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You Paid $50 for That Phone to Ring. The Least You Could Do Is Answer It.
Your Google Ads bill hits $3,000 this month. Somewhere in that spend, a homeowner clicked your call extension. Your phone rang. The charge was $50.
You were with a client. The phone went to voicemail.
That $50 is gone. Not "invested." Not "spent wisely." Gone. Thrown in the trash. The homeowner who clicked your ad? They already called the next result on the page.
This is different from a missed call off your website or a Google Maps listing. Those are free opportunities you didn't capitalize on. Click-to-call missed calls are opportunities you paid cash money for and then ignored.
Every day, small businesses across the country burn thousands of dollars on click-to-call ads that ring into empty offices, busy phones, and voicemail boxes nobody checks. This post shows you exactly how much that's costing you, which ad types are bleeding money, and how to make sure every paid ring turns into an actual conversation.
The Real Cost of Missing Click-to-Call Ads
The Basic Math
Let's start simple. You're running Google Ads with call extensions for your plumbing business. Your average cost per call: $45. You receive about 25 ad-driven calls per week - roughly 100 per month.
How many do you actually answer? If you're like most small businesses, the answer is painful. Research from Invoca shows that 62% of calls to small businesses go unanswered. Even being generous and assuming you answer more than average - say you miss "only" 40% - the math is brutal:
- 100 calls per month at $45 each = $4,500 in ad spend
- 40% missed = 40 unanswered calls
- 40 missed calls × $45 = $1,800/month wasted
- Annual waste: $21,600 in ad spend that generated zero conversations
The Double Hit: Wasted Spend PLUS Lost Revenue
But it gets worse. Those 40 missed calls weren't just wasted ad dollars. They were potential customers.
Phone call leads convert at 30-50% higher rates than form fills. Someone who clicks a call button is high-intent - they want to talk right now. They're ready to hire.
If even 30% of those 40 missed callers would have converted at a $3,500 average job value:
- 40 missed calls × 30% conversion = 12 lost customers per month
- 12 × $3,500 = $42,000/month in lost revenue
- Annual: $504,000 in revenue that called you, paid to call you, and you didn't pick up
Even at a more conservative 20% conversion and $2,000 average job, you're still looking at $192,000 in annual lost revenue from missed ad calls alone.
The Number That Should Keep You Up at Night
Add the wasted ad spend ($21,600) to even a conservative lost revenue estimate ($192,000) and you're looking at over $200,000 per year walking out the door because nobody answered the phone.
You paid for that phone to ring. The money left your account. And then nothing happened.
Every Type of Click-to-Call Ad You're Wasting Money On
Google Ads Call Extensions and Call Assets
As of late 2025, Google transitioned call-only ads to call assets (also called call extensions). These show your phone number alongside your search ads, and when someone taps it on mobile, their phone dials you directly.
What you're paying: The click-to-call costs the same as any other click on your ad. For home services, that's $4-$11+ per click depending on your trade. But since phone callers convert at higher rates, the effective cost per customer acquisition is often lower than regular clicks - IF you answer.
What you waste when you miss: Every unanswered call extension click is the full CPC gone. At $8 average CPC and 50 call clicks per month, missing 40% means $160/month in pure waste. For high-competition keywords (roofing, HVAC emergency), where CPCs hit $15-25, the waste compounds fast.
The kicker: Google's own research shows 70% of mobile searchers use the click-to-call feature. Nearly half of searchers say if a business doesn't have a phone number in search results, they'll explore other brands. You're paying to have that number there. Pick it up.
Google Local Service Ads (LSA)
LSAs are the gold-standard pay-per-lead model for local businesses. You only pay when someone actually calls or messages through the ad. Costs range from $15-$100 per lead depending on your trade and market.
What makes LSA different: Google tracks your responsiveness. Down to the minute. Businesses that respond within 2-3 minutes convert 40-60% more leads than those who wait 10-15 minutes.
The 90-day penalty: Here's what most contractors don't know - missed calls on LSA don't just waste that individual lead. They tank your ranking for the next 90 days. Google's algorithm interprets missed calls as "this business doesn't have capacity" and reduces your ad placement. Miss calls today, pay for it for three months.
The responsiveness badge: Maintain fast response times and Google displays "Typically responds in a few minutes" on your LSA listing. This badge alone increases click-through rates significantly. Miss too many calls and you lose it.
Facebook and Meta Call Ads
Facebook call ads let users tap a button that dials your business directly from the ad. While Facebook's average CPC is lower than Google ($0.70-$1.67 in the US according to WordStream's 2025 benchmarks), the lead generation CPCs for service businesses run $2.50-$5.50.
