Call Only Ads vs. Call Only Campaigns - Correct Set-up

[dotgal]

I'm having an issue the Call Only Ads on current campaigns/ad groups doesn't provide the "Call Only Ad" with any exposure. I have like 1 impression and zero clicks. The Call Only Ads are added into campaigns/ad-groups that have text ads. The interesting thing is that a large portion of the traffic ends up as a phone call lead (click to call, website calls), which leaves me puzzled why “Call Only Ads” aren’t getting more exposure.

Does anyone know if it’s better to set-up Call Only Ads within existing campaigns/ad groups that have other text ads or set-up Call Only Ad campaigns? The problem I see with setting up a Call Only Ad campaign is that it will be targeting the same set of keywords from another campaign, meaning that I would be competing against myself for the same keywords.

I tried to get an answer for this online, but the only information I got was from 2016, which is a bit outdated and it never answered the question posted by the user: Call-Only Ads vs Call-Only Campaigns

@JoyHawkins you were on this thread. Do you have any insights into this?

Also, what are people’s thoughts on Google Local Ads? Is this competing with Google’s Call Only Ads? I’m trying to grasp why the Call Only Ads aren’t getting exposure because I’ve not implemented them correctly or if because in the marketplace there’s too much competition and due to Quality Score and ad rank, the Call Only Ads don’t end winning the auction.

 

[Josh_M]

From what I've seen, If you set up a call only ad inside an ad group with text ads, 9 times out of 10 the text ad will show instead of the call only ad. I believe this is related to the ad rank being higher on the text ad vs the call only ad.

So to avoid competing against yourself (since you'd have the same domain, you wouldn't be driving your CPC up, but whichever campaign has the higher ad rank, that would get the majority of the impression share). I would recommend these options:

1. Setup 2 campaigns to run at separate times of the day. For example, if you have someone answering the phone during business hours, run the call only ads during the business hours then text ads after hours)
2. Create 2 adgroups for each set of keywords then turn off mobile on the text ad adgroup. This way your text ads won't show on mobile devices which will allow your call only ads to show more.

Local service ads are great, if you are eligible to use them I would definitely recommend using them! If you are fighting to get your ads showing above local service ads, then you might as well give up lol because it will never happen.

You can check your eligibility to use Local Service Ads here! - https://ads.google.com/localservices/signup/eligibility

 

[dotgal]

Thanks @Your_Cedric for the tips. My client is eligible for Local Service Ads. The cost per call is higher than the average cpc. How do you balance the budget between Google Ads and Local Service Ads? One of my concerns is that running these 2 for the client will essentially cause competition - making the average cpc higher for their Google Ads campaigns and lowering performance. But, on the other hand if Local Service Ads perform that would be great. My other questions I have for you:

How do you package Local Service Ads with your services - do you bundled with Google Ads management? It seems very straightforward management... I wonder how much optimization Google will allow for the placements. I mean if there are 3 advertisers on Local Ads, how does Google determine the ad rank?

 

[Josh_M]

The cost per call is higher generally because most of the time it is a solid lead, and if it's not, you can usually dispute it and get your money back.

You shouldn't need to worry about causing more competition since they are separate, and if there are already other local service ads showing for your keywords then you are already getting the short stick on the performance end of things for your text ads.

If you are using a strict budget, I would recommend dividing your budget up either 50/50 or 75/25 and try local service ads for a month or two. Then you can see which one is really working better!

We don't have a package for Local Service ads since there is not a whole lot of optimization that can be done to them, but if our client is eligible, or becomes eligible, we let them know and assist them through the setup process, then make sure that everything is set up properly.

For the ad rank, I am not entirely sure how they determine the placements, but I believe it's based on

1. Reviews
2. Responsiveness
3. Budget
4. Business Hours

 

[vasilioslambos]

I would first evaluate the intent. If the business KPIs are to drive specific sales goals call only ads may not be the best option as you are driving strictly phone calls. I would evaluate whether you should invest in call only ads or push users to an experience with a form fill.