This article describes how numbers work with Ringba. It also contains a glossary of numbers terms and a section of frequently asked questions.
This article contains the following sections:
Tracking Numbers
Tracking numbers are phone numbers used to track information about a caller and route the call to a destination. When a potential customer sees the number and clicks to call, Ringba automatically records attribution data and forwards the call according to the routing plan.
Ringba offers on-demand toll-free and local phone numbers all over the world. This allows you to track and monitor your call campaigns with real-time precision analytics and attribute traffic sources, keywords, and other data to your calls.
Static Number Tracking
You can display numbers on any type of static advertisement, offline or online and use them to track the specific segment of callers who saw that ad. Having a unique phone number for every channel lets you track the overall productivity of each call stream, giving you insight into what types of advertising are working and which aren’t.
Example: Basic Call Tracking
A company advertises in a variety of ways:
- Three billboards
- A monthly mailer
- An email newsletter
- A Google listing
- A website
By generating a unique phone number for each and placing them appropriately, the company can see which channels generate the most calls and make the most profit.
Dynamic Number Tracking
Dynamic number tracking uses a JavaScript tag to dynamically insert tracking numbers from a number pool into your online ads. This approach offers detailed and granular information about your callers because you can connect the call directly to the caller's session data. Just as with static number tracking, you can use the data you gather from dynamic number tracking to optimize your promotions.
Example: Google Ads
A company buys clicks from Google Ads. The company passes Google’s keyword data to their landing page in a URL variable where it becomes available to the JavaScript snippet. The company configures their Ringba account to track that keyword with the displayed phone number using a URL Parameter.
When the call comes in, the company knows which keyword generated the call and can fire a Tracking Pixel to send that information to their tracking platform or Google Ads with the keyword to aggregate keyword performance data.
Example: Facebook Ads
A company buys clicks from Facebook. Thanks to the information Facebook can access, the company also benefits from a rich pool of demographic information to target by. When creating their ads, they pass the configured demographics and identifiers back into Ringba to see how they perform.
The company tests five advertisements with five different images. They tag each ad with a URL variable for Ringba to track using a URL Parameter. This approach offers specific insights into which ads are generating calls. The company can also pass data like gender, age, and other demographic information back to Ringba for more detailed insights what’s inspires user to click-to-call.
Manage Numbers Screen
You access your numbers from the Manage Numbers screen.
To open this screen, click Numbers from the left navigation bar and then click Manage Numbers from the submenu that appears.
From this screen you can:
- Search for existing numbers using the search tools in the upper right corner.
- Export your numbers to a CSV file with the Export CSV button.
- Control which columns appear in the table using the gear icon.
- Click the Create Number button to create a new number. See Tracking Numbers for step-by-step instructions.
- See a list of your recent number orders by clicking the Number Order button.
On the Manage Numbers screen you see a table with a row for each number in your account. The table includes the following columns:
- Number: The phone number in this row.
- Country: The country where this phone number exists. You can choose United States or Canada in this field. To add numbers from other countries, contact Ringba Support.
- Name: The name you assigned to this number to make it easy to identify on reports.
- Formatted: The phone number without the + at the beginning.
- Allocated: The date the number was allocated to your account.
- Renews: The date the number is set to renew.
- Campaign: The campaign the number is assigned to, if the number is linked to a campaign.
- Number pool: The number pool the number is assigned to, if the number is assigned to a number pool. If the number is not assigned to a number pool or publisher, you can use the icon in this column to assign the number to an eligible pool.
- Publisher: The name of the publisher the number is assigned to, if the number is assigned to a publisher. If the number is not assigned to a number pool or publisher, you can use the icon in this column to assign the number to an eligible publisher.
- Status: The status of the number.
- Actions: Actions you can perform on this number. You can use the tools in this column to edit the number, deallocate the number, pause the number, and show a list of recent actions related to this number.
You may see different columns in your table depending on your configuration. Click the gear icon to customize your screen.
Number Terms Glossary
This section defines common terms you encounter when talking about numbers.
Toll-Free Numbers
Definition: Toll-free numbers are telephone numbers that callers can call at no charge to the caller. Instead, the receiving party (typically a business) bears the cost of the call. These numbers are often used by businesses to encourage customers to call them for inquiries, support, or sales without worrying about incurring long-distance charges.
Characteristics: They start with specific three-digit codes such as 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844, or 833.
Local Numbers
Definition: Local numbers are telephone numbers assigned to a specific geographic area or city. Calls to these numbers are considered local and usually incur charges based on the local rate set by the caller's telephone service provider, unless the caller has a calling plan that includes free local calls.
Characteristics: The area code (the first three digits) of the number indicates the geographic region it is associated with. Charges for calling these numbers vary depending on the caller's location and phone service plan.
T800 Numbers
Definition: The term "T800 number" generally refers to toll-free numbers that specifically start with the 800 prefix. It's one of the original and most recognized toll-free number prefixes.
Characteristics: Like all toll-free numbers, calling a T800 number is free for the caller, and the cost of the call is borne by the party receiving the call. These numbers are highly sought after by businesses for their recognizability and ease of remembering.
Number Management FAQ
What countries can I obtain tracking numbers for?
You can add tracking numbers in over 60 countries. You can easily add numbers for the United States and Canada yourself in the on the Manage Numbers screen. Contact Ringba Support to add numbers in other countries.
Do you have inventory for true "800" toll-free numbers?
Yes! National inventory is sold out, but we have a limited supply of true "800" toll-free numbers for running branded call campaigns.
How much does a number cost?
The cost for a number depends on the kind of number and your subscription plan. You can see the standard prices by subscription plan on the Ringba Platform Pricing page. You can find the exact prices for your account on the Settings > Billing Settings screen. See Billing Settings for more information.
What should I do if I need help with managing my tracking numbers and number pools?
If you have any questions or need additional help with your tracking numbers, please reach out to our support team via chat or email at support@ringba.com.