In this post, we will provide you a free 2020 guide to Google Ads call tracking, where you will learn how to track phone calls in Google Ads and how to set it up properly.

Understanding Google Ads Phone Call Tracking

Google Ads phone call tracking is a type of conversion tracking that helps businesses determine how many consumers called your company after seeing or clicking one of your PPC ads or ad extensions.

Google Ads call tracking works in one of two ways.

1. Tracking calls that are from a Google forwarding number that can be accessed through a call extension ad. 
2. Tracking calls through dynamic number insertion on your website, where a unique tracking number is swapped for each site visitor.

Why Should Businesses Implement Call Tracking

In our last post, we emphasized that businesses need to identify how much profit they’ve made from investing in Google Ads, which is why it is highly beneficial to implement conversion tracking to understand whether or not an account is increasing a business revenue or if there is a need for any adjustments.

Call tracking helps advertisers understand if their marketing efforts are improving phone call conversions. 

Google Ads, along with other call tracking services like CallRail, ResponseTap, or Marchex, can show you which search keywords drive the most calls as well as performance breakdowns by demographics and location. Utilizing both platforms will allow companies to collect any data that will primarily help advertisers with optimization to ensure that the budget invested in advertising is cost-effective at driving new calls, leads, and conversions.

2020 How To Set Up Google Ads Call Tracking

Setting Up Google Ads Tracking For Forwarding Numbers

To set up forwarding numbers, you’ll need to add call extensions to your ads, and you have the option of setting it at the account, campaign, or ad group level. Then you would need to enable call reporting in Google Ads and Analytics. 

If you’re a company that is only using one phone number, setting up call extensions on the account level is the best option. When you set the call extension at the account level, the number selected will run with every ad in your account. 

Step 1: Click on the “Ads & extensions tabs.”

Step 2: Navigate to “Extensions” and click the blue (+) sign

Step 3: Click on “Call Extension”

Step 4: Enter the phone number

Step 5: *Optional* Schedule the times when your call extensions show. 

 Google Ads Tracking With Dynamic Number Insertion

Dynamic number insertion is different from forwarding numbers. This option assigns a unique phone number to each online source and then displays that phone number to visitors who arrive at your website through that specific source.

These sources include organic search, PPC ads, Yelp, or anywhere else; your business has a presence online. The data will then feed to your Google Analytics account for you to review once your phone starts ringing. This allows you to pinpoint the exact source of incoming calls.

Call Rail provides a proper step by step guide to setting up dynamic numbers. Click here to access the helpful guide.

Wrapping Things Up

Call extensions are essential to your overall Google Ads reporting. With call tracking implemented, businesses can gain more insight into their marketing efforts. 

It allows them to gauge whether or not an account is increasing a business revenue or if there is a need for a change in strategy. If you need help with setting up conversion tracking, whether it be form submissions or call tracking, contact us today, and we are ready to help.