Import phone call conversions

If you do a lot of business over the phone, you want a way to measure when ads lead to phone calls, and when those phone calls lead to sales and other valuable customer actions. Importing phone call conversions into Google Ads can help you keep track of how your ads lead to your most important calls.

This article will show you how to set up call conversion import and start importing them into your account. For more background on how importing call conversions works, see our article About importing call conversions.

Before you begin

To use this kind of conversion tracking, you need to be able to do the following:

• Receive calls in an eligible country: This kind of conversion tracking requires Google forwarding numbers, which are currently available in these countries. However, while Google forwarding numbers are available in Japan and India, importing call conversions is not supported in Japan and supported for only a portion of calls in India.
• Have call assets or call-only ads: You can configure your call asset or call-only ad before or after you’ve set up your conversion action. The requirements are different depending on whether you want to track calls directly from your ads, from a number on your website, or both. Make sure you meet the requirements for the types of call conversions that will be included in your import:
  • Calls from ads: You'll need at least one call asset or call-only ad using a Google forwarding number.
  • Calls from your website: You’ll need at least one call asset applied to the campaign you want to track.
• Have a system for tracking call information: To import phone call conversions, you’ll need to track call details like the caller’s phone number and the call start time (see all the details you’ll be tracking here), and track when calls lead to conversions like sales. This may work best if you use a customer relationship management (CRM) system. If this doesn’t sound possible for your business, you might want to check out the other kinds of call conversions Google Ads offers.

You can also use the Google Ads API to get more flexibility in associating calls with conversions.

Compatibility

Conversions can only be tracked under certain conditions, listed below:

Action	Click on the phone number		Manually dialed phone number
Platform	Desktop Ad	Mobile Ad	Desktop Ad	Mobile Ad
Calls from ads (CTC, call-only)	N/A
Calls from website

Instructions

Click the links below for instructions on how to set up your phone call conversion import. Note that in some cases, there are different instructions depending on whether you want to track calls from ads or calls from a phone number on your website. Follow the instructions for all the kinds of phone calls that will be included in your import.

Step 1: Create a conversion action in Google Ads

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Goals icon .
2. Click the Conversions drop down in the section menu.
3. Click Summary.
4. Click the plus button .
5. Click Import.
6. Under “Select what you want to import:” choose “Manual import from API or upload” and then “Track conversions from calls.”
7. Click Continue.
8. Complete the settings for your new conversion action, and keep in mind that:
   1. When you enter a conversion name, it's important that you remember the exact spelling of the name. You’ll need to enter this name later, when you upload your call conversion information.
   2. The “Include in ‘Conversions’” setting is selected by default. Uncheck it if you don't want to include data for this conversion action in your "Conversions" reporting column. However, even if you uncheck this setting, the data will still be included in the "All conversions" column.

      You might want to use this setting if you use an automated bid strategy to optimize for conversions, and you don't want to include this particular conversion action in your bid strategy. Learn more about the "Include in 'Conversions'" setting.

   3. If you have other conversion actions that track the same calls—for example, if you already have a conversion action to track calls from ads, and plan to track the same calls with your import calls conversion action—you should only include one of these conversion actions in the “Conversions” column. Including both will result in counting 2 conversions for every call and, if you optimize your bidding for conversions, bidding for 2 conversions for each call.

      We recommend checking the “Include in ‘Conversions’” setting for your import calls conversion action, and unchecking the setting for any other conversion actions that track the same calls.

9. Click Create and continue.
10. Choose one of the following options:
    • If you just want to track calls from a number in your ads, click Done to finish creating your conversion action. You can skip the next steps.
    • If you want to track calls from a phone number on your website, follow Step 2: Set up your conversion tracking tag.

Step 2: Set up your conversion tracking tag (for calls from websites only)

If you want to track calls from a phone number on your website, follow the steps below. If you just want to track calls from a number in your ads, you can skip this step.

To set up conversion tracking, you'll need to add 2 code snippets to your website: the global site tag and a phone snippet.

The global site tag adds website visitors to your "All visitors" remarketing lists (if you've set up remarketing) and sets new cookies on your domain, which will store information about the ad click that brought someone to your site. Note that your Google Ads conversion tracking tag will be able to use this click information to attribute a conversion to your Google Ads campaigns. Please ensure you're providing users with clear and comprehensive information about data collection, and obtaining consent where legally required.

