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How to Connect CallRail to Google Ads: 11 Steps

How to connect CallRail to Google Ads in 11 steps: auto-tagging, snippet, website pool, authorize, pick call actions, set Primary, see the first call.

October 2, 2026·6 min read·by Olexander Cheberko
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To connect CallRail to Google Ads, turn on auto-tagging, put CallRail's JavaScript snippet and a website pool on your site, then authorize Google Ads under Integrations in CallRail, choose the call actions and select Activate. The steps below follow CallRail's and Google's help pages in order and end with the first call arriving in Google Ads.

Before you connect

Check 1: Turn on auto-tagging

WhereGoogle AdsAdminAccount settingsAuto-tagging
Do: Open the Auto-tagging section in the account that runs the ads (Google: about auto-tagging).
You should see: The box next to Tag the URL that people click through from my ad is checked. CallRail needs the gclid it adds to recognize a call as Google Ads.
If not: Check the box and click Save. More in Google Ads auto-tagging.

Check 2: Install the CallRail snippet

WhereCallRailIntegrationsJavaScript Snippet
Do: Choose the company, copy its snippet and paste it into each page right before the </body> tag (CallRail: installing the JavaScript snippet).
You should see: The snippet on every page your ads land on and on each page with a phone number or form you track. Each company in CallRail has its own snippet.
If not: Add it to the missing pages. On WordPress or Wix, CallRail's plugin gives the same functionality.

Check 3: Create a website pool

WhereCallRailCreate NumberOn my websiteCalls, keywords, & web sessions
Do: Enter the number calls should ring, pick the source, name the pool, set its size and click Activate Tracking Number (CallRail: create a website pool).
You should see: A pool of at least four numbers whose source is All Website Visitors, which CallRail recommends in most cases, or Google Ads (visitor tracking basics).
If not: Put the pool on your landing pages. Only Google Ads calls to a website pool report as conversions; calls to source trackers do not.

Check 4: Test that a pool number swaps in

Do: In a fresh private window, open a landing page with ?gclid=test added, which is how CallRail simulates a Google Ads click.
You should see: Your phone number replaced by a number from the pool.
If not: Check that the snippet is on that page and that no other tracking number overrides the pool under CallRail's swap precedence rules.

Connect CallRail to Google Ads

Check 5: Authorize CallRail and pick the Ads account

WhereCallRailIntegrationsGoogle Ads
Do: Sign in to the right Google Ads account first. Choose the company, select Authorize, then Allow, and select the Google Ads account to take the integration out of pending (CallRail: Google Ads integration).
You should see: The account that runs your ads. The integration is set per company, so repeat it for each one. Under a manager account, pick one opted into cross-account conversions from the Accounts drop-down.
If not: If Authorize opens nothing, turn off your ad blocker, then clear cookies and cache or try another browser. If you linked the wrong account, deactivate, sign in to the right one and start again.

Check 6: Set integration filters, if you want any

WhereCallRailIntegrationsIntegration Filters
Do: Choose the company, choose Google Ads, create your filters (more with + Add Filter) and select Save. This works while the integration is still pending (CallRail: integration filters).
You should see: Only filters you mean to keep. Picking a number or pool limits sending to calls to those numbers, and a tag filter only works for tags applied by the Call Flow Builder, Keypad Scoring or Automation Rules.
If not: Leave Google Ads out of the table to send every eligible call.

Check 7: Choose which calls send, then activate

WhereCallRailIntegrationsGoogle Ads
Do: In the Conversions section, check Calls and pick Create one conversion for all calls or Create separate conversion actions for first-time callers and repeat callers. Check Forms only if you want form fills sent too. Select Activate.
You should see: In Google Ads, Phone Call, or First Time Phone Call and Repeat Phone Call, with the source Import from clicks. Changing an action's name or source stops reporting; other fields are safe to edit.
If not: Allow up to 24 hours after any change, then check that the integration shows as active for that company and activate it again if not.

