To track phone calls, which enables us to effectively track your Google Ads campaign and get full visibility over all the conversions in your campaign, we track calls from Ads. This is called call reporting, and to do this, we use a Google forwarding number. This is a vanity number assigned by Google which redirects to your main number so it can tell Google that someone has called a Google forwarding number and that call comes from Google Ads.
By using this number, we’re able to review a variety of data, such as the device and area code from which the call was made, the status of the call (missed or received), phone call cost, and the time and length of the call. More broadly, it enables us to get a complete picture of your Ads campaign, starting with which keyword search brought the caller to your ad.
This is the most effective way for us to track offline phone calls and get full visibility over your campaign’s conversions. Without a Google forwarding number, we can’t track offline phone calls or desktop phone calls from your Ads campaign.
Google forwarding numbers will feature the same area code or mobile prefix number as your business. This will also be the case if you have a toll-free number. Please note that as Google forwarding numbers are the property of Google, they may change or be reassigned. This means that the forwarding number you’ve been assigned can’t be used for any other purposes besides website call conversion tracking and call reporting.