What makes these tricky: Facebook call ads generate calls from people scrolling their feed. They're interested enough to tap "Call Now," but their attention span is short. If you don't answer within 3-4 rings, they're back to scrolling. You got charged for the click. They're gone.
Instagram too: The same call ad format runs on Instagram. Same cost structure, same problem when you don't answer.
Google Business Profile (Maps) Call Button
Technically, GMB calls are free - you don't pay per click. But the homeowner searching "plumber near me" on Google Maps and tapping your call button is one of the highest-intent leads you'll ever get.
Why this matters here: If you're investing time and money in your Google Business Profile (photos, reviews, posts), those efforts drive calls. When those calls go unanswered, your review-building efforts are wasted, your map ranking drops (Google tracks engagement), and a competitor captures the customer you spent months earning.
Why 40% of Your Paid Calls Go Unanswered
You're not ignoring these calls on purpose. The problem is structural.
You're Already on a Call
Your phone rings with an ad lead. But you're already talking to another customer. You can't put them on hold to grab a new call. The new one goes to voicemail - which 85% of callers won't leave a message on anyway.
You're With a Client in Person
You're doing an estimate at someone's house. Your phone buzzes. Are you going to interrupt a face-to-face meeting to take a call? Of course not. That's rude and unprofessional. So the paid call goes unanswered.
Calls Come During Lunch, After Hours, and Weekends
Your ads might run 24/7 (or close to it), but you don't work 24/7. That lead who searches "emergency electrician" at 9 PM on a Saturday and clicks your call extension? You're at your kid's soccer game. 73% of calls to home services businesses come outside standard 9-5 hours. If your ads run during those hours, your phone needs to be answered during those hours.
You're a One-Person Show
Many contractors running click-to-call ads are solo operators. There's no office staff. No receptionist. Just one person doing the actual work and trying to run a business. In our analysis of thousands of calls from home services businesses, 74.1% went completely unanswered. These aren't careless business owners - they're busy professionals who can't be in two places at once.
What Happens After You Miss a Paid Call
The moment a paid call goes to voicemail, a predictable chain of events unfolds:
They Don't Leave a Message
Industry research confirms it: 85% of callers who don't reach a person won't call back. They don't leave voicemail. They don't wait for a callback. They move on.
They Call Your Competitor
Here's the truly painful part. The person who clicked your ad is still on their phone. They're still looking for help. So they hit "back" and call the next business in the search results. Your ad spend just bought your competitor a customer.
According to speed-to-lead research, 78% of customers hire the first business to respond. You paid for that lead, and your competitor closed it. For free.
Your Ad Platform Penalizes You
This is unique to paid calls: some platforms actively punish you for missing them. Google LSA tracks your response rate and average response time over a rolling 90-day window. Miss too many calls and:
- Your ad placement drops
- You lose the "responds quickly" badge
- Your cost per lead increases (worse placement = fewer leads for same budget)
- Recovery takes months of consistent answering
You're not just losing today's lead. You're making every future lead more expensive.
Your Cost Per Customer Acquisition Skyrockets
When you miss 40% of calls, your effective cost per customer acquisition isn't $45 per call. It's $45 divided by your actual answer rate divided by your close rate. For most contractors missing 40% of calls and closing 20% of the ones they do answer, the real cost per acquired customer is:
$45 ÷ 60% answer rate ÷ 20% close rate = $375 per customer
Answer every call and close at the same 20% rate, and that drops to:
$45 ÷ 100% answer rate ÷ 20% close rate = $225 per customer
That's a 40% reduction in acquisition cost - without spending a single extra dollar on ads.
The Fix: Never Miss Another Paid Call
The solution isn't "try harder to answer." You've tried. You can't be on the phone 24/7. You can't pause a job to take every call. You need something that answers when you can't.
AI Answers in Under 5 Seconds
An AI receptionist like NextPhone picks up every call in under 5 seconds. Not 5 rings. Under 5 seconds. The caller who clicked your ad hears a professional greeting before they even consider hanging up.
The AI handles exactly what a good receptionist would: identifies what the caller needs, collects their information (name, address, job description, timeline), and either books an appointment on your calendar or sends you the lead details immediately.
From the caller's perspective, they reached your business. They had a conversation. They got next steps. Your ad spend turned into a lead.
24/7 Coverage - Because Ads Don't Sleep
If your Google Ads run from 6 AM to 10 PM and your Facebook ads run around the clock, you need someone answering during all those hours. AI doesn't take breaks, doesn't go to lunch, doesn't have a second phone line. Every single paid call gets answered.
