The majority of SEO specialists concur that setting up a Google My Business page is one of the initial actions in a location-based marketing approach. The best part is that it is completely free, easy, and effective. You need be aware of a few recommended practices, though, in order to optimize your GMB listing and benefit from customer interactions that occur through the platform. Utilizing a Google My Business call tracking number is one of these actions.
Many individuals now just search and click-to-call instead of using the phone book or fridge magnets to call businesses, thanks to Google.
We’ll go through the advantages of using a call tracking number on your GMB page in this article, as well as how to implement it using the tracking source that has already configured. You can properly attribute phone calls from Google Search and Google Maps thanks to this additional layer of call tracking.
How to launch Google My Business
It’s likely that you used Google to look up the name of the restaurant or the type of cuisine you were wanting if you recently called a restaurant to request takeout or delivery. Google My Business is being used there!
You want your website, address, and phone number to be easily accessible when potential clients and customers search for your company on Google or Google Maps. You also want them to be able to peruse images and customer reviews to aid in their decision-making. By going to google.com/business, you can accomplish all of this for nothing.
According to BrightLocal, the average business is found in 1,009 searches each month, with 84% of them being discovery searches.
Customers have four basic options once they are on your business profile:
- Make a business call
- check out your webpage
- search for directions
- See your pictures
It is clear that users can call you, which is a significant step, on your profile. Additionally, the research reveals that phone calls account for 25% of activities on GMB listings. We’ll discuss how to track Google My Business phone calls in the section after this so you can learn more about your customers’ journeys and your local search results.
Advantages of Call Tracking Numbers on Google My Business
There is a widespread myth that adding a call tracking number on GMB will harm your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) consistency or that Google will penalize you for doing so. These fallacies are effectively dispelled in this piece by Sterling Sky (among other common myths about call tracking and local SEO.)
GMB generates a sizable and increasing number of phone calls. In a range of industries, 16% of businesses get more than 100 calls from GMB each month. Between 2017 and 2018, GMB calls increased 22%. Additionally, several industries are experiencing a peak in GMB calls despite COVID-19’s temporary decline in impressions. You must collect as much information from those calls as you can given the increased reliance of customers phoning businesses on Google. Additionally, Google My Business phone calls provide your direct route to clients interested in your goods or services as they manage the present pandemic restrictions.
Identify the caller
A call tracking company is essential for tracking and reporting on GMB calls. Before you answer the phone, you will already be aware of the caller’s identity, the fact that they were referred by GMB, and their previous interactions with your company thanks to your CTM tracking number.
Transcend simple reporting
Even though Google only offers a few reporting options, they only monitor calls made from mobile devices, not desktop. Program can record every call, going well beyond the insights that are already included, and feed that data back into your Google Analytics account for simple monitoring. Additionally, you can use CTM’s conversation analytics capabilities, such as keyword spotting.
Therefore, using a call tracking number on Google My Business is not only acceptable, but doing so will also enable you to learn a lot from the numerous calls that come via your GMB profile.
How to configure call tracking number for Google My Business:
You may quickly upload GMB call data into Google Analytics as Events by using a pre-set tracking source.
- In your account, purchase a tracking number and select the Google My Business tracking source from the pre-selected list.
- UTM parameters should be included to the URL that consumers click on your Google My Business listing.
- In the GMB listing, update the phone number. Add your local business number to the “Additional phone” field in GMB and enter the tracking number in the “Primary phone” area. You may allay any concerns about consistency and let Google know that the number is still operational by adding your primary company number as an extra phone number.
- Install the CTM tracking code on your website so that we can replace the existing tracking number with the one from Google My Business. You may get more information about using the CTM tracking code here.
