Simple ways to track where your calls come from

Why bother

If you pay for a website, ads or a listing, you should know whether it brings in calls. Without any tracking you're guessing. You don't need perfect numbers. Rough and honest beats none.

1. Ask every caller

The oldest method still works. On every new call, ask "How did you hear about us?" Write the answer down in the same place every time: a notebook in the truck, a note on your phone or a column in a spreadsheet. Use a short list so the answers add up:

• Google search or Google Maps
• Referral from a customer or neighbor
• Saw a truck or yard sign
• Facebook or Nextdoor
• Repeat customer
• Other

It isn't exact. Some people just say "online" or "I don't remember". It's still better than nothing, and it takes ten seconds a call.

2. Add a field to your form

On your quote request form, add one optional question, "How did you hear about us?", with the same short list as a drop-down. Keep it optional so it doesn't stop anyone from sending the form.

3. Read Google's own numbers

Your Google Business Profile has a performance section. It shows how many people tapped the call button on your profile, asked for directions or clicked through to your website over a period you choose. It's free, and it comes straight from Google. It only counts taps on the profile itself, not people who typed your number in by hand, so treat it as a trend, not a total.

4. Count taps on your website's call button

A tap-to-call link on your site can be counted with a simple analytics tool. That shows how many visitors tapped the number, not how many calls became jobs.

5. A dedicated tracking number

A tracking number is a second phone number that forwards to your real one. You put it in one place, such as your website, and every call to it is counted. It's the most exact method, and it has real downsides:

• It can break your name, address and phone consistency. If different numbers for your business show up around the web, your listings stop matching and customers can't tell which one is right.
• If you stop paying for it, the number can go away, along with every caller who saved it.
• Make sure you can keep the number before it goes on a truck or a printed card.

If you use one, use it in one place only and keep your real number everywhere else. See keeping your name, address and phone consistent before you change any listing.

If you record calls

Some tracking and answering tools can record calls. Recording laws differ by state, and some states require everyone on the call to agree. The careful habit is to tell callers at the start that the call may be recorded, and to check the law for your state or ask a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice. Our AI receptionist, Ava, records a call only if the caller agrees.

What to do with the answers

Once a month, add up where your calls came from and which ones turned into jobs. Put your time and money where the jobs are coming from.