When we ask attorneys how many calls they receive each month from visitors to their websites, the large majority are quick to reply that they’re not certain. This lack of information is in many ways understandable, albeit problematic if you really want to measure your site’s ROI. Of course, you can train your receptionist to ask each caller but that system can be susceptible to human error. Even when your receptionist is sure to ask the question of the individual on the other end of the line, callers often fail to answer this question accurately. You can regularly check your Google Analytics data and try to manually determine which visitors turned in callers but that can be incredibly time consuming. Luckily, there is another way to more definitively track calls from your website – through the use of call tracking.
Simply explained, with a call tracking system, you place a phone number on your site that is used exclusively for the purpose of tracking. When calls come to this number (which is usually configured to forward to your firm’s main line), you can be certain that this call is from a visitor on your firm’s website. More advanced solutions can also provide you with a thorough look at a visitor’s behavior on your site before they contacted you. These stats can be emailed to you with each new call that comes in or you can simply opt to review weekly or monthly reports.
Common Concerns with Call Tracking
In discussing this option with firms, we occasionally encounter a bit of hesitation from attorneys. These common concerns include:
They don’t want to confuse clients
We understand that your firm may have used the same phone number for the past 15 years and while you’re probably quite familiar with it, most of your clients don’t know it by heart. Displaying another number on your website isn’t likely to deter contacts from calling you.
They fear losing the number
Once you use a phone number for your practice, you want to be in full control of it. Luckily, with most call tracking services, even if you decide to discontinue the monthly tracking service, you can port the number over to a phone carrier of your choice giving you full control of how it’s used in the future.
They are concerned the new number will interfere with their local rankings
It is true that Google references a business’ name, address and phone number when generating local search results. However, if implemented correctly with dynamic number insertion, your call tracking number (regardless of how many you use), should not have an adverse impact on your site’s ranking. Since the implementation of a call tracking system does require some technical knowledge, it’s recommended that you work with a seasoned web developer to obtain optimal results.
Benefits of Call Tracking
Call tracking is often used in online advertising campaigns such as pay-per-click marketing so you can better understand the effectiveness of different ads which may be running at the same time. However, even in the absence of such paid campaigns, call tracking may be a valuable tool for gauging your site’s success. For example, a tracking phone number may be used to help you understand which sites are sending leads to your website (e.g. a paid directory listing or the site of your local paper that publishes articles by your firm). This information can help you better understand where you should devote your efforts and marketing resources.
Call tracking allows you to easily assess:
- The number of calls that originate with your firm’s website
- The sites that send the highest number of visitors to your site
- The pages on your site that convert the greatest number of visitors to callers
- Keywords used to find your site (if visitor came through an organic site or PPC campaign)
- Duration of calls to your office
All of this information can be used to build a more effective web presence, one that maximizes the return on your investment. At Amicus Creative Media, we’ve worked with over 1000 law firms, helping them develop powerful advertising campaigns. If you need help understanding traffic to your site or assistance with better evaluating site leads, give us a call.