How to track phone number clicks with Google Tag Manager

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Tracking phone number clicks on a website using Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a great way to measure user interaction and understand how visitors engage with clickable phone numbers, especially for mobile users. By setting up an event in GTM, you can monitor when a visitor clicks a phone number link (typically a tel: link), which can be a valuable metric for businesses that rely on phone calls for conversions.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you track phone number clicks with Google Tag Manager.

Step 1: Set up Google Tag Manager on Your Website

Before you can track any interactions, you need to ensure Google Tag Manager is properly installed on your website.

  1. Sign Up and Create an Account:
    • Go to the Google Tag Manager website and sign up or log in.
    • Create a new account, if you haven’t already, and set up a container for your website.
  2. Install GTM Code:
    • After creating the container, Google Tag Manager will give you two snippets of code (one for the head and one for the body) that you’ll need to install on every page of your website.
    • Place the first code snippet in the <head> section of your HTML and the second one right after the opening <body> tag.

Step 2: Create a Trigger to Track Phone Number Clicks

The next step is to create a trigger in Google Tag Manager that detects when a user clicks a phone number link.

  1. Go to GTM Dashboard:
    • Log in to your Google Tag Manager account and navigate to the container for the website where you want to track phone number clicks.
  2. Create a New Trigger:
    • In the left sidebar, click on Triggers and then click New.
    • Give your trigger a name (e.g., “Phone Number Click Trigger”).
  3. Configure the Trigger:
    • Choose Click – All Elements as the trigger type. This will allow you to track clicks on any element on your site.
    • Click on the trigger configuration to set up the conditions.
      • Choose Some Clicks under the “This trigger fires on” section.
      • Set the condition to Click URL contains tel:.
        • This condition ensures the trigger only fires when a phone number link is clicked (e.g., tel:+1234567890).
  4. Save the Trigger:
    • After setting up the condition, click Save to save the trigger.

Step 3: Create a Tag to Send Data to Google Analytics (or Other Platforms)

Now that you have a trigger set up to detect phone number clicks, you’ll need to create a tag that sends this data to Google Analytics (or any other tracking platform you’re using).

  1. Create a New Tag:
    • In the left sidebar, click on Tags and then click New to create a new tag.
    • Give your tag a name (e.g., “Phone Number Click Event”).
  2. Choose Tag Type:
    • For Google Analytics, choose the tag type Google Analytics: Universal Analytics (or the appropriate version based on your setup).
    • Choose Event as the track type.
  3. Configure the Event:
    • Set up the event tracking parameters for your phone number click:
      • Category: Enter a category, e.g., Phone Clicks.
      • Action: Enter an action, e.g., Click.
      • Label: You can dynamically capture the clicked phone number by using the built-in variable {{Click URL}}. This will record the specific phone number that was clicked. To do this, click the “+” button next to the “Label” field and select Click URL.
  4. Set Trigger for the Tag:
    • Under the “Triggering” section, select the trigger you created in Step 2 (“Phone Number Click Trigger”).
  5. Save the Tag:
    • Once you’ve configured the tag, click Save to save the tag.

Step 4: Test Your Tag and Trigger

Before publishing your changes, it’s essential to test that your tag and trigger work correctly.

  1. Preview Mode:
    • In Google Tag Manager, click on Preview to enable preview mode. This will allow you to test the tag on your website before it’s live.
    • Enter your website URL and click Start. This will open a new window showing your website with GTM’s debugging tools.
  2. Test the Phone Click:
    • On your website, click a phone number link (with a tel: link). You should see a GTM debug console at the bottom of the screen, showing the tag firing when you click on the phone number.
    • Ensure that the correct tag is firing, and the parameters (category, action, label) are showing as expected.
  3. Use Google Analytics Real-Time Reports:
    • To verify if the event is being sent correctly to Google Analytics, go to the Real-Time reports in Google Analytics.
    • Check under Events to see if your phone number click events are showing up as they should.

Step 5: Publish Your Changes

Once you’re confident that the tag and trigger are working correctly, it’s time to publish the changes:

  1. Submit the Changes:
    • In Google Tag Manager, click on the Submit button in the top-right corner.
    • Add a version name and description (optional) to document the changes you’ve made.
    • Click Publish to make your changes live on the website.

Step 6: Monitor and Analyze Your Data

Now that you’ve set up tracking for phone number clicks, you can monitor and analyze the data in Google Analytics (or your chosen analytics platform).

  1. View Event Data in Google Analytics:
    • Go to Behavior > Events > Top Events in Google Analytics.
    • You should be able to see the “Phone Clicks” category and the “Click” action, along with the specific phone numbers that were clicked.
  2. Use the Data for Conversion Tracking:
    • Depending on your business goals, phone number clicks could be a valuable conversion metric. You can set up goals in Google Analytics to track these interactions as part of your overall conversion strategy.
  3. Optimize Based on Insights:
    • The data from phone number clicks can be used to optimize your website’s design or marketing strategy. For example, if you notice that a significant number of phone clicks are coming from a particular page or product, you can refine your content or add more prominent phone number links in those areas.

Conclusion

Tracking phone number clicks with Google Tag Manager is a simple yet powerful way to gain insights into user interactions with your website. By following these steps, you can easily set up a system to track phone call conversions, which is crucial for businesses relying on calls for leads and sales. With Google Analytics integration, you can measure the success of your mobile-friendly design and optimize the user experience to increase phone call-driven conversions.

Categories: Digital Marketing