo: The best virtual phone service to use for your ads
Quo makes sure you’re ready when your Google Ads call assets drive calls to your business. You get a local business phone number with an area code that matches your service area. You can receive calls on your existing phone without a second device and keep work separate from your personal line. Call history, missed calls, voicemails, recordings, and transcripts all live in one app.
With Quo, you can also add a click-to-call button widget to your website, giving potential customers another way to reach you beyond your ads. Shared number inboxes let your whole team manage calls and texts together, and call forwarding routes calls to the right person. When no one’s available, Quo’s Sona AI voice agent handles after-hours answering so you never miss a lead.
Ready to put a better number behind your Google Ads? Sign up for a free seven-day trial of Quo and see the difference a dedicated business phone makes.
Frequently asked questions about Google Ads call extensions
The most common reason for disapproval is including a phone number in your ad text. Google requires phone numbers to be set up as a call asset, not typed into ad headlines or descriptions. You also can’t use vanity, premium, fax, or international numbers. Unverified phone numbers by Google can also lead to disapproval.
Call ads, also called call-only ads or call-only campaigns, were a standalone ad format. They were available on mobile and only let users call with no website link. As of February 2026, new call ads can no longer be created, but existing ones can continue to run until February 2027. Call assets are now the standard way to add a clickable phone number to your search ads.
If you use a call asset in your Google Ads campaign, Google’s algorithm decides whether to display your phone number with your ad. On mobile devices, users will see a tap-to-call button. On desktop, they’ll see your number with a QR code they can scan with a smartphone to dial after clicking the call button.
