Top Call Tracking FAQs

Woman looking at the monitor for phone calls
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Call Tracking can be a confusing topic. How do you implement it, what are the benefits, how does it work?

We get questions about call tracking from prospects and customers all the time.

Below is a running list of the top most common call tracking FAQs and the explanations. Please comment on the article if you have other questions, or contact us directly.

#1 – Should you track calls?

Call tracking is currently a $68 billion industry, according to BIA/Kelsey. (Source)

It has become mainstream among marketers and is used to track the sources, keywords, and campaigns that generate phone calls.

Call tracking is also used by some of the largest companies in the world to measure the performance of their SEO efforts, PPC campaigns, and re-targeting strategies. This data is exceptionally valuable and these companies are taking advantage of it to enhance their campaign performance and to improve marketing ROI.

Marketing agencies also use call tracking data. It is prominently used among agencies that work in SEO and PPC marketing and effectively demonstrates their value to clients.

There are two chief reasons behind marketers’ interest in call data:

  • Calls are on the rise. Businesses are receiving more phone calls due to the massive increase in mobile click-to-call traffic and searches conducted on smartphones.
  • Call Tracking provides a more complete picture. Marketers that don’t use call tracking are missing out on important data. Accurate marketing ROI calculations CANNOT be made without Call Tracking data.

Thousands of marketers in the United States and Canada use call tracking to optimize their campaigns and prove Marketing ROI.

#2 – How Does Call Tracking Work?

You choose unique phone numbers that you want to use in your marketing. Convirza offers local phone numbers, toll-free numbers, true 800 numbers, and vanity numbers.

These can be static numbers that you use on direct mail ads, marketing collateral, or local ads. OR, they can be numbers that you use on your website via Dynamic Number Insertion. (This is the most common use).

The call rings into your business just like it always has. The only difference is that now you can log on to the Convirza Platform and see which campaigns, ads, and keywords generated calls and which didn’t.

Marketing Calls Tracking Dashboard

This allows you to make better decisions about marketing spend. Some of the data that call tracking uncovers about which marketing generates a call and which doesn’t is incredibly surprising.

#3 – Can I keep my current number if I use call tracking?

Yes. We can port your numbers into our call tracking system. Basically, any of your phone numbers can become a call tracking number.

You always own your phone numbers. The call tracking provider doesn’t own them, nor does the phone company. You own your numbers. That means you can ‘port’ them to whoever you wish.

#4 – Does call tracking improve lead quality?

Increasing leads does not always equate to increasing sales.

With call tracking, marketers can distinguish between the channels that are producing high-quality phone calls from those that are not. This means that their marketing budget will be focused on the most ideal channels for their lead generation goals.

1) Implement Call Tracking
Insert call tracking phone numbers on your website and marketing ads.

2) Track Leads
Once you have implemented the phone numbers, your call tracking platform will show you the precise number of calls that each advertising channel is generating.

3) Analyze Conversion Rates
With Convirza, not only can you see how many calls every advertising channel is generating, you will also be able to determine the specific conversion rate for each of those channels.

4) Optimize Marketing Spend
At this point, you will know EXACTLY which marketing channels are producing calls that ALSO convert. The process of increasing high-quality leads is now simplified and conversion rates have the potential to rise very quickly.

#5 – How is call tracking different from Conversation Analytics®️?

Conversation Analytics®️ is the flagship tool of Convirza that analyzes the content of phone calls. Conversation Analytics®️ uses natural language speech recognition technology and thousands of proprietary algorithms to extract data from phone calls. Natural language speech recognition converts recorded phone conversations into call data. The powerful software detects words, word patterns, and even combinations of patterns and phrases. Convirza converts call data into knowledge and actions.bulleya

It is in-depth call analytics.

Here are a few of the metrics Conversation Analytics®️ can help you to close more deals.

