SEO TIP: Using the Google Tag Manager to track mobile calls for a site personally is a great way to track CRO that you are doing for a client.
Why track calls with google tag manager
Using Google Analytics to the fullest potential can really let you see how people are acting on your site. One area that is not always used though is the simple clickable number with some tracking applied. When you have a service-based business that wants to know if your work is doing anything, and having call data to prove that yes it is can really assist in your efforts.
Basic Google Tag Manager Set Up For A Phone Number
1. Go to Google Tag Manager
2. Create an account
3. Fill the following out (account name, container name, and choose Web)
4. Install the 2 provided snippets of code
5. Set up the TRIGGER First (when you get to the RegEx part the value is .* not just *
6. When setting up the Tag Type for GA in the next step
7. Set up the Tag (name it accordingly)
8. Final Screen
9. Now let’s check Google Analytics to make sure it’s firing
10. A common mistake is people forget to publish the container after they make the tag which I did while writing this post so save yourself 30 minutes of searching and publish. This will also allow you to see if there are any errors in your set up.
How This Helps SEO
By using this as a tool for a business you can really show that if a call normally turns into a lead or any conversion placement of the number on various pages or areas of a site can drive that revenue. A big example of this is when working with a dentist’s office and the topic came up if the price was worth it. I could show that by having this one metric along with other basic traffic information I showed that my efforts not only brought more visitors but brought in more money to the practice. One of the fun parts that SEO brings is that you have to consistently keep testing out ideas and processes, but sometimes finding all the failures is what makes you a better marketer.
Conclusion
Post like this where we dive into the strategy to track calls with google tag manager, a city + keyword approach to drive traffic, or even SEO image optimization, all of these are things that I hope helps someone else like me. Stay tuned for another post coming up soon for Goals and how they help determine marketing ideas in Google Analytics.