When a customer finds you on Google and hits the "Call" button, they can talk to you right away. For any service business, these are the best kinds of leads. They turn a quick search into a real, paying job.

Why Your Google Business Call Button Is a Goldmine for Leads

Think like a customer. Their pipe just burst, or their roof is leaking. What do they do first? They grab their phone and search for a local pro. Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing they see. That little call button is a big help to them.

It lets them skip clicking through your website to find a contact page. It’s a direct link to you.

Each of these calls comes from someone with a real need. They picked your business from a list of others. These are not just people looking around; they are ready to hire someone. To see how important these calls are, it's good to learn What Are Inbound Calls? and how they help your business grow.

The Power of a Quick Connection

In the service world, speed is everything. A homeowner with a flooded basement will not fill out a contact form and wait. They need an expert on the phone right now. Your call button gives them that quick connection. It turns their emergency into your next job.

The 'Call' button on your Google Business Profile is more than just a feature. It's a direct line to good customers who are looking for your help at that exact moment.

The Numbers Prove It

The facts about Google Business Profile are very clear. Did you know that 90% of all weekday business calls come from Google Business Profiles? It's true.

On average, a business with a full profile gets about 595 calls every year just from its listing. And it's not just calls. Google helps with 2 billion connections (calls, directions, website visits) between customers and U.S. businesses every month.

These are not just numbers. They are real customers and real chances to get more work.

How Customers Use Your Google Business Profile

This table shows how customers use a business listing each month. You can see how important that phone line is.

What does this mean? Website clicks and directions are good, but those 50 direct calls are often your best leads. Each one is a chance to get a new customer. So, it is very important to have your phone set up to handle them.

Getting Your Business Phone Number Set Up the Right Way

Putting your phone number on your Google Business Profile is one of the best things you can do. It adds the "Call" button to your listing. This gives customers a direct way to reach you when they need you most.

Let's get this done so your phone can start ringing.

First, sign in to your Google Business Profile Manager. Once you're in, find and click the "Edit profile" button. This is where you change all your business details.

Next, go to the "Contact" tab. You will see a spot for your phone number. Put your main business number in there.

Choosing the Best Number to List

The number you choose is very important. If you are a local business like a plumber or roofer, use a number with a local area code. This helps customers trust you. It shows them you are part of their community.

Here is another tip: make sure this number is the exact same on your website, your Facebook page, and everywhere else online. This helps your local SEO. It is one way Google knows your information is real, which can help you show up higher in search results.

Adding and Checking Your Number

After you type in your number, click "Save." Google will then check to make sure the number is yours. This is usually fast. Don't worry if you see "Under review" for a day or two. It's normal.

Google might check your number in a few ways:

• A phone call or text message with a code is the most common way.
• An email with the code might be sent to your profile's email address.
• If your website is already checked in Google Search Console, it can sometimes make things faster.

Do not skip this check. A number that is not checked can get your listing flagged. Or worse, the call button might not show up at all. That means you would miss every Google Business Listing phone call.

While you wait for the review, try not to make other big changes to your profile. This can slow things down. Once it is approved, your call button will be live. Customers can then call you with one tap.

For business owners on the go, it's a good idea to learn how to redirect calls to your mobile phone. This way, you never miss a lead. Just be patient. The check is there to protect everyone.

How to Tweak Your Profile and Make the Phone Ring

So, you have your phone number listed. That’s a great start, but it's just the beginning. Now, let's make your Google Business Profile a lead machine that brings in calls. A few smart changes can make more customers call you instead of someone else.

The main idea is to make it easy for them. You want someone to see your profile and know that calling you is the right next step. That all starts with the big, blue "Call" button.

Think of this button as a direct line to new business. For service businesses like contractors or cleaners, it's a big deal. Clicks on that call button can be 10%-15% of all profile views. That's much higher than the average of 5%-8% for other businesses.

When someone taps that button, they are ready to hire. This makes every Google Business Listing phone call a very good lead. These calls are often better than website clicks, which are only about 4%-7% of actions. To learn more about the numbers, you can check out these Google Business Profile benchmarks.

Let Your Photos Do the Talking

Let's be honest, people look at pictures first. Your photos and videos are not just for show. They are your chance to prove you do great work and get customers to call.

