How to Get More Phone Calls From Google Search

Phone calls remain one of the highest-converting lead types for local businesses. Someone who dials your number has already decided they need help – they are not browsing; they are buying. Yet many businesses leave this channel almost entirely untapped, either because their Google presence is incomplete or because they have never set it up to actively invite calls.

This guide covers every layer of the process: your Google Business Profile, your website, Google Ads, and the structural signals that determine whether Google shows your number prominently or buries it. Work through these steps in order, and you will see a measurable increase in inbound calls.

Step 1: Complete and Verify Your Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the single most important asset for driving calls from search. When someone searches for a service near them, Google pulls profile data directly into the search results – including your phone number, hours, reviews, and a click-to-call button on mobile.

An incomplete profile ranks lower and converts less. Google rewards businesses that provide full, verified information because complete profiles give searchers everything they need to make a decision.

Make sure your profile includes:

• Your exact business name, address, and phone number
• Accurate opening hours, including public holidays
• A detailed business description with your core services named explicitly
• Your primary business category and any relevant secondary categories
• At least ten photos showing your premises, team, or work

Businesses listed across African markets on platforms like Destinali see stronger local search visibility when their profile data matches exactly what appears on their website – a signal Google uses to confirm legitimacy.

If your profile is not appearing in search at all, common causes of GBP non-appearance include unverified listings, suspended accounts, and mismatched business information.

Step 2: Make Your Phone Number Consistent Everywhere

Google cross-references your business name, address, and phone number across multiple sources before deciding how prominently to display your contact information. If your number on Google differs from the one on your website, Facebook page, or other directories, Google treats this as a trust signal failure.

This principle – known as NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone) – directly affects your local search ranking. Consistent NAP data across directories helps search platforms match and verify a business across platforms.

Audit every place your number appears online and correct any discrepancies. Use the same format consistently – if your number appears as +27 11 234 5678 in one place, do not write it as 011 234 5678 elsewhere.

Step 3: Generate Reviews Steadily and Respond to Every One

Reviews are one of the strongest trust signals for both Google and potential callers. A business with forty recent reviews outranks one with four hundred old ones in many cases, because Google weighs recency and consistency.

Aim for three to five new reviews each month rather than chasing a large batch at once. A steady flow tells Google that your business is active and consistently serving customers – which increases your ranking and your call volume.

Equally important: respond to every review, positive or negative. An unanswered review looks neglected. A thoughtful response signals that you are professional and that calling your business will be a good experience. Businesses that actively build their Google review base consistently report higher call volumes alongside improved search rankings.

Step 4: Enable Click-to-Call on Your Website

A significant share of searches happen on mobile devices, and mobile users expect to tap a number and call immediately. If your phone number is displayed as plain text – not a tappable link – you are losing calls every day.

To enable click-to-call, format your phone number as a tel: link in your website's HTML:

<a href="tel:+2348012345678">+234 801 234 5678</a>

On desktop, display your number prominently in the header and footer of every page. On mobile, consider a sticky call button that follows the user as they scroll – this removes any friction between intent and action.

Place your phone number in the top-right corner of your header on desktop, where users instinctively look for contact information. Do not make visitors hunt for it.

Step 5: Add Google Ads Call Assets and Call-Only Campaigns

Paid search gives you a direct lever to increase call volume quickly. Google Ads offers two specific tools for this: call assets and call-only campaigns.

Call Assets (Call Extensions)

A call asset adds your phone number directly to any existing search ad. When a mobile user sees your ad, they can tap the number to call without visiting your website. On desktop, the number appears visibly alongside your ad text.

To add a call asset in Google Ads: navigate to Assets in your account, select Call, and enter your business phone number. Schedule the asset to show only during your business hours – there is no value in driving calls when no one is there to answer.

Call-Only Campaigns

Call-only campaigns are mobile-only ads where the entire ad functions as a call button. There is no headline link to a website; the sole action available is to dial your number. These are ideal for service businesses where a conversation is the natural first step – clinics, law firms, repair services, hotels, restaurants.

To set one up: create a new campaign in Google Ads, select Sales as your goal, choose Search as the campaign type, and select Phone Calls as the conversion action. Enter your business phone number when prompted. Set your bidding to target the times of day your team is available to take calls.

Research from KlientBoost shows that phone leads close at 25 to 40 percent, compared to roughly 2 percent for form leads – a strong case for prioritising call-focused ad formats.

Step 6: Track Calls as Conversions in Google Ads

Running call ads without conversion tracking means you cannot tell which keywords, campaigns, or ad schedules are actually driving calls. Tracking turns raw spend into actionable data.