You must install the global site tag on every page of your website, but you need only one global site tag for each Google Ads account.

The phone snippet replaces a phone number on your website with a Google forwarding number. Install this snippet on site pages where your phone number appears.

1. Under “Global site tag,” select the option that best describes your situation and follow the instructions for installing the tag:
   • I haven’t installed the global site tag on my website: Choose this option if it’s your first time setting up the tag for a conversion action in your account and you haven’t installed the global site tag from another Google product. This option shows the full global site tag. To install the tag, copy the tag code and paste it between the <head></head> tags of every page of your website.
     
     Here’s an example of a global site tag, where “CONVERSION_ID” stands for the conversion ID that’s unique to your Google Ads account:
     
     <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-CONVERSION_ID"></script>
<script>

window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID');

</script>

   • I installed the global site tag on my website from another Google product (example: Google Analytics) or from another Google Ads account: If this option applies to you, you won’t need to add the global site tag to your website again; however, for conversion tracking to work for this account, you’ll need to add the config command (the piece of code that contains your conversion ID) to every instance of the global site tag. This option shows that command, where “AW-CONVERSION_ID” stands for your account’s conversion ID:

     gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID');

     Add the config command to every instance of the global site tag on your website, right above the </script> end tag.

     Here’s an example of a global site tag that’s configured for both Google Analytics and Google Ads, with the config command for the Google Ads account highlighted:

     <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=GA-_TRACKING_ID">

     </script>

     <script>

     window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];

     function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}

     gtag('js', new Date());

     gtag('config', 'GA_TRACKING_ID');

     gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID');

     </script>

   • I already installed the global site tag on my website when I created another conversion action in this Google Ads account: If this option applies to you, you don’t need to add the global site tag again to your website. Just make sure that the global site tag appears on every page of your site and that the config command in each instance of the tag contains your account’s conversion ID. You’ll see your conversion ID when you select this option.

2. (Optional) Modify the global site tag based on your preferences:

   • If you don’t want the global site tag to add website visitors to your remarketing lists, add the highlighted portion below to your global site tag’s config command:

     gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID', {'send_page_view': false});

   • If you don’t want the global site tag to set first-party cookies on your site’s domain, add the highlighted portion below to your global site tag’s config command:

     gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID', {'conversion_linker': false});

     We don’t recommend doing this as it will lead to less accurate conversion measurement.

3. Copy the global site tag, then follow the instructions to add it to your website.
4. Next to “Phone snippet,” select one of the following options:

   • Enter your phone number as it appears on your website. Enter the phone number that you want to track calls to. Make sure to enter the exact digits that appear on your website. For example, if the number on your website has a country code, include the country code here. If the number on your website does not have a country code, do not include the country code here. Then, click Create snippet. (Note that this option doesn’t work if you want to track multiple phone numbers on your website.)

     Example: You list the number on your website as 1-650-555-5555. You should enter the number as 1-650-555-5555. If you enter 650-555-5555, or 555-5555, Google Ads won’t be able to properly find your number and track your conversions.

   • Don’t enter a number. You’ll need to edit your website code manually. If you select this option, you’ll need to follow the instructions below to edit your website code manually after you install your tag. This option is more advanced, and is recommended only if you’re comfortable using JavaScript. You should use this option if you want to track calls to multiple phone numbers on your website.
5. Under “Install the phone snippet,” you’ll now see the code for the phone snippet based on the option you selected. Copy the snippet to add it to your website now, or click Download snippet to add it later.
6. Open up the HTML for the page where the phone number appears on your website.
7. Between the head tags (<head></head>) of the page, paste the phone snippet right after the global site tag.
8. Save the changes to your webpage.
9. Click Next.
10. Click Done.

Example

Here are examples of HTML before and after adding the conversion tracking tag:

Sample HTML before conversion tracking code (sample only—don't use in your website's code).

<html>
<head>
<title>Sample HTML File</title>
</head>
<body>
This is the body of your web page.
</body>
</html>

Sample HTML after conversion tracking code (sample only—don't use in your website's code).

