For desktop and laptop call tracking, the setup described here uses a Google forwarding number in place of the website's telephone number. This guide covers tracking calls placed through a separate dialler rather than by clicking a button, using Google Tag Manager.

Step 1: Create a conversion in Google Ads

  1. Sign in to Google Ads, go to Tools and settings > Conversions.
  2. Click "+" (add a conversion) and select "Phone calls".
  3. Three options are shown. Select "Calls to a phone number on your website".
  4. Name the conversion, for example "Phone calls: DESKTOP".
  5. In the field "Value", if no monetary value is needed, select "Don't use a value for this conversion action".
  6. In the field "Count", select "One", so the action is counted once in the setup described, even if the user calls more than once.
  7. Change the "Attribution model" to "Time decay", to credit the touchpoints in the conversion journey as described here.
  8. Click "Save and continue".

After saving, Google Ads asks how to install the conversion code. Select "Use Google Tag Manager".

Step 2: Create the conversion tag in Google Tag Manager

  1. Sign in to Google Tag Manager and go to Tags.
  2. Create a new tag and click Tag Configuration.
  3. Select "Google Ads Calls from Website Conversion".
  4. In the field Displayed Phone Number to Replace, enter the telephone number exactly as it appears on your website, including hyphens, for example: 09-777-7777).
  5. Copy the Conversion ID and the Conversion Label from Google Ads and paste them into the relevant fields.
  6. Save the tag.

Step 3: Create a conversion trigger

  1. In the menu Triggering, click Create a new trigger.
  2. Select "All Pages", so the number can be replaced on each website visit.
  3. Save the trigger.

Step 4: Add a Conversion Linker for tracking

  1. Create a new tag and select "Conversion Linker".
  2. Under Triggering, select "All Pages".
  3. Click "Save".

Step 5: Test and publish

  1. Click "Preview", and test using Debug Mode in GTM to check that the call-conversion tracking works correctly.
  2. If everything works correctly, click "Submit" to publish the changes.

Desktop phone-call conversion tracking is configured. You can now use the configured website call-related tracking to inform campaign optimisation. 

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