For $199/month, that's the equivalent of hiring a receptionist for less than 1% of what a full-time employee costs. And unlike a human, the AI handles unlimited concurrent calls - so even during peak hours when 3 ad leads call within 5 minutes, every one gets answered.
Every Paid Click Becomes a Conversation
This is the fundamental shift. Right now, your funnel looks like this:
- Ad spend → Click → Ring → Miss → Voicemail → Nothing
With AI answering, it becomes:
- Ad spend → Click → Ring → Answer → Conversation → Lead captured → Follow-up
Same ad spend. Same clicks. Completely different outcome.
Try NextPhone AI answering service
AI receptionist that answers, qualifies, and books — 24/7.
Maximizing Your Click-to-Call Ad ROI
Beyond just answering every call, here are ways to squeeze more value from your ad spend:
Schedule Ads for When You Can Answer (Or Use AI 24/7)
If you don't have AI answering, restrict your call extensions and LSA ads to hours when someone is actually available. This prevents paying for calls that ring into nothing. Google Ads lets you schedule call assets to only appear during specific hours.
Better yet: use AI to answer 24/7 and run your ads around the clock. More hours = more opportunities = more leads from the same monthly budget.
Track Answer Rate as a KPI
Most advertisers obsess over cost per click and conversion rate. Start tracking your answer rate. Google Ads call reporting shows you when calls come in, how long they last, and whether they were answered. If your average call duration is under 10 seconds, those are hang-ups. You're paying for nothing.
Measure Cost Per Answered Call
Your real metric isn't cost per click. It's cost per answered call that lasts 60+ seconds. This single number tells you whether your ad spend is actually generating conversations. If it's $200+ per meaningful call, you either need to answer more calls or adjust your targeting.
Compare Platforms by Lead Quality
Not all click-to-call platforms deliver equal leads. Track which source (Google Ads, LSA, Facebook, GMB) produces calls that actually convert to jobs. You might find that LSA leads close at 3x the rate of Facebook calls - meaning a higher cost per lead on LSA is actually cheaper per customer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get charged for click-to-call ads even if I miss the call?
Yes. Google Ads charges per click, not per completed conversation. The moment someone taps your phone number in a search ad, you're charged the CPC - whether the call connects, goes to voicemail, or is answered and hangs up immediately. The charge is for the click action, not the call outcome.
How much does a click-to-call ad cost on Google Ads?
For home services, click-to-call costs the same as a regular search ad click: $4-$11+ depending on your trade and location. Roofing and HVAC keywords run on the higher end ($10-25 per click), while general handyman or cleaning services are lower ($4-8). Google LSA operates differently with fixed per-lead pricing of $15-$100.
Are Google call-only ads being discontinued?
Yes. Google announced in 2025 that call-only ads (standalone ads that only trigger phone calls) are being deprecated. The replacement is using responsive search ads with call assets attached. The functionality is similar - your phone number still appears and is clickable - but the ad format itself is more flexible. All existing call-only campaigns need to transition to the new format.
How do I reduce click-to-call missed calls?
Three approaches: First, schedule your call assets to only show during hours you can answer. Second, hire a receptionist or answering service to handle overflow. Third, use an AI receptionist that answers every call in under 5 seconds, 24/7, at a fraction of the cost of a human. The AI option is the only one that guarantees zero missed ad calls regardless of time or call volume.
Can I use AI to answer my Google Ads calls?
Absolutely. AI receptionists like NextPhone work with any phone number, including the tracking numbers used for Google Ads call extensions and LSA. The AI answers, collects caller information, and delivers the lead to you immediately via text and email. The caller gets a professional conversation. You get a captured lead. Google gets a "call answered" signal that helps your quality metrics.
Every Missed Ring Is a Receipt for Nothing
You work hard for your ad budget. You researched keywords, wrote ad copy, set up targeting, and launched campaigns. All of that effort leads to one moment: the phone rings.
If nobody answers, all of it was for nothing. The keyword research. The ad spend. The click. Wasted.
The businesses getting the best return on click-to-call ads aren't running better campaigns. They're not using secret keywords or magic ad copy. They're just answering the phone. Every time. Without exception.
At $199/month, AI answering costs less than 2-3 missed ad calls. It pays for itself the first week. And it means every dollar you spend on advertising actually generates a conversation - not a voicemail nobody checks.
You paid for that phone to ring. Make sure somebody picks it up.
Try NextPhone AI answering service
AI receptionist that answers, qualifies, and books — 24/7.