Summary Quick Guide
- Ensure Call Tracking code is implemented correctly.
- Ensure you have the correct amount of call tracking numbers for increased call tracking accuracy.
- Notify Delacon of any changes to your IVR as soon as possible so we can make necessary changes in our system.
- When setting up call extensions, ensure you are mapping correctly and are not mapping a number to multiple AdWords’ ID.
- Create goals and events in Google Analytics for best practice reporting.
General Checklist
- Ensure Delacon call tracking code is on every page of the website
- Call tracking code should not appear on the same page more than once
- Check characters and spacing in the code matches exactly to the code Delacon provides
- Is the correct phone number in the business phone number field?
- Ensure your code is updated to exclude http and https
- Have you used a tag manager when updating your website?
- Are firing rules in tag manager correctly implemented?
- Have you correctly implemented extra tracking feature (if using it)?
- Check pages with Delacon tracking number has tracking code on the page.
- Ensure that pages which have their own unique phone number have corresponding CID’s
- Have you notified your account manager of new/upcoming campaigns which may increase call volume?
- Have you notified your account manager of any IVR changes?
- Call Extensions Checklist
- Have you ensured you are using a separate pool of numbers to your existing tracking numbers for new campaigns?
- Is the correct tracking number mapped to the correct AdWords ID?
- Ensure location extensions feature is switched off if using call extensions with Delacon
- Have you verified domain ownership?
- Have you reviewed your call extensions data accuracy?
1.Introduction
Call Tracking requires a specific setup be implemented and maintained. While Delacon’s business development, on-boarding, account management and support team will be there to help you through the setup process, this document outlines Delacon’s best practice methods, and ongoing maintenance to ensure setup and ongoing reporting are as easy and reliable as possible.
2. Implementing the call tracking code
Delacon’s call tracking code is a simple JavaScript code that needs to be implemented correctly across your website. Our standard code looks as follows:
<script src="//vxml4.plavxml.com/sited/ref/ctrk/MID-CID" async></script>
What is an MID?
An MID is a master ID, similar to an account number. Your MID will contain one or more tracking numbers, which are assigned to CID’s.
What is a CID?
A CID is a campaign ID, which is used as an identifier for a single tracking number or a pool of dynamic numbers.
a. Ensure the tracking code is on every page of your website
In order to make sure your call tracking data is as accurate as possible, you need to ensure that the call tracking code is placed on every page of your website – even on pages that you are not using call tracking on.
By placing our code on every page, you are ensuring that call tracking data is collected across your entire website, including tracking the correct referral source. The team often finds that clients who are only using call tracking across one vertical or section of the site run into accuracy issues as the code is not implemented site wide.
For example, if a call is made from a page that has no tracking code, all preceding referral information will be lost as the page with no code becomes the referrer. Any subsequent page visited will make the page with no code the original referral source when a call is made.
When placing the code on pages you are not using call tracking on, you will need to remove the CID and preceding dash from the standard tracking code but keep the MID as previously used.
Example:
If your MID is 100, the call tracking code will look like the below:
<script src="//vxml4.plavxml.com/sited/ref/ctrk/100" async></script>
b. Don’t place the tracking code more than once on any page more than once
Do not place the Delacon tracking code on any page of your website more than once. If you are using multiple CIDs or are tracking more than one number on a particular page, you must use the multiple CID version of the code:
<script src="//vxml4.plavxml.com/sited/ref/ctrk/MID-CID1-CID2-CID3-CID4" async></script>
Example:
If your MID is 100 and you have 4 CIDs – 40, 50, 60 and 70 then the code will look like the below:
<script src="//vxml4.plavxml.com/sited/ref/ctrk/100-40-50-60-70" async></script>
c. Setup automated call log reports
The Delacon Portal maintain call log records for up to 18 months. We recommend that a monthly automatic call log report is set up. How to do this can be found here.
3. Other common errors
a. Incorrect characters in tracking code from copying/pasting
Please be careful when copying and pasting the tracking code into your website or tag manager. You need to ensure the exact same characters used in the code are copied across.
Common character errors include:
- Incorrect quotation marks used (‘’ instead of ")
- Incorrect spacing
b.Site security mismatch (https vs https) in older code versions.
We have made a number of updates to our code over the years and in some versions of the tracking code, either http or https needed to be specified.
