Car repair shop customers call instead of filling out forms — hardly anyone fills in the contact form. If you turn ads on in the evening, the number in your ad shows at 9 PM when nobody answers anymore. Or the ad gets rejected with "Unverified Phone Number" and you don't know why. This article covers how to set up a phone number in your ads, why it gets rejected, and how to count calls as conversions — no guessing.
On this page you'll find a working mechanism: call assets in Google Ads, how to schedule them for specific hours, what to do when your number fails verification, and how to measure whether a call from your ad actually leads to a repair booking.
What are call assets in Google Ads
A call asset is a phone number added to your ad. Clicking the number costs the same as clicking the ad headline — standard CPC Google Ads Help — About call assets.
Call reporting lets you count calls as conversions. It only works on the Search Network and uses Google forwarding numbers Google Ads Help — About call assets. Once enabled, Google assigns a forwarding number — a temporary number that forwards to your real phone. This tells you how many calls came from your ad and how long they lasted.
Call assets can be scheduled for specific days and hours. If your shop answers calls from 8 AM to 6 PM Monday through Friday, the number in your ad shows only when someone is searching during those hours. Outside those times, users see your page instead of a phone number — and won't call one nobody answers.
Why numbers get rejected
Google verifies phone numbers to confirm they belong to the advertised business Google Ads Help — About call assets. Your ad gets rejected as "Unverified Phone Number" in two cases. First: the number isn't written strictly in E.164 format — no spaces, dashes or other characters, e.g. instead of "+48 700 000 000" it must be "+48700000000". Second: the format is correct, but the number can't be verified — for that, one of two things is enough: the number itself visible in the source code of the landing page, or that page's domain verified in Google Search Console. On top of that, vanity numbers (e.g. 1-800-FLOWERS), premium-rate numbers and fax numbers are never accepted, regardless of format.
Example with placeholder numbers — use your own: if your number is "+48 700 000 000", write it in E.164 format as "+48700000000" — no spaces, dashes, or space after the country code.
| Rejection reason | How to fix |
|---|---|
| Wrong format (e.g., with spaces) | Write the number in E.164 format: +48700000000 |
| Number not verified | Add the number in the page code or verify the domain in Search Console — one of the two is enough |
| Vanity / premium / fax | Use a regular landline or mobile number |
Verification step by step
First, the system checks whether the number is written in E.164 format — the international phone number standard that requires the country code without spaces or dashes. If the format checks out, one of two ways is enough for verification: the number itself visible as plain text on the page your ad leads to — not in an image, and not only in JavaScript code — or that page's domain verified in your Google Search Console account. You don't need to meet both conditions at once.
Scheduling when the number displays
Call assets work best when you show them only during hours when someone actually answers. Enable a schedule in the asset settings — choose weekdays and time slots matching your business hours.
This matters especially when a shop's answering hours are limited. In the evening, after 6 PM, nobody at the shop answers, but without a schedule the ad keeps showing the number anyway. If the number is in the ad, the customer calls and hears no one pick up — that's a loss: the click is paid for, and the customer usually doesn't call back on their own, they just look elsewhere.
To avoid this, match the asset schedule to your call-answering hours. If you answer from 8 AM to 5 PM, enable the number display for exactly those hours. Outside them, the user lands on a page with a contact form — and may call during the day instead.
Match the schedule to real data, not assumptions
It's worth checking in Google Analytics what time of day people most often click the phone number in the ad, instead of guessing. If most clicks fall in specific hours during the day, match the asset schedule to them — showing the number outside your real answering hours only generates cost without any chance of conversion.
Phone number on your site and in code
For number verification to pass, it must be visible on the page your ad leads to. Best practice: add it as a tel: link in HTML code — a plain anchor with the href="tel:..." attribute. On iOS and Android devices, tapping this link opens the Phone app with the number already entered Apple Developer — Phone Links.
Schema.org provides the telephone property — you can add it to your page's structured data in JSON-LD format Schema.org — telephone. This tells search engines there's a business phone number on the page, which helps with local SEO.
A phone link in HTML looks like this: <a href="tel:+48700000000">+48 700 000 000</a>. It's worth showing the same number as plain text in the footer or header too — that's the exact text Google checks during call asset verification.
Local SEO — why the number in code matters
Google uses contact information to verify your business in Maps and your Google Business Profile. It's worth adding the number both in human-readable format (with spaces for readability) and in E.164 format in the tel: attribute and in structured data — so the number on your site matches the number in your profile.
Measuring calls as conversions
Call reporting is enabled in Google Ads account settings. Once enabled, Google assigns a forwarding number for each call from your ad. In the dashboard you see: number of calls, duration (minimum 60 seconds or a threshold you set), date and time.
This isn't the same as a "booking" conversion. A call itself doesn't mean the customer booked a repair — they might have called to ask for a price and hung up. That's why it's worth tracking two separate events: the call from the ad (as a lead) and the actual booking (as a conversion).
Offline conversion import lets you measure what happens off your site — when a customer calls, comes to your office, or signs a contract Google Ads Help — About offline conversion imports. Google Ads assigns click identifiers (GCLID). You save this identifier together with customer data, and when, say, the customer signs a contract, you pass the GCLID back to Google Ads with the conversion type and time.