<html>
<head>
<title>Sample HTML File</title>

<!-- Global site tag (gtag.js) - Google Ads: AW-CONVERSION_ID -->
<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-CONVERSION_ID"></script>
<script>
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
gtag('js', new Date());
gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID');
</script>

<script>
gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID/CONVERSION_LABEL', {
'phone_conversion_number': '1-650-555-5555'
});
</script>

</head>
<body>
This is the body of your web page.
</body>

Step 3: Add code to replace your number with a Google forwarding number (for calls from websites only)

If you want to track calls from a phone number on your website, follow these instructions for editing your tag code. Otherwise, you can skip this step.

Step 4: Prepare your data for import

If all of your call start times and conversion times are in the same time zone, set the time zone once in the "Parameters" row.

1. Download our call conversion upload template (download: Excel, CSV, or Google Sheets). You can also follow the steps below to download a template. If you want Google Ads to import your conversions automatically on a regular schedule (see Step 5: Import your conversions), you need to use Google Sheets or store the file online with HTTPS or SFTP.
   If any of the conversions you import are within one day of the click, Google Ads may not be able to record them yet. As a best practice, upload an extra day's worth of data with each import. Google Ads won’t count duplicate conversions.
   1. In your Google Ads account, click the Goals icon .
   2. Click the Conversions drop down in the section menu.
   3. Click Uploads.
   4. Click the plus button .
   5. Click View templates.
   6. Find the templates for phone call conversions, then select a template format to download.
2. Choose how to enter your time zone in the file:
   If all of your conversion times are in the same time zone, set the time zone once in the "Parameters" row. If your conversion times are in different time zones, add the time zone to each conversion time using the “Conversion Time” column. See the instructions and table under “Call start time” in step 4 below. If you don’t enter a time zone in the “Parameters” row, delete the “Parameters” row. Or, you can enter a time zone in both the “Parameters” row and the “Conversion Time.” “Conversion Time” will be used first, and if any conversion is missing the time zone, the “Parameters” value will be used.
3. Use one of the following formats to enter the time zone:
   • If your call start times and conversion times are in different time zones, add the time zone to each call start time and conversion time using the “Conversion Time” column. See the instructions and table under “Call start time” in step 4 below. If you don’t enter a time zone in the “Parameters” row, delete the “Parameters” row.
   • Or, you can enter a time zone in both the “Parameters” row and the “Call Start Time” and “Conversion Time.” The time zone in the columns will be used first. If the time zone is missing from either column, the “Parameters” value will be used.
   • Enter your time zone ID from this list. This method is recommended to avoid errors during daylight savings time transitions.
   • Enter your GMT offset by indicating + or - and then the 4 digit time difference. (For example, New York's offset is -0500, and Berlin's is +0100). If you use Greenwich Mean Time, then simply enter +0000.
4. Next, add a new row for each conversion, filling in the columns as follows:
   • Caller's phone number: The phone number must be listed in one of the following supported formats:

     Format	Examples
     A + sign, followed by the country code and number (E.164 format)	[phone] [phone]
     A U.S. area code and phone number	6505551234
     A + sign, followed by a country code and international number. The country code can be up to 3 characters, and the number can be up to 14 characters, including numerals, dashes, and spaces.	[phone]

   • Call start time: The time the call started. You can add a time zone to the call start time by using one of the last 4 formats listed. Replace “+z” with the GMT offset by indicating + or - and then the 4 digit time difference. (For example, New York's offset is -0500, and Berlin's is +0100). Or, replace "zzzz" with the time zone ID from this list. Here’s a list of supported date formats:

     Format	Examples
     MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss aa	"08/14/2015 5:01:54 PM"
     MMM dd,yyyy hh:mm:ss aa	"Aug 14, 2015 5:01:54 PM"
     MM/dd/yyyy HH:mm:ss	"08/14/2015 17:01:54"
     yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss	"2015-08-14 13:00:00"
     yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss	"2015-08-14T13:00:00"
     yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss+z	"2012-08-14 13:00:00+0500"
     yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss+z	"2012-08-14T13:00:00-0100"
     yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss zzzz	"2012-08-14 13:00:00 America/Los_Angeles"
     yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss zzzz	"2012-08-14T13:00:00 America/Los_Angeles"

