Google Ads call tracking
How should a law firm track calls from Google Ads?
Calls from ads, calls from your website, call length, Google's own call recording, and sending signed cases back so Google learns which calls mattered.
By Santiago Alvarez, Founder, Ad Hoc Digital
Last updated
The short answer
If you read one part of this page, read this.
Turn on call reporting so calls from your ads run through a Google forwarding number, track calls to your website with Google's tag and phone snippet, set a minimum call length that filters out hang-ups, and then send the calls that turned into real leads and signed cases back from your CRM.
Most legal leads from search ads arrive by phone. If Google can only count clicks and forms, it will bid toward whatever produces clicks and forms, and the calls that sign cases stay invisible to it.
Below: each kind of call Google can track, what the call length setting really does, the call recording Google now turns on by default, and how imported conversions fix what call length can't. We work with law firms across the US and Canada, and also in Australia and the UK.
What Google can track
Google Ads can track five kinds of phone conversion, and they measure different things.
Two of them count real calls through a Google forwarding number, two only count taps on a number, and one imports calls you've qualified yourself. Know which one your account uses before you trust its numbers.
| Type | What gets counted | What it needs | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calls from ads | Calls from a call asset, call-only ad or location asset that last at least your minimum length | Call reporting on, which uses Google forwarding numbers | Length says nothing about whether the caller has a case |
| Calls from your website | Calls to a forwarding number that replaces your number on the site after an ad click | The Google tag plus a phone snippet on pages showing your number | By default only one number per page can be tracked |
| Clicks on a number on your mobile site | Taps on a phone link after an ad click | A tag on the click | Google says it tracks the click, not the call itself |
| Clicks on call ads and assets | A tap, counted when Google estimates a meaningful call happened | No forwarding number | An estimate, not a measured call |
| Imported call conversions | Calls your own system marked as valuable | Forwarding numbers, plus caller number and call start time from your CRM | Calls straight from ads only match when they come from mobile |
For a law firm, the first two are the base layer and the fifth is where the real signal comes from. The two click-based types are better than nothing on a small account, but a tap on a number can be a pocket dial, and Google's estimate can't hear the call.
Call reporting
Call reporting puts a Google number in front of yours so every call can be traced to the ad.
When call reporting is on, Google assigns a forwarding number to your ad, routes the call to your real line, and records the details. Turn it off and your own number shows, but Google can no longer track the calls.
- What you get in the report
Call duration, start time, whether the call connected, the caller's area code, and the caller's number for calls over 15 seconds. Caller ID still reaches your phone, so intake sees who is calling.
- What you pay
A tap on the call button costs the same as a click on the headline. Google doesn't charge when someone dials the forwarding number by hand.
- How long the number keeps working
Someone who saved the number can call back for 60 days, and each call resets that window. Someone who wrote it down without calling has about 30 minutes, up to about 2 hours in some markets, to make the first call.
- Never reuse it
Google says forwarding numbers are its property and can change or be reassigned. Don't put one on your Business Profile, your letterhead or a directory listing.
Two reporting details trip firms up. Hand-dialed calls count for campaigns and ad groups but not for keywords and ads, so keyword call totals run low. And a call conversion is dated to the day of the ad click, while the call itself is dated the day it happened, so a Tuesday call can show up as a Monday conversion.
Call length
Call length filters out hang-ups. It doesn't tell Google which callers had a case.
You choose a minimum length, and every call that lasts that long counts as a conversion. Google's own example: a 26-second call against a 30-second setting is reported as 1 call and 0 conversions.
Google's November 2018 announcement gave 60 seconds as the default, and you can change it at any time. Check what yours is set to rather than assuming, because it decides what your bidding learns from.
Here's the problem for lawyers. A four-minute call from someone wanting free advice on a matter you don't handle clears any threshold. So does a long call from a vendor selling you software, or a current client asking about their file. A 50-second call from someone who said "I was arrested last night" and booked a consult straight away may not.
Google's call recording
Google now records calls from ads by default in the US and Canada, unless you turn it off.
Google's "AI-qualified call leads" feature records calls through forwarding numbers and judges from the conversation whether the caller was a real lead. Recording is on by default, and only qualified calls count as conversions while it's on.
- Where and when it applies
Only when both phone numbers are in the US or Canada, and only for calls to call ads, call assets and website forwarding numbers. Calls from location assets aren't recorded. It stays off if you turned it off before, or if Google identified your business as healthcare or financial services.
