You work hard to optimize your ads and either get consumers to your website or get them to call your...

1. Google AdWords Introduces Website Call Conversions
You work hard to optimize your ads and either get consumers to your website or get them to call
your business directly. But how can you tell when the person who calls your business did so as the
result of your AdWords ads? If the number on your website and in your ads is always the same, you
have no way of knowing.
Now you can measure phone calls that
are triggered by your ads in AdWords. Google has just announced the launch of website call
conversions, a dynamic forwarding number insertion feature that enables the measurement of calls
from a website visitor who landed on the site as a result of an AdWords ad click. This is similar but
not identical to WordStream's own AdWords call tracking software (more on that later).
The ability to track where your calls are coming from and how your PPC campaigns affect call
volume and quality is huge for advertisers. Of course, this goes beyond the ability to measure - it
allows advertisers to shape their strategy and optimize ad performance. For example, you can
change your AdWords bids with Enhanced Campaigns, based on the time of day, device and location
- e.g. bidding more for mobile ads if those calls convert better. Call tracking enables you to more
accurately calculate conversion values, understand which calls convert best and better optimize your
AdWords bids.
How Do Google's Website Call Conversions Work?
Google provides a snippet of code you can add to your desktop or mobile site. A unique Google
forwarding number is generated for each AdWords ad click and will continue to display to the user
for up to 90 days so you can track conversions on any future calls from that visitor. You can
customize the color, font and size of the numbers as they appear on your site, to ensure they're
consistent with your overall design.
Once the code is working, results are available in conversion reporting and in Call Details. Google
will display the number of calls you've received and other details including the call length.
The feature is currently available only to advertisers in the US, UK, France, Germany, Spain and
Australia. (Sorry, Canada!)
Google does note that this solution works alongside third-party tracking options - this is important to
note, as Google's tracking doesn't offer all of the features available to WordStream customers. For
example, WordStream offer a "Whisper" feature that tells you before the call connects that the call is
coming from a person who clicked an ad. WordStream's call tracking also offers a call recording
feature that allows you to record and play back calls to your tracking number, which is obviously
helpful for optimization and training purposes.
How Do You Set Up Website Call Conversion Tracking in AdWords?

2. Google's solution isn't entirely straightforward to set up, but they have offered a step-by-step tutorial
to help advertisers get started.
First, you'll need an active call extension. If you don't have one, you can set it up in the Ad
Extensions tab in your AdWords account.
See Google's Help resource if you're having any trouble with existing call extensions.
Next, you'll need to add two JavaScript snippets to each page you want to use for website call
tracking.
The first is generated in the Tools > Conversions tab in AdWords. Here, you'll enter the name of a
conversion you'd like to track, such as "Orders" or "Appointment booking calls." After setting your
preferences, you can choose to copy the code and add it to your site's HTML yourself, or have it
emailed automatically to whoever makes changes to your website.
The second piece of JS is a code snippet that replaces your own phone number with a Google
forwarding number using the _googWcmGet function, which has three parameters: target,
business_number and options.
There are different options as far as where the function code will be inserted on your page. This
process may make set-up more daunting for small businesses that manage their own sites.
What Else Do I Need to Know About Google's Website Call Conversions?
Once you have the code in place, it's important to check that it's working. Unfortunately, the method
Google recommends to do so requires that you do a search that will bring up your ad and click on
the ad - yes, you'll have to pay for the click. You should see your phone number replaced with the
Google forwarding number.
Important: Google warns that if you're testing repeatedly, you should delete the "gwcm" cookie from
your browser. You don't want to send a signal to Google that you might be manipulating the system
by clicking repeatedly on your own ads.
Obviously, Google's website call tracking isn't compatible with other ad networks, so you won't be
able to use it to track ad activity from Bing Ads or other networks.
As mentioned above, your Google call forwarding number find out here now will last for "up to 90
days." If it works like Google Voice, the number could be recycled after a month or so of inactivity -
this could be a problem for seasonal businesses, for example. (WordStream clients' call tracking
numbers are exclusively dedicated to that business for the lifetime of the customer.)
One other issue that may affect some advertisers is that although Google displays the caller's full
telephone number on the company's call display when the call is made, it's not available in reporting.
Only the caller's area code is available to advertisers.
Google's website call conversion tracking is compatible with other tracking solutions and does work
alongside click-to-call ads.