Google announced today that they are launching their Call Metrics Adwords extension to all of the US and Canada.  Previously only available in an exclusive Beta trial, what does this product offer and is it worth the money?

What is Call Metrics?

Simply put, Google’s Call Metrics gives you a toll-free number to add to your Adwords ads and allows you to get Analytics type information about who has called this number.

The service has just come out of Beta in the US.  There is no news as to if and when this service might launch in the UK.  (My opinion would be that it is unlikely to feature in blighty any time soon.)

Pros

• People are more likely to call a toll-free number than a regular land line or cell number.
• You get another level of insight into the ROI of your Adwords campaign, as you can tell who is calling you after seeing an ad, whether that is instantly or three weeks later.
• Integrate call analytics and online analytics by using the central Google Analytics platform
• Offers the possibility of creating new ways to track conversion not just from Adwords, but from your Sales Team. (If you are getting 10 calls from the ad, but none convert you can see where in the pipeline there is a problem.)

Cons

• At a flat rate of $1 per call, it’s not cheap.  What happens if 1,000 people have that number and use it to call you for every little thing?
• Your toll free number is only valid as long as you are using the service.  What if people note your toll free number and try calling in a couple of months but you aren’t using Call Metrics anymore?   Will the calls be forwarded but just not tracked?

My Two Cents

There are two things that seriously concern me about Google’s Call Metrics.

[pullquote]Custom phone numbers used with call metrics are a property of Google and may be discontinued or reassigned as needed.[/pullquote]Firstly, the number is not your own and therefor you are relinquishing control over one of your company’s most valuable assets: your contact information that is distributed to potential customers.

Secondly, their statement that Call Metrics will affect Ad Rank in future really bothers me.  In their support centre, they are nicely vague, saying “Call activity currently does not factor into your Ad Rank or Quality Score. This may change in the future.”  Normally when I see something that may affect rank in the future, I am quick to recommend that clients get in early to secure any possible benefits, but I just amn’t confident enough in this product.

[pullquote]In a future release, we plan to incorporate calls into Ad Rank calculations, which determine an ad’s position and cost per click. At that time, you’ll be able to influence your ad position by specifying a bid per call greater than $1.00 USD. [/pullquote]More disturbing is that in their blog post about the launch, Google blatantly states that in future having Call Metrics WILL directly affect your ad rank and therefor where you appear in ad results as well as your Cost Per Click.

Not only that, but in order to achieve this they will open up Call Metrics to bids… effectively meaning that your Adwords campaign budget will go up.

Call activity currently does not factor into your Ad Rank or Quality Score. This may change in the future.

Should I Invest in Call Metrics?

At the end of the day it is up to you and how valuable the information generated by call metrics will be.  There are other ways to track leads generated from Adwords campaigns, such as quoting codes or setting up dedicated extensions.  Obviously these aren’t as feature rich and insightful as Call Metrics, but they are far cheaper and you retain full control over your toll-free number.

I have my own opinions (don’t I always?!) but the goal of this post is to remind you that just because something is new and shiny, doesn’t mean it is a good investment for your business.