Google Ads phone call conversions explained

What types of phone call conversion does Google offer?

Google Ads offers four ways to count calls, described in its phone call conversion help.

The first two use Google's own forwarding numbers. The third only counts a tap, so a visitor who taps and hangs up still counts. The fourth lets a tool like Call Bullet send verified calls.

How is a phone call conversion counted?

Each conversion action has a few settings that decide whether a call counts.

Call length sets the minimum duration, 60 seconds by default. Count chooses between every conversion and one conversion per click. Value can be a fixed amount, no value, or a value sent with each conversion. Conversion window sets how long after a click a call can still count, up to 90 days.

Finally, each action is primary or secondary. Primary actions feed Smart Bidding and appear in the Conversions column. Secondary actions are reported but ignored by bidding. Getting this right is the single biggest step in avoiding double counting.

When should I use imported call conversions?

Use imported calls when you want Google to learn from qualified calls rather than every connected call.

• Your website shows your own numbers rather than Google forwarding numbers.
• You want to count only answered calls, new callers or calls your team marks as leads.
• You want a different value per call, such as a £250 job versus a £3,000 job.
• You manage clients as an agency and need recordings to prove each conversion.

Imported calls are a form of offline conversion import. They rely on the GCLID captured when the visitor landed.

How do I set up phone call conversions with Call Bullet?

Setup takes about ten minutes once you have a tracking number.

1. Buy a UK number or set up a website pool in Call Bullet.
2. Install the swap script or WordPress plugin on every page that ads land on.
3. Open Integrations → Google Ads, sign in with Google and choose the customer account.
4. Let Call Bullet create a conversion action, or pick an existing import action.
5. Set minimum seconds, the count rule, the default value in pounds and the delivery delay.
6. Run the validation check and confirm Google accepts the test upload.
7. In Google Ads, set the new action as primary and change older call actions to secondary.

What value should a phone call conversion have?

Give each call the value it is typically worth to the business, not the price of the job.

A simple method: average job value × the share of enquiries that become jobs. If a London 020 kitchen fitter averages £8,000 a job and wins one in five qualified calls, each qualified call is worth about £1,600. If you cannot estimate yet, start with a fixed value such as £100 so value-based bidding has something to work with, then refine it.

Call Bullet can send a fixed default value or a value set on the call, so a high-value enquiry labelled by your team carries more weight.

What are the common mistakes with call conversions?

Most problems come from a few repeatable errors.

• Two primary actions counting the same call, such as Google's website call action and an imported action.
• Counting tel: link clicks as conversions, which rewards taps rather than calls.
• A 60-second minimum that filters out quick but genuine booking calls.
• No value, so tROAS and Maximise conversion value bidding cannot work.
• Pages where ad visitors land without the swap script, so the click ID is never captured — see why Google Ads calls do not match real enquiries.

How do call conversions affect Smart Bidding?

Smart Bidding learns from primary conversions, so the quality of your call data directly shapes where your budget goes.

If every 60-second call counts equally, Google will chase whichever keywords produce the most long calls, which may include job seekers and existing clients. If only qualified calls count, with a sensible value, Google shifts spend towards searches that produce paying customers. Expect a learning period of one to two weeks after changing the primary action.

How do call conversions work for agencies with many clients?

Each client should have its own Google Ads connection, conversion action and counting rules, because what counts as a good call differs between businesses.

A locksmith may count every answered call over 20 seconds, while a commercial solicitor may count only calls labelled as a new matter. In Call Bullet every client is a separate workspace with its own numbers, Google Ads customer account and settings, so one client's rules never affect another.

For agencies using a Google Ads manager account, connect with the Google login that has access to the client's account and choose that client's customer ID. Uploads then go straight into the right account. When you hand over reports, the client sees qualified calls with recordings behind them, rather than a raw count that their own team does not recognise. That makes it easier to defend budget increases and to explain why bidding moved spend between campaigns.

It also helps when a client leaves: their numbers, recordings and connection stay inside their own workspace and can be handed over cleanly.

Frequently asked questions