Why are my Google Ads not getting calls?

Check 1: are the ads actually showing?

Start with impressions. If ads barely show, nothing further down the list matters yet.

• Ad status. An ad must be Eligible to run. Disapproved ads can't show anywhere, and new or edited ads sit Under review while Google checks them, which takes up to one business day for most ads.
• Paused campaigns. Google's own first check for an Eligible ad that isn't running is whether its campaign is paused.
• Impression share. Search lost impression share due to budget means the campaign ran out of money; lost to rank means your Ad Rank was too low to show.
• Ad schedule. Ads run only during scheduled hours, and won't show if nobody searches your keywords then.
• Location. Google warns that a very small radius may show ads only intermittently or not at all, and excluded areas may be cutting out towns you serve.

Check 2: are they showing for the right searches?

Open the search terms report, which lists the actual searches that triggered your ads. If you see job seekers, parts, free advice or services you don't offer, you are paying for clicks that will never call. Broad match, Google's default, reaches related searches by design, so it needs regular review and negative keywords.

Then check location options. By default Google reaches people in, regularly in, or interested in your target areas. A local service business usually wants Presence only, so someone in Ohio researching a cottage near Traverse City doesn't see an ad for a plumber they can't hire.

Check 3: can people call straight from the ad?

A searcher on a phone often wants to call, not browse. Make sure the ad lets them, at the right number and at the right times.

• A call asset is attached. It adds a call button on phones and a Call us button on computers, which shows your number and a QR code.
• The right number shows. A call asset set at the ad group level overrides campaign and account level assets, so an old number at one level can hide the new one.
• The asset schedule matches your hours. You can limit call assets to times you answer, which also means none appear outside that window.
• No phone number typed into the ad text. Google says that can lead to disapproval; use the call asset instead.
• Location assets, if you use them, may send calls to the number tied to your business location rather than the call asset number.

Check 4: does the landing page make calling easy?

Many clicks go to your website rather than the call button. On a phone, the page should show what you do and a tap-to-call number without scrolling, load quickly, and match the search: someone who searched water heater replacement should land on that service, not your home page. If clicks look healthy but calls are thin, test the page on your own phone over mobile data, away from your office Wi-Fi.

Check 5: are calls happening but not counted?

Sometimes the phone rings and the account never knows. Call reporting uses Google forwarding numbers to log calls from ads. The default Calls from ads conversion counts calls longer than a minimum duration you set, or, when call recording is on, uses Google's analysis of the recording. People who visit your site and then dial need their own conversion action, and calls from a linked Business Profile that follow an ad interaction are reported as well.

Ask your team what they hear. If customers mention Google but the account shows nothing, the problem is tracking, not the ads. If calls arrive after hours or go to voicemail, the fix is staffing or scheduling, not targeting. Tracking is part of the first month when we take over an account, because every other decision depends on it.

Keep reading

• Are Google Ads worth it for contractors?
• How long before Google Ads start working?
• Why is my website slow on mobile?
• How can I tell if my marketing agency is doing a good job?
• Google Ads management from Modern Apex