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What Is a Google Forwarding Number? Does My Business Need One?

In the world of digital marketing, tracking the effectiveness of your advertising efforts is crucial to your success. If you want to collect insightful data about your Google paid search campaigns, a Google forwarding number can be a valuable tool. But what exactly is a Google forwarding number, and how can it help your business? Let’s dive into the details. 

What Does a Google Forwarding Number Do?

A Google Forwarding Number is a unique local or toll-free phone number Google can generate for your online ads so you can track incoming calls more efficiently. After enabling this feature, Google will display a different phone number than your regular business number in your ads when they appear in search results. 

When people call the Google Forwarding Number in your ads, Google automatically reroutes the call directly to your main telephone line. There is no indication to the caller that this is a call tracking number. It acts the same way as if the customer were to call your main phone number directly. 

Each prospect who clicks on your ad will see a different forwarding number, making it possible to attribute calls to specific ads or keywords. This makes it much easier to measure the success of your marketing campaigns and it also provides insights into how to adjust your keywords, ad copy, bidding strategy, and more. 

Why Should You Use a Google Forwarding Number?

A Google forwarding number is a valuable tool in determining the success of your Google pay-per-click campaign. Here are some compelling reasons to consider using one. 

  1. Call Tracking

If phone calls are a primary conversion point for your business, enhanced call tracking is crucial. A Google forwarding number tracks which calls were generated specifically from your ads. This data is invaluable in understanding how your advertising strategy drives real-world customer engagement. 

  1. Performance Insights

The conversion metrics that the Google Forwarding number provides can help you optimize your advertising campaigns. For instance, it can help you identify high-performing ads and allocate more of your budget to them, while refining or discontinuing underperforming ads. 

You can also access call recordings to assess the lead quality and to determine which of these calls are converting to appointments, consultations, or purchases. And Google’s AI tool uses the forwarding number data to further optimize your campaigns and increase their performance. 

  1. Dynamic Numbers

Google forwarding numbers are dynamic, meaning each potential customer who clicks on your ad sees a unique number. This individualized tracking allows you to assess the effectiveness of each ad on a granular level. That means you can better understand the impact of different ad assets, placements, keywords, or targeting criteria. 

  1. Budget Optimization

If your business has a limited advertising budget, using Google forwarding numbers allows you to allocate your resources where they can have the most impact. It prevents you from wasting your money on ineffective or underperforming campaigns. 

How to Set Up a Google Forwarding Number

  1. Set up a Google ads account or sign in to your current account. 
  2. Select “Settings” from the left navigation column.
  3. Click “Account Settings.”
  4. Click “Call Reporting.”
  5. Select “on” under “Get detailed information about calls you’ve received.”
  6. Save your changes.

Need Help with Your PPC Campaign?

If you want to run a successful pay-per-click campaign, you need to constantly monitor its performance and optimize your ads for better reach. Let the PPC experts at New Wine Digital run your online ad campaigns for you, so you can focus on your clients and customers. 

Whether you’re interested in running ads on Google, Facebook, YouTube, or all of the above, we can help you create a campaign that brings more and more traffic to your site. Give us a call at  480-516-1819 today to learn more about our online marketing services.

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (10/31/2023). Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

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