However further updates to our code mean that this specification is no longer needed.
We have seen some issues where clients using an older version of the code change their website from http to https and the code stops working.
To rectify this, you can use a newer version of the code which does not require a specification for http or https.
c. Use of different code versions throughout the same site (in particular where the domain is vxml4.plavxml.com vs xml4.delacon.com.au)
As we have made several updates to our code, it is possible that when making an update to your site an older version of the code is left behind.
Some clients using our older code experience issues when making updates across their site using a new version of the code.
Tips to avoid – Use a tag manager so the code can be updated easily across the website or stick to one version of the code across the site.
d. Incorrect implementation of firing rules in tag managers
Tag managers are a great way to implement our call tracking code across your website, especially if your website is quite complex or you have multiple tags you need to deploy and manage. Google Tag Manager and Tealium are examples of tag managers that can be used.
However, there are a few things to bear in mind when using a tag manager:
- Creating a tag but no trigger (i.e. not specifying when the tag needs to fire) will mean the tracking code won’t run.
- Setting up an incorrect trigger.
- Setting up a trigger that is inappropriate for the requirements i.e. the code only fires on pages with phone numbers and isn’t set to fire on all pages, resulting in the same errors as specified above.
- Just like when implementing the code normally, you need to be careful when copying and pasting the code into the tag manager, making sure the correct characters are copied across.
e. Incorrect use of extra tracking criteria
Delacon offers extra tracking criteria options if you want to further specify what sources you want to track. For example, you can specify you only want to track calls from a specific campaign or landing page, or you may want to exclude a certain IP address.
Incorrectly setting up the extra tracking criteria will stop the tracking code from firing and the phone numbers will not update with the call tracking number.
Please be careful when setting up and contact Delacon Support – support@delaconcorp.com -, your onboarding manager, or your account manager for further assistance.
f. Using specific CID for the pages with specific numbers on the pages
Please ensure that the relevant CID matches the appropriate business phone number on that page. For every unique phone number on a website, there will be a separate campaign (CID). This ensures that the campaigns swap out specific phone number on the page. Including CID’s on pages which aren’t relevant can cause other numbers to display and inaccuracies in data collected.
Example:
If your MID is 100 and you have 4 CIDs – 40, 50, 60 and 70 then the code will look like the below:
<script src="//vxml4.plavxml.com/sited/ref/ctrk/100-40-50-60-70" async></script>
g. Hardcoding tracking numbers into a page
Best practice is to implement our call tracking code across your website – either manually or through a tag manager - so that it updates phone numbers dynamically, according to your setup in the Delacon portal.
By hardcoding the number into your page (i.e. inserting the number into the page with no tracking code) you will not be able to get the session-based analytics the call tracking code collects, as you will only be capturing the offline call (i.e. just capturing basic call information such as time of call, duration of call etc.).
h. Incorrect phone number in business phone number field from copying/pasting
The business phone number field in the Delacon portal works in two ways:
- Delacon’s call tracking codes uses the business phone number field to know which phone number to update on particular page with the call tracking number.
- It is the phone number displayed when you are not tracking calls. E.g. if you are only tracking calls from Paid Search campaigns and a visitor lands on your site from an organic search, the number entered into the business phone number field will display.
If you do not enter the correct number, the phone number will not update with the tracking number, meaning any calls made will not be tracked. Be careful when copying across your business phone number to this field.
4. Ensuring the correct amount of call tracking numbers is being used
When you first become a client of Delacon, our team will work closely with you to determine the correct amount of phone numbers required for your call tracking needs.
To ensure reliable attribution of calls to specific campaigns and keywords (if applicable), reliable reporting and any automated bidding, we recommend a regular review of:
- Session data versus quantity of tracking numbers for tracking calls from web traffic. Please see Delacon rolling numbers calculator webpage.
- Impression data versus quantity of tracking numbers for tracking calls from call extensions.
- We recommend no more than 3,000 impressions per month per call extension number if needing to track specific ad groupings or keywords.
a. Why does the amount of call tracking numbers matter?
As we link each call made back to the web session that originated the call, we need to ensure that this can happen properly. If not enough numbers are used, it’s possible that two calls will be made by two different people, from two different web sessions at the same time using the same phone number. This means that the different sessions will not be accurately picked up and each call will be linked to the same web session, meaning the data will be inaccurate for one of the calls.
