The Little Phone Number on Your Website Can Have a Big Impact on PPC ROI

As digital marketing strategists, we are always looking for the most comprehensive data regarding just how effective our digital strategies are performing. The Internet allows us to better track our marketing spend when compared to traditional marketing outlets, and the data we collect such as cost per online lead, is what indicates ROI, and validates further digital marketing efforts. 

One of the major data points that we track through pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is called a conversion. A conversion, also known as a lead, is anyone who is brought to your website through a PPC ad, who then decides to take further action such as contacting your business, or purchasing a product. This could be an online action, such as a form submission, which is easy for us to track through AdWords and Google Analytics. But there is another critical element on your website that should be tracked, and this one occurs offline.

The phone number on your website is a crucial conversion element. A few years back, we realized this and began searching for a way to track the phone calls that are generated from PPC efforts. Fortunately, we came upon a couple software providers who also noticed this as a necessity. Thus, call tracking was born.

Call tracking involves purchasing a phone number from a vendor to match your area code. You then embed a little bit of JavaScript (generated by the vendor) into the code of your website. Once it is set up correctly, the code will seamlessly switch the existing phone number on your website to the one that you purchased once someone accesses your website from a PPC ad. When they then dial that number, the call will automatically forward to your existing business number. The caller will be none the wiser.

You can even purchase different phone numbers for each campaign in your AdWords account in order to more directly report which campaigns are generating the most calls. From here on, it is easier to mold your PPC strategy and know where to invest your monthly budget.

We can track the following types of data to provide valuable insights and results into the efficacy of your PPC advertising:

• Calls Per Day
• Answered, voicemail or hang up status
• Unique versus repeat callers
• Call duration
• Call recording 

It is also important to note that, as business owners and managers, we seldom find time to answer the phone ringing in the background. After implementing call tracking, it is essential to be diligent about answering the phone. The person on the other end of the line is far enough along in the buying process that it will take much less effort for you to reel them in. These leads can be more qualified and CHEAP.

Moral of the story is - don’t forget about the little phone number on your website because it can have a big impact on your paid search ROI.