   • Conversion name: The name of the conversion action that you'd like to import this conversion for. It's important that you use the exact same spelling and capitalization that you did when you created this conversion action in your Google Ads account.
   • Conversion time (optional): The date and time that the conversion occurred. See acceptable formats under “Call start time” above.
   • Conversion value (optional): A number representing the value that you place on the conversion. It could reflect a currency value, or you could simply choose to enter relative values of 0-10 (negative numbers are not accepted). If you leave this field blank, Google Ads will automatically apply the "conversion value" that you defined when you created your conversion action. If you do include a value here, it will override the value you defined when you created your conversion action.
     • Conversion currency (optional): The currency in which your conversion value is provided. You'll use this if you report conversion values in more than one currency, or have multiple accounts that are billed in different currencies.

       Currency codes

       Country	Currency name	Currency code
       Argentina	Argentine Peso	ARS
       Australia	Australian Dollars	AUD
       Austria	Euros	EUR
       Belgium	Euros	EUR
       Brazil	Brazilian Real	BRL
       Canada	Canadian Dollars	CAD
       Chile	Chilean Peso	CLP
       Columbia	Colombian Peso	COP
       Czechia	Czech Koruna	CZK
       Denmark	Denmark Kroner	DKK
       Finland	Euros	EUR
       France	Euros French Franks	EUR FRF
       Germany	Euros	EUR
       Greece	Euros	EUR
       Guam	US Dollar	USD
       India	Indian Rupee	INR
       Indonesia	Indonesian Rupiah	IDR
       Ireland	Euros	EUR
       Italy	Euros	EUR
       Japan	Japanese Yen	JPY
       Jersey	British Pounds Sterling	GBP
       Mauritania	Mauritanian Ouguiya	MRU
       Mexico	Mexico Peso	MXN
       Netherlands	Euros	EUR
       New Zealand	New Zealand Dollars	NZD
       Nigeria	Nigerian Naira	NGN
       Norway	Norway Kroner	NOK
       Philippines	Philippine Peso	PHP
       Poland	Polish New Zloty	PLN
       Puerto Rico	US Dollars	USD
       Reunion	Euros	EUR
       Romania	Romanian Leu New Romanian Leu	ROL RON
       Russia	Russian Rouble	RUB
       Singapore	Singapore Dollars	SGD
       South Africa	South African Rand	ZAR
       Spain	Euros	EUR
       Sweden	Sweden Kronor	SEK
       Switzerland	Swiss Francs	CHF
       Thailand	Thai Bhat	THB
       Turkey	Turkish Lira New Turkish Lira	TRL TRY
       Ukraine	Ukrainian Hryvnia	UAH
       United Kingdom	British Pounds Sterling Euros	GBP EUR
       United States of America	US Dollars	USD
       Vietnam	Vietnamese Dong	VND

Imported conversions can't be removed once they're imported, so make sure that the data you enter is accurate.

Step 5: Import your conversions

To import your offline conversions to Google Ads, you'll need to upload your conversion file into your Google Ads or manager account (MCC). (Keep in mind, imported conversions can't be removed once they're imported.) You can either upload a file once, or create a schedule to regularly upload a file that you keep online. Follow the instructions for a one-time upload or scheduled uploads below, depending on how you want to import your conversions.

Wait at least 4 hours after creating your conversion action before uploading your first import.

How to do a one-time upload of your conversions

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Goals icon .
2. Click the Conversions drop down in the section menu.
3. Click Uploads.
4. Click the plus button .
5. Click the Source drop-down, and select the source of your file. You can upload a file from your computer or Google Sheets, or transfer it over HTTPS or SFTP.
6. Based on the source you selected, choose from the options below:
   • If you selected “Upload a file” or “Google Sheets,” click Choose file to find and select the file that contains your offline conversion information.
   • If you selected HTTPS or SFTP, enter the file URL and the username and password to access the file. Note: If you select SFTP and get a "File not found" error, try placing a double-slash ("//") between the file path and name. For example: SFTP://sftp.mysite.com/conversions//conv.csv)
7. To import a file’s contents without previewing the upload results, click Apply and skip the remaining steps. To preview the upload results, click Preview. The file preview highlights the number of conversions that will be imported into your account. The preview also includes any errors in your file. You can fix the errors in your file and upload it again, or ignore the errors.
   • When the preview is ready, click Details to see some of the content from your file. The errors will be shown first.
   • To see all of your file contents, click More.
   • To finish importing the conversions from the file, click Apply file. A progress bar at the bottom of the page will notify you when the conversions in your file have finished importing. Click Details in the progress bar to see all the conversions that were imported.

