Google Ads · Call tracking
Plenty of Australians still pick up the phone before they buy. If your ads can’t see those calls, Google thinks your best campaigns are failing and cuts them back. We track calls from your ads and your website, set a sensible call length and give every real phone lead the credit it earned.
Incoming call via Google Ads
Your phone rings exactly as it does now. Google just keeps score.
Why it matters
Here is what happens when calls aren’t tracked. Someone searches, clicks your ad, reads your page and rings you. You win the job. But Google Ads only saw a click with no result. After a few weeks of this, smart bidding decides that campaign doesn’t work and spends less on it. The campaign bringing in your best work gets starved.
For trades, clinics, law firms, real estate and most local services, phone calls are often the biggest source of leads. Tracking them isn’t a nice extra. It’s the difference between Google backing your best campaigns and cutting them.
Good call tracking also answers the questions owners actually ask. Which ads make the phone ring? What time of day do people call? Are we missing calls after hours? How many calls are real enquiries, and how many are wrong numbers?
Call tracking is part of every Google Ads management account we run, and it works hand in hand with GA4 conversion tracking so forms and calls are measured the same careful way.
Try it
Move the sliders to match your business. The result is the value of phone work your ads are already winning, that Google Ads can’t see.
$0
in revenue each month that Google Ads gets no credit for.
A rough guide based on your own numbers. It shows why tracking matters, not what you will earn. When Google can’t see these jobs, it can’t bid for more of them.
What we track
Every business gets calls a little differently. We track each path, then decide which ones Google should bid on.
People tap the call button in your ad. With call reporting on, Google shows a forwarding number, records the call length and counts calls over your minimum length as conversions.
People click your ad, visit your site, then call. A small script swaps your website number for a Google forwarding number, only for visitors who came from an ad, so the call is credited to the right search.
On mobile we also track taps on your phone number. A tap isn’t always a call, so we use it as a backup signal, not the main thing Google bids on.
If you want call recordings, calls from SEO and social tracked too, or calls sent to your CRM, we can connect a call tracking platform to Google Ads and GA4 instead.
Call length
Google’s default is 60 seconds. That suits some businesses and badly misleads others. Here is where we usually start, before we check your real call data and adjust.
Urgent callers get to the point, and a short call can still be a booked job. Under 45 seconds is usually a wrong number, a supplier or a quick price check.
Booking a first appointment takes a minute or two. Shorter calls are often existing patients checking a time, which you don’t want Google chasing.
Real enquiries usually involve explaining a situation. Short calls are often existing clients, other firms or sales calls.
Most sales happen online, and calls are usually questions about stock or delivery. We track them so you can see them, but rarely let Google bid on them.
Google Ads can’t tell a sales call from a spam call. Call length is the filter, so it’s worth getting right.
How we set it up
A simple process, done carefully, and tested by actually picking up the phone.
We note every number you use, when someone can answer, and where calls go after hours.
Call assets put a call button on your ads, with call reporting on so every call is logged against the ad that earned it.
We install Google’s phone snippet through Google Tag Manager, so visitors from your ads see a Google forwarding number that rings your usual line.
We choose a minimum call length and a value that fit your business, so real enquiries count and short calls don’t.
We call through the ad, through the website and from a mobile, then check each call appears in Google Ads.
Each month we look at call volume, length, time of day and missed calls, then match your ad schedule to when you can answer.
If your account leans on call-only ads, this one affects you.
What we find
These are the call problems we see most often when we take over an account.
Your ads show your normal number, so Google can’t see a single call.
We turn on call reporting so every call from an ad is logged and credited.
Taps on a phone number are counted as conversions, even when nobody actually called.
We use real calls with a minimum length as the main signal, and keep taps as secondary.
A 60 second rule can be too long for an emergency plumber and too short for a law firm.
We set call length from your real call patterns, then review it.
You pay for calls at 9pm that go straight to voicemail.
We match call assets and ad schedules to your opening hours.
The number is part of an image or a header built so the swap script can’t find it.
We make sure your number is real text on every page, so tracking works everywhere.
Is your tracking actually working?
Paste your website into our free Tracking Checker. In about 20 seconds you’ll see whether GA4, Google Ads, the Meta Pixel and cookie consent are set up, and what’s missing.
Check my tracking Free. No sign-up.Keep exploring
Each of these works best alongside the others. Here is how the rest of our tracking and setup work fits together.
We manage Google Ads for businesses right across Australia, including Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Rockingham, Mandurah and Busselton.
Questions
What business owners ask before they switch it on.
Only people who clicked your ad see a Google forwarding number, and only on your website. The call still rings your normal line, and caller ID usually still works. Everyone else sees your usual number.
Google’s call reporting and forwarding numbers are free to use. You pay for ad clicks as normal, and a tap on the call button in your ad is charged like a click. Call tracking platforms have their own monthly fee.
Google Ads call tracking doesn’t record calls. If you want recordings, we can connect a call tracking platform. You need to let callers know the call may be recorded, and recording rules vary between states.
Google’s default is 60 seconds. We adjust it to your business, usually somewhere between 45 seconds and two minutes, based on how long real enquiries take.
Calls from your ads, including location assets linked to your Business Profile, can be tracked in Google Ads. Calls from your free Business Profile listing show in your Profile’s own insights. We report on both so you see the full picture.
We set call assets to show only when someone can answer. After hours, your ads can still run to bring in website enquiries instead.
Google’s call tracking only covers Google Ads. To track calls from SEO, social and other channels, we use a call tracking platform connected to GA4 and Google Ads.
About the author
Director and Lead Consultant, Anahaw Media
John Conigliaro is the Director and Lead Consultant at Anahaw Media, a Perth digital marketing agency focused on performance. A Filipino-Australian digital marketer now based in Perth, WA, with more than 15 years’ experience across Singapore and Australia, he has led agencies in Australia on technical execution and growth strategy, founded a globally recognised eCommerce brand, and managed almost 300 campaigns, from small businesses to multinational brands, including Canon, Uniqlo, Benefit Cosmetics, Asiana Airlines, Changi Recommends, APM and Golfbox. He completed an MBA and a dissertation on Digital Transformation, holds a specialisation in Computer Applications from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLSU-CSB), and is also a consumer tech critic and publisher. His mission is to use his talent and passion for digital marketing to change businesses for the better, in how they win customers and how they build their brand.
Get a free Google Ads audit. We will check whether your calls are tracked, how long they need to be to count, and what missing calls are costing you.
Free guides
Plain-English, step-by-step guides from our team. Use them to do it yourself, or to know what good looks like before you hire anyone. See all guides
How to Track Phone Calls from Google AdsHow to track phone calls from Google Ads: call assets, forwarding numbers, website calls, mobile taps, call length and third-party tracking.Read the guide 
How to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking ProperlyHow to set up Google Ads conversion tracking you can trust: what to count, values, One vs Every, GTM vs GA4, enhanced…Read the guide 
How to Import Offline Conversions into Google AdsHow to import offline conversions into Google Ads: GCLID capture, CRM fields, upload methods, time limits and bidding on real sales.Read the guide 
