One of the most useful features of CallRail is the ability to track session-level data so you can link calls directly to individual website visitors using website pools.
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding visitor tracking numbers. If you have a question that isn't answered below, please don't hesitate to contact our support team.
Setup Questions
Where do I add keywords to my number pool?
Since CallRail tracks your visitor's web sessions, there's no setup for adding keywords to your tracking numbers when you're using a website pool. CallRail detects the PPC keywords you're bidding on in your paid search campaigns. We assign a tracking phone number from your website pool to each website visitor, whose referring URL will contain the keyword data you get from your reporting in CallRail.
Use this article to create a website pool.
Why can't I hardcode my website pool numbers into my website?
Tracking phone calls with visitor tracking will not work if you hardcode one of the numbers in from the pool on the website since the website pool numbers won't be circulating properly to website visitors. This will prevent you from receiving accurate keyword/source/medium data. In order for website pools to swap properly, you'll need to have dynamic number insertion by installing your company's JavaScript snippet on each page of your website where there's a phone number.
Read how to install the JavaScript snippet on your website.
Reporting Questions
Why do "wrong number" calls get associated with keywords?
Due to the way the visitor-level call tracking works, this is an unavoidable coincidence of wrong number calls. Because each phone number is assigned to a current visitor on the website, when a call comes in through a specific number, we associate it with that visitor. The tracking phone number is the only identifier between the web visitor and the phone call, so it is not possible to distinguish between valid and invalid calls at that stage. We're not able to completely prevent people from dialing wrong numbers, but we can remove a number from your account if it appears that it is receiving too many wrong number calls.
Why are there keywords associated with my test call?
Each phone number in your visitor tracking phone number is assigned to a specific visitor to your website at a given point in time (using the JavaScript snippet you've installed on the website). If you simply call a number listed from your pool without triggering a number assignment (by visiting your website), our system thinks the call originates from the caller who the number is currently assigned to, and logs the call with their information (keyword/source/etc).
What does keyword "not provided" mean?
Keyword "not provided" occurs when a user conducts a search on Google via HTTPS and navigates to your site via an organic search result. In October 2011, Google stopped providing keyword data for logged in and HTTPS users. This change affected all analytics products: CallRail, Google Analytics, etc.
You can read more about the change here: Google Encrypts Signed-in Search Data.
What's the difference between the source "Direct" and my site's domain (for example "www.example.com")?
The difference between "direct" and your website's domain URL as a source is:
- Direct: The user arrived directly to your website by typing in the URL, or clicking a link from outside the browser (for example, from an email).
- Your website domain: The user was referred from another page on your website.
Let's say your website is www.example.com and your reports show this URL as the referring source for your visitors. This is typically the source when you have our tracking code installed on one part of your website, but not every page of your website. If a visitor navigates from a page on your site where dynamic number insertion is not installed to a page where it is installed, we'll show your URL (www.example.com) as your visitor's referring source (specifically, the page where dynamic number insertion is not installed).
To avoid this, we recommend double-checking to ensure dynamic number insertion is installed on all pages of your website.
How can I see which campaign and ad group my keywords are coming in from?
To see your campaign and ad groups in CallRail, you'll need to tag your landing page URLs. Once you've added ValueTrack parameters to your URLs, we'll detect any parameters that are present and display that information in your caller's timeline.
Some Google Ads entries do not display a keyword or referrer. What are the circumstances when this happens?
This can happen for several reasons:
- The user is using a cookie-blocking or referrer-blocking plugin like Adblock or Ghostery.
- The source was Google Display Network, which does not pass keyword data.
- Site visitors are using third-party search utilities like Google Now. On mobile devices, when visitors search using a third-party app, the resulting page is opened in a web browser which does not pass a referring URL to the website. Without a referring URL, we're unable to see the visitor's search keyword.