There are two main ways to track phone calls as leads in Google Ads:
Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 7:49 am
Creating a "trigger" for a phone lead on Google Ads primarily involves setting up call tracking and defining a phone call as a conversion action. This allows Google Ads to recognize when a call originates from your ads, and then count it as a valuable lead.
Calls from your ads (Call Extensions / Call-only Ads): These are bulgaria whatsapp database calls made directly from a phone number displayed in your Google Ads.
Calls to a phone number on your website (Website Call Tracking): These are calls made by users who clicked on your ad, landed on your website, and then called a number displayed there.
Let's set up the "trigger" (i.e., the conversion action) for both.
Part 1: Setting up Call Tracking in Google Ads
A. For Calls Directly from Your Ads (Call Extensions or Call-only Ads)
This is the most straightforward method. Google Ads uses a unique Google forwarding number (GFN) to track calls.
Go to Google Ads: Sign in to your Google Ads account.
Navigate to Conversions:
Click on "Tools and settings" (the wrench icon) in the top right corner.
Under "Measurement," click on "Conversions."
Create a New Conversion Action:
Click the blue "+ New conversion action" button.
Select "Phone calls."
Choose "Calls from ads using call extensions or call-only ads."
Click "Continue."
Configure the Conversion Action:
Conversion Name: Give it a meaningful name (e.g., "Calls from Ads," "Google Ads Phone Lead").
Value: Decide if each call has a value.
"Use the same value for each conversion" (e.g., $10 per call if you estimate its worth).
"Don't use a value."
Count: Choose how to count calls.
"Every" (counts every call, good for specific services).
"One" (counts only one conversion Creating a "trigger" for a phone lead on Google Ads primarily involves setting up call tracking and defining a phone call as a conversion action. This allows Google Ads to recognize when a call originates from your ads, and then count it as a valuable lead.
There are two main ways to track phone calls as leads in Google Ads:
Calls from your ads (Call Extensions / Call-only Ads): These are calls made directly from a phone number displayed in your Google Ads.
Calls to a phone number on your website (Website Call Tracking): These are calls made by users who clicked on your ad, landed on your website, and then called a number displayed there.
Let's set up the "trigger" (i.e., the conversion action) for both.
Part 1: Setting up Call Tracking in Google Ads
A. For Calls Directly from Your Ads (Call Extensions or Call-only Ads)
This is the most straightforward method. Google Ads uses a unique Google forwarding number (GFN) to track calls.
Go to Google Ads: Sign in to your Google Ads account.
Navigate to Conversions:
Click on "Tools and settings" (the wrench icon) in the top right corner.
Under "Measurement," click on "Conversions."
Create a New Conversion Action:
Click the blue "+ New conversion action" button.
Select "Phone calls."
Choose "Calls from ads using call extensions or call-only ads."
Click "Continue."
Configure the Conversion Action:
Conversion Name: Give it a meaningful name (e.g., "Calls from Ads," "Google Ads Phone Lead").
Value: Decide if each call has a value.
"Use the same value for each conversion" (e.g., $10 per call if you estimate its worth).
"Don't use a value."
Count: Choose how to count calls.
"Every" (counts every call, good for specific services).
"One" (counts only one conversion per ad click, good for unique leads).
Call Length: This is crucial for quality. Set a minimum duration for a call to be counted as a conversion (e.g., 30 seconds, 60 seconds). This acts as a primary "trigger" filter for quality.
Conversion Window: How long after an ad interaction should a call be counted (e.g., 30 days).
Include in "Conversions": Yes (recommended for optimization).
Attribution Model: Choose how credit is assigned (e.g., Last Click, Data-driven).
Click "Create and continue."
Add Call Extensions or Create Call-only Ads:
Call Extensions: Go to "Ads & assets" -> "Assets." Click the blue "+" button, select "Call" asset. Add your actual business phone number. Google will automatically display a Google forwarding number (GFN) in its place when your ad runs to track calls.
Call-only Ads: When creating a new ad, select "Call" as the ad type. You'll enter your business number, and the ad will primarily feature a call button.
