Choose the right way to track phone call conversions (it depends where the call starts)
In Google Ads, “phone call conversions” isn’t just one thing. The tracking method you choose should match the real customer journey—because Google can only measure what it can technically observe. Google Ads supports several distinct types of phone call conversions, including calls directly from your ads, calls from your website after an ad click, “click-to-call” interactions on mobile pages, call-click measurement without forwarding numbers, and importing calls you qualify in another system. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Calls from ads (best for call-heavy campaigns)
This is for calls that happen straight from the ad experience—typically through call ads or call and location assets. You set a minimum call length, and calls that meet or exceed that threshold can count as conversions, which is a practical way to filter out wrong numbers and very short “price check” calls. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
Important nuance: once call reporting is enabled, Google Ads can automatically create and include a default “Calls from ads” conversion action in your main Conversions column, even if you haven’t built a custom call conversion action yet. If you want tighter control (minimum duration, value rules, inclusion for bidding), you should create your own call conversion action and decide what should be “Primary” for optimization versus just “Secondary” for reporting. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
Calls to a phone number on your website (best for form + call sites)
This is for the “click ad → land on site → call” journey. Google can track these calls by dynamically swapping your site’s phone number to a forwarding number for eligible visitors, then counting calls that meet your minimum duration. This requires installing a site tag and a dedicated “phone snippet” so your on-site number can be replaced correctly. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
If you’re using a tag manager, be careful with phone number formatting. There are known compatibility quirks with certain number formats in tag manager-based setups (for example, international formats can trigger unexpected formatting behavior), so keeping the number in the expected national format is often the safest move during setup. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
Clicks on your phone number on the mobile version of your website (interaction tracking, not true call tracking)
If you can’t (or don’t want to) use forwarding numbers, Google Ads can still track when someone clicks a phone number, button, or link on your mobile site—but in this scenario, it’s tracking the click interaction, not verifying that a real call completed. This is still useful for directional measurement, but it’s less “conversion-true” than call-duration-based tracking. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Import call conversions (best for qualified leads, booked jobs, and revenue)
If you care about what happened on the call (qualified lead, booked appointment, sale amount), importing is the most powerful approach. You track call details in your own system (often a CRM or call analytics platform), then import only the calls that meet your definition of success—optionally with values—so bidding can optimize toward quality, not just volume. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Two critical guardrails: imported call conversions must be uploaded within the conversion window you’ve set (with a maximum conversion window of 90 days), and large import files have row limits you need to respect when batching uploads. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7545087?hl=en-AU))
Systematic setup: the exact flow I use to get reliable phone call conversion data
Step 1: Turn on call reporting (the foundation for most call conversion tracking)
Call reporting is what enables forwarding numbers and the call-level measurement that powers most call conversion tracking in Google Ads. It runs at the account level and applies to call assets, call-only/call campaigns, and location assets. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9141717?hl=en&ref_topic=3119124))
When call reporting is enabled, Google assigns a forwarding number so calls can be routed and measured. You can then see call details (like call duration and start time) and optionally count calls of a specified duration as conversions. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2454052?hl=en-IR))
Operational note that matters in the real world: forwarding numbers are owned by Google and can change over time, so you should not reuse them outside of call reporting (for example, don’t print them on signage or add them as your permanent business number anywhere). ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2454052?hl=en-IR))
Step 2: Create the right conversion action(s) (and don’t mix definitions)
Inside Google Ads, create conversion actions under the phone call conversion setup so you can separate “calls from ads” vs “calls from website visits” vs “calls via uploads.” This separation is crucial because each type has different measurement mechanics and different strengths. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
- Set a minimum call length that reflects a meaningful lead for your business (for example, you might treat <30 seconds as noise in many service categories). Google Ads call conversion measurement is explicitly duration-based for the core “calls from ads” and “calls from website” methods. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
- Choose the right “Count” setting. For many call conversion actions, the default is to count only one conversion per ad interaction, which helps prevent inflated lead counts from repeat dialing. You can change this per conversion action based on whether you want “one” (lead-style) or “every” (transaction-style). ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3438531?hl=EN-AU&ref_topic=10546871))
- Prevent double-counting. If you import qualified call outcomes but also track the same calls via the native call conversion action, include only one of them in your main Conversions column so automated bidding doesn’t optimize to “two conversions for one call.” ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6275629?hl=en))
