If you’re managing Google Ads campaigns, it’s crucial to analyze how users engage with your brand throughout their journey. Whether it’s completing a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter, or downloading your app, every action offers important insights. In this article, I’ll present a detailed guide on Google Ads conversion tracking, a powerful tool that helps you identify and understand the user actions that matter most to your business.
What is Google Ads Conversion Tracking?
Google Ads Conversion Tracking is a feature that enables you to monitor the actions users take after interacting with your ads. This tool helps you understand how effectively your ad campaigns are driving valuable customer actions, such as purchases, sign-ups, or downloads.
In essence, a conversion is any customer activity that is meaningful to your business goals. Whether it’s making a purchase, filling out a contact form, or subscribing to a newsletter, these actions are tracked as conversions. By analyzing this data, you can optimize your Google Ads campaigns to better target the actions that are most beneficial for your business.
Types of Conversions You Can Track with Google Ads
Conversion tracking is essential for any successful Google Ads campaign, offering critical insights into the effectiveness of your advertising efforts. However, not all conversions hold the same value. Understanding which types to prioritize can greatly enhance your campaign optimization. Below are the key types of actions you can monitor using conversion tracking:
Website Conversions
Website conversions involve actions taken by customers on your website, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, signing up for a newsletter, or engaging in other key interactions. Tracking these conversions allows you to directly link ad performance to user behavior on your site, providing insights into the effectiveness of your landing pages and overall user experience.
Phone Call Conversions
For businesses that rely on phone calls, tracking conversions from calls directly generated by ads or clicks on a phone number on your website is crucial. Phone call conversions reveal the impact of your ads on customers who prefer direct communication, helping you optimize your campaigns for call-driven leads.
App Installations and In-App Conversions
If your business has a mobile app, tracking when users install the app or complete specific in-app actions is essential. These conversions allow app marketers to measure the success of their campaigns in driving app downloads and engagement, enabling targeted strategies to increase app adoption.
Import Conversions
Import conversions involve tracking activities that occur offline but are initiated by an online advertisement. This could include actions like a sale made over the phone or an in-person purchase. You can import data from external systems into your Google Ads account, ensuring that offline conversions are accurately reflected in your campaign performance.
Local Conversions
Local conversions, or Google-hosted conversion actions, track interactions that happen at your physical location (like a store) after someone views or clicks on your ad in Google Search. Examples include clicks to call, viewing a menu, or getting directions. It’s important to note that local conversions are automatically applied by Google Ads, so they don’t require manual setup.
Types-of-google-conversions
How to Set Up Conversion Tracking in Google Ads?
Setting up conversion tracking in Google Ads is a two-step process: creating a conversion action and implementing your Google tag.
Step 1: Create a Conversion Action Log in to your Google Ads account.
Click the Tools icon in the top right corner, then select “Conversions” under the “Measurement” section.
Google-ads-conversion-tracking-setup
Click the “New conversion action” button, give your conversion action a name, and select the type of action you wish to track. Adjust the value and count settings for your conversion.
Next, decide how you’d like to set up your conversion action. You’ll have two options: URL setup or manual setup:
The URL setup is only applicable if you’re tracking a page load as a conversion.
Google-ads-conversion-tracking-url-setup
- Manual setup lets you track clicks on links or buttons and offers the ability to customize the event tag with conversion value tracking, transaction IDs, and other custom parameters.
Google-ads-conversion-tracking-manual-setup
Click “Save and continue.”
Step 2: Set Up Your Google Tag
The next steps for setting up Google Ads conversion tracking depend on whether your Google tag is already configured.
- If your Google tag is set up and you created the conversion action using a URL, you’re ready to start seeing data for that conversion.
- If your Google tag isn’t set up and you created the conversion action using a URL, you’ll receive instructions for setting up the Google tag.
- If your Google tag is set up and you manually created the conversion action, you’ll get instructions to add the unique event snippet for that action.
- If your Google tag isn’t set up and you manually created the conversion action, you’ll receive instructions to add both the Google tag on every page of your site and the event snippet for your conversion action.
Once you complete Step 1, you will be directed to a page with different methods for setting up the tag on your website. You can choose between two options: either paste the Google tag directly into your website code or use Google Tag Manager.
Google-Ads-Conversion-Tracking-with-Google-Tag-Manager
Step 3: Check the Status of Your Conversion Tracking Tag
To ensure your Google tag is installed correctly and tracking conversions accurately, follow these steps:
- Go to your Google Ads account and click on the “Conversions” section again.
- In the table view of conversion actions, locate the conversion action you’ve created.
- Check the status of your Google tag from this section.
google_ads_example_of_good_tracking
Google Ads Conversion Tracking Not Working – Common Issues and Solutions
Even with a proper setup, issues with Google Ads conversion tracking can arise. Here’s a look at common problems and how to resolve them:
Conversion Tracking Tag Not Installed Properly
Problem: The conversion tracking tag may not be installed correctly.
Solution: Verify the installation of your conversion tracking tag. Ensure it’s placed on the correct page (usually the “Thank You” or order confirmation page) and properly implemented in your website’s code. Use Google Tag Assistant, a free Chrome extension, to check your setup.
Conversion Action Not Set Up Correctly
Problem: The conversion action may not be configured properly in your Google Ads account.
Solution: Review the settings for your conversion actions in Google Ads. Confirm that each conversion action is tracking the correct type of conversion (e.g., website actions, phone calls, app downloads).
Low Traffic Volume
Problem: If your website or campaign has low traffic, it may take longer to see conversions.
Solution: Increase your website traffic by optimizing ads and keywords, raising your bids, or broadening your targeting.
Delay in Reporting
Problem: Conversions may not appear immediately due to reporting delays, which can be up to 48 hours.
Solution: Wait up to 48 hours. If conversions still do not appear, recheck your conversion tracking setup.
Website Changes
Problem: Recent changes to your website might have inadvertently removed or altered your conversion tracking tags.
Solution: After making website changes, ensure that your conversion tracking tags are still in place and functioning correctly.
Ad Blockers
Problem: Ad blockers can prevent the conversion tracking tag from firing. Although you can’t control users’ ad blockers, this can impact your data.
Solution: Be aware that ad blockers might affect your tracking data.
Conclusion
Understanding Google Ads conversion tracking is essential for optimizing your ad campaigns and maximizing return on investment. This guide provides the steps to set up and troubleshoot conversion tracking effectively, ensuring you can use this powerful tool to its full potential.
