Firms Compromising Phone Call Data Lose Track of ROI for Ads: Portland SEO's Augusto Beato

Augusto Beato, CEO of Portland SEO, advised businesses to have accurate data on phone calls that are engaging their online ads to prove the full ROI of their ad spending. It will also optimize messaging, targeting, and bid strategies to generate more customers at a lower cost per click.

He noted that numerous people seeing online ads are responding by making phone calls and this interaction is not being captured through the Google Ad reports like those transacting online.

"The lack of offline data in the customer journey makes it difficult to make an accurate analysis of ROI for your online ads," says Beato. "Not having offline data lead to inaccuracy of the ROI report, especially since Google Ads drives millions of calls to businesses every day.

When a potential customer wants to get in touch, they can email the dealership, connect on their website, check out its Facebook page, tweet, or even engage with a chatbot.

Although customers do most of their initial research online, by the time they pick up their phone to check for inventory from local dealers, they’re on their way to purchase. Consumers are clicking to call from their device, and how a dealer handles the call influences their purchase decision. Customers still crave a human connection, and businesses that invest in proper call handling are the ones that are selling. Thus, marketers who pass call data into Google Ads receive a holistic view of their campaign results, allowing them to make smarter optimizations in an increasingly competitive landscape.

With the help of a call analytics solution, marketers can quantify how many calls each of their Google Ads campaigns, ads, keywords, and targeting strategies are driving.

Businesses seeking help to understand the lead quality of these calls and their outcome of the conversation can engage the assistance of Portland SEO through this link or contact Augusto Beato via Twitter.

Using this information, you can optimize bid strategies, audience targeting, and messaging for what drives the most business — online and over the phone. "When calls are added to your existing click data, you’re able to see the full results of your campaigns. Clearly, this call data would support your business strategy," Beato added.

Google Ads is a powerful, but extremely competitive digital advertising platform enabling marketers to run a search, display, and video ad campaigns. In Q4 of 2017, the average cost per click for Google Ads increased by 14 percent. With nearly three-quarters of Google Ads marketers planning to increase their spend in the future, the pressure is rising for marketers to not only prove — but optimize — the ROI of their efforts.