Example
Batman Pty Ltd has decided to use a pool of 15 tracking numbers for an online call tracking campaign, after using Delacon’s number calculator. The end of financial year is close approaching and Batman Pty Ltd forgot to consider that call volume would increase during this period. All 15 tracking numbers are currently engaged with customer calls, another customer decides to make a call at this time.
By having enough phone numbers, it means that in the above scenario each caller will be displayed a different phone number so each call can be linked to the correct session.
We use a simple formula to determine how many numbers are required, based on the number of visitors to your website per hour and the average duration of each visitor’s session.
- Divide the number of visitors each hour by 60 minutes and then multiply by the time spent on the site.
- For example, if you have 240 visitors to your site each hour, and each visitor stays on the site for less than a minute, then our call tracking solution would require four numbers (240 divided by 60 multiplied by 1).
- If each visitor was staying for an average of two-and-a-half minutes, you would need 10 numbers (240 divided by 60 multiplied by 2.5).
b. How often should I review the amount of numbers I need?
It’s important to review this from time to time to ensure the correct numbers are still being used. If traffic has increased or you are running a new campaign, you may need to add some phone numbers. Conversely if traffic has dropped, you may be paying for too many numbers and can remove some, a great way to save some money on your call tracking.
Please speak to your account manager about upcoming campaigns that may drive additional traffic.
5. Notifying Delacon of IVR Changes
If you have an IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system setup that allows people calling your business to be directed to the correct department or person within your business (e.g. ‘Press 1’ for sales, ‘Press 2’ for Support etc.) it is important to notify us of any changes you make to this system, especially if you are pushing IVR data into Google Analytics or DoubleClick.
a. Why is this important?
When we setup IVR options to be pushed into either DoubleClick or Google Analytics, there is a specific setup that is required in order to make sure this data is captured in the platforms. Thus, any changes made to the IVR such as menu options changing, or menu options being added can affect the accuracy of the data being captured.
Example:
If your IVR has option 1 for sales calls, this means that any caller who selects Option 1 will display in Google Analytics or DoubleClick as a sales intent call. On the back of capturing this data, you may also use DoubleClick to optimise towards campaigns or keywords generating sales intent calls.
However, if you make changes to your IVR and Option 1 becomes another option unrelated to sales, the calls won’t be accurately reported as sales intent calls. Furthermore, any optimisation made towards campaigns or keywords generating sales intent calls will also be inaccurate. This could lead to money being spent on campaigns or keywords that aren’t generating the types of calls you want.
b. How you can let Delacon know your IVR has been changed or is being changed?
To get the best results, you should let Delacon know ahead of time that your IVR is being updated. This will allow your Delacon team to implement or advise of any changes required to your call tracking setup.
The best way to let us know is by contacting your account manager via email, detailing the changes that are taking place and when these are likely to occur.
Alternatively, you can send an email to Delacon support – support@delaconcorp.com – and they can also assist you.
6. Call Extensions
When setting up Delacon call tracking numbers to be used in AdWords Call Extensions, allowing you to track calls directly from SERPs (Search Engine Results Page). There are a few critical things you need to be aware of;
a. Separate Pool of Numbers
When using Delacon’s call extensions integration, a separate pool of numbers should be used to your existing tracking numbers. Taking a pre-existing tracking number and pasting it into the call extensions field in AdWords is not advisable. This will cause the integration to not work and will create inaccuracies in the normal call tracking data.
b. Number Mapping
When setting up the integration in the Delacon Portal, it’s important to make sure the correct tracking number is mapped to the correct AdWords ID.
Please note: you can map multiple tracking numbers to one AdWords ID however you cannot map a tracking number to multiple AdWords ID’s.
c. Select ‘Off’ For Reporting in AdWords
In your AdWords account, you must select ‘Off’ for Call Reporting when setting up the call extension number. This needs to be Off as if it is turned on, when a call is made, AdWords will show the Google Call Forwarding number, which will be forwarded to the Delacon 1300 number. Only calls from mobile phones will show as a conversion in AdWords. By selecting Off, the correct 1300 number will display and calls from both mobile phones and landlines will show as conversions in the Delacon portal
d. Location Extensions Feature
If you want to use call extensions, make sure you do not choose the location extensions feature. This will conflict with your call extensions number and they will not get approved by Google.
e. Verify domain ownership
If you have not previously verified the ownership of your domain in AdWords, you may find that your extension ads get disapproved. This happens when Google crawls the website and does not find the Delacon number that is being used in the call extensions.