Remember consent: if you collect customer data and send it to Google, you must clearly inform users and get consent where required by law or Google's policies.
Call recording
Call recording is turned on and off in Google Ads account settings Google Ads Help — About call assets. If you enable it, every call becomes a recording containing personal data. Which legal basis fits its processing — consent or legitimate interest — and how long to keep such a recording is something a lawyer or data protection officer should assess.
When the phone number in ads makes sense and when it doesn't
A phone number in ads makes sense when you meet two conditions. First, someone at your company actually answers calls during the hours the number is shown — if you call the customer back the next day, they've already found another shop. Second, the average value of one customer is higher than the cost of a call from ads.
A phone number in ads doesn't make sense when nobody answers after 5 PM, but the ad without a schedule shows the number around the clock. Or when most calls are price questions without a repair order. In such cases, it's better to show a contact form and measure inquiries as conversions.
The cost of missed calls from ads
When the phone number in your ad displays outside business hours, every click on the number generates cost without any chance of conversion.
Example with placeholder numbers — use your own: if an ad without a schedule generates 20 clicks on the number per day outside the shop's working hours, and your CPC is $3, the math is: 20 clicks × $3 = $60 a day; $60 × 30 days = $1,800 a month for calls nobody answers.
The worst part is that missed calls also mess up your own measurement data. If you measure conversion as "a call lasting over 60 seconds," and nobody answers, that metric drops in your reports even though the ad itself is reaching the right people.
The solution is simple: a call asset schedule. Set the hours the number displays to match your business hours, and outside them users will see a page with a contact form instead of a phone number.
Call tracking beyond basic reporting
Basic call reporting gives you the number of calls and their duration. But for real optimization you need more: which campaign brought the call, at what time of day, and whether it ended in a booking. Google Ads provides this through GCLID — a unique identifier passed with each click. When a call ends, you match the call data with the GCLID to see which keyword and ad generated the lead.
This level of tracking is essential for understanding which campaigns actually bring in customers. Without it, you're optimizing blindly and wasting budget on ads that generate calls but no bookings.
Self-verification of your phone number in ads
Do it yourself in five minutes:
- Check that the number on your page is written in E.164 format without spaces — e.g., +48700000000.
- Make sure the number is visible as text, not only in an image or in JavaScript.
- Verify your domain in Search Console if you haven't already.
- In call asset settings, enable a schedule matching your call-answering hours.
- Decide who calls back customers who didn't get through — set a rule and a deadline (e.g., same day by 5 PM).
After making changes, check the next day in the Google Ads dashboard whether the number is displaying on schedule and whether calls are being reported.
What happens when calls from ads are answered by a system
Scenario after hours:
- 01a call after 6 PM
- →02an AI receptionist answers
- →03books the open slot
- →04SMS confirmation
- →05a list in the CRM by morning
The system answers the phone at any time. It understands speech, qualifies the request (e.g., "I need an oil change"), checks open slots in the calendar, and books the appointment. The whole call is recorded and saved in the CRM with a summary. In the morning you see a list of booked appointments and decide what to do with each one.
This doesn't mean the system handles every call perfectly. Some cases need a human — for example, a complex breakdown, a repair quote above a certain amount, or negotiations. The system knows your services, prices and schedule, but you set the decision boundaries in the script.
In the Google Ads dashboard you see how many calls came from your ad and how many of them ended in a booking. That tells you whether the ad brings real revenue or just cost.
Read more about measuring Google Ads effectiveness on the Google Ads service page. If you want the phone answered always — including nights and weekends — see how AI reception and telephony works. And if you want the full picture of what brings you customers, check Analytics and BI.
Learn about CRM and automations so all inquiries from different channels flow into one funnel. If you need a page for your campaign, see the Landing page service that measures conversions from day one. And to connect all your tools into one flow, check Integrations.
Learn more about how much missed calls cost a company and how to calculate the losses with your own numbers. Also read about car workshop automation — phone, appointments and maintenance reminders. If you run a restaurant, see what the system answers vs a human and how many calls you can handle at peak hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use any phone number in Google Ads?
No. Google only accepts numbers in E.164 format that belong to your business and are visible on your page. Vanity numbers (e.g. 1-800-FLOWERS), premium-rate numbers and fax numbers are rejected Google Ads Help — About call assets.
What is call reporting and is it free?
Call reporting is a Google Ads feature that lets you measure calls as conversions. Turning it on is free, but you pay for calls the same as for ad clicks.
How do I set the hours when the number displays in the ad?
In Google Ads, go to Assets → Calls and enable a schedule. Choose the weekdays and hours when someone at your business answers the phone.
Can I count calls as conversions?
Yes, after enabling call reporting. Remember that a call doesn't equal a booking — it's worth tracking two separate events.
What should I do when my ad is rejected with "Unverified Phone Number"?
Check the number format — it must be strict E.164, without spaces. If the format is correct, one of two things is enough: the number visible in the page code as plain text, or a verified domain in Search Console.
Can the number in ads display only on selected days?
Yes, call assets have a schedule. You can set specific weekdays and hours when the number should display. This lets you show the phone only when someone at your business actually answers.
Can I use a virtual phone number (VoIP)?
Google requires the number to belong to your business and be visible on the page. Virtual numbers usually work, but they must be in E.164 format and visible as text on the landing page.