How do I track phone calls from Google Ads?

Turn on call reporting in your account settings, add a call asset to your campaigns, and create a "Calls from ads" conversion action. Google shows a forwarding number in your ads and counts calls that last at least the minimum length you set.

Are phone number clicks the same as calls?

No. Google says click tracking only counts clicks on your phone number, not actual phone calls. Someone can tap the number and never call.

What is a good minimum call length for a conversion?

Long enough to be a real enquiry. Google’s example uses 30 seconds; its API documents a 60-second default for calls from ads. Pick a length that matches a real conversation for your business.

Should I count every call or one call per click?

Google suggests "One" for leads, so a customer who calls three times counts once. That’s the default for calls from ads and website calls.

Google Ads call tracking: count the calls your ads bring

If your customers phone you, calls are your most important conversion, and they’re easy to miss. Without call tracking, Google can’t tell which ads bring calls, and its automatic bidding can’t learn from them. Here’s how to count real calls, from the cheapest setup to the most complete.

The ways Google can count calls

Google offers five kinds of call conversion:

Calls from ads: people who call the number shown in your ad (a call asset, a location asset or a call-only ad).
Calls from your website: people who click your ad, then call the number on your site.
Clicks on your number on your mobile site: taps on a phone link. These are clicks, not calls.
Clicks on call ads and assets: taps on the call button in your ad.
Imported calls: calls your own phone system records and you upload to Google.

Calls from ads, calls from your website and imported calls all need a Google forwarding number. Google shows it in place of your own number so it can see the call. Forwarding numbers are available in 30 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland and India. Google can change or reassign a forwarding number at any time, so never print one or use it outside Google Ads.

Step 1: count calls from your ads

Turn on call reporting: open your Account settings > Call reporting and switch it on. With it off, your ads show your own number and calls aren’t counted. Call reporting works on Google Search, not the Display Network.
Add a call asset with your phone number to your Search campaigns. You can schedule it so the number shows only when someone can answer.
Check the “Calls from ads” conversion action. Once call reporting is on, Google counts calls under a default “Calls from ads” action. To make your own, go to Goals > Summary > Create conversion action > Conversions from phone calls, pick a category such as Phone call lead, and choose Calls from ads.
Set the minimum call length. Only calls at least this long count as conversions. Google’s example: a 26-second call with a 30-second minimum shows as 1 call but 0 conversions. Choose a length that matches a real enquiry for your business; a wrong number lasts a few seconds, while a booking takes a couple of minutes.

Step 2: count calls from your website

Many people click your ad, look at your site, then call. To count those:

Create a conversion action for calls from website (same path as above).
Add the phone snippet Google gives you to your site, along with the Google tag. The snippet swaps the number on your page for a forwarding number for visitors who came from an ad, and can update the tap-to-call link too.
Enter your number exactly as it appears on the page. The standard snippet tracks one number per page.

If you install the Google tag through Google Tag Manager, Google can’t verify your website this way; link Google Search Console instead. Google renames menus from time to time, so the labels may differ slightly in your account.

See who called

Add the Call details columns to your campaign tables, or open Insights and reports > Report editor > Call details. You’ll see the start time, duration, the caller’s area code, whether the call was answered or missed, and which campaign and keyword it came from. For most calls over 15 seconds, Google shows the caller’s number too (except in India and Japan). Performance Max doesn’t show call details.

Missed calls are worth checking weekly: you paid for those clicks.

Three mistakes that make your numbers wrong

Counting number clicks as calls. Google is clear: click tracking only counts taps on your number, not actual calls. If “phone number clicks” is your main conversion, your account is learning from taps, many of which never turn into a call. Count real calls instead.
Counting the same call twice. If two conversion actions track the same calls, for example “Calls from ads” and a call action you imported, Google counts 2 conversions for every call. Include only one of them in your Conversions column. See duplicate conversions.
Counting every call from the same person. For leads, Google suggests One conversion per click, so a customer who calls three times counts once. It’s the default for calls from ads and website calls. See one vs every.

Check it automatically

SpendCanary’s free scan flags accounts where conversion tracking looks broken or missing, so you don’t pay for clicks Google can’t learn from. See also conversion tracking not working.

Sources

Google Ads Help: Call conversions, Phone number clicks, Google forwarding numbers, Call reporting, Calls from ads, Calls from your website, Call length, Call details, Call assets, Imported calls, Count settings.
Google Ads API: Conversion action defaults.