A little more than a month ago, Google introduced click-to-call phone numbers in local ads on smartphones. Now, the popular program’s undergoing an expansion as Google’s made it easier for large companies to take advantage of the offering.
A post on the Inside AdWords blog explained today, "[W]e’re bringing the same click-to-call benefits to national advertisers through phone extensions. Phone extensions allow you to add a phone number that will be displayed whenever your ad is triggered, regardless of the user’s location."
Here’s the upshot, then: "This enables customers to connect with your business by phone directly from the ad and can be especially useful if you have a call center to handle customer inquiries."
Advertisers should profit as a result of this development, considering that phone calls are more likely than clicks to lead to purchases. Google looks set to make a lot of money, too, since this move will encourage corporations with big advertising budgets to give click-to-call ads a shot.
Perhaps the only losers will be the companies that don’t adapt quickly. They’ll risk losing sales to competitors with more eye-catching and actionable ads.