B. For Calls to a Phone Number on Your Website (Website Call Tracking)
This allows you to track calls made to a number on your website after a user has clicked your Google Ad.
Set up a New Conversion Action (Similar to A.4):
Go to "Tools and settings" -> "Conversions."
Click "+ New conversion action."
Select "Phone calls."
Choose "Calls to a phone number on your website."
Click "Continue."
Configure the Conversion Action:
Conversion Name: (e.g., "Website Phone Calls," "Contact Us Calls").
Value, Count, Call Length, Conversion Window, Include in "Conversions," Attribution Model: Configure these settings as desired (similar to A.4).
Click "Create and continue."
Get the Website Tag (Crucial Step):
Google will provide you with a Google tag (gtag.js) snippet and a phone snippet to add to your website.
Google Tag: This needs to be placed on every page of your website, typically in the <head> section.
Phone Snippet: This code snippet identifies the phone number(s) on your website that you want to track and replaces them with a Google forwarding number dynamically. You'll need to specify the actual phone number(s) you want to track within this snippet.
Example:
JavaScript
You'll place this before your Google tag.
Implement the Code on Your Website:
This usually requires access to your website's code or content management system (CMS) like WordPress. If you're not comfortable with code, ask your web developer.
Important: The phone number on your website must be in a text format (not an image) for the snippet to work.
Part 2: How the "Trigger" Works in Google Ads
Once configured, Google Ads uses these conversion actions as "triggers":
Reporting: Whenever a call meets your defined criteria (e.g., minimum call length, originates from your ad), Google Ads counts it as a conversion and records it in your reports.
Optimization: You can then tell Google Ads' automated bidding strategies (like Target CPA, Maximize Conversions) to optimize for these phone call conversions. This means Google will automatically adjust bids to show your ads more often to users who are most likely to make a qualifying phone call.
Audience Building: You can create audiences based on users who made a phone call conversion for remarketing purposes.
By correctly setting up call tracking and defining phone call conversion actions, you effectively create triggers within Google Ads that tell you when a valuable phone lead has occurred and enable your campaigns to optimize for more of them.
Calls from your ads (Call Extensions / Call-only Ads): These are bulgaria whatsapp database calls made directly from a phone number displayed in your Google Ads.
Calls to a phone number on your website (Website Call Tracking): These are calls made by users who clicked on your ad, landed on your website, and then called a number displayed there.
Let's set up the "trigger" (i.e., the conversion action) for both.
Part 1: Setting up Call Tracking in Google Ads
A. For Calls Directly from Your Ads (Call Extensions or Call-only Ads)
This is the most straightforward method. Google Ads uses a unique Google forwarding number (GFN) to track calls.
Go to Google Ads: Sign in to your Google Ads account.
Navigate to Conversions:
Click on "Tools and settings" (the wrench icon) in the top right corner.
Under "Measurement," click on "Conversions."
Create a New Conversion Action:
Click the blue "+ New conversion action" button.
Select "Phone calls."
Choose "Calls from ads using call extensions or call-only ads."
Click "Continue."
Configure the Conversion Action:
Conversion Name: Give it a meaningful name (e.g., "Calls from Ads," "Google Ads Phone Lead").
Value: Decide if each call has a value.
"Use the same value for each conversion" (e.g., $10 per call if you estimate its worth).
"Don't use a value."
Count: Choose how to count calls.
"Every" (counts every call, good for specific services).
"One" (counts only one conversion Creating a "trigger" for a phone lead on Google Ads primarily involves setting up call tracking and defining a phone call as a conversion action. This allows Google Ads to recognize when a call originates from your ads, and then count it as a valuable lead.
There are two main ways to track phone calls as leads in Google Ads:
Calls from your ads (Call Extensions / Call-only Ads): These are calls made directly from a phone number displayed in your Google Ads.
Calls to a phone number on your website (Website Call Tracking): These are calls made by users who clicked on your ad, landed on your website, and then called a number displayed there.