Step 3: If you’re tracking calls from your website, implement the tag + phone snippet correctly
For “calls to a phone number on your website,” your phone number must be eligible to be replaced, and the phone snippet needs to be placed on pages where the number appears. This is what enables the forwarding number swap that makes call tracking possible after an ad click. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
Testing expectations: it can take up to an hour before your ads are enabled for this conversion action, and repeated test clicks may require clearing the specific cookie used for website call conversion testing to avoid misleading results. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
Proving it works: validation, reporting, and ROI optimization
Validation checklist (the “why are my call conversions at zero?” fixes)
- Confirm call reporting is ON at the account level, otherwise you’ll never get the forwarding-number-powered measurement that most call conversion setups rely on. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9141717?hl=en&ref_topic=3119124))
- Confirm eligibility constraints. Forwarding-number-based call measurement depends on eligible countries and eligible call tracking availability for the specific method you’re using. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
- For website call conversions, confirm the on-page number matches exactly what you configured and that the snippet loads where the phone number renders (including on dynamic pages/templates). A mismatch here is one of the most common silent failures. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6275629?hl=en))
Where to analyze calls (and what you can actually see)
Once call reporting is active, you can review call performance at both the “aggregate” level (how many calls, phone impressions, phone-through rate) and at the “call detail” level (start time, duration, whether it was missed/received, caller area/country code, and more). ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7180997?hl=en))
One practical limitation to keep in mind when you’re building reporting views: some call detail reporting dimensions don’t behave the same across campaign types, and certain selections can restrict visibility for specific campaign formats. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9099302?hl=en))
How to use phone call conversions to improve marketing ROI (what I optimize first)
Once you trust the measurement, your next step is aligning bidding and budget decisions to “meaningful calls,” not just “call volume.” In practice, that means tuning minimum call length to match your sales reality, deciding whether calls should be the primary optimization goal for relevant campaigns, and ensuring you’re not blending imported “qualified calls” with raw “all calls” in a way that confuses automated bidding. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
If call quality varies dramatically by keyword, location, or hour of day, imported call conversions are often the cleanest solution: you can send back only qualified outcomes (and values where appropriate), which allows optimization to chase what you actually want—booked jobs, retained clients, or revenue—rather than long-but-unqualified conversations. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Let AI handle
the Google Ads grunt work
| Area | What it is | When to use it | Key setup steps / guardrails | Common pitfalls | Key Google Ads docs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall approach to phone call conversions | Phone call conversions are multiple distinct tracking types, not a single setting. Google can only measure what it can technically see, so you must map tracking to the real call journey (from ad, from site, click-to-call, or imported outcomes). | Any account where phone calls matter for leads, bookings, or revenue and you want to understand which keywords/campaigns drive meaningful calls. |
|
|
About phone call conversion tracking |
| Calls from ads | Duration-based conversions for calls made directly from call ads or from call/location assets. You set a minimum call length and calls that meet this threshold are counted as conversions. | Best for call-heavy campaigns where most users call directly from search results (e.g., service providers, local businesses with “call now” focus). |
|
|
Measure calls from ads Google forwarding number |
| Calls to a phone number on your website | Duration-based conversions for “click ad → land on site → call” journeys. Google swaps the site’s number with a forwarding number for eligible visitors, then measures call length. | Best for sites where users may submit forms or call after browsing (common for lead-gen sites mixing forms and phone calls). |
|
|
Track calls to a phone number on a website Google forwarding number |
| Clicks on a number on your mobile website | Tracks click interactions (taps on a phone link, button, or number) on the mobile version of your site. It measures the click event, not whether a call actually connected or its duration. | When you can’t or don’t want to use forwarding numbers but still want directional “click-to-call” data from your mobile pages. |
|
|
About phone call conversion tracking |
| Import phone call conversions | Imports qualified call outcomes (e.g., booked jobs, sales, high-quality leads) from a CRM or call analytics platform into Google Ads so bidding can optimize to true business results, optionally with values. | When call quality varies and you only want to count calls that reached a specific outcome (qualified lead, sale, revenue) instead of all long calls. |
|
|
Import phone call conversions About offline conversion imports Fix issues with importing phone call conversions |
| Step 1 – Turn on call reporting | Account-level setting that enables Google forwarding numbers and call-level measurement for call ads, call assets, and location assets. | Required foundation for most Google Ads phone call conversion types (except pure click-only tracking without forwarding numbers). |
|
|
Manage call reporting for your campaigns About call reporting Google forwarding number |
| Step 2 – Create and configure call conversion actions | Separate conversion actions for different call types (“calls from ads,” “calls from website,” “imported calls”) so each can have its own thresholds, values, and reporting behavior. | Whenever you’re tracking more than one call type or need different optimization logic for raw calls vs. qualified calls. |