Imagine a roofer posts a before-and-after photo of a new roof. In the photo's description, they could add a simple caption: "Another home safe and sound. Call us today for a free roof check!"

Here are a few ways to use pictures to get more calls:

• Show Off Your Best Work: Post clear, nice photos of your finished jobs.
• Introduce the Team: A friendly photo of your crew helps people feel like they know you. This builds trust right away.
• Add a Call to Action: Always add a short, direct message like, "Ready for a change? Call now!"

These pictures help customers feel good about your business and give them a reason to call you right away.

Set Clear Hours of Business

One of the easiest but best changes you can make is to keep your business hours correct. It seems simple, but it makes a big difference.

If someone's pipe bursts at 10 PM, they need to know if you are open. If your hours are wrong—or not listed at all—you will lose that customer to someone else.

Be honest about when you can answer the phone. If you offer 24/7 emergency services, make that clear! That one detail can make a customer choose you in a panic.

A complete and correct profile shows you are professional and can be trusted. When customers see you took the time to fill everything out, they feel much better about picking you.

To get a real edge, you need to look at the whole picture. To learn how to make your whole profile great, you should learn how to optimize your Google Business Profile. By adding new photos, keeping your info fresh, and using words that ask for calls, you will get more calls from the customers you want.

Tracking Calls to Understand Your Customers Better

To grow your business, you need to know who is calling and what they need. Google gives you a good start with its call history feature. You can find it right in your Business Profile. Think of it as a simple report card that shows how many calls you are getting.

This feature gives you a quick look at how your profile is doing. It shows your recent calls, tells you which ones you missed, and sometimes even gives you recordings. Listening to those recordings is a great way to hear what your customers are asking for in their own words.

What Call History Tells You

So, what do you get with Google's call history? It's a simple way to see if your hard work on your profile is making the phone ring more.

Here’s what you can learn:

• Total Calls: A simple count of how many people called you from your profile.
• Answered vs. Missed Calls: This is very important. It tells you if you are keeping up with calls or if you are losing customers.
• Caller Information: You'll see the caller's phone number and the area they're calling from. This can help you see local trends.

This information helps you connect the dots. Let's say you are a cleaner and see a lot of calls on Monday mornings about prices. That's a clear sign. You could add a "Request a Quote" button to your profile to make things easier and free up your phone line.

A quick note: Google now stores call history and recordings for a shorter time. This makes it more important to have your own system for tracking leads so you don't lose that good customer info.

Why Every Call Matters

The numbers are clear. The average checked Google Business Profile gets about 50 calls every single month. These calls are not just a small part of the picture. They make up about 21% of all actions on a profile, just like website clicks and requests for directions. That steady flow of calls shows how powerful your Google Business Listing phone call feature is for getting new clients. If you want to see more stats, you can discover more insights on GBP's role as a lead engine.

This fact really makes the point: every time your phone rings, it’s a real chance to book a new job. Missing just a few of those calls each week can mean a big loss in money over the year.

Going Beyond Basic Call History

Google's tool is a great start, but it has its limits. If you want to really understand your calls, you will need to use other tools. For a full list of your options, check out our guide on how to track phone calls for your business.

Special call tracking software can give you a lot more detail, such as:

• Which ads or marketing are making the phone ring.
• The exact hours of the day you get the most calls.
• More details on how long calls last, what happened on the call, and if it was a new caller.

When you have this kind of information, you can make smarter choices. You can spend your ad money on what works. You can change your business hours to cover busy call times. Or you can even train your team on how to better answer common questions. This is how you turn call information into a real plan for booking more work.

How an AI Receptionist Can Capture Every Lead

Let's be real. You're a busy person. Maybe you're on a roof, under a sink, or in the middle of a big job. Your phone rings, and it's a new lead from Google. Great! But you can't answer it.

Hours later, when you call back, they've already found someone else. This happens all the time, and it costs you business.

This is where an AI receptionist can change everything. It's like having a perfect front-desk person who works 24/7. It makes sure you never miss a Google Business Listing phone call again, even when you're busy.

Never Let a Call Go to Voicemail

New AI receptionists, like Cira, are smart. They connect right to your business number. When a customer finds you on Google and calls, the AI answers right away. It has a voice that sounds natural and professional.