- What the caller hears
Google says callers hear a short automated message at the start, saying the conversation will be recorded for quality purposes. Recordings are used to judge lead quality, catch spam and fraud, and improve conversion reporting.
- What you agree to
The Call Ads Supplemental Terms say you've told your agents, employees and anyone else on the calls that Google may monitor and record them, and that you've obtained their express consent. If an answering service picks up your calls, that includes them.
- If recording is off
Google falls back to your call length setting. If no forwarding number is available, it falls back to ad interaction data.
Google's classifier can screen out robocalls and misdials, which is useful. But the first call to a lawyer is often where a person says the hardest parts of their situation out loud for the first time, and a firm should decide on purpose whether a third party records it. Find the setting under Admin, Account settings, Call ads. Our call tracking and recording consent guide covers what state and national recording laws say.
Importing what happened
The calls that matter are the ones your intake marks as real, so send those back to Google.
Offline conversion imports let you tell Google which clicks and calls became real leads or signed cases. Google now recommends enhanced conversions for leads, an upgraded version that adds hashed contact details to the click ID.
Capture the click ID with every lead
Google gives each ad click a unique ID. The form saves it with the lead, and for calls, the forwarding number or your tracking system ties the call to the click.
Mark the outcome in the CRM
Intake moves each lead to a stage: a real potential client in your practice and area, consult held, signed. Without this step there's nothing honest to send.
Send the outcome back
For calls, Google matches on the caller's number and the call start time. For forms, on the click ID, plus hashed email or phone if you use enhanced conversions for leads. Google recommends including click IDs whenever you have them.
Set primary and secondary goals
Google warns that marking conversion actions as primary (used for bidding) or secondary (reported only) correctly is critical. Bidding learns only from primary ones.
Mind the conversion window. Google's default is 30 days from the click, and depending on the source you can set up to 90. An injury case that signs four months after the first call falls outside it, so the import that helps bidding is an earlier stage, such as a qualified lead or a consult held, while signed cases are what you judge the account on. Our guide to cost per signed case covers that math.
If an import was built years ago through the Google Ads API, check it still runs. Google says offline conversion and enhanced conversions for leads uploads moved to its Data Manager API on June 15, 2026.
What counts as a conversion
Count fewer things as conversions, and make the ones you count mean something.
A conversion column that adds button taps, page views and 60-second calls together looks busy and teaches bidding the wrong lesson. Decide what each action is for before you switch on any conversion-based bidding.
| Action | Use it for | Primary or secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Calls from ads (length or recording) | Early signal while the account is new | Primary at first, until imports have volume |
| Calls from website (forwarding number) | Same, for people who read the page first | Primary at first |
| Form submissions | Leads that never call | Primary, counted once per lead |
| Imported qualified lead | The signal bidding should learn from | Primary once it arrives steadily |
| Imported signed case | Judging keywords and campaigns | Usually secondary: few, late, and often past the window |
| Taps on a phone link | A rough check on mobile pages | Secondary |
Whatever you count, count each lead once. On the landing pages we build, calls and forms reach Google from the CRM with the click ID, and the page carries only the base Google tag. Our landing page guide explains why a second, on-page conversion would double every lead.
A worked example
A hypothetical injury firm where call length told one story and intake told another.
This is an illustration with invented, rounded numbers, not a client result. It shows why a call count and a lead count can point bidding in different directions.
Fewer conversions with real meaning beat more conversions without it. Our personal injury marketing page covers how those clients search and choose a firm.
What we see
What we check first on law firm accounts, from our own client work.
Most call tracking problems we find aren't exotic. They're settings nobody looked at after launch, or a page that quietly stopped working.
- Conversion bidding with almost no conversions
We've seen a new injury campaign switched to Maximize conversions with a single lead of history show 7 times in 2 days. Campaigns we launch start on Maximize clicks with a cost per click cap and move after about 30 real leads.
- Calls dropped? Load the page first
When calls suddenly stop, we open the landing page before touching bids. We've had a page lose its DNS record and another domain lapse to a parking page, both still receiving paid clicks for days.
- Unverified phone numbers on call assets
If your site swaps numbers with its own tracking, Google can't verify the number by reading your page code. Google's fix is to link Search Console to Google Ads, or to put the Google tag directly in the page's HTML.
