Call-Only Google Ads - Does Verification Page determine ad Relevancy? Heres what Deep Research said

I've asked many people and nobody can tell me the answer to whether Call-Only Google Ads use the verification URL to determine the Ad Relevancy.

I asked ChatGPT deep research and it gave a vague answer only citing one source. Does anybody have tests they have done to see if the verification URL is an Adrank Factor?

Heres what Chat GPT had to say, is it the truth? I have no idea

Google’s Call-Only Ads (now simply called Call Ads) are search ads designed to drive phone calls instead of website clicks. They appear only on call-capable mobile devices and prominently feature a phone number. Unlike standard text ads, a traditional landing page click isn’t the primary action – tapping the ad initiates a call. Quality Score (QS) still applies to Call-Only Ads much as it does to regular search ads, meaning Google evaluates your ad’s expected performance and relevance. A higher Quality Score indicates your call ad is more relevant and useful to users compared to other advertiserssupport.google.com. The familiar QS components – expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience – all still matter for Call-Only campaignssupport.google.com, even though users aren’t clicking through to a webpage in the typical way.

Quality Score Factors in Call-Only Ads​

Google assesses Call-Only Ads on three key quality factors (just like standard search ads)support.google.com:

• Expected Clickthrough Rate (CTR) – How likely users are to click (tap) your call button when the ad is shown. This predicts the probability that someone will engage with your call ad. Essentially, it’s the likelihood of a call initiation, based on your ad’s appeal and past performancesupport.google.com. Call ads with compelling copy and strong call-to-action are more likely to earn Above Average expected CTR. (Note that for call ads, a “click” means tapping the ad to start a phone call.)
• Ad Relevance – How closely your ad copy matches the user’s search intent and keywords. Google gauges if your call ad messaging is pertinent to what the user is looking forsupport.google.com. Even with the limited text of a call ad, it’s important that your headlines and descriptions include relevant keywords and clearly address the query. If your ad’s content doesn’t align well with the keyword’s intent, this metric may be “Below average,” hurting your Quality Score.
• Landing Page Experience – How relevant and useful your landing page is to users. For Call-Only Ads, there is no direct landing page click, but Google still evaluates a landing page experience behind the sceneshanapinmarketing.com. Specifically, you are required to provide a Verification URL – a webpage on your site that includes your business phone number – when creating a call ad. Google uses this page as the proxy “landing page” for quality evaluationhanapinmarketing.com. The system will check the content and relevance of that verification page to assess its usefulness to users and its congruence with your ad. In short, even call ads need a relevant, high-quality webpage (the verification URL) to support them, and this influences the landing page experience component of Quality Scorehanapinmarketing.com.

Each of these factors is rated “Above average,” “Average,” or “Below average” compared to other advertisers on the same keywordssupport.google.com. If one or more factors are below average, your overall Quality Score (1–10 scale) will suffer, which can adversely affect your ad visibility and cost. In practice, many advertisers find Call-Only QS challenging – for instance, some report strong call-through rates yet only “Average” expected CTR ratings, or struggles with ad relevance due to the limited ad text. This means it’s crucial to optimize all three areas as much as possible for call ads’ unique format.

The Role of the Verification URL (Landing Page)​

What is the Verification URL? When setting up a Call-Only Ad, Google requires a verification URL (sometimes just called a “landing page URL” for the business) even though users won’t click on it. This URL should be a page on your website that displays the same phone number used in your admajux.com. Google’s policy is to verify that the phone number you’re advertising indeed belongs to you – the verification page must contain that number in visible text. For example, if your ad calls your business “Acme Plumbing” with phone number 555-1234, your verification URL might be your contact or homepage where 555-1234 is listed. Google’s system will crawl this page to confirm the number matchesmajux.com, preventing dishonest use of phone numbers.


Does the verification page appear to users? No – the verification URL is not shown as a clickable link in a pure Call-Only Ad (if you choose not to provide a Final URL)support.google.com. It exists for Google’s internal checks and quality scoring. (In the newer “Call Ads” format, you can optionally include a Final URL to show a “Visit website” link in addition to the call buttonsupport.google.com, but if you omit that, the ad remains call-only with no user-facing link.)


Quality Score and content relevance of the verification URL: Importantly, the content and quality of your verification page do contribute to your ad’s Quality Score. Google treats this page as the landing page for the ad in terms of relevance and user experiencehanapinmarketing.com. Even though searchers aren’t clicking through, Google’s crawlers will evaluate the page’s content, load speed, mobile-friendliness, and relevance to the ad/keyword. In Google’s own words, the verification URL “replaces the destination URL field” of a normal ad and “impacts your quality score”hanapinmarketing.com. This is why advertisers “still need a landing page for Call-Only campaigns”hanapinmarketing.com – the ad’s quality assessment and eligibility rely partly on that page.


