Google Ads Is Sunsetting Call-Only Ads: What This Means for Advertisers

In a move that’s set to impact advertisers across a range of industries, Google has announced the plan that Google Ads is sunsetting Call-Only Ads, with a speculated July 2025 removal date. These ad formats have long helped businesses drive direct phone calls from search results, especially on mobile.

As Google shifts towards automation and more versatile ad formats, this change signals a new approach to phone-based lead generation. Knowing what to expect, and how to adapt, will be crucial for maintaining campaign performance.

Call-Only ads are a specialised ad format within Google Ads, designed specifically to encourage users to call a business directly rather than clicking through to a website. These ads appear exclusively on mobile devices capable of making calls, featuring a prominent call button instead of a traditional headline and link.

For many service-based businesses such as locksmiths, dental practices, legal services, and emergency repair companies, Call-Only ads offer a direct and efficient route to connect with high-intent customers. By eliminating the need for a landing page, they reduce friction in the user journey and allow advertisers to generate phone leads quickly and cost-effectively.

These ads are particularly effective for businesses where a phone conversation is often the first step in the customer acquisition process. However, with Google shifting towards more integrated ad experiences and multi-format strategies, the dedicated Call-Only format is now being phased out.

Google’s decision to phase out Call-Only ads stems from its commitment to enhancing user experience and streamlining ad management for advertisers. Several key factors have influenced this move:​

1. Evolution Towards Responsive Search Ads (RSAs):
   Google is transitioning towards more versatile ad formats like Responsive Search Ads, which allow for dynamic combinations of headlines and descriptions. This adaptability aims to improve ad relevance and performance across various devices and user intents. By integrating call functionality into RSAs, advertisers can manage their campaigns more efficiently within a unified framework. ​
2. Emphasis on Comprehensive User Journeys:
   Modern consumers often prefer to gather information online before initiating direct contact with a business. Call-Only ads, which bypass this exploratory phase, may not align with current user behaviours. By incorporating call options within ads that also link to landing pages, Google facilitates a more informative and user-friendly experience. ​
3. Streamlined Asset Creation and Management:
   Managing multiple ad formats can be complex and time-consuming for advertisers. By consolidating call functionalities into RSAs, Google simplifies the process of asset creation and campaign management, allowing advertisers to focus on optimising performance rather than juggling various ad types. ​

To summarise, the retirement of Call-Only ads reflects Google’s strategy to adapt to changing user behaviours and provide advertisers with more effective tools for engaging potential customers. This transition encourages businesses to adopt more integrated advertising approaches that cater to comprehensive user journeys.

The phasing out of Call-Only ads by Google signifies a notable shift for advertisers, particularly those who have relied heavily on direct phone call leads. The implications of this change include:​

• Shift in Lead Generation Strategies:
  Businesses that previously depended on Call-Only ads to drive immediate phone interactions will need to adapt their strategies. Integrating call assets into Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) becomes essential to maintain visibility and continue capturing phone leads. This transition may necessitate a comprehensive review and restructuring of current advertising approaches.​
• Enhanced Emphasis on Landing Pages:
  With the move towards RSAs, the role of landing pages becomes more prominent. Advertisers must ensure that their landing pages are optimised to provide a seamless user experience, effectively conveying key information and facilitating conversions. This shift underscores the importance of a cohesive online presence that supports both call and click engagements.​
• Potential Impact on Conversion Rates:
  The transition from Call-Only ads to RSAs with call assets may influence conversion rates. Advertisers might experience fluctuations as they adjust to the new format and optimise their campaigns accordingly. Continuous monitoring and data-driven adjustments will be crucial to mitigate any negative impacts and enhance performance.​
• Adaptation to New Ad Formats and Features:
  Staying abreast of Google’s evolving ad formats and features is imperative. Advertisers will need to familiarise themselves with the functionalities and best practices associated with RSAs and call assets to leverage their full potential. This may involve additional training or collaboration with digital marketing professionals to navigate the changes effectively.​

While the sunsetting of Call-Only ads presents certain challenges, it also offers an opportunity for advertisers to refine their strategies and embrace more integrated advertising solutions. Proactive adaptation and a focus on delivering comprehensive user experiences will be key to maintaining and enhancing advertising performance in this new landscape.

As Google phases out Call-Only ads, it is encouraging advertisers to transition to other ad formats that still offer the ability to drive phone leads, with one of the key replacements being RSAs..

