Call-only ads are being phased out: what to do now

Google is phasing out call-only ads as a standalone ad format. That sounds dramatic, but for most advertisers it is mainly a shift in how you generate phone calls, not the end of them. The short version: the separate “call only” ad disappears, and the alternative is that you add call assets to your regular search campaigns. Your phone number therefore stays clickable in the search results, just not as a standalone ad any more. In this article you will read what exactly changes and which steps to take now to keep your qualified callers.

What are call-only ads exactly?

Call-only ads, also known as call ads, are a Google Ads ad format that pushes people to phone you instead of visiting your website. They show a clickable call button with your phone number and only appear on devices that can make calls, so mainly on smartphones. For anyone who closes the sale over the phone, such as service providers who book appointments by telephone, they were a logical choice for years.

In a B2B context that principle stays valuable. A call from a prospect who wants to discuss their problem says more about buying intent than an anonymous click. The problem was never the idea of calling, but the ad format itself: many advertisers reported that call campaigns did not spend their budget consistently and were hard to optimise. That is why this is an upgrade rather than a loss.

What exactly is changing about call-only ads?

According to Google, the call-only ad is being phased out as a separate ad format. Concretely, that means the following, based on what Google itself has announced.

• Existing call-only ads migrate to responsive search ads. Google automatically converts eligible call ads into responsive search ads (RSAs). For that, your ad needs to contain a business name (at campaign or account level) and a destination URL, so leads can click through to your site. The shift to responsive search ads had already been set in motion some time ago as the new standard for search ads.
• A destination URL becomes mandatory. Historically, a final URL was optional for this ad type and only recommended. Google is making it mandatory when creating new call ads, precisely to make that automatic upgrade to an RSA possible.
• You can no longer create new call-only ads. Google has announced a concrete timeline: from February 2026 the option to create new call-only ads disappears, and from February 2027 existing call-only ads stop serving entirely. So do not wait until then.

The good news: you do not lose the ability to generate phone calls, you only move it to a more flexible structure. If you want to look at your strategy more broadly, read how to set up a Google Ads campaign that steers on the right goals.

What is the alternative to call-only ads?

The alternative is call assets within your search campaigns. As Google explains about call assets, a call asset makes your phone number appear as a clickable element next to the other components of your responsive search ad or Performance Max campaign. Someone searching can therefore call, but just as easily click on your headline or your sitelinks.

Two things to remember. Your number does not always appear: Google automatically shows the assets with the highest chance of results. And when it does appear, it is not the only clickable element. For PPC in B2B that is no disadvantage: some prospects call straight away, others read your landing page first. By offering both options, you catch both types without managing two separate campaigns.

The core stays the same as with any good campaign: steer on qualified enquiries and revenue, not on the number of interactions. A call button tapped a hundred times by the wrong people costs money; five calls from serious prospects generate revenue. You only make that distinction if you measure what happens after the click.

How do you set your campaigns up for phone calls now?

The order in which you tackle this determines whether your budget goes to valuable callers or evaporates. Start with measurement, not with the ad itself.

1. Set up conversion tracking for calls. Create a conversion action for phone calls in your account. Google lets you distinguish between calls from ads (clicks on your call asset) and calls from your website (someone clicks through and calls from your landing page). Set up both and select them as a conversion goal for your campaign. How to set this up thoroughly is covered in our guide on conversion tracking.
2. Switch on call reporting. With this, Google routes the calls through a forwarding number. To the caller it looks as if they are calling you directly, while Google records data such as the call date and call duration. You need that data to see which calls were really leads.
3. Create call assets and schedule them within office hours. Add your number at account, campaign or ad group level. Use the advanced options to set on which days and hours the asset may appear. Outside those hours, Google sends people to your website instead of to a phone nobody picks up. In B2B, a missed call is often a lost lead.
4. Target keywords with buying intent. Top-of-funnel searches rarely lead to phone calls. Bundle keywords with direct intent into their own ad groups and, if needed, raise your bid adjustment for calls, so your call asset appears more often on mobile for people who want to act right now.

If you want to connect this to a broader lead approach, also look at how to structurally set up lead generation via Google Ads.

How do you know whether your phone calls are any good?

Measuring is one thing, but the gain lies in what you do with the data. Open your call details report and find the calls that led to a sales conversation or a quote. Match the phone number from the report to your CRM and sort by call duration: long conversations are usually the most valuable.

After that, you look for patterns. Do your best conversations come from a particular region? Adjust your location targeting. Do your longest calls fall within a certain time slot? Make sure people are ready to pick up then. This is exactly why you do not steer on clicks but on conversations that convert. Read more about the measurement side in measuring Google Ads conversions.

As a small team, we are honest about this: not every campaign has to run on phone calls. If you have nobody to pick up during office hours, a strong web form is often better than a call button that leads to voicemail. We are a B2B growth partner, not a webshop, so we first look at which type of lead genuinely moves your sales process forward.

Frequently asked questions about call-only ads

Will my existing call-only ads disappear straight away?

No. Google automatically migrates eligible call-only ads to responsive search ads, provided they contain a business name and a destination URL. If one of those elements is missing, add it yourself so the upgrade runs smoothly and you do not lose impressions.

When exactly does Google stop with call-only ads?

Google has confirmed a timeline: from February 2026 you can no longer create new call-only ads, and from February 2027 existing call-only ads stop serving. Do not wait for it: set up call assets and call reporting now so you are prepared.

Will I still get phone calls without call-only ads?

Yes. With call assets in your responsive search ads and Performance Max campaigns, your number stays clickable in the search results. You offer prospects both the option to call and the option to click through to your site, which in B2B often works better than a call button alone.

What is the difference between a call-only ad and a call asset?

A call-only ad was a standalone ad that only drove calls. A call asset is an addition to a regular search ad: your number appears next to headlines and sitelinks, and Google shows it when it has the highest chance of results.

Ready to safeguard your phone calls?

The phase-out of call-only ads is no reason to panic, but it is a moment to review your setup. The companies that get their call reporting, conversion goals and call assets in order now will keep their qualified callers; those who wait risk blind spots in their data. As a small, honest B2B team we do not look at the number of clicks, but at which phone calls really generate revenue and how we steer your campaign towards them.

Would you like us to review your Google Ads setup together and make your caller strategy future-proof? Book your free intake