You can connect phone and offline leads to marketing in two broad ways: track the call itself, and import the eventual sale back to the ad platform using an identifier captured when the lead first arrived. Neither is perfect, so start with the simplest method that matches how your customers actually contact you.
Why offline leads go missing
Many businesses win work by phone, in person or after a quote. A person clicks an ad, browses, rings and later buys. Online analytics sees the click but not the sale. Google describes this journey in its guidance on offline conversion imports: an ad does not lead directly to an online sale but starts a customer on a path that ends offline, such as at an office or over the phone. If you do not close that loop, channels that generate calls look weaker than they are.
Step 1: track the call
Google Ads describes call conversion tracking options. One is website call conversions: a Google forwarding number replaces your business number on the site, so you can see which keywords, ads, ad groups and campaigns lead to calls. You can also set a minimum call duration so only calls longer than the threshold count as conversions, which filters out short calls that probably do not lead to anything valuable.
Ask a few practical questions before adopting call tracking:
- Do customers call from the website, from ads or from printed material? Different sources need different numbers.
- What is a valuable call? A two-minute enquiry or a booked appointment. Set the duration threshold accordingly.
- Where is call data kept? Check any recording or storage practices against privacy law. Australian privacy and telecommunications rules, and state rules on recording calls, can apply. This is general information, not legal advice; seek professional advice.
Step 2: capture the click ID with every lead
For web forms, store the identifier that links the lead to the ad click. Google’s offline conversion import works like this:
- Google Ads assigns a unique Google Click ID (GCLID) to each click from an ad.
- You store that GCLID with the lead information you collect.
- When the lead converts offline, for example by signing a contract, you send the GCLID back with the conversion type and the time it happened.
- Google Ads records the conversion alongside your other conversion data.
That means your form and your customer record system need a field for the click ID. A lead capture workflow can pass the field into the CRM automatically, which is far more reliable than asking staff to type it.
Step 3: record the outcome
Offline import only works if somebody records what happened. Decide:
| Question | Example answer |
|---|---|
| Which stages matter? | Qualified lead, quote sent, job won |
| Who updates the record? | The person who closes the sale |
| How often is data uploaded? | Weekly, before the review |
| How long can a sale lag the click? | Match to your sales cycle |
Importing a later stage, such as a sale, gives the platform a better signal than counting every enquiry equally.
A note on a changing process
Google’s page states that, starting 15 June 2026, offline conversion imports and enhanced conversions for leads uploads move to the Data Manager API and are blocked in the Google Ads API. It also recommends enhanced conversions for leads, which uses hashed user-provided data such as email addresses alongside GCLIDs. Because platform processes change, check the current help page and your tooling before building anything, and make sure you have consent to use customer data as required by law and platform policy.
When not to bother
If you receive a handful of calls a month, a simple log may be enough. Ask every caller “how did you hear about us?” and record the answer in one place. It is imperfect but it costs nothing, and it also catches word of mouth that no tracking would see.
Reading the results
- Expect gaps: people ring from a different phone, or buy weeks later.
- Compare trends rather than single numbers.
- Read call data alongside other measures; see marketing attribution basics.
- Do not compare platforms that count conversions differently as if they were the same thing.
For the online side of tracking, see Google Ads conversion tracking setup.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Growth and Marketing team supports search visibility, campaigns and strategy, and its Technology team builds lead capture workflows. See Growth or contact us.
Sources
- About offline conversion imports, Google Ads Help
- About call conversions and call duration thresholds, Google Ads Help