• Call Extensions and Call Assets in RSAs
  Responsive Search Ads, now the primary ad format for businesses seeking to generate phone calls, allow advertisers to add call assets. These assets can include phone numbers that appear alongside ad copy, encouraging users to call directly from the search results. However, unlike Call-Only ads, RSAs also allow users to click through to a landing page before making a call, making the user journey more dynamic. Google’s intention behind this shift is to offer greater flexibility. Advertisers can now include a variety of assets, such as sitelinks, structured snippets, and call extensions, in one comprehensive ad. This means that businesses can capture a broader audience while still driving phone calls through the same ad.
• Performance Max Campaigns
  Performance Max campaigns, a relatively recent addition to Google Ads, also support call assets. These campaigns are designed to optimise across all Google inventory, including Search, YouTube, Display, and more. Performance Max offers a more automated and AI-driven approach to ad serving, optimising for the best-performing asset combinations. As these campaigns expand, they may take on a more prominent role in driving phone calls in addition to other types of conversions.
• Click-to-Call Features in Standard Search Ads
  Google has enhanced its traditional Search Ads to include Click-to-Call features. While these are not a direct replacement for Call-Only ads, they can still lead to phone calls when users tap the phone number included in the ad copy. By adding click-to-call features to standard Search Ads, advertisers can continue generating phone leads while also benefiting from the broader targeting options and ad formats available within standard search ads.
• Increased Use of Call Tracking Solutions
  While Google’s new formats offer more options for driving calls, advertisers may also look to integrate third-party call tracking solutions to measure the success of these calls. By using platforms like CallRail or Invoca, businesses can gain deeper insights into call quality, duration, and conversion, which is critical for tracking the ROI of campaigns that rely on phone calls.

As Google continues to evolve its advertising ecosystem, the shift away from Call-Only ads is just one part of a broader trend towards more integrated, automated, and user-centric ad formats. Advertisers will need to stay agile and embrace these changes to remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic digital landscape.

• Increased Automation and AI Integration
  The future of Google Ads is increasingly focused on automation and machine learning. Google’s algorithm will continue to optimise campaigns, automatically adjusting bids, targeting, and ad creative based on user behaviour and search intent. While this will provide greater efficiency for advertisers, it also means that businesses will need to trust Google’s AI to make decisions that previously required manual input. As a result, fine-tuning campaigns for specific business objectives will require a deeper understanding of automated strategies and how they can be tailored for particular industries or goals.
• Multi-Platform Campaigns and Cross-Channel Strategies
  Google’s move to integrate call assets into a range of ad formats, such as RSAs and Performance Max campaigns, signals a broader push for cross-channel marketing. Advertisers will need to consider how their campaigns work not just on Search, but across YouTube, Display, and other Google properties. This multi-platform approach means that businesses will have more opportunities to reach users, but they will also need to manage these more complex campaigns effectively, ensuring consistency in messaging and targeting across different formats and devices.
• Evolving User Behaviour and Expectations
  As consumer behaviour continues to shift, the way people interact with ads will also change. The growing preference for mobile-first experiences means that advertisers will need to continuously optimise for mobile users, ensuring that calls to action are clear and easy to complete. Additionally, as voice search and smart assistants become more prevalent, businesses will need to explore new ways to capture leads, including optimising for voice queries that trigger call actions.
• The Growing Importance of Data and Insights
  The importance of data-driven decision-making will continue to increase. Advertisers will need access to detailed insights not only on call volumes but also on user interactions, engagement metrics, and post-click behaviours. As Google Ads becomes more reliant on data to optimise campaigns, businesses will need to leverage advanced reporting tools to understand their audience better and refine their strategies for maximum impact.

The sunsetting of Google Call-Only ads marks a significant shift in how advertisers drive phone leads. While this change presents certain challenges, it also opens up new opportunities to optimise campaigns and embrace more versatile, integrated ad formats like Responsive Search Ads and Performance Max campaigns.

Here at MagnifyLab, we understand how crucial it is to stay ahead of these changes and maximise your Google Ads performance. If you’re unsure how to navigate the transition or need assistance optimising your campaigns for the new ad formats, reach out to our PPC agency today for a free Google Ads audit. Our team of experts can help ensure your campaigns are fully optimised, driving the best results possible.