According to this report, most people spend more than 4 hours a day on their smartphones. Our phones help us stay connected to our relatives and friends and they make for a better way to shop online. If you’re like the rest of us, you probably enjoy mobile shopping because of how fast and easy it can be. Have you ever noticed how some ads will conveniently place a call when you click on it? Well, the convenience isn’t a coincidence. In fact, smart digital salespeople are catching on and putting more effort into reaching their potential consumers through mobile advertising.

Advertising to consumers this way can help with ad goals tremendously because they are a great way to connect with people while they are using their mobile devices. Additionally, a user’s location is more precise on mobile than any other device. Here are a couple of ways to optimize ads so that they are mobile-friendly:

Responsive Display Ads: These ads make it easy to target people who are visiting mobile websites by inserting a phone number in one of the headlines. Responsive Display Ads are very congruent with mobile ads because they adjust in size and format. They can display as a text ad within a mobile app and appear as a banner ad on a website.

Text Ads: Inserting an IF function in the headline of a text ad can make the ad look different on a mobile device. Keep in mind that IF functions only work for ads shown on the Search Network. Learn more about mobile IF functions here.

Mobile App Promotion Ads: As more businesses are advertising on mobile, these types of ads make mobile PPC simpler. Plus, they can automatically resize to fit any device. Here’s a list of 10 best Google mobile apps to use. 

Also, be sure to check out Stephanie’s article on effective mobile app targeting strategies in Google Ads.

Call Extensions: Call extensions can include a built-in call-to-action so that users are able to make a call or get directions to your business by clicking on the ad. The phone number can be displayed directly in the search ad.

Call-only or Click-to-call Ads: Typically, these ads show a phone number in Headline 1. Instead of taking the user to a website once the ad is clicked, it places a call. There is one caveat here: since call-only ads do not have a landing page the position of the ad is important. However, closely related ad groups, tight keyword themes, a good quality score, and an awesome landing page can all help with this.

In general, since mobile ads are relatively small, they should have a precise and clear call to action. In the past, I’ve learned it helps to customize ads so they work well across a variety of screens by using short and clear text language. Mobile ads are shown more frequently when keywords are used within the URL and multiple times throughout the mobile ad copy to boost mobile traffic.

Lastly, you will want to have good tools for marketing on mobile devices. SEMRush can generate detailed analytical reports for traffic share, subdomains and GEO distribution for mobile devices. CallRail works great for tracking phone calls placed from mobile ads.

That sums it up! You now have the resources and tools you need to get started with mobile ads. With these tips, you’ll be able to optimize your mobile ads for profitable dollars and cents.