Özgül Yavuz Kaddoura
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How to Track WhatsApp and Call Clicks as Google Ads Conversions with GTM
Why Your Call and WhatsApp Leads Go Missing
If your Google Ads campaigns get clicks but you can't tell how many people actually called or messaged you, your conversion tracking has a gap. For many businesses, the "Call" and "WhatsApp" buttons on the website are where leads start, and if those clicks aren't counted, Google Ads can't tell which keywords bring you customers.
Google Tag Manager (GTM) lets you track these button clicks as Google Ads conversions. The steps below walk you through the setup.
What You Lose When Call and WhatsApp Clicks Aren't Tracked
Conversion tracking isn't only for forms and purchases. When someone clicks your ad and then calls or messages you, that's a lead. If you don't count it, three things go wrong:
You can't see what works: You won't know which campaigns, ad groups or keywords actually bring in customers.
Budget goes to the wrong keywords: Keywords that drive calls look like they don't convert, while keywords with clicks but no contact keep getting budget.
Smart Bidding works blind: Strategies like Maximize Conversions and Target CPA learn from conversion data. Without your call and WhatsApp leads, they optimize toward the wrong traffic.
Before You Start
You'll need:
Access to your Google Ads account, with permission to create conversion actions.
A Google Tag Manager container installed on your website, with permission to publish changes.
If GTM isn't on your site yet, add the two container code snippets, one in the <head> and one right after the opening <body> tag, by following Google's setup guide. If you serve users in the EEA or the UK, make sure consent mode is set up as well, otherwise some conversions may not be recorded.
Step 1: Create the Conversion Actions in Google Ads
First, tell Google Ads what you want to track. We recommend two separate conversion actions, one for calls and one for WhatsApp, so you can see which channel brings more leads.
In Google Ads, go to Goals > Conversions > Summary.
Click + New conversion action and select Website.
Enter your website address and click Scan. Then scroll down and click + Add a conversion action manually.
Fill in the details:
Category: Contact (or Submit lead form, if that fits better).
Conversion name: Something clear, such as "Call button click" or "WhatsApp button click".
Count: One. This counts one conversion per ad click, so repeated clicks from the same visitor don't inflate your numbers.
Click Done, then Save and continue.
Choose Use Google Tag Manager and copy the Conversion ID and Conversion Label. You'll need them in Step 2.
Repeat these steps for the second conversion action.
Step 2: Set Up the Triggers and Tags in Google Tag Manager
Next, tell GTM to send a conversion to Google Ads whenever someone clicks your call or WhatsApp button.
Turn on the click variables
In GTM, go to Variables and click Configure under Built-In Variables.
Under Clicks, enable Click URL, Click Element and Click Classes.
Check how your buttons are linked
Right-click your call or WhatsApp button and choose Inspect. Look at the href value:
Call buttons usually start with tel:, for example tel:+441234567890.
WhatsApp buttons usually point to wa.me or api.whatsapp.com.
If your button has no href and opens through a script instead, use an All Elements trigger with a Click Classes or Click Element condition rather than Just Links.
Create the triggers
Create one trigger for each button type. GTM combines all conditions in a trigger with AND, so calls and WhatsApp need separate triggers.
Go to Triggers > New and choose Click – Just Links.
Select Some Link Clicks.
For the call trigger, set: Click URL – starts with – tel:. Name it "Click – Call button".
For the WhatsApp trigger, set: Click URL – matches RegEx (ignore case) – wa\.me|api\.whatsapp\.com. Name it "Click – WhatsApp button".
Save both triggers.
To track only one phone number, for example a single branch, use Click URL – contains – followed by that number.
Create the Google Ads conversion tags
Go to Tags > New and choose Google Ads Conversion Tracking.
Paste the Conversion ID and Conversion Label of your call conversion action from Step
Under Triggering, select "Click – Call button" and save the tag as "Google Ads – Call button click"
Repeat for WhatsApp, using the WhatsApp conversion action's ID and label and the "Click – WhatsApp button" trigger.
Add the Conversion Linker
Go to Tags > New and choose Conversion Linker.
Set the trigger to All Pages and save.
The Conversion Linker stores ad click information so conversions can be credited to the right ad. If GTM also suggests adding a Google tag, create one with your Google Ads tag ID (your Conversion ID with the "AW-" prefix) on All Pages.
Step 3: Test, Publish and Verify
In GTM, click Preview and open your website in the debug window.
Click your call button and your WhatsApp button.
In the Tag Assistant panel, select each Link Click event. The matching tag, "Google Ads – Call button click" or "Google Ads – WhatsApp button click", should appear under Tags Fired.
If both tags fire, close Preview and click Submit in GTM to publish your changes.
Check the conversion actions in Google Ads under Goals > Conversions. It can take a few hours for the status to update and for the first conversions to appear.
For more details, see Google's guide to setting up web conversions.
Track real calls, not just clicks: A click on a call button shows interest, but it doesn't confirm that a call happened. Google Ads can also count actual phone calls as conversions. Using both gives Smart Bidding a clearer picture of which clicks lead to real conversations.
Bots can click your call and WhatsApp buttons too. ClickSambo shows which of these clicks were fake and blocks fraudulent sources automatically.
Verify My Leads 
Frequently asked questions
GTM tracks the click on your WhatsApp button, not whether a message was actually sent. Some people click and change their mind, and some clicks come from bots that trigger the conversion without any intent to contact you. If button clicks are much higher than the messages you receive, fake clicks may be part of the reason. ClickSambo shows which visitors who clicked your WhatsApp or call buttons were fake, so you can see how much of the gap is fraud.
Yes. Performance Max bids toward the conversion goals selected for the campaign. Set your call and WhatsApp click actions as primary conversions and make sure their goal is included in the campaign, and Performance Max will use them for bidding. Keep the data clean: if bots click these buttons, Performance Max learns from those fake conversions and starts looking for more of the same traffic.
For WhatsApp and Calls, always choose "One." If a user clicks the button three times to make sure it works, you don't want to count three conversions. Counting "Every" is usually reserved for purchases where each transaction has unique value.
Yes. Create a separate conversion action for each branch, then set up a trigger for each number with Click URL – contains – followed by that number, for example tel:+441234567890. Each branch's calls then appear as their own conversion in Google Ads, so you can see which locations and campaigns bring the most calls.
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