By Randy Reiser

Since the end of 2010, many of my fellow advertisers and I have been eagerly awaiting the full release of Google’s newest beta program, AdWords Call Metrics, as if it were Pearl Jam’s next show at the Garden. It still hasn’t been released, but when it is it will finally give advertisers a better picture of the performance of their campaigns. For example, Zach Stafford of Nina Hale Search Marketing in Minneapolis reports that:

“By cross-checking our call metrics reports with our sales records, we saw that half the people who called the toll free number in our ad purchased online but the other half purchased in a store. Before using call metrics, we determined our ROI just by looking at the online sales numbers. Now we have proof that online search ad campaigns drive in-store purchases."

Finally, confirmation that online advertising drives sales through other channels as well!



Google furthermore decided to make our wait even more unbearable when they posted information on some updates it had decided to make while the program is still in beta. Instead of simply seeing the number of calls that are linked to your campaign, advertisers using Call Metrics will now be able to view information about the individual calls they’re receiving, including

• Call start time
• Call end time
• Call duration
• Call status (missed or received)
• Caller area code



For the past several months, the only available information was total number of calls, received calls, missed calls, total call duration, and average call duration. Using our new data, we will be able to measure our ROI, and further be able to optimize our campaigns. For example, by keeping track of what area codes calls are coming from, we can gauge where geographically the market for our products and services is the most receptive. On the other side of the coin, it can also tell us where we need to think about revisiting our messages, strategy, and keyword choice.

While this information is fantastic, this advertiser is still hoping it’s only the beginning, as there are still some distinct advantages to finding a call tracking partner. I would personally love to be able to see which keywords themselves are driving phone calls – something that we still can’t see. This would truly Maybe that will be a reality by the time the feature is rolled out to all advertisers? Only time will tell…