To break it down, Google likely uses the verification page to assess Landing Page Experience for the call ad. A few implications:

• The topic and keywords on the verification page should align with your ad and keywords. If your ad is about emergency plumbing services, but your verification page is a generic homepage with no plumbing info (or worse, unrelated content), Google may judge the landing page experience as poor or irrelevant (Below Average). Conversely, a page with content highly relevant to the ad (e.g. a page about your plumbing services, with the phone number visible) will reinforce relevancy. Google explicitly notes that information from its web crawlers is used to assess ad qualitysupport.google.com, so ensuring your site’s content is pertinent to your ad can boost quality factors.
• The user experience of that page matters. Since call ads show on mobile devices, your verification page should be mobile-friendly and fast. Factors like page load speed, clarity of information, and transparency can influence landing page quality. Even if users aren’t clicking it in a call-only scenario, Google wants to see that you have a credible, useful page behind the ad. A well-optimized page can lead to an “Above average” landing page experience score, whereas a slow or misleading page could drag it down.
• Phone number visibility is mandatory. As noted, Google will check that the phone number in your ad appears on the verification pagemajux.com. If it doesn’t, your ad might be disapproved or the number “unverified.” This isn’t just a compliance step – it’s also a trust signal. Having consistent business info across your ad and website helps Google ensure the ad is legitimate, indirectly affecting ad quality perception. (For example, verifying domain ownership and phone number association is one way Google combats spam in call adsgroups.google.com.)

In summary, treat the verification URL like an actual landing page that needs to be relevant, authoritative, and user-friendly. Its content should reinforce the ad’s promises. While users won’t click it directly in a call-only flow, Google’s evaluation of that page will influence your Quality Score and thus your ad’s success in the auction.

Ad Relevance in Call-Only Campaigns​

Ad relevance measures how well your ad’s messaging corresponds to the searcher’s intent and the keyword being bid onsupport.google.com. For Call-Only Ads, this works essentially the same way as for text ads. Google analyzes the ad copy (your headlines, description lines, and even the business name) in light of the keyword and query.


To ensure high ad relevance in call ads:

• Include keywords or their synonyms in the ad copy when possible. With call ads you have slightly fewer text fields (two optional headlines of 30 characters each and two description lines of 90 characters each, plus the business name)majux.com. Make those characters count. For instance, if your keyword is “24 hour plumber,” a headline like “24/7 Emergency Plumbing Service” and a description mentioning “Fast, 24hr plumber response” would closely match the query intent. This tight alignment signals to Google that your ad is very relevant.
• Match the intent, not just the keywords. If a user searches a specific need (e.g. “water heater repair call now”), ensure your ad speaks to that need (“Call Now for Water Heater Repair – Licensed Plumber”). The better your ad satisfies what the user is looking for, the higher Google will rate its relevancesupport.google.com.
• Tightly themed ad groups help here. Because call ads have limited text, grouping your keywords into focused themes means you can craft ads that precisely address each theme. Advertisers often find that with call-only campaigns, if all keywords share a clear intent and the ad addresses that intent, ad relevance scores improve.

Even though the call ad format is simplified, Google does not give leeway on ad relevance – a call ad can still be “Below average” in relevance if it’s too generic or off-target for the queries. In one Google Ads forum example, an advertiser’s call-only campaign had Below Average ad relevance across many keywords, whereas their equivalent text ads were fine, suggesting the call ad copy wasn’t closely matching those keywordssupport.google.com. The lesson: you may need to write multiple versions of call ads tailored to different keyword sets, even if that means creating more ad groups, to avoid one-size-fits-all text. A highly relevant call ad not only boosts Quality Score but also likely attracts more qualified callers.

Expected Clickthrough Rate for Call-Only Ads​

Expected CTR is Google’s estimate of how likely people are to click your ad (in this case, tap the call button) when it’s shownsupport.google.com. This metric is largely determined by historical performance of your ads and similar ads in your industry. Essentially, Google compares your call ad’s actual click-through rate to what’s typical for that keyword and position and then labels your expected CTR as Above, Average, or Below Average.


For Call-Only Ads, expected CTR can behave a bit differently than in traditional ads: initiating a phone call is a higher-intent action than clicking a website link, so users tend to be more selective before tapping a call ad. This can translate to lower CTRs overall for call ads, especially for certain industries or queries – many users may read the ad and decide they’re not ready to call, whereas they might have clicked a standard ad just to browse. Google’s scoring presumably accounts for this by comparing you to other call ads and search ads on the same term. However, advertisers have observed that even with seemingly good CTRs, Google might only rate the expected CTR as “average”. For example, one advertiser reported a 22% click-through rate on a call-only keyword but still saw an “Average” expected CTR statusreddit.com. This suggests that Google’s benchmark for some call ads could be quite high, or that it factors in broader historical data where other ads performed even better.


