{"id":6423,"date":"2019-08-21T13:59:52","date_gmt":"2019-08-21T12:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=6423"},"modified":"2023-01-16T17:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T17:42:14","slug":"call-tracking-with-google-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/call-tracking-with-google-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Definitive Guide to Implementing Call Tracking With Google Analytics"},"content":{"rendered":"

It can be tempting for anyone who is running a website to view marketing as being solely a digital activity. Marketers spend most of the time tracking channels related to the digital world. They constantly assess and then try to optimize organic search, social media and other digital channels to acquire more leads using tools like Google Analytics.<\/span><\/p>\n

While doing all of this online analysis, important offline channels get overlooked. Channels such as telephone, which for many businesses are a primary source of leads. There are, after all, a huge number of people who prefer to speak over the phone. Especially if they\u2019re contacting a business they\u2019re thinking of entering into a working relationship with.<\/span><\/p>\n

For that reason alone, businesses need to track calls and the source of those calls. What\u2019s more, for some firms <\/span>up to 80% of their conversions<\/span><\/a> can be in the form of on-site phone calls. If those firms don\u2019t track calls, they\u2019re missing important data regarding all of those conversions. That makes their analytics far from accurate. It can stop a business from properly optimizing its marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are several options for call tracking with Google Analytics and other tools. Read on and you can find out how you could leverage those tools to improve your marketing efforts. First, though, it\u2019s worth dwelling upon what call tracking means and why you may want to do it<\/span><\/p>\n

Why Call Tracking is Worthwhile<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most businesses with an online presence invest in digital ads of one form or another. This will cover things like PPC campaigns from search or social media platforms. A huge number of conversions from these ads come in the form of phone calls to the business in question. Calls that can result in sales or other warm leads. That\u2019s as opposed to online form submissions or purchases from a website that can be more easily tracked.<\/span><\/p>\n

While communications as a whole are generally moving online, the number of business calls is still increasing year on year. The graph below reveals this clear trend.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
Source: Search Engine Journal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If so many ad conversions result in phone calls, call tracking is surely a must. Failing to track such a large number of conversions is a no-no. It means the analysis of your marketing campaigns won\u2019t be as accurate as it should.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, any actions you take based on that analysis will not be as effective as you\u2019d like. With limited data regarding how your campaigns are converting, you aren\u2019t able to improve their performance as and where you need to.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason so many firms have this issue is because they don\u2019t know how to track offline calls with online data. They might not even know that it\u2019s possible. Below, you\u2019ll find a simple guide to several options for tracking your business calls. By taking one or more of the avenues outlined, you might be able to profoundly improve the effectiveness of your marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Call Tracking With Google Analytics, Ads & Tag Manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You may well be familiar with Google\u2019s portfolio of analytics tools. This will almost certainly be the case if you\u2019re involved with tracking marketing and site performance. Foremost amongst them are the trio of Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Google Ads. Those invaluable platforms offer three ways for you to track phone call conversions:<\/span><\/p>\n