Call tracking, on the other hand, merely tells marketers which ads, campaigns, and keywords generate calls. It’s an incredibly useful tool. But, it stops gathering data when the phone rings. It doesn’t track what happens on the call. Conversation Analytics does.

Convirza offers both call tracking and Conversation Analytics®️.

#6 – Should I use DNI call tracking with my PPC campaign?

Using call tracking to gather call analytics from PPC campaigns is both simple and powerful.

With Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI), marketers can set a unique phone number to be displayed on a landing page for each of their PPC ads.

This means the phone number a person sees after they click on a PPC ad and arrive on a landing page will vary according to the specific ad that they clicked on. The different phone numbers make it possible to track the campaigns, keywords and ad groups that are driving phone calls.

Call tracking data is incredibly useful for distinguishing the PPC campaigns that are producing results from those that are not, which makes it possible to optimize both your marketing strategy and budget.

Once you implement call tracking DNI with your PPC campaigns, you can immediately begin to improve the effectiveness of your ads and ultimately enhance your ROI.

#7 – Does Call Tracking Hurt SEO?

No, it doesn’t… if it’s used correctly.

The reason that call tracking has a bad name in the minds of some local search experts is that many call tracking providers, local search agencies, along with SMBs have used misused it for years.

Call tracking should not be used on directory listings, Google+ Local, or other listing sites. It should be handled via Dynamic Number Insertion on websites.

If you want to read more about this, read our Whitepaper about SEO and call tracking titled: The Authoritative Guide to Call Tracking and Local SEO. It contains the most in-depth analysis of the subject. We’ve taken liberally from both sides of the debate and then winnowed it down to the most salient and useful points.

You can also watch our webinar: 7 Best DNI strategies to complement your SEO. This webinar will wipe out all your misconceptions about Call Tracking, DNI and SEO.

Long story short: call tracking does not hurt SEO when it’s used correctly.

Questions Your Boss May Ask About Call Tracking

As you consider purchasing call tracking, the higher-ups are going to have a few questions.

Here are a few of the questions your boss will have about call tracking.

1) What are the biggest benefits of call tracking?
There are 3 primary benefits of call tracking:

First, it will allow us to determine which ads, campaigns, and keywords are generating phone calls. For example, we’ll be able to determine, with precision, how many phone calls our PPC campaigns are producing. We’ll be able to determine how many phone calls our SEO efforts generate. This will allow us to spend our marketing budget more effectively.
These call tracking reports can be emailed to us, or we can log in and see the data at Convirza.com.

Second, we’re going to be able to record calls. Instead of spending $20K+ on a new phone system that has call recording and IVR functionality, we can get that benefit through call tracking from Convirza. Every call that comes through their system is recorded. We can log in at any time and listen to the calls.

Third, with Conversation Analytics, we can actually extract data from phone calls themselves. We can be alerted when there are Missed Opportunities, or when there’s a good lead, or when there’s an appointment set.

Imagine being alerted whenever a sales rep drops the ball. We can call the lead back and salvage the sale.

2) Will it save us money/help us make money?

Using Conversation Analytics we’ll be able to un-miss Missed Opportunities. That single functionality alone will make us A LOT of money. Plus, we’ll be able to make more marketing budget more efficient.

Call tracking will finally allow us to close the loop on our marketing ROI.

3) How much does it cost?

It depends. The pricing breakdown will be determined by a variety of factors such as the type of call tracking services you are interested in. Click here for Convirza’s call tracking pricing.

4) What’s the impact on SEO?

Some local experts used to believe that call tracking harmed SEO. That has been proven NOT true. If used and implemented correctly, call tracking does not harm SEO in the least.

5) What’s the implementation process/how long will it take?

The implementation process requires installing a little bit of code on our site. Then Convirza Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI) can display a unique phone number dependent on source, keyword, or campaign. This allows us to track precisely which marketing efforts are generating phone calls.

The process takes a few minutes.

These are just a few questions. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us. We are always happy to answer questions and add to our call tracking FAQs list.

Happy Marketing!

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