|
|
Set up your phone call conversions About conversion counting options |
| Step 3 – Implement tag + phone snippet for website calls | Technical implementation that lets Google replace your on-site phone number with a forwarding number for users who clicked an ad, enabling call-duration-based tracking after the click. | Required whenever you use “Calls to a phone number on your website” as a conversion type. |
|
|
Track calls to a phone number on a website |
| Validation – “Why are my call conversions at zero?” | A set of checks to diagnose why call conversions aren’t recording even when calls are happening. | When you’re receiving calls but seeing no (or unexpectedly low) call conversion counts in Google Ads. |
|
|
About call reporting Track calls to a phone number on a website |
| Reporting – where to analyze calls | Call reporting provides both aggregate metrics (calls, phone impressions, phone-through rate) and call-level detail (duration, start time, status, caller geography, etc.). | When you need to understand how calls perform by campaign, ad group, keyword, or asset—and to inspect individual calls for quality insights. |
|
|
Analyze call reporting data View details of each call |
| Using phone call conversions to optimize ROI | Once tracking is reliable, you shift from counting raw calls to optimizing for “meaningful calls” (duration- or outcome-based), aligning bidding and budgets to real business value. | After the initial implementation and validation, when you’re ready to refine goals, bidding, and budgets using call quality and value signals. |
|
|
About phone call conversion tracking Measure calls from ads Import phone call conversions |
Let AI handle
the Google Ads grunt work
Tracking phone call conversions in Google Ads starts with mapping your real call journey to the right tracking type: calls placed directly from ads (call ads, call assets, location assets), calls that happen after someone clicks an ad and then calls from your website (via a Google forwarding number and a phone snippet), mobile click-to-call interactions (click-based, not guaranteed connected calls), and—when you care about lead quality—imported call outcomes from your CRM or call analytics tool so you can optimize to booked jobs or revenue instead of just long calls; in practice, you’ll usually enable account-level call reporting, create separate conversion actions for each call source with a meaningful minimum call length and clear “Primary vs. Secondary” usage for bidding, then validate implementation details like exact on-page number formatting and tag placement to avoid “zero conversions” surprises. If you want help keeping all of this consistent as your account evolves, Blobr connects to your Google Ads and uses specialized AI agents to continuously review campaign setups and performance, turning best-practice checks into concrete recommendations you can apply (or schedule) while you stay in control of scope, rules, and thresholds.
Choose the right way to track phone call conversions (it depends where the call starts)
In Google Ads, “phone call conversions” isn’t just one thing. The tracking method you choose should match the real customer journey—because Google can only measure what it can technically observe. Google Ads supports several distinct types of phone call conversions, including calls directly from your ads, calls from your website after an ad click, “click-to-call” interactions on mobile pages, call-click measurement without forwarding numbers, and importing calls you qualify in another system. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Calls from ads (best for call-heavy campaigns)
This is for calls that happen straight from the ad experience—typically through call ads or call and location assets. You set a minimum call length, and calls that meet or exceed that threshold can count as conversions, which is a practical way to filter out wrong numbers and very short “price check” calls. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
Important nuance: once call reporting is enabled, Google Ads can automatically create and include a default “Calls from ads” conversion action in your main Conversions column, even if you haven’t built a custom call conversion action yet. If you want tighter control (minimum duration, value rules, inclusion for bidding), you should create your own call conversion action and decide what should be “Primary” for optimization versus just “Secondary” for reporting. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
Calls to a phone number on your website (best for form + call sites)
This is for the “click ad → land on site → call” journey. Google can track these calls by dynamically swapping your site’s phone number to a forwarding number for eligible visitors, then counting calls that meet your minimum duration. This requires installing a site tag and a dedicated “phone snippet” so your on-site number can be replaced correctly. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
If you’re using a tag manager, be careful with phone number formatting. There are known compatibility quirks with certain number formats in tag manager-based setups (for example, international formats can trigger unexpected formatting behavior), so keeping the number in the expected national format is often the safest move during setup. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
Clicks on your phone number on the mobile version of your website (interaction tracking, not true call tracking)
If you can’t (or don’t want to) use forwarding numbers, Google Ads can still track when someone clicks a phone number, button, or link on your mobile site—but in this scenario, it’s tracking the click interaction, not verifying that a real call completed. This is still useful for directional measurement, but it’s less “conversion-true” than call-duration-based tracking. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Import call conversions (best for qualified leads, booked jobs, and revenue)
If you care about what happened on the call (qualified lead, booked appointment, sale amount), importing is the most powerful approach. You track call details in your own system (often a CRM or call analytics platform), then import only the calls that meet your definition of success—optionally with values—so bidding can optimize toward quality, not just volume. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
