This article was published on August 18, 2014

Google launches Website Call Conversions to let advertisers track calls from websites following ad clicks


Google launches Website Call Conversions to let advertisers track calls from websites following ad clicks

Google today launched a new AdWords tool called Website Call Conversions, which lets advertisers identify and measure calls from their website that occur after an ad click. The company explains that many customers only call a given business after clicking through an ad and learning more about the provided products and services.

Google says 70 percent of mobile searchers have called a business directly from search ads, and the company already lets advertisers track this with AdWords click-to-call ads, call metrics, and calls as conversions. Today’s release is specifically for those calls that occur after already navigating to the company’s website.

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Here is how it works, in Google’s own words:

Let’s say your Google search ads send people to your website where they research and learn more about your business. Website call conversions dynamically inserts a Google forwarding number on your website that measures the calls made by these customers. Whether they click on the number or dial it directly from their phone, you can attribute the call conversion and conversion value back to the keyword and ad that drove the customer.

Once marketers get their hands on the data, they can presumably figure out which keywords and ads are driving the most phone calls, as well as which are driving the more valuable calls. Google even allows for assigning different values to calls originating from different pages of a given website, so you can track which pages are more effective at converting visitors.

To start measuring website calls, you’ll have to place some code on your desktop or mobile site. A unique Google forwarding number will be generated for each AdWords ad click, and will continue to display for up to 90 days to capture future call conversions.

There’s one big caveat that’s worth emphasizing: Website Call Conversions are only available in countries where Google forwarding numbers are available: Australia, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US.

See alsoGoogle denies alleged leak claiming AdSense is stealing money from publishers, calls it ‘complete fiction’ and Google removed over 350m bad ads and 270k advertisers from its systems in 2013, up 59% and down 68% respectively

Image credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

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