Introduction

As you know, Google is constantly updating to keep ahead of the pack. They've recognised the shift towards mobile (which is why marketing texts are so effective) and have made it possible to add an SMS call to action for Google Ads on mobile devices.

This means that anyone viewing your ad on their mobile or tablet will be able to click and text your business quickly and easily. Plus, with so many people preferring to send a message or email rather than call, you can see why you'd be crazy not to add this extension immediately.

It's fairly straightforward to add this to your current Google Ads, all you need to do is:

Set up a Google Adwords account (if you have one already login).

Once you're in your account click on the 'Ad Extensions' tab

Now you'll see a dropdown menu where you need to select 'Message Extension'.

Once you've clicked on this you'll be able to create your new message extension. You'll need to fill out the following fields:

Business Name

Fairly straightforward, just pop your business name in here but make sure it's one people are familiar with.

Text Phone Number

This is the phone number that you want people to contact you on. Obviously this need to be a number that can receive texts, so no landlines. If you use a bulk SMS service (like us) this is where you would include your Reach inbound long number . This way you can track all of your replies and customer data in your Reach Business SMS account and pass the replies collected to your sales team to generate more sales.

Extension Text

This will appear on your ad next to the text button. You might put something like 'Text for more information.' Make sure you use words like 'Text' or 'Message' here so your customers know exactly what this button is for.

Message Text

This is a pre-populated text that appears on the customer's phone when they click to text you. It's a great way to help your potential customer because it means they don't have to think about what to type to get in touch with you. You could put 'I'd like to hear more about what you offer. Please get in touch.'

Advanced Settings

You can schedule the times your click to text button is shown with your ad here, otherwise you don't really need to use it. Once you've done all that and clicked 'save' you're good to go! You should start seeing the click to text button on your Google Ads as soon as you've added the extension.