Advanced Google Ads tracking for local service companies

Many local service clients struggle to track their success with Google Ads and understand the quality of leads generated. Some still use outdated methods to gauge their campaign performance.

This article explores three ways to effectively track the performance of Google Ads lead gen campaigns for local service clients, including:

• Standard lead form tracking.
• Phone number tracking.
• Call assets.

We’ll also discuss the specific solutions, such as landing page optimization, leveraging Google Click ID (GCLID), integrating with Zapier and using call tracking tools like CallRail. 

3 key tracking methods for local service companies

Below are three primary methods for tracking the performance of your Google Ads lead gen campaigns for local services:

Standard lead form tracking

• We observed that most of our agency clients’ websites aren’t optimized for conversions. Essential elements like clear call-to-action buttons or prominently displayed phone numbers above the fold are often missing. 
• This lack of optimization hampers the ability to track leads effectively. If the design and the ability to navigate are easy for the potential customer or client, you will have a much higher chance of converting. 

Phone number tracking

• Most businesses use their main phone number as their marketing number. Reliance on a single business number for all calls is a common issue, making it difficult to attribute calls to specific digital marketing efforts. 
• This approach dilutes the impact of our advertising strategies, as every caller dials the same number. 

Call assets

• With call assets, you can add unique phone numbers to campaigns or accounts, enabling you to track calls from specific campaigns or keywords. 
• This method significantly improves your understanding of campaign performance and can help you understand the value of calls coming directly from the SERPs. 

Dig deeper: Google Ads for lead gen: 9 tips to scale low-spending campaigns

Solutions for enhanced tracking in Google Ads

To improve tracking accuracy and lead quality assessment, consider implementing these several strategies:

Optimizing landing pages

Our first step is to ensure that landing pages or websites feature clearly visible form fields and phone numbers above the fold. 

In some instances, you can leverage Unbounce, a template-based, no-code landing page creator, to design conversion-optimized landing pages. 

Unbounce allows us to include form fills with client contact information and service requirements, enhancing direct customer engagement. They also create a responsive landing page that will change depending on the device.

Utilizing GCLID

A crucial element of our strategy is using Google Click Identifier (GCLID). Capturing the GCLID in form submissions enables us to trace conversions to the originating keyword, offering a granular view of lead sources. 

The beauty of the GCLID is that it can be imported back into Google Ads through offline conversions. Offline conversions are excellent ways to track deeper customer metrics as they move throughout the funnel. 

For instance, you might have someone who submits a form fill but needs to be qualified by a sales rep, moved into an estimate or demo, sent a contract and closed. 

All of those points are important, right? Wouldn’t it be great for Google to have visibility into those conversions? If so, you could optimize towards a group or those individual goals. 

What I **** about Unbounce is that by creating a hidden field in the form fill and naming it GCLID, the form is smart enough to pull in the GCLID session without coding anything. 

Dig deeper: Offline conversion tracking: 7 best practices and testing strategies

Integrating with Zapier

Zapier is a tool for connecting two or more platforms via API. It is powerful because most mainstream technology platforms have APIs that can be connected. 

Connecting Unbounce to Zapier automates the transfer of form submission details, including the GCLID, to clients and back to Google Ads for conversion tracking. This setup only streamlines the process and enriches conversion data, linking customer actions directly to specific ads.

When looking at Google campaigns, you can segment all conversion actions at whatever level you desire. As long as you click on Segment > Conversion > Conversion action, you’ll see all the offline conversions at a campaign, ad group or keyword level. 

Call tracking with CallRail

To address the limitations of phone number tracking, we partner with CallRail, a leading call tracking solution. CallRail’s seamless integration with Google Ads and Zapier facilitates comprehensive call tracking, marking phone inquiries as conversions and enabling email notifications for incoming calls tied to our marketing campaigns.

The simplest way to track is to layer a unique telephone number onto the landing page and call extensions in Google Ads. If you receive a phone call, you can track it and listen to the call recording. Additionally, if the call originated from Google Ads, you can have it fire a conversion. 

The advanced setup is also relatively simple and straightforward. With a little bit of code, you can create a dynamic phone number insertion. This means that CallRail’s numbers can change depending on the session source (Meta, Google, Google Business Profile). This will help you understand the impact of your overall marketing strategy. 

Boost your marketing impact with advanced Google Ads tracking

By adopting these advanced tracking methods, you can significantly improve the transparency and effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns for local service clients.

These techniques improve measurement and optimization while helping clients grasp the direct impact of their digital marketing investments.

Using technology partners such as Unbounce, Zapier and CallRail can greatly enhance your understanding of marketing impact and significantly boost channel performance.