- One system for every channel's calls
On landing pages we build, the number visitors see comes from the CRM's own tracking pool rather than Google's, so every call lands in the CRM with its source, and the ones from Google are reported back with the click ID.
A Toronto real estate solo who started with no online presence signed a first client within 24 hours of launching Google search ads, and brought in $10,875 in the first week from just over $300 in ad spend. Our Google Ads service includes this tracking, and our systems work builds the CRM side.
Common mistakes
Where firms go wrong.
The call tracking mistakes we find most often when a firm hands us an existing Google Ads account.
Counting every call as a conversion
A one-second threshold, or a tap on the number counted as a call, fills the column with noise. Bidding then chases noise.
Putting the forwarding number on listings
Google can reassign it. A forwarding number copied onto the Business Profile or a directory can stop reaching you.
Not knowing Google is recording
Recording is on by default for eligible US and Canadian calls. Decide on purpose, and make sure your answering service knows.
Counting the same lead twice
A form conversion fired by the page and the same lead imported from the CRM doubles your numbers and halves your real cost per lead.
Importing signed cases as the only primary goal
Signed cases are few and often arrive after the conversion window. Bidding starves. Import an earlier stage for bidding and judge on signed cases.
Real results
What this looked like for real firms.
Two firms where calls did the work: a Toronto real estate solo signing clients from search ads in the first week, and an employment and injury firm that took 10 qualified calls in one day.
Identifying details are anonymized to protect our clients. Individual result, not a promise or prediction of any specific outcome for your firm.
FAQ
Questions lawyers ask us.
Straight answers to the questions that come up most.
Should my law firm use call-only ads or call assets?
Call assets on regular search ads let the person call straight away or read the page first. Call-only ads suit phone-first practices with intake that answers every call. Either way, call reporting has to be on for Google to count the calls. Our older post on call-only ads goes into the format.
What call length should a law firm count as a conversion?
Long enough to drop misdials and instant hang-ups, short enough not to throw away quick calls that booked a consult. Google's 2018 announcement set 60 seconds as the default. Then import which calls were real leads, because no length setting can tell a new client from a wrong number that chatted.
Can we turn off Google's call recording?
Yes. Google says you can switch it off any time under Admin, Account settings, Call ads. Calls are then counted by your call length setting instead. Recording only applies when both numbers are in the US or Canada.
Do Google forwarding numbers work in Canada, the UK and Australia?
Yes. Google lists all four countries for forwarding numbers. Google's call recording and AI call qualification are the exception: only calls where both numbers are in the US or Canada. Canadian firms should still check provincial privacy rules, which our call tracking guide covers.
How do we send signed cases back to Google Ads?
Save Google's click ID with each lead, mark the outcome in your CRM, and upload it as an offline conversion or through enhanced conversions for leads. For calls, Google matches on the caller's number and call start time. Many CRMs can send this on a schedule, so nobody uploads files by hand.
Does this apply to Local Services Ads?
No. Local Services Ads has its own numbers and its own Leads view, and you pay per lead rather than per click. Our guide to Local Services Ads lead credits covers how those calls are charged and credited.
Can you check our call tracking?
Yes. We look at which conversion actions are primary, what call length is set, whether recording is on, and whether calls reach your CRM with their source. Schedule a consultation and bring access to the account.
Where we do this
The services this guide touches.
What this looks like when we run it for a firm, with a demo for your practice on each page.
Sources
Where these facts come from.
Official pages we read when writing this page. Platforms and rules change, so check the current version before you act on any of it. This is marketing guidance, not legal advice.
- Google Ads Help, About call assets
- Google Ads Help, About phone call conversion tracking
- Google Ads Help, Measure calls from ads
- Google Ads Help, Set up tracking calls to a phone number on a website
- Google Ads Help, About call reporting
- Google Ads Help, Google forwarding number
- Google Ads Help, Analyze your call reporting data
- Google Ads Help, About AI-qualified call leads
- Google Ads Help, Manage your call recording settings and eligibility
- Google Ads Help, Call Ads Supplemental Terms
- Google Ads Help, About importing call conversions
- Google Ads Help, Import phone call conversions
- Google Ads Help, About offline conversion imports
- Google Ads Help, About enhanced conversions for leads
- Google Ads Help, About conversion windows
- Google Ads Help, Extending call and message reporting to more places (Nov 27, 2018)
Written by
Founder of Ad Hoc Digital. Leads strategy and works directly with every client firm on AI search, Local Services Ads, Google Ads and Meta ads.
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