Push call conversions to Google Ads¶

Call Tracking uploads each qualifying call to the client's Google Ads account as a conversion tied to the click that led to it. Google Ads then attributes the call to the campaign, ad group and keyword, and can optimise bidding for calls.

Before you begin¶

Auto-tagging is on in the client's Google Ads account, so every click carries a gclid. Without a click ID a call can't be uploaded. Check under Admin > Account settings > Auto-tagging.
You can sign in to a Google account that has Standard or Admin access to the client's Google Ads account, directly or through a manager account.
The client's Google Ads account has a conversion action for phone calls, or you create one from the Console while you configure the integration (step 6 below). To create it in Google Ads yourself, see Create the conversion action in Google Ads.
You have the Owner or Editor role in the Call Tracking project.

Connect¶

In the Enfonica Console, open the tracking site and click Integrations.
On the Google Ads card, click Connect.
Sign in with Google and allow access. You return to the Integrations page with the card showing Connected.
Click Configure.
In Customer, select the client's Google Ads account. Manager accounts are marked; choose the account that runs the ads, not the manager.
In Conversion action, select the phone call conversion action. If the account doesn't have one, click Create a new conversion action, keep or change the name (the default is Phone calls (Call Tracking)), choose a category, and click Create. Call Tracking creates the action in the selected customer account and selects it for you. Then choose which campaigns to optimise for tracked calls; see Optimise campaigns for tracked calls.
Optionally, under Only push calls with these labels, select the labels a call must have. Leave it empty to push all eligible calls.
Set the Minimum call duration (seconds). The default is 60.
Under Enable integration, check that Enabled is ticked. It's ticked by default.
Click Save.

The card shows Connected with the customer and conversion action. Calls that end from now on are uploaded when they qualify.

Conversion actions created from the Console

An action created with Create a new conversion action is set up the way Call Tracking uploads calls: it tracks conversions from clicks, is enabled, counts one conversion per click, uses a 30-day click-through window and has no value. The category defaults to Phone call lead; Contact and Default are also available. The name must be unique within the Google Ads account. You can adjust the action later in Google Ads under Goals > Conversions.

Optimise campaigns for tracked calls¶

Google Ads groups conversion actions into goals by category and source. Uploaded calls come in under the conversion action's category (Phone call leads unless you chose another) with the source Website, which is how Google Ads labels conversions imported from clicks. A campaign only counts a goal in the Conversions column, and only lets Smart Bidding (such as Maximise conversions) learn from it, when the goal is one of the campaign's goals. Otherwise the calls appear under All conv. only.

Campaigns often include Phone call leads from Call from Ads (calls from the ad's call button) but not from Website, so uploaded calls are recorded but don't affect bidding.

Adding the goal changes what the client's campaigns optimise for, and Google warns that performance can fluctuate for one to two weeks afterwards. Agree it with the client first.

In the Console

On the Google Ads card, click Configure, and select the customer and conversion action.
Under Bidding, the Console lists the Account-default goals and every campaign that uses its own goals, including paused ones. A tick means the campaign's goals already include the action's goal.
Select the account-default goals, the campaigns, or both, and click Optimise for tracked calls.
Check the list of what will change and click Update Google Ads.

The change applies in Google Ads straight away. Nothing is selected for you. Paused campaigns are marked Paused; adding the goal to one means calls count as soon as it resumes.

The conversion action itself must be a Primary action for its goal to count in Conversions. Actions created from the Console are Primary. If you selected an existing action, check under Goals > Conversions that it's Primary; changing that setting affects every campaign using the goal.

Each campaign shows its bid strategy. Only conversion-based strategies, such as Maximise conversions and Target CPA, optimise for the calls. With Maximise clicks, Manual CPC or another strategy that doesn't bid for conversions, calls appear in the Conversions column but don't change bidding. Value-based strategies, such as Target ROAS, don't use them either, because calls are sent without a value. If Google refuses a campaign, the message says why; add the goal by hand as below.

In Google Ads

In Google Ads, click Campaigns, open a campaign and click Settings.
Open Goals. If the campaign uses its own goals, the list of conversion goals opens: under the action's category (Phone call leads by default), select Website as well as any sources already selected, and click Save.
If the campaign uses the account-default goals, click Goals > Summary instead and add the action's category from Website to the account-default goals.
Repeat step 2 for each campaign that uses its own goals.

Calls then count under Conversions for those campaigns from the next upload.

Check uploads in Google Ads¶

The conversion action: click Goals > Conversions and open the action. Diagnostics shows recent imports and how many succeeded.
By campaign: click Campaigns, then Segment > Conversions > Conversion action, and add the Conversions and All conv. columns. Uploaded calls appear on the action's row under each campaign. Set the date range to the ad click dates, not the call dates.
Numbers can differ from the Console.
- Google credits the conversion using its attribution model, which by default spreads credit across the user's earlier ad clicks, so a call can count partly towards another campaign. The Console credits the campaign of the visit that led to the call.
- A Console-created action counts one conversion per click, so two calls after the same ad click are two calls in the Console but one conversion in Google Ads.
- Google Ads reports conversions on the date of the ad click, the Console on the date of the call.