In Google Ads, go to Goals, then Conversions, and create a new conversion action. Select Phone Calls, then choose Calls from Ads Using Call Extensions or Call-Only Ads. Set a minimum call duration – typically 30 to 60 seconds – to filter out misdials and very short calls that are unlikely to represent genuine leads.

Once tracking is live, review your call data weekly. Look for patterns: which times of day produce the most calls, which keywords trigger the most calls, and which campaigns produce the longest average call durations. Use this data to adjust your bid schedules and keyword targeting.

Step 7: Post Regular Updates to Your Google Business Profile

Google values activity. Businesses that post updates regularly rank higher in local search than those with static profiles. Use the Google Posts feature to share offers, announcements, new services, or seasonal promotions.

Aim for one post per week. Each post should include a clear headline, two to three sentences of description, and a direct call to action – ideally a phone number or a call button. This keeps your profile appearing active to both Google's algorithm and to customers deciding whether to call.

Photos also matter. Profiles with recent, high-quality images receive more calls than those with no images or outdated ones. Upload photos of your premises, your team at work, finished projects, or your menu – anything that gives a prospective caller confidence in what they will find when they reach you.

Step 8: Optimise Your Content for AI Search Visibility

AI-powered search tools – including Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, and Perplexity – increasingly surface business recommendations directly in responses. A business whose content is structured clearly and factually is far more likely to appear in these AI-generated answers, which drive calls just as traditional search results do.

This means publishing content that answers the specific questions your customers ask: "best clinic in Nairobi for X", "affordable lawyers in Accra", "hotel near Victoria Island Lagos". Content structured around these queries – with your business name, location, category, and phone number appearing consistently – gets extracted and cited by AI tools.

Local business content cited by AI search tools requires the same discipline as traditional SEO: clear structure, factual specificity, and consistent entity data. The payoff is visibility across both traditional and AI-driven search, driving calls from both channels.

FAQ

What Is the Fastest Way to Get More Calls From Google?

The fastest single step is completing and verifying your Google Business Profile with an accurate phone number, correct business hours, and at least ten photos. A fully optimised GBP with a visible call button drives mobile calls within days of optimisation, without any ad spend required.

Do Google Call Ads Work for Small Businesses in Africa?

Yes. Call-only ads on Google Ads work for any business that benefits from inbound phone calls – restaurants, clinics, repair shops, law firms, hotels, and salons across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, and beyond. The key is targeting local keywords and scheduling ads during business hours. Phone leads close at a far higher rate than form submissions, making the cost per acquisition competitive even on modest budgets.

How Do I Make My Phone Number Clickable on My Website?

Wrap your phone number in a tel: HTML link: <a href="tel:+2348012345678">your number here</a>. On mobile, this lets users tap to call instantly. Place the linked number in your website header, footer, and any contact page. Most website builders and CMS platforms allow you to do this without writing code directly.

Why Is My Phone Number Not Showing in Google Search Results?

Your number may not appear because your Google Business Profile is unverified, incomplete, or suspended. It may also be missing because your NAP data – name, address, and phone number – is inconsistent across your website and other online directories. Google withholds contact information from profiles it cannot confidently verify.

How Many Reviews Do I Need Before Google Starts Showing My Business More Prominently?

There is no fixed threshold, but businesses with ten or more reviews generally outperform those with fewer in local search rankings. Consistency matters more than volume: three to five new reviews per month signals ongoing trustworthiness to Google's algorithm, which favours active, well-reviewed businesses over those with a single burst of old reviews.

Should I Use Call-Only Ads or Standard Search Ads With a Call Asset?

Use call-only ads when your primary goal is phone calls and you have no strong landing page. Use standard search ads with a call asset when you want to capture both website visits and calls from the same campaign. For service businesses where a conversation is essential – clinics, law firms, contractors – call-only ads typically produce a lower cost per call.

How Does Google Decide Which Businesses to Show When Someone Searches for a Local Service?

Google ranks local businesses based on three factors: relevance (how well the profile matches the search query), distance (proximity to the searcher), and prominence (reviews, citations, and overall online authority). Businesses that score well on all three appear in the local pack – the map and three-listing block that generates the most calls from local searches.

What to Do Now

1. Log in to your Google Business Profile today and fill in every empty field.
2. Check that your phone number matches exactly across your website, social media pages, and any directory listings.
3. Set up click-to-call on your mobile website if you have not already.
4. Create your first call asset in Google Ads and schedule it for your business hours.
5. Ask your three most recent satisfied customers to leave a Google review this week.

African businesses that treat their Google presence as a live sales channel – not a one-time setup – consistently generate more inbound calls than competitors who set it up and forget it. The steps above are not complex, but they require consistency. Start with your profile, then build outward.

To get your business listed, discovered, and calling-ready across African search platforms, create a free listing on Destinali and start building the visibility that turns searches into calls.