Google has launched a location-based, mobile click-to-call feature that lets smartphone users call a vendor directly simply by clicking on an ad.
Click-to-call is an enhancement of the Google Adwords service. Users no longer have to click through to a vendor's website and look for a phone number.
Meredith Papp of Google Mobile Ads said: "Advertisers who participated in our beta trial saw really great results ranging from five to 30 per cent increases in their click-through rates."
The feature doesn't make use of GPS. However, reasonably accurate location is generated from cell tower triangulation. Vendor locations are shown in Google Maps. If a vendor has more than one location in the vicinity of the user, the search will call up the nearest one.
Advertisers can check the results by selecting the filter-and-view drop-down menu on the campaigns page, then choose segment by click type, and call data will display.
