Earlier this year, Google introduced the ability to use a Call Forwarding Number within your ad. Calls to that number were usually charged US$1 per call. The number appears on the right hand side of the title, as per the example below.

The number is allocated by Google, and is usually an 800 (toll free) type of number.

Google has announced that over the next few weeks, advertisers in the UK and USA only, will be able to bid for phone calls, in addition to bidding for clicks as usual. This is on search ads shown on computers and tablets.

To get started, select the option to use a Google forwarding number when you set up Call Extensions. This will then enable Google to measure when a call to your business occurs, using this number. With bid-per-call, you’ll also get the benefit of detailed call reporting right in AdWords, which includes:

• Summaries of completed calls, phone-through rate (PTR), and phone call cost on the Ad Group and Campaign tabs
• Details for each call, including call time, duration, caller area code, and the ad group that drove the call on the Dimensions tab.

The downside is that you are unable to use your regular number, or even another Call Tracking number that you may have. This is only activated by using Google’s call forwarding number.