7 Ways 800response Outperforms Google Ads Call Tracking

In our last post, we provided some tips on optimizing ad spend in 2021, and now with Q4 quickly approaching, marketers are taking stock of their ad campaigns and their budgets. Call tracking is by far one of the best ways to track campaign success and where to spend advertising dollars. For many companies, most of those dollars are spent on Google Ads, despite the fact that the cost-per-lead for Bing ads is much lower. But we’re not here to compare Google and Bing.

We’re here to demonstrate the ways in which 800response’s call tracking solution is far superior to Google Ads. Whether you’re already running PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns on Google Ads, or considering advertising with Google for the first time, there are some limitations to Google’s call tracking services that you should know about.

That said, here are seven ways 800response outperforms Google Ads call tracking (skip to the chart below for a quick breakdown).

1. Tracking Capabilities

The biggest difference between Google’s offering and ours is that Google only tracks calls from your PPC campaigns. With 800response, you can track calls from any source, including social media, TV, radio, and print ads. This gives you a complete picture of your marketing efforts so that you can adjust your ad spend accordingly.

2. Caller Details

Google provides the basic details on your callers. This includes the area code, call status (received or missed), call source (ad, campaign, and ad group), and the duration of the call (in seconds). Google also provides the number of conversions; however, if you don’t know how to properly set up conversion tracking, then your data could be skewed.

800response provides a plethora of valuable details on every caller, including the caller’s full name, mailing address, average home value, average household income, and more. And all that data you get with every tracking number goes into easy-to-use call tracking reports to help you make informed advertising decisions that get the best results.

Our call tracking reports include multi-month Executive Snapshots with granular metrics on all your reports, such as:

• Top Cities, Area Codes, Exchanges, Ring-to Numbers
• Campaign & Media Summary
• Daily & Hourly Call Summary
• Call Duration Analysis
• Missed Calls Report
• First Time, Repeat, & Unique Callers Detail

800response also allows you to segment leads by:

• Caller’s zip code
• Caller’s county
• Total call counts per zip code and county
• Unique call counts for each zip and county

If that’s not enough, we also offer Missed Call Monitor Alerts and extensive demographic and behavioral insights with our Consumer Profiles. Bottom Line: 800response offers everything you need to track and segment your callers and create effective marketing strategies.

3. Local & Toll-Free Vanity Tracking Numbers

Google cannot guarantee to provide your business with local or toll-free tracking numbers, and you cannot port existing numbers or get a vanity number through Google Ads.

800response offers local & toll-free call tracking numbers, as well as a wide variety of vanity numbers. We also offer seamless, hassle-free number porting for your existing numbers.

4. Dedicated Phone Numbers

Google does not offer dedicated call tracking numbers, meaning that these numbers never fully belong to your company. In fact, Google’s tracking numbers are linked to your account for a maximum of 90 days. That means if you run a campaign for longer than 90 days, a caller could reach one of your competitors while you’re actively running ads from that campaign.

When you get a tracking number from 800response, that number belongs to you for the life of your contract with us. The only caveat to keep in mind is that vanity numbers are typically sold as shared-use numbers throughout the United States and Canada. If you have questions about our vanity numbers, connect with us via our website, or call 1-800-NEW-SALE.

5. Clean Numbers

Google also does not guarantee “clean numbers,” especially since their tracking numbers are transferred after 90 days. This means that your business could receive residual calls from tracking numbers used for campaigns on other accounts. Answering these calls wastes valuable time that your agents could be spending on the phone with valid leads.

At 800response, we work hard to ensure that our numbers are clean and to limit the possibility of residual calls. However, there is one final caveat: While the FCC is working hard to reduce the number of spoofing or robocalls, this industry-wide issue remains outside the control of call tracking service providers. That said, because we do not change tracking numbers every 90 days like Google, we can eliminate many potential hassles for our customers.

6. Conversation Analytics

While Google recently rolled out call recordings as part of their Ads platform, it is very limited. You can listen to the calls and that’s about it. Plus, you can only save recordings for 30 days. Currently, Google doesn’t offer call scoring or conversation analytics.

This is where we really stand out over Google and other competitors. 800response offers a full suite of call monitoring tools, including call recording, searchable call transcriptions, and just about anything you need to understand what’s happening on your calls. We also store call data for 90 days as opposed to 30.

Check out our recent case study to learn how one of our clients used our call monitoring tools to boost conversions by 50%!

7. CRM Integrations

Currently, Google doesn’t offer any integrations with CRM systems. 800response, on the other hand, offers CRM integrations with most platforms, and we work with clients to create custom integrations to fit their needs.

On a final note, if you’ve ever had to deal with Google’s customer service, you know that it leaves much to be desired. Our Customer Engagement Specialists have 5-star reviews across the board, and we are known for our superior customer service because we truly care about helping our customers.

800response vs. Google Ads Call Tracking

Call Tracking Capabilities Call Tracking Capabilities	800response 800response	Google Ads Google Ads
Tracks Multiple Sources	Yes	No
In-Depth Caller Details	Yes	No
Local & Vanity Tracking Numbers	Yes	No
Dedicated Tracking Number	Yes	No
Clean Numbers	Yes	No
Conversation Analytics	Yes	No
CRM Integrations	Yes	No

Still Not Convinced? Book a Quick Demo

Leveraging a full call tracking solution is the best way to optimize your marketing mix. Once you have clarity on which campaigns are successful, then you can adjust your strategies for full effectiveness. Schedule a 15-minute demo to get a first-hand look at how we compare to the competition.