How to improve expected CTR for call ads? Many of the same best practices apply as for any search ad, with some call-specific twists:

• Write compelling, call-focused ad copy. Because the user knows a tap will start a call, your ad text must instill confidence and urgency. Include a strong call-to-action like “Speak with a [Expert] Now” or highlight an incentive (“Free Consultation, Call 24/7”). If the ad is enticing and trustworthy, more people will call, raising your actual CTR and eventually your expected CTR status.
• Leverage extensions and assets (if available for call ads). Call Ads can show certain assets like callouts or structured snippetssupport.google.com. These can make your ad larger and more informative, which often boosts click-through rate. A more compelling overall ad presentation leads to a higher fraction of users tapping the call button.
• Monitor and refine keywords. Ensure you’re bidding on keywords that genuinely match a “call now” intent. If some keywords are firing your call ad for lots of users who aren’t actually looking to call (perhaps informational queries), those could drag down CTR. Negative keywords or tighter match types can help focus on truly transactional, call-ready searches.
• Ad position and bid: Although not a direct part of Quality Score, remember that higher ad rank (from higher QS or bid) can put your ad in a better position where CTR tends to be higher. There’s a feedback loop: better QS can improve position, which can improve CTR; likewise, aggressively bidding to top of page (if budget allows) might increase your visibility and clicks initially, which could improve your expected CTR over time if those clicks are sustained.

Overall, expected CTR for call ads hinges on how appealing your ad is and how well it convinces searchers to take that leap to call. Continually test different messaging (e.g. with/without certain headlines, mentioning pricing or not, etc.) to see what yields the highest call-through rate. As your actual CTR rises relative to peers, Google will update the expected CTR component in your favor.

Quality Score’s Impact on Ad Rank for Call Ads​

Even in a Call-Only campaign, Ad Rank (the metric that determines your ad’s position and eligibility) is heavily influenced by your ad’s quality components. In Google’s ad auctions, your bid and your ad quality combine to produce Ad Rank. Quality Score (while officially labeled a “diagnostic tool”) reflects those ad quality factors which are used in real-time auctions – namely expected CTR, relevance, and landing page experiencesupport.google.comsupport.google.com. So practically speaking, a low Quality Score on your call ad means the system has judged your ad less relevant or lower quality, and you’ll need a higher bid to compete for top positions (or risk not showing at all). Conversely, a high QS can improve your Ad Rank and reduce your cost per call, because Google rewards relevance with better positioning and lower prices.


Verification URL relevance and Ad Rank: The content on your verification landing page indirectly affects Ad Rank through the landing page experience factor. If that page is very relevant and user-friendly (i.e. Above Average landing page score), it boosts your overall ad quality. That can give you a higher Ad Rank for the same bid compared to an advertiser whose page is poor. In contrast, if your verification page is off-topic or low-quality, it could drag down your quality marks and hurt your Ad Rank, even if your ad text and bids are strong. Thus, the verification URL’s relevance isn’t just a formality – it can tangibly influence whether your call ad ranks high enough to be seen.


In summary, Google determines Quality Score for Call-Only Ads using the same trio of factors as any search ad, but adapted to the call-specific context. Ad relevance is judged by how well your limited call ad text aligns with the query. Expected CTR is based on how often users are expected to (and actually do) tap “Call,” given your ad’s appeal. And “landing page” experience still applies – Google uses your verification URL’s content and credibility as a stand-in for a landing page, affecting quality scores and ultimately ad rankhanapinmarketing.com. To maximize performance, ensure that verification page is on-point and that your ad copy and keywords are tightly aligned. By improving each quality component, you’ll not only raise your Quality Scores but also improve Ad Rank, meaning your call ads can show more prominently and cost you less per call over time.


Sources: Quality Score factors and definitionssupport.google.com; Google call ad requirements (verification URL usage)majux.comsupport.google.com; Impact of verification URL on QShanapinmarketing.com; phone number verification policymajux.com.

Really good insight here. A lot of people forget how much the verification page can impact how Google sees your ad. If the info doesn’t line up, it can totally mess with your relevancy score and bump up your costs. Solid research!

Yes, your long explanation actually reflects how Google’s system likely works behind the scenes — and the short version is: yes, the verification URL does impact ad rank via the "landing page experience" part of Quality Score. Even in call-only ads where users don’t click to that page, Google still uses it to check:

• Is the phone number real and matches the ad?
• Is the page related to the ad's topic/keywords?
• Is it mobile-friendly and loads well?

So while the page isn’t shown to users, Google treats it like a shadow landing page to evaluate credibility and relevance. If it's weak, your Quality Score (and therefore Ad Rank) will be worse — which can lead to poor delivery, higher CPCs, or even disapproval.


There’s no public statement from Google 100% confirming it’s used for QS calculation, but in practice (and from internal testing and account data), you’ll notice:

• A generic or mismatched verification page leads to “Below average” landing page score
• A well-optimized page with relevant content and clear phone info improves QS over time

If you want better results, treat that verification page like an actual landing page, just without the user ever visiting it. Test relevance, keyword match, and crawlability like you would with regular LPs.


If you're doing volume and want to skip the learning curve, most guys running scaled call-only ops go with pre-approved agency setups — they tend to get better delivery even when QS is average, because the account trust level is higher from day one.