Enhanced conversions warning

If the client's account has Enhanced conversions for leads turned on, Google marks the action Needs attention with "No attempted imports with user-provided data". Call Tracking deliberately sends only the click ID, never the caller's details, so the warning is expected. Conversions are still recorded and used for bidding. It is an account-wide setting; turn it off only if nothing else in the account uses it.

Create the conversion action in Google Ads¶

Use this if you prefer to create the action in Google Ads, or if the client manages their own conversion actions. Call Tracking needs an action that imports conversions from clicks: each upload is tied to the click ID (gclid, gbraid or wbraid) the caller arrived with.

Don't choose the phone call import

Google Ads also offers an import option for phone calls, labelled Track conversions from calls or similar. That creates an action matched on caller ID and Google forwarding numbers, and Google rejects click-based uploads against it. Even though Call Tracking measures phone calls, choose the option for conversions from clicks.

Google is rolling out a new version of this screen, so you see one of two flows.

Newer flow

In Google Ads, click Goals > Summary, then Create conversion action.
Choose Conversions offline.
If Google asks for a data source, skip it. Call Tracking is the data source, and there is nothing to connect. Google then shows the source as to be connected later, which is fine.
Choose the Phone call lead category, then click Set up on the placeholder, or Add a conversion action > Offline data sources.
Name the action, for example Phone call, and save.

Older flow

In Google Ads, click Goals > Conversions, then New conversion action.
Choose Import > Other data sources or CRMs > Track conversions from clicks.
Set the category to Phone call lead and name the action, for example Phone call.
Set Count to One. Don't use a value, because Call Tracking doesn't send one.
Save.

Then, in the Console, click Configure on the Google Ads card and select the action under Conversion action. A newly created action can take a few minutes to appear in the list.

Which calls are pushed¶

A call is pushed when all of the following are true:

The session that led to the call has a gclid, gbraid or wbraid. Calls from organic, direct or referral visits, and calls to static tracking numbers, aren't pushed.
The call was answered and connected for at least the minimum duration. Set the minimum to 0 to push missed calls as well.
If a label filter is set, the call has at least one of those labels. Labels come from AI Call Insights, so the call is pushed once its analysis is done.

Each call is pushed once; a repeated upload can't create a duplicate. If the upload fails because of a temporary problem, it's retried a few times over about half an hour. Other failures aren't retried. The conversion carries the call's start time. No conversion value is sent.

Timing¶

The upload happens within minutes of the call ending. Google Ads can take up to 24 hours to show the conversion in reports, and attributes it to the date of the click, not the call.

Disconnect¶

Click Disconnect on the card. This removes the stored Google authorisation for the site and stops uploads. Conversions already uploaded stay in Google Ads.

Troubleshooting¶

Problem	Check
The card shows connected but says not fully configured	Select a customer and a conversion action under Configure, and tick Enabled.
No customers listed	The Google account you signed in with doesn't have access to the client's account. Reconnect with an account that does.
Creating a conversion action fails because the name already exists	The account already has an action with that name. Select it from the list, or enter a different name.
Creating a conversion action fails with a permission error	The Google account you signed in with needs Standard or Admin access to the customer account, and you need the Owner or Editor role in the Call Tracking project.
No conversion for a call	Open the call. The attribution panel shows whether the source came from an ad click ID. Check the call was answered and met the minimum duration, and carries a required label if a filter is set. The Google Ads chip on the call shows pushed or failed; a failed push shows the reason under it. No chip means the call wasn't sent.
The card says calls failed to push	The notice shows the latest reason. Click View calls to see every failed call with its reason.
Calls appear under All conv. but not Conversions	The campaign's goals don't include the action's category from Website, or the action isn't Primary. See Optimise campaigns for tracked calls.
The conversion action shows Needs attention	Usually the enhanced conversions warning, which is expected. See Check uploads in Google Ads.
Conversions in the wrong account	The customer selected under Configure must be the account the ads run in.
Google Ads shows the conversion as unattributed	The click ID came from a different Google Ads account than the one selected.
Conversions arrive late	Allow up to 24 hours for Google Ads to show them. A recorded call is uploaded once its transcript is ready and, if AI Call Insights is on, its analysis.
Every upload fails after the action was created in Google Ads	The action was created with the phone call import, which matches on caller ID rather than click ID. Create a new action that imports conversions from clicks, or use Create a new conversion action in the Console, and select it under Configure.

Having trouble? See When do tracked calls show up in Google Ads? in the Help Center.