Google Call Tracking

How does it work?

In a nutshell, Google will overlay the existing phone number on your site with a dynamically inserted Google forwarding number only visible to customers who have clicked on an ad. You’ll then be able to set up both a call extension and conversion type in AdWords in order to see which of your keywords lead to phone calls as well as leads, sales or whatever else you’re tracking.

What are the advantages of tracking calls?

Tracking calls will give an extra edge to your existing optimisation. Got a crucial short-tail keyword which seems very important but underperforms in terms of sales? Now you can see if it’s actually driving productive traffic to your site in the form of phone calls. Perhaps your business runs a service that is not available to purchase online. In this case, you can track which keywords drive your most engaged potential customers.

Google’s product specifically offers features such as assigning different values to calls from different pages of your website. For example, a call from a product page might be of more value than a call from the Customer Help section. You can customise the Google number so it fits in with the aesthetic of your website and integrate it with your click-to-call ads. You can even use it in conjunction with Google’s flexible bidding strategies to optimise towards a target cost-per-acquisition.

The biggest appeal of Google’s call tracking function, however, is that it is FREE.

But I already use another type of call tracking . . .

It’s true, there are a wide range of options for tracking phone calls and attributing them to paid clicks. Many of them have sophisticated features including the ability to choose your local STD code, recording calls, tracking from a range of sources and comprehensive reporting. However, if you’re just looking to test out call tracking, see if it works for your business before committing to a bigger spend or just working on a tight budget, Google’s feature may just be for you.

Okay, I’m sold. How do I set it up?

You’ll need to add some additional snippets of code to every page of your website that includes your phone number, including one which generates the dynamic phone number. Then, you’ll need to set up a new conversion type in AdWords labelled ‘Phone Calls’ (or something similarly descriptive). Google also recommends using a call extension.

There is a complete set of instructions here, or you can get in touch with one of our friendly geeks who will be happy to advise you.

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