Set up the call action in Google Ads

Check 8: Make the call action Primary

WhereGoogle AdsGoalsConversionsSummary
Do: Find the goal that holds Phone Call, click Edit goal and under Conversion action optimization select Primary, then click Save (Google: primary and secondary actions).
You should see: The action set to Primary, in a goal your campaigns use. A secondary action shows only under All conversions and does not bid unless a custom goal includes it.
If not: If the goal is not an account-default goal, it bids only in campaigns that use it. Click Edit goal and select the setting that uses it as an account-default goal (CallRail: no conversions).
Careful: Keep one primary action per call. If an upload of your own or another call action also counts the same calls as primary, Google says that means "counting 2 conversions for every call". In a multi-location US medical practice's Google Ads account, CallRail's native integration sent calls into several call conversion actions, all set to primary, next to a qualified-call upload I built, and the choice there was one primary path. Which path should bid: counting CallRail calls once.

Check 9: Set Count to Every

WhereGoogle AdsGoalsConversionsSummary
Do: Click the name of the call action, then Edit settings, Count, Every and Save (Google: conversion counting options).
You should see: Every on each CallRail call action. With One, Google counts one conversion per ad click and skips calls from clicks that carry wbraid or gbraid, so CallRail recommends Every.
If not: Change it now. The new setting applies only to future conversions.

Values and the first call

Check 10: Send call values, if you assign them

WhereCallRailIntegrationsGoogle Ads
Do: In the Sending Values section, check Send a call's value to Google Ads and pick a delay between 4 hours and 30 days (CallRail: sending call values).
You should see: A delay longer than your team takes to add a value, on the caller timeline or through Automation Rules (adding call values). Values added at the end of each day need at least 24 hours.
If not: Lengthen the delay. CallRail sends a value once and cannot change it in Google Ads later, and a new delay only applies to calls after you save it.

Check 11: Confirm the first call arrives

WhereCallRailAnalyticsActivityCall Log
Do: After the first ad call, select Add Filter, set Numbers to your website pool and Source to Google Ads, and match any filter from step 6 (CallRail: call conversions in your call log).
You should see: That call as a conversion on Phone Call, or on First Time Phone Call if you split them, in Google Ads. The first one can take 24 to 48 hours after setup, and calls from before activation never post.
If not: Run the checks for CallRail calls not showing in Google Ads.

What to do next

The integration now counts each eligible call from an ad as a conversion, whether the caller booked or not. The next step is telling Google which calls became revenue, either with values in CallRail or with an upload of qualified calls from your booking records, keeping one primary path. Tying those calls to real bookings is the closed-loop attribution I set up.

Tags

connect-callrail-to-google-adscallrail-google-ads-integrationcallrail-integrationcall-conversionscall-tracking

Frequently asked questions

How long after connecting CallRail do calls appear in Google Ads?

CallRail says any change to the integration can take up to 24 hours to register in Google Ads, and the first call conversion can take 24 to 48 hours after setup. Only calls made after activation post. If you send call values, CallRail first waits the delay you chose, and the value can take up to 24 more hours to display.

Do I need enhanced conversions for the CallRail Google Ads integration?

No. CallRail's help says the integration posts conversions on Google's click ids (gclid, wbraid and gbraid), and that enhanced conversions are an alternative to that method you do not need alongside it.

Does the CallRail integration send calls from Google Ads call assets?

No. It only posts Google Ads calls made to website pool numbers. For call assets and call-only ads, CallRail points to Call Details Forwarding, which is set up in Google Ads, and Google then counts those calls under its own call conversion settings, not under CallRail's "Phone Call" action.

Do I need CallRail's tracking template for call conversions?

No. CallRail says calls still report as conversions without it. Its keyword parameter in the Google Ads tracking template puts the caller's keyword on the call log right away; without it, CallRail fetches keywords once a day.

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