Two critical guardrails: imported call conversions must be uploaded within the conversion window you’ve set (with a maximum conversion window of 90 days), and large import files have row limits you need to respect when batching uploads. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7545087?hl=en-AU))
Systematic setup: the exact flow I use to get reliable phone call conversion data
Step 1: Turn on call reporting (the foundation for most call conversion tracking)
Call reporting is what enables forwarding numbers and the call-level measurement that powers most call conversion tracking in Google Ads. It runs at the account level and applies to call assets, call-only/call campaigns, and location assets. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9141717?hl=en&ref_topic=3119124))
When call reporting is enabled, Google assigns a forwarding number so calls can be routed and measured. You can then see call details (like call duration and start time) and optionally count calls of a specified duration as conversions. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2454052?hl=en-IR))
Operational note that matters in the real world: forwarding numbers are owned by Google and can change over time, so you should not reuse them outside of call reporting (for example, don’t print them on signage or add them as your permanent business number anywhere). ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2454052?hl=en-IR))
Step 2: Create the right conversion action(s) (and don’t mix definitions)
Inside Google Ads, create conversion actions under the phone call conversion setup so you can separate “calls from ads” vs “calls from website visits” vs “calls via uploads.” This separation is crucial because each type has different measurement mechanics and different strengths. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
- Set a minimum call length that reflects a meaningful lead for your business (for example, you might treat <30 seconds as noise in many service categories). Google Ads call conversion measurement is explicitly duration-based for the core “calls from ads” and “calls from website” methods. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
- Choose the right “Count” setting. For many call conversion actions, the default is to count only one conversion per ad interaction, which helps prevent inflated lead counts from repeat dialing. You can change this per conversion action based on whether you want “one” (lead-style) or “every” (transaction-style). ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/3438531?hl=EN-AU&ref_topic=10546871))
- Prevent double-counting. If you import qualified call outcomes but also track the same calls via the native call conversion action, include only one of them in your main Conversions column so automated bidding doesn’t optimize to “two conversions for one call.” ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6275629?hl=en))
Step 3: If you’re tracking calls from your website, implement the tag + phone snippet correctly
For “calls to a phone number on your website,” your phone number must be eligible to be replaced, and the phone snippet needs to be placed on pages where the number appears. This is what enables the forwarding number swap that makes call tracking possible after an ad click. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
Testing expectations: it can take up to an hour before your ads are enabled for this conversion action, and repeated test clicks may require clearing the specific cookie used for website call conversion testing to avoid misleading results. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095883?hl=en-GB))
Proving it works: validation, reporting, and ROI optimization
Validation checklist (the “why are my call conversions at zero?” fixes)
- Confirm call reporting is ON at the account level, otherwise you’ll never get the forwarding-number-powered measurement that most call conversion setups rely on. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9141717?hl=en&ref_topic=3119124))
- Confirm eligibility constraints. Forwarding-number-based call measurement depends on eligible countries and eligible call tracking availability for the specific method you’re using. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
- For website call conversions, confirm the on-page number matches exactly what you configured and that the snippet loads where the phone number renders (including on dynamic pages/templates). A mismatch here is one of the most common silent failures. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6275629?hl=en))
Where to analyze calls (and what you can actually see)
Once call reporting is active, you can review call performance at both the “aggregate” level (how many calls, phone impressions, phone-through rate) and at the “call detail” level (start time, duration, whether it was missed/received, caller area/country code, and more). ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7180997?hl=en))
One practical limitation to keep in mind when you’re building reporting views: some call detail reporting dimensions don’t behave the same across campaign types, and certain selections can restrict visibility for specific campaign formats. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9099302?hl=en))
How to use phone call conversions to improve marketing ROI (what I optimize first)
Once you trust the measurement, your next step is aligning bidding and budget decisions to “meaningful calls,” not just “call volume.” In practice, that means tuning minimum call length to match your sales reality, deciding whether calls should be the primary optimization goal for relevant campaigns, and ensuring you’re not blending imported “qualified calls” with raw “all calls” in a way that confuses automated bidding. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6095882?hl=en-GB))
If call quality varies dramatically by keyword, location, or hour of day, imported call conversions are often the cleanest solution: you can send back only qualified outcomes (and values where appropriate), which allows optimization to chase what you actually want—booked jobs, retained clients, or revenue—rather than long-but-unqualified conversations. ([support.google.com](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6100664?hl=en-br))