The best part? It's not just an answering machine. It understands your business. It knows what you do, where you work, and can even answer simple questions about prices.

This means it can handle all those common questions on its own:

• "What are your hours?"
• "Do you work in the North Hills area?"
• "Are you licensed and insured?"

By answering these first questions, the AI gives the caller help right away. They feel heard and taken care of, which is a great first impression.

Find Good Leads and Book Jobs for You

Answering basic questions is one thing, but a good AI receptionist does much more. It can find good new leads for you by asking the same kinds of questions you would.

Think about what you ask a new caller: "Can you tell me about your plumbing problem?" or "How many rooms do you need cleaned?" You can set up the AI to ask those same questions.

Based on their answers, the AI can then take the next step. It might text the caller a link to your online booking calendar. Or it might send a quick form to ask for a price. This is a very powerful move. It pushes a customer closer to hiring you without you doing anything.

The goal is not just to answer the phone. It's to turn every call into a booked job or a good lead waiting for you. This means your business can keep growing, even while you focus on your work.

Here’s a look at how an AI receptionist can handle these calls for you.

As you can see, the AI answers the call and sends a follow-up text right away. It gives the customer a smooth, professional experience, all by itself.

The real power here is giving helpful service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When a customer has a leak at 2 AM, they won't get your voicemail. They'll get a helpful assistant that can book them for your next open time. That's a huge plus over other businesses that still use answering machines.

If you want to know more about how this can work for your business, you can learn about the good things an AI receptionist for small business can do.

Working Through Common Phone Listing Problems

Even when you do everything right, your Google Business Profile can have a problem. It happens. Your phone number might be stuck "under review," or the call button might just disappear. The good news is, most of these problems can be fixed pretty easily.

Let's start with a common one: the phone number that is “under review” for a long time. If it’s been more than a few days, it usually means something does not match. Google needs to trust your information. It checks your info all over the web. Go to your website, your Facebook page, and other places you are listed. Does the phone number match exactly? Even a small difference can slow down the check.

What if the call button itself goes away? Sometimes it’s just a short Google problem that fixes itself. But it can also be a sign of a bigger problem, like your whole profile is suspended. It's a good idea to check on your profile. Make sure all your information is correct and follows Google's guidelines.

Wrong Number or Calls That Don't Connect

Seeing the wrong phone number on your profile is very common. Maybe an old worker used their personal phone. Or maybe Google found old information from somewhere on the internet. Lucky for you, the fix is usually easy. Just log in to your profile, edit the contact info, and put in the right number.

A harder problem is when customers say they are calling, but your phone never rings. This can be very upsetting. Before you worry, check the simple things. It could be a problem with your phone company. Grab a different phone and try calling your business number yourself.

If your test call doesn't work or the problem keeps happening, it’s probably time to contact Google support. It might take some time to get it fixed, but talking to them is often the only way to solve those bigger tech problems.

Got Questions? We've Got Answers

Let's answer some of the most common questions about managing phone calls through your Google Business Profile.

How Long Does It Take for a New Phone Number to Go Live?

It's usually pretty fast. Most of the time, your new number will show up on your profile in a few minutes.

But don't be surprised if it takes longer. Google's check can sometimes take up to three business days. If you are stuck in "under review" for longer than that, first check that the number you listed matches your website and other online pages. When things match, it helps speed things up.

What Should I Do About Spam Calls?

Spam calls are, sadly, a part of having your number online. It is a pain. Some scammers even pretend to be from Google. They often try to make you feel like something is wrong so you will act fast.

Here's a pro tip: Google will never call you with an "urgent issue" about your listing. Real Google workers will say who they are and won't push you to do things. Any real messages will show up in your Google Business Profile dashboard, not from a surprise phone call.

Can I Use a Call Tracking Number on My Profile?

Yes, you can, and it's a smart idea if you want to know exactly how many leads come from your Google listing. The key is to do it the right way.

Make sure your main, direct business line is listed as the "primary" phone number. Then, you can add your call tracking number as an "additional" number. This way, you get the best of both worlds. You get the good tracking info you need, and Google still sees the main business information it wants to see.