Let's set up the "trigger" (i.e., the conversion action) for both.
Part 1: Setting up Call Tracking in Google Ads
A. For Calls Directly from Your Ads (Call Extensions or Call-only Ads)
This is the most straightforward method. Google Ads uses a unique Google forwarding number (GFN) to track calls.
Go to Google Ads: Sign in to your Google Ads account.
Navigate to Conversions:
Click on "Tools and settings" (the wrench icon) in the top right corner.
Under "Measurement," click on "Conversions."
Create a New Conversion Action:
Click the blue "+ New conversion action" button.
Select "Phone calls."
Choose "Calls from ads using call extensions or call-only ads."
Click "Continue."
Configure the Conversion Action:
Conversion Name: Give it a meaningful name (e.g., "Calls from Ads," "Google Ads Phone Lead").
Value: Decide if each call has a value.
"Use the same value for each conversion" (e.g., $10 per call if you estimate its worth).
"Don't use a value."
Count: Choose how to count calls.
"Every" (counts every call, good for specific services).
"One" (counts only one conversion per ad click, good for unique leads).
Call Length: This is crucial for quality. Set a minimum duration for a call to be counted as a conversion (e.g., 30 seconds, 60 seconds). This acts as a primary "trigger" filter for quality.
Conversion Window: How long after an ad interaction should a call be counted (e.g., 30 days).
Include in "Conversions": Yes (recommended for optimization).
Attribution Model: Choose how credit is assigned (e.g., Last Click, Data-driven).
Click "Create and continue."
Add Call Extensions or Create Call-only Ads:
Call Extensions: Go to "Ads & assets" -> "Assets." Click the blue "+" button, select "Call" asset. Add your actual business phone number. Google will automatically display a Google forwarding number (GFN) in its place when your ad runs to track calls.
Call-only Ads: When creating a new ad, select "Call" as the ad type. You'll enter your business number, and the ad will primarily feature a call button.
B. For Calls to a Phone Number on Your Website (Website Call Tracking)
This allows you to track calls made to a number on your website after a user has clicked your Google Ad.
Set up a New Conversion Action (Similar to A.4):
Go to "Tools and settings" -> "Conversions."
Click "+ New conversion action."
Select "Phone calls."
Choose "Calls to a phone number on your website."
Click "Continue."
Configure the Conversion Action:
Conversion Name: (e.g., "Website Phone Calls," "Contact Us Calls").
Value, Count, Call Length, Conversion Window, Include in "Conversions," Attribution Model: Configure these settings as desired (similar to A.4).
Click "Create and continue."
Get the Website Tag (Crucial Step):
Google will provide you with a Google tag (gtag.js) snippet and a phone snippet to add to your website.
Google Tag: This needs to be placed on every page of your website, typically in the <head> section.
Phone Snippet: This code snippet identifies the phone number(s) on your website that you want to track and replaces them with a Google forwarding number dynamically. You'll need to specify the actual phone number(s) you want to track within this snippet.
Example:
JavaScript
You'll place this before your Google tag.
Implement the Code on Your Website:
This usually requires access to your website's code or content management system (CMS) like WordPress. If you're not comfortable with code, ask your web developer.
Important: The phone number on your website must be in a text format (not an image) for the snippet to work.
Part 2: How the "Trigger" Works in Google Ads
Once configured, Google Ads uses these conversion actions as "triggers":
Reporting: Whenever a call meets your defined criteria (e.g., minimum call length, originates from your ad), Google Ads counts it as a conversion and records it in your reports.
Optimization: You can then tell Google Ads' automated bidding strategies (like Target CPA, Maximize Conversions) to optimize for these phone call conversions. This means Google will automatically adjust bids to show your ads more often to users who are most likely to make a qualifying phone call.
Audience Building: You can create audiences based on users who made a phone call conversion for remarketing purposes.
By correctly setting up call tracking and defining phone call conversion actions, you effectively create triggers within Google Ads that tell you when a valuable phone lead has occurred and enable your campaigns to optimize for more of them.