Google Ads Assets for Contractors: Get More Calls Without Raising Your Bids

In February 2026, Google removed the option to create new call-only ads. The format that let contractors put their phone number front and center as the primary ad, with a click-to-call button as the only action, is gone. The replacement is call assets added to responsive search ads. Most contractor accounts built before 2026, or set up by agencies who favored call-only ads, have not been updated. If your account has not been audited since the change, you are missing the primary mechanism Google now provides for surfacing your phone number in search results.

Ad assets, what Google called extensions until 2022, are additions to your text ads that expand what shows below your headline and description. They appear at Google's discretion based on predicted click-through rate, but they do not cost extra per click. They only change what a searcher sees when your ad wins an auction. More complete assets give Google more combinations to test and more chances to show the version that gets clicked. Google's own data shows that adding multiple asset types to a campaign increases CTR by 10 to 25 percent compared to the same ad running without them. For a contractor spending $2,500 per month on Google Ads, a 15 percent CTR improvement produces 15 percent more clicks at the same cost. Assets are free to configure and require no bid changes to take effect.

Call Assets: Your Phone Number in the Ad

A call asset adds your phone number to your ad with a click-to-call button on mobile. On desktop, it displays your number as visible text below the headline. When a homeowner taps the call button from a mobile search result, they call your business directly without visiting your website. This is the highest-intent conversion path in search advertising for home service contractors: the homeowner saw your ad, decided you looked credible, and called. No bounce, no navigation, no form fill.

The most common call asset mistake is leaving the schedule blank. A call asset with no schedule shows your phone number 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At 11 PM on a Tuesday, a homeowner who sees your number and calls gets your voicemail. That click costs the same as a call at 10 AM on a Wednesday that booked a job. Setting a call asset schedule to your actual answering hours prevents clicks from being spent on calls that go unanswered. Set the schedule in the call asset settings at the campaign or account level. The ad continues to run outside those hours; it just does not show the call button or phone number during windows when no one answers.

Google provides free call reporting on all calls routed through the asset. In your Google Ads account, go to Assets, select Call assets, and click the call details icon. You can see call duration, start time, whether the call was received or missed, and which campaign generated it. Sorting by call duration is the fastest way to identify which hours produce real conversations versus the times when short calls under 60 seconds dominate. Adjust your call asset schedule based on that data, not on assumptions about when homeowners call.

Sitelink Assets: Four More Links Without Four More Ads

Sitelink assets add extra links below your main ad, each pointing to a different page on your site. Google shows two to six sitelinks depending on the device and ad rank. Each sitelink has a headline up to 25 characters and two optional description lines up to 35 characters each. When description lines are filled in, the sitelink takes up significantly more visual space on the results page, which pushes competitor ads down without any additional spend.

For a plumbing contractor, four sitelinks with strong descriptions might be: Emergency Service, pointing to a 24/7 emergency landing page; Free Estimates, pointing directly to the estimate request form; Service Areas, pointing to the city coverage page; and Customer Reviews, pointing to a testimonials page. Each sitelink should point to a real destination that delivers what the link text promises. A sitelink labeled "Free Estimates" that goes to the homepage is a missed conversion. One that goes to a short form with the headline "Get a Free Estimate in 24 Hours" completes the action the homeowner clicked for. Add both description lines to every sitelink. Sitelinks without descriptions take up less screen space and give Google's system less content to evaluate for CTR prediction.

Callout Assets: Eight Lines of Specific Trust Signals

Callout assets are short phrases that appear below your ad as inline text. Each callout is up to 25 characters. They do not link anywhere. Their function is to surface trust signals and differentiators that do not fit in your 30-character headline or 90-character description.

Google recommends adding at least eight callouts per campaign so its system has combinations to test. For a licensed HVAC contractor, eight callouts might be: "Licensed & Insured," "NATE-Certified Techs," "Same-Day Service," "Free Estimates," "Carrier Authorized Dealer," "Financing Available," "No Overtime Charges," and "Family-Owned Since 2008." These are verifiable claims that differentiate you from competitors and from unlicensed operators appearing in the same auction. A homeowner comparing two ads at the same position reads these callouts as the tiebreaker. The contractor who lists specific credentials wins the comparison against the one using generic "great service" language. Use your actual credentials. "NATE-Certified Techs" outperforms "Experienced Technicians." "Same-Day Dispatch" outperforms "Fast Service." Specificity is the signal.

Structured Snippet Assets: List Your Exact Services

Structured snippet assets display a header and a list of items below the ad. For home service contractors, the Services header is the correct choice. Under Services, list the specific work you do: AC Repair, Furnace Replacement, Heat Pumps, Duct Cleaning, Tune-Ups. A homeowner searching for AC repair who sees your structured snippet listing AC Repair as a named service gets confirmation before they click that you do exactly what they need. Structured snippets reduce irrelevant clicks from homeowners looking for a service you do not offer, and they increase click confidence for the ones who match your capabilities.

Location Assets: Confirmation You Are Nearby

Location assets link your Google Business Profile to your ad and display your address and distance from the searcher. On mobile, they add a Maps link that opens your GBP location directly. For "near me" queries, which represent the highest-intent searches a home service contractor can appear in, location assets give Google additional confirmation that your business is local and eligible for local ad placement. Connect your GBP in Google Ads under Tools, then Linked accounts, then Google Business Profile. Enable location assets at the campaign level. Contractors who skip this step are missing the geographic confirmation signal Google uses to decide which ads appear for location-based queries.

Three Actions for This Week

1. Add call assets to every active campaign and set a schedule matching your answering hours. In Google Ads, go to Assets in the left menu, click the blue plus button, and select Call. Enter your business phone number. Under Advanced options, set a schedule that matches the exact hours your team or answering service picks up calls. If you answer Monday through Friday 7 AM to 6 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM, set those windows precisely. Outside those hours, the ad continues to serve but without your phone number showing, which prevents click spend on calls that go to voicemail. Enable call reporting to see call duration and timing. Contractors who schedule call assets to answering hours see cost per qualified call drop 15 to 20 percent within the first month because fewer clicks go unanswered.
2. Add six sitelinks with both description lines filled in, each pointing to a specific page that delivers on the link text. In Assets, select Sitelink and add six links. Each should go to a real destination: emergency service page, free estimate form, service area page, financing page, reviews page, and your highest-revenue service page. Write both description lines for every sitelink. Sitelinks without descriptions appear smaller and give Google less content for CTR prediction. Sitelinks with two description lines take up substantially more visual space on desktop results, reducing the screen area available to competitor ads below yours on the same page.
3. Write eight callout assets per campaign using your actual credentials, certifications, and specific claims. In Assets, select Callout and add eight phrases. Pull from your real credentials: state license number or status, manufacturer authorizations, trade certifications, response time guarantees, and warranty terms. Google tests combinations and surfaces the callouts that improve CTR for each query type. The more specific and verifiable each callout, the more material the system has to work with. Eight callouts also give Google enough options to rotate without exhausting your asset set. Add them at the campaign level, not just the account level, so you can customize them per service type if your campaigns are segmented by trade.

Assets are the least expensive performance improvement available in a Google Ads account. They require no bid increases, no new campaigns, and no budget changes. They change what a homeowner sees when your ad wins an auction, and they directly affect whether the homeowner clicks, calls, or scrolls past. A contractor running ads without complete assets competes at a visual disadvantage against every advertiser who has configured them. The CTR difference compounds across every impression your campaigns serve: more complete ads win more clicks at the same cost, which produces more calls without additional spend. The setup described here takes under two hours and applies to every auction your campaigns enter from the moment it goes live.