Call reporting is a Google Ads setting that records details of phone calls made from your ads, using a Google forwarding number in place of your own. With it switched on, you can see when each call happened, how long it lasted, the caller’s area code and whether anyone picked up.
How call reporting works
When an ad with a call asset or a call-only ad is shown, Google displays a forwarding number rather than your business number. The caller dials it, Google connects them to your real line within a moment, and the call carries on as normal. Neither side notices the routing, but Google now knows the call came from a specific ad, keyword and campaign.
The setting lives at account level and is usually on by default where forwarding numbers are offered. Forwarding numbers are only available in certain countries. At the time of writing (October 2026), the UK is one of them, but the list is set by Google and can change, so check the call reporting option in your account settings rather than assuming.
The call details report then lists each call with:
- start and end time, and duration
- status: received or missed
- the caller’s area code, such as 020 for London or 0161 for Manchester (Google does not show the full number)
- call type: a tap on a mobile call button or a number dialled by hand
- the campaign and ad group the call came from
The same forwarding numbers power call conversions, which count calls above a set length as results.
Why it matters
Without call reporting, calls from ads leave no trace in Google Ads. For phone-led businesses that means the account under-reports its results, and Smart Bidding works from an incomplete picture of what is working.
The detail is useful beyond conversion counting. Missed calls show when your phone is not being answered: if a third of calls on Saturday mornings are missed, that is lost business you can fix with staffing or scheduling rather than more ad spend. Area codes give a rough sense of where callers are, which helps check that location targeting is reaching the right towns. Call times help you set a sensible ad schedule.
Common mistakes
- Turning call reporting off because a forwarding number “looks odd”, and losing all call data.
- Never opening the call details report, so missed calls go unnoticed.
- Reading mobile area codes as location data. A 07 number says nothing about where the caller is.
- Assuming call reporting also covers people who ring the number on your website. That needs website call tracking set up separately.
- Expecting call recordings or caller names. Google’s call reporting records neither.
How to act on it
Check that call reporting is on in your account settings and that your call assets show a forwarding number when you search on a phone. Then open the call details report once a week. Look at the share of missed calls by day and hour, the average call length, and which campaigns produce calls that last long enough to be real enquiries.
If you need to hear calls, see caller numbers or tie calls to sales, add a dedicated call tracking platform and tell callers about any recording, as UK GDPR requires. Setting up call reporting and reviewing it alongside the rest of the account is part of my Google search ads management.