- Google Ads offers several ways to track calls: calls from ads, calls to a number on your website, clicks on a number on your mobile site, clicks on call ads and assets, and imported calls.
- Tracking calls from ads and from your website, and importing calls, all rely on Google forwarding numbers, which are available only in some countries.
- Count a call as a conversion only when it is likely to be a real enquiry: set a minimum call length, or use Google's call analysis where it is available.
- Clicks on a phone number only show that someone tapped it, not that a call happened, so keep them out of the conversions you bid on.
- Importing the calls that became customers tells Google Ads which keywords bring sales, not just rings.
How do you track phone calls as conversions in Google Ads?
First decide which calls count as a lead, then choose from the call conversion types Google Ads offers: calls from ads, calls to a number on your website, clicks on a number on your mobile site, clicks on call ads and assets, and imported calls. For most service businesses, the solid setup is calls from ads plus calls from the website, both through Google forwarding numbers, with a minimum call length. Then import the calls that became customers once your CRM records the outcome.
Without call tracking, a business that gets most of its leads by phone will see an account that seems to convert poorly, and automated bidding will optimise towards the wrong things. The setup below is the same whether you run Search, call-only or location-based campaigns.
Which call conversion types does Google Ads offer?
Google's overview of phone call conversion tracking lists these types:
| Type | What is counted | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calls from ads | Calls from call-only ads, call assets or location assets that meet your rule | Call reporting turned on, which uses Google forwarding numbers |
| Calls to a number on your website | Calls to the forwarding number shown on your site after an ad click | The Google tag and a website call event snippet |
| Clicks on a number on your mobile website | Taps on a phone link on your mobile site; the call itself is not tracked | A tag on the click |
| Clicks on call ads and assets | Clicks, counted using Google's estimate of whether a meaningful call followed | No forwarding number |
| Imported calls | Calls you mark as conversions in another system, such as your CRM | Google forwarding numbers and an upload |
The same page notes that tracking calls from ads and from a website, and importing calls, require Google forwarding numbers, which are available only in some countries.
What is a Google forwarding number, and why does it matter?
When you turn on call reporting, Google assigns a forwarding number to your ad. The call still reaches your business, but Google can see the details. According to Google's help:
- call reporting records details such as call duration, start time, whether the call connected and the caller's number for calls over 15 seconds, except in India (source);
- caller ID still works for most calls, so you see who is calling;
- forwarding numbers belong to Google, can change and must not be used anywhere outside call reporting and website call tracking;
- you are charged when someone clicks the number in your ad, not when someone dials it by hand.
Before you rely on it, check that your country is on Google's list of countries where forwarding numbers are available.
Which calls should count as a conversion?
Not every ring is a lead. Wrong numbers, existing customers and sales pitches all reach the same phone. Google's guide to measuring calls from ads describes two ways to filter them:
- Minimum call length: only calls longer than the duration you set count. Look at your own calls to pick it: how long does a real enquiry usually take compared with a quick question?
- Call analysis: where call recording is on, Google's AI judges lead quality from the recording. Google says this is currently limited to calls where both parties are in the U.S. or Canada; otherwise it falls back to call length.
Keep clicks on a phone number as a secondary signal. Google states that for this type it can track the click but not the call, so it will overcount real enquiries. Use for bidding only the call actions that reflect real leads.
How do you track calls to the number on your website?
Many people click an ad, read your site and then call. To link those calls back to the ad, Google uses the Google tag plus an event snippet that shows a forwarding number to visitors who came from an ad. When you set it up:
- apply it to every place the number appears, including the header, footer, contact page and buttons;
- keep the number formatted as plain text the snippet can find, not inside an image;
- test it by clicking your own ad in a private window and checking that the number changes;
- leave other phone numbers, such as support lines, outside the swap so they are not counted as leads.
Calls from your Google Business Profile can be counted too: Google's help says that when the profile is linked to Google Ads, call history is on and call reporting is enabled, calls attributable to an ad interaction appear under "Calls from ads".
How do you import calls that became customers?
Call length tells you a call was probably real. It does not tell you it became a job. Call conversion import fills that gap: you record the caller's number and the call time in your CRM, mark which calls led to a sale, upload the file, and Google Ads matches it to the tracked calls. You can then see which campaigns and keywords bring the calls that pay, and include the value of each sale.
This works best when the CRM captures calls automatically rather than relying on staff to type them in. The same thinking applies to form leads; our guide to enhanced conversions for leads covers that side. Connecting the phone system, CRM and Google Ads is part of our analytics and reporting work.
What does a complete call tracking setup look like?
- Call reporting on, with forwarding numbers on your call and location assets.
- Website call tracking tested on every page that shows the number.
- A minimum call length, or call analysis where available, that matches real enquiries.
- Only qualified call actions used for bidding.
- A plan to import the calls that became customers.
With that in place, the account reports the enquiries your team actually receives. Our article on Google Ads budgets for service businesses covers what to do with that data, and our Google Ads management team can set up the tracking for you.
Frequently asked questions
Can we use our own call tracking provider instead of Google forwarding numbers?
Yes. Google's call reporting help says you can turn off call reporting in your account settings to show your own business number or use third-party call tracking. Google Ads then cannot measure those calls itself, so set up the provider's integration or import the qualified calls as conversions.
Do calls from desktop searches count?
They can. Google's help on call assets says desktop users see a "Call us" button that shows the number, or the forwarding number if call reporting is on, along with a QR code that opens the phone's dialer. People who call that number can still be measured through call reporting.
Does Google record our calls?
Only if call recording is turned on. Google's help says call recording is currently limited to calls where both parties are in the U.S. or Canada and is used to judge lead quality. You can turn it off in account settings, and the system then falls back to the minimum call length you set.
What if many of our callers are existing customers?
Give existing customers a different number, for example on invoices, emails and the account area of your site, and keep the tracked numbers for new enquiries. When you import calls, upload only the ones that became new business. Otherwise support calls inflate your conversions and bidding chases people who would have called anyway.
Should a phone call be worth the same as a form lead?
Only if they close at the same rate and value. Look at your CRM: if calls turn into jobs more often than forms, give them a higher conversion value so bidding favours them. Revisit the values every few months as your mix of services changes.
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