Showing the number is half the job; the other half is making every real call count as a conversion, with its duration and its value, so that Smart Bidding learns from conversations and not from taps. Google has two different call actions; this tutorial sets up both.
The three ways of measuring calls (and which is which)
| Action | What it measures | How |
|---|---|---|
| Calls from ads | Calls to the number in the call asset or the call-only ad | Google forwarding number (tutorial 1); no code on the site |
| Calls to a phone number on your website | Calls to the number shown on your site after an ad click | The tag swaps the site's number for a forwarding one during the visit |
| Clicks on your phone number (on the site) | Taps on the tel: link |
A click event (GTM/GA4). It is not a call: secondary |
The first two measure conversations (with a duration); the third measures intent. Primary: the first two.
Part A · Calls from ads
- Goals → Conversions → + New conversion action → Phone calls.
- "Calls from ads using call assets or call-only ads".
- Name ("Call from ad > 60 s"), category (lead / contact), value (fixed: what an average qualified call is worth, e.g. €40; or no value at first), count one (several calls from the same person after one click = one lead), minimum duration (60 s; 30 in businesses with very short calls), window.
- Primary. Save.
- In the call asset (tutorial 1), make sure it uses this action (not the generic one).
Check: call yourself from the ad (search for yourself on mobile, tap call, stay on for 70 s): the next day, 1 conversion in the campaign.
Part B · Calls to a phone number on your website
The usual case: the person clicks the ad, lands on the site, sees the phone number and calls. To measure that, Google swaps the number on your site for a forwarding number for the duration of the visit for anyone who arrived from an ad.
- Conversions → + New → Phone calls → "Calls to a phone number on your website".
- Name ("Call from website > 60 s"), value, count one, minimum duration, window, primary.
- Google gives you two things: the Google tag (you already have it if you measure web conversions) and a phone snippet with your number and a conversion ID.
- Installation:
- With Tag Manager: a "Google Ads Call Conversion" tag, with the ID and the number exactly as it appears on the site (same format: spaces, country code); trigger on every page where the number appears.
- Direct: paste the snippet after the Google tag, with the number in the same format as on the page.
- If the number is inside a
tel:link, the snippet swaps the link too; if it is inside an image, it cannot be swapped (put it in text).
Check: open your site from an ad (a real click — adding ?gclid=test
won't do, you need a valid GCLID); the number shown should change to
a Google one. Tag Assistant shows the snippet firing. Call for 70 s:
conversion the next day.
Value per call
With no value, all calls weigh the same. Options:
- Fixed per action: the average value of a qualified call (P(close) × margin).
- By duration (indirectly): two actions (> 60 s with a medium value;
180 s with a high value) — Google doesn't allow value by duration directly, but two thresholds approximate it.
- Offline: the switchboard or the CRM marks the call as qualified and it is uploaded by GCLID (Lead Rating does this with the call attached to the lead).
Usual problems
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The number on the site doesn't change | Different format in the snippet; number inside an image; snippet placed before the tag | Exactly the same text; number in text; correct order |
| Calls measured but no conversion | Duration threshold not reached | Review the threshold; call report |
| Switchboard with extensions / IVR | Forwarding calls the main number; the duration includes the menu | Higher threshold (90 s) or a direct number |
| WhatsApp instead of a call | It isn't a call: it is a click (secondary) or a conversation measured by the WhatsApp platform | Click action + qualification in the CRM |
| Calls from desktop | The number is shown; the call isn't measured unless the website swap is in place | Normal: some calls never get attributed |
| Forwarding number not available in the country | A Google limitation | Clicks to call + CRM |
What goes in as primary
- Call from ad > 60 s: primary.
- Call from website > 60 s: primary.
- Click on phone number: secondary (it is an L1).
- If the business qualifies calls in a CRM: the qualified call (offline) becomes primary, and the two above can drop to secondary over time.
💡 Ninja trick: the call from the website is the conversion that is broken in the most accounts: a redesign changes the number's format and the snippet stops swapping it, with no visible error. Add a real call from an ad to your monthly end-to-end test (module 6 of the Basic level); and the Agent warns you when a call action has been at zero for days while normal clicks keep coming.
What you should remember
- Two actions: from ads (forwarding, no code) and from the website (a snippet that swaps the number after a click).
- Duration threshold (60 s), count one, value per call; both primary; the click to call, secondary.
- The snippet needs the same format of number and the number in text.
- A real test every month: the number must change and the call must count.