Google Ads Call Tracking: Improve PPC Campaigns

If you are running pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns on Google Ads, you probably know how important it is to track your conversions and measure your return on investment (ROI). However, not all conversions happen online. Some of your potential customers may prefer to call you directly after seeing your ads, rather than clicking on them and filling out a form on your website. How do you track these phone calls and attribute them to your PPC campaigns? This is where Google Ads call tracking comes in. Google Ads call tracking is a feature that allows you to track and analyze phone calls that are generated by your PPC ads, using a technology called call forwarding. In this article, we will explain how Google Ads call tracking works, what are the benefits of using it, and how to set it up for your campaigns.

How Google Ads Call Tracking Works

Google Ads call tracking works by using call forwarding numbers to collect data from phone calls that are triggered by your PPC ads. There are two types of call forwarding numbers that you can use:

• Google forwarding numbers. These are unique phone numbers that Google provides and displays on your ads, such as call-only ads, call extensions, or location extensions. When a customer calls these numbers, Google forwards the call to your actual phone number, and tracks the details and the outcome of the call. You can set a minimum call length, and every call that lasts at least that long is counted as a conversion. You can also record and listen to the calls for quality and training purposes.
• Custom forwarding numbers. These are phone numbers that you own and use on your website or landing page. When a customer clicks on your ad and lands on your website or landing page, Google dynamically replaces your phone number with a Google forwarding number, using a code snippet that you install on your website or landing page. When a customer calls this number, Google forwards the call to your actual phone number, and tracks the details and the outcome of the call. You can set a minimum call length, and every call that lasts at least that long is counted as a conversion. You can also record and listen to the calls for quality and training purposes.

Using these call forwarding numbers, Google Ads call tracking can help you track and measure various metrics and data from your phone calls, such as:

• The number of calls
• The duration of calls
• The time of calls
• The location of calls
• The caller ID
• The call recordings
• The call transcripts
• The call ratings
• The call outcomes
• The call revenue

You can also use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning to extract insights and feedback from your phone calls, such as:

• The topics
• The keywords
• The sentiment
• The intent
• The satisfaction
• The pain points

You can view and analyze all this data in your Google Ads account, under the “Conversions” and “Reports” sections. You can also integrate your Google Ads call tracking with your other tools and platforms, such as your CRM, your analytics, or your advertising.

What are the Benefits of Google Ads Call Tracking

Google Ads call tracking can bring many benefits for your business, such as:

• Better attribution. Google Ads call tracking can help you better attribute your phone calls to your PPC campaigns, and see which keywords, ads, ad groups, and campaigns are driving the most valuable phone calls to your business. This can help you understand your ROI and make better informed decisions about your ad spend.
• Better optimization. Google Ads call tracking can also help you better optimize your PPC campaigns, by using the data and insights from your phone calls to improve your keywords, ads, ad groups, and campaigns. You can also use automated bid strategies, such as target cost-per-action (CPA) or target return on ad spend (ROAS), that automatically optimize your campaigns according to your business goals.
• Better personalization. Google Ads call tracking can also help you better personalize your PPC campaigns, by using the data and insights from your phone calls to segment and target your audience based on their behavior and preferences. You can also use dynamic number insertion (DNI) to display different phone numbers to different visitors on your website or landing page, based on their source, device, location, or other criteria.
• Better customer experience. Google Ads call tracking can also help you better customer experience, by using the data and insights from your phone calls to provide your customers with personalized and relevant solutions, as well as to improve your sales and service processes. You can also use call intelligence to generate insights and recommendations, based on your phone calls, such as the best time to call, the best offer to make, the best solution to provide, or the best follow-up to do.

How to Set Up Google Ads Call Tracking

Setting up Google Ads call tracking is easy and fast, and you can do it in a few steps:

• Sign up for a Google Ads account. If you don’t have one already, you can sign up for a Google Ads account online, using your email, phone number, or social media account. You can also customize your profile and settings, such as your name, company, industry, currency, timezone, and language.
• Create your PPC campaigns. You can create your PPC campaigns on Google Ads, using the campaign type, goal, budget, and settings that suit your business needs and objectives. You can also create your ads, ad groups, keywords, and extensions, using the best practices and guidelines from Google.
• Enable call reporting. You can enable call reporting on Google Ads, by going to the “Settings” section of your account, and clicking on the “Account settings” tab. Then, under the “Call reporting” section, you can turn on the “Call reporting” option, and choose the level of call details that you want to track, such as the caller area code, the call duration, or the call start time. You can also turn on the “Call recording” option, if you want to record and listen to your calls for quality and training purposes.
• Set up your call conversions. You can set up your call conversions on Google Ads, by going to the “Tools & settings” section of your account, and clicking on the “Conversions” option. Then, you can click on the plus button, and choose the “Phone calls” option. You can then choose the type of phone call conversion that you want to track, such as calls from ads, calls to a phone number on your website, or clicks on a number on your mobile website. You can then name your conversion, set a value, and choose a conversion window. You can also set a minimum call length, and every call that lasts at least that long will be counted as a conversion.
• Add your call forwarding numbers. You can add your call forwarding numbers on Google Ads, by going to the “Ads & extensions” section of your account, and clicking on the “Extensions” option. Then, you can click on the plus button, and choose the “Call extension” option. You can then choose the campaign or ad group that you want to add the call extension to, and enter your phone number. Google will then provide you with a Google forwarding number, that will be displayed on your ads. You can also choose the device preference, the call reporting option, and the advanced settings for your call extension. Alternatively, you can use a custom forwarding number, that you own and use on your website or landing page. You can then install a code snippet on your website or landing page, that will dynamically replace your phone number with a Google forwarding number, when a customer clicks on your ad and lands on your website or landing page.

Google Ads call tracking is easy and fast to set up

Google Ads call tracking is a feature that allows you to track and analyze phone calls that are generated by your PPC ads, using a technology called call forwarding. Google Ads call tracking can help you better attribute, optimize, personalize, and improve your PPC campaigns, as well as your customer experience. Google Ads call tracking is easy and fast to set up, and you can use it for both inbound and outbound calls, and for both online and offline sources. If you want to take your PPC campaigns to the next level, you might want to consider using Google Ads call tracking for your business.