What is call tracking?
Definition
Call tracking is a way to see which of your marketing makes the phone ring. You give each ad, listing or campaign its own phone number, and every number forwards to your real line. A call tracking service counts and often records the calls, so you can see where each one came from.
When call tracking is worth it for a small business
If most of your work starts with a phone call, counting form requests tells you only half the story. Spend money on ads, mailers, a truck wrap and a directory listing, and call tracking shows which ones produce calls and which just cost money. Some services go further and show which web page or search a caller came from, by swapping in a different number for each visitor.
For plumbers and HVAC companies, nearly every emergency job begins as a call, so a separate number on each ad and mailer shows which spend books the jobs that come in overnight. For roofers, recorded calls after a hailstorm show how many people called, how many got through to a person and how many were booked for an inspection.
There's a catch for local search. Google matches your business across the web partly by phone number, so scattering different numbers over your listings can muddy your name, address and phone details. Keep a single main number on your site and your directory listings. Recording calls also comes with consent laws that differ from state to state, so check yours before you switch recording on.
How to set up call tracking without hurting local search
- Decide what you want to learn: which ads, mailers or listings bring calls.
- Get one tracking number for each thing you want to measure, and no more.
- Use one main number everywhere your business is listed.
- If your Google profile uses a tracking number, add your main number as an additional phone.
- Check your state's rules before recording, and mention recording in your greeting.
- Look at the results monthly, and cut the marketing that doesn't produce calls.
How Future handles it
Future doesn't provide call tracking numbers. If you use a call tracking service, use whichever number you like on your site; every number Future shows is tappable on a phone.
What every Future plan does include is the other half of the picture: unlimited forms, each request emailed to you and saved as a contact, and visit paths that tell you where on the site the person was before asking. On Premier, you can also see which channels bring you customers.