Transition from Source-Level Tracking to Keyword-Level Tracking

Source-level call tracking allows you to create a unique tracking phone number for each marketing campaign you want to track. However, if you're looking to receive keyword data for your calls, see visitor timelines for callers, or if you're looking to see your calls as conversions within Google Ads, you may want to consider utilizing keyword-level call tracking.

Use this article to learn how to:

• Switch to keyword-level tracking
• Update your source tracking numbers so as not to interfere with swap precedence

 

Getting Started

Here are some of the key differences between source tracking and keyword tracking:

Keyword Tracking Source Tracking Dynamic Number Insertion ✔ ✔ Google Analytics Integration ✔ ✔ Google Ads Integration ✔ ✖ Form Submissions ✔ ✔ Text Messages ✔ ✔ Visitor Timeline ✔ ✖ Call Flow Builder ✔ ✔ Email Notifications ✔ ✔ Call Recording ✔ ✔ Outbound Calling ✔ ✔ Multi-Channel Attribution ✔ ✖ Company Summary Emails ✔ ✔

Changing to Keyword-Level Tracking

Create a keyword pool for your account. This is a pool of at least 4 tracking numbers that swaps to provide session-level data for each visitor.

How to add a keyword tracking pool to any company in your account.

Important Note: Swap Precedence

Once your keyword tracking pool has been created, you'll want to change the configuration of an existing source tracking number that is in the same company as the new keyword tracking pool. Since the CallRail JavaScript code has swap precedence rules, you'll want to ensure that the source tracking numbers are not taking precedence over the keyword tracking pools.

Use the last set of instructions in this article to learn about CallRail's swap precedence rules for dynamic number insertion:

Dynamic Number Insertion Overview

For example, if you have a source tracking number configured to track, "Google PPC," and a keyword tracking pool to track "All Website Visitors," the source tracking number would take precedence over the keyword tracking pool, and your calls would not show as conversions in Google Ads.

To ensure that source tracking numbers are not interfering with a keyword tracking pool, you'll want to either disable the source tracking number(s) or change the configuration of the source tracking number so that it's not tracking the same campaigns as the keyword pool.

Here's how to disable a phone number.

Updating Your Source Tracking Number

Use this set of instructions to update your source tracking number so as not to interfere with your keyword tracking pool.

1. Choose the company where you'd like to add the new tracking numbers.
   
   
2. Click Tracking at the top of the page.
   
   
3. Click the Pencil icon for the tracking number you’d like to update to go to its main configuration page.
   
   
4. On the next screen, click the Pencil icon in the upper-right of the Number Options menu.
   
   
5. Under Tracking Sources, select Offline (or another source that does not interfere with the keyword pool) from the tracking source category.
   
   
6. Select Save at the bottom of the section

Note: If you already have your company's JavaScript snippet installed on your website, you don't have to make any changes to that snippet when you add a keyword tracking pool to your account. Any changes made in the same company in your account will be detected automatically by the JavaScript code installed for dynamic number insertion.

More about the JavaScript snippet.