There are 2 ways to fix this issue, which are covered in this support article:
https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/6368661
- Please navigate down to the ‘Unverified phone number’ section.
For further help, please contact support@delaconcorp.com
f. Reviewing Call Extensions Data Accuracy
To make sure the integrations have been setup correctly and the data is being displayed accurately, please follow the below steps to test the data:
Step 1: Login to DoubleClick Search
Step 2: Check the total number of conversions received for a specific flood light tag.
Step 3: Login to the Delacon Portal
Step 4: Check the total number of calls received per CID matches, the total number of conversions for the matching floodlight tag in DoubleClick Search. Using the Delacon Call Log Report, make sure for each call the following information has been captured:
- AdWords Campaign
- AdWords Keyword
If the total number of conversions matches the total number of calls and the above information is being captured, the integration has been setup correctly.
If the data is not matching and you don’t see the above information, please email support@delaconcorp.com and cc in your account manager detailing the issue.
7. Best Practice for Reporting Setup
a. How to create goals for Delacon events
When a call is made, a virtual pageview is generating in Google Analytics to record a call. However, in addition to sending virtual pageviews to Google Analytics, we also send through the following event categories:
- Event Category = "calltracking" - Accompanies the Live call conversion with web session information.
- Event Category = "repeat" - Sent when the same caller makes a phone call to the same call tracking number from the previous session.
- Event Category = "offline" - Sent when no session information is available. i.e. the call has been made when the browser is closed and the user’s session cannot be determined. If the number is used in an offline medium all calls will be of this category.
See images below from Google Analytics:
The Event Value contains the call duration in seconds:
b. How to create a goal conversion using Event
You must have full administration access to your Google Analytics account.
Note that by creating an event-based goal, this will capture all calls made, including when the caller is on the website and when they have closed the browser.
1. Setup a custom goal
In your Google Analytics account, select admin and click on goals.
2. Add new goal
3. Select custom goal
Select Custom for your goal and click Next Step
4. Goal name and type
Select a name for your goal such as Delacon Call Tracking. Select Event for the goal type.
5. Goal details
Please only enter duration into Event Action field.
c. How to create a live call conversion in Google Analytics
By creating the live call report, Delacon’s system will add a URL virtual page view into Google Analytics. To create a goal, an essential element of the live call report, you must have full administration access to your Google Analytics account.
Note that by creating a live call report, this will only capture live calls i.e. calls made when the caller is on the web page. You may not need to create a live call conversion if you have completed a goal conversion in Google Analytics using Event.
1. Setup a custom goal
In your Google Analytics account, select admin and click on goals.
2. Add new goal
Click on the New Goal button.
3. Select custom goal
Select Custom for your goal and click Next Step
4. Goal name and type
Select a name for your goal such as Delacon Live Conversion. Select Destination for the goal type.
5. Goal details
If you choose Destination type as the Goal, follow the following step:
Enter the destination URL as Regular Expression to /delaconconversion.htm. This is our default suggestion. You can define a unique destination URL as per your requirements but this must be mapped exactly when configuring the integration in our portal. The only requirement for a custom destination URL is that it must start with a /. Click “Save” to finalise the set up.
d. Tracking for specific IVR options or caller intent using the DTMF descriptions
The DTMF description is the names you give to each of the options on your phone menu system. E.g. If the menu option when a caller calls your business is Press 1 for ‘Sales’, the DTMF description is ‘Sales’.
If you want to push DTMF descriptions to Google Analytics, please contact support@delaconcorp.com or your account manager to enable and setup the DTMF descriptions in the Delacon system.
If you want to report on goal conversions for a specific IVR selected using the DTMF description, you will need to create an additional goal.
Make sure in the ‘label’ field in the Goal Details section, the DTMF description you want to report on is entered.
For e.g. to set up a goal to report on sales calls, the label setting drop-down should be set as ‘regular expression’ and the Label field filled in as ‘Sales’. See Figure 5 below:
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