You can view files that you’ve uploaded but haven’t applied, as well as files you’ve uploaded and applied. Learn more about viewing your uploaded files.

How to upload your conversions on a schedule

Google Ads can automatically import your conversions on a regular schedule. You’ll need to create a file with your conversions in Google Sheets or store the file online with HTTPS or SFTP. To schedule file uploads, follow these steps:

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Goals icon .
2. Click the Conversions drop down in the section menu.
3. Click Uploads.
4. Click Schedules along the top of the page.
5. Click the plus button .
6. Click the Source drop-down, and select the source of your file. You can upload a file from Google Sheets, or transfer it over HTTPS or SFTP.
7. Based on the source you selected, choose from the options below:
   • If you selected “Google Sheets,” click Choose file to find and select the file that contains your offline conversion information.
   • If you selected HTTPS or SFTP, enter the file URL and the username and password to access the file. Note: If you select SFTP and get a "File not found" error, try placing a double-slash ("//") between the file path and name. For example: SFTP://sftp.mysite.com/conversions//conv.csv)
8. Click the Frequency drop-down, and select how often you’d like your file to be imported.
9. Click the Time drop-down, and select when your file will be imported.
10. Click Save & preview. The preview indicates if the schedule saves successfully or if it doesn’t. A schedule might not save if Google Ads can’t reach the file source due to an incorrect username or password, or if the file isn’t formatted properly.
11. Click OK to return to the Schedules page. The Schedules page lists all of your scheduled uploads.

    Note

    If there’s a problem with your scheduled upload, you’ll see an alert in your account and receive an email. You’ll need to check your online file to fix the problem.
12. To change your scheduled upload, click Options under the “Actions” column and choose from the options below:
    • Click Edit to change the settings for a scheduled upload.
    • Click Pause to stop the scheduled uploads for a file.
    • Click Resume if the scheduled uploads for a file were paused and you’d like to resume the scheduled uploads.
    • Click Remove if you don’t need to upload the conversions in file anymore.

You can’t change the scheduled upload options if your Google Ads account has read-only access.

How to view your uploaded files

Once your conversions file is uploaded, you'll see a new entry for that file in the Uploads page. Note that uploading and applying a file could take several minutes.

1. In your Google Ads account, click the Goals icon .
2. Click the Conversions drop down in the section menu.
3. Click Uploads.
4. If you have any files that you’ve previewed but haven’t applied, you’ll see them in the “Pending actions” table. In the “Actions” column, click Apply to import the conversions in the file or Discard to remove the uploaded file. If Google Ads was able to generate a preview of your file, you’ll see a Download results link that lets you download the file that you uploaded.
5. Below the “Pending actions” table, you’ll see a list of the files you’ve uploaded and applied. Check the following columns for more information about the files.
   • The “Status” column lets you quickly see whether the conversions in the file were imported successfully.
   • The “Results” column provides more details about the import status. If the file import failed, this column will provide a reason why it failed.
   • The “Actions” column provides the following links:
     • Download results: Download a copy of your uploaded file. This link appears when all the conversions in your file were imported successfully.
     • Download all: Download a copy of your uploaded file, including conversions that failed to import.
     • Download errors: Download a spreadsheet that lists the conversions from your file that failed to import, along with error messages.
     • When you select any of the three links above, the downloaded file includes a “Results” column that confirms that a conversion was imported successfully or explains why it failed to import. These links are removed 30-60 days after your initial upload.

How to fix errors

To fix issues you might encounter after importing phone call conversions, please see this article.

Related links

• About importing call conversions
• Using phone call conversion tracking
• About offline conversion tracking