AdWords Phone Verification Becomes Mandatory for Call & Location Extensions

Google AdWords has officially announced that starting this June, they will ask the advertisers to verify the ownership for all call extension and location extension phone numbers. Call extensions and location extensions that do not meet this new policy will be disapproved from serving ads with these extensions.

This new announcement reveals how strict AdWords is becoming- advertisers will need to provide proof that phone numbers associated with ads are associated with the business they’re promoting. Numbers that will require verifications will have an “unverified” or “unverified phone” message on the ad extensions tab.

There are three options to go about verifying your phone numbers:

1. Make Phone Number Present on Website - Phone numbers must appear on at least one page for each unique website. The number needs to appear in the text on the website and will not meet the policy if it appears as an image.
2. Link your Google Webmaster Tools and AdWords Accounts - Know how to do this with this step by step tutorial.
3. Add Unique AdWords Conversion Tracking Code - Put the snippet on the landing page featured in your ad. Learn how to do that.

If you’re using 3rd party call tracking you can still use options 2 and 3 to verify your numbers. If applicable, your account team may update your account's verification status on your behalf.

This new update will take into effect beginning June 2015. Click to read the original announcement.