You’ve spent hours putting your Google Ads campaigns, ad groups, ads, keywords, sitelinks, extensions and everything else that entails on creating them. You’re excited about launching your digital marketing, also known as PPC. But now, how do you make sure they’re working? A successful Google Ads campaign goes way beyond ad clicks or impressions. When you want to get leads, sales, and other conversions, you need to know what happens post-click. This is where conversion tracking comes in.
What is Google Ads conversion tracking?
Google Ads conversion tracking monitors the actions that users take after engaging with your ads. This free, built-in Google Ads tool is essential for understanding and optimizing the value your campaigns generate.
Google Ads new conversion action
You can track conversions without leaving Google Ads. But it’s important to note that Google can’t guess which results you want to track. You have to identify the conversions that are valuable to your business and set up each one in your Google Ads account.
Why should I track Google Ads conversions?
If you’re serious about creating Google ad campaigns, tracking conversions is critical. Below are some of the biggest benefits this tool offers.
Improve reporting
Users don’t always click on an ad and convert immediately—or on the same device. With this tracking tool, you can see conversions across devices and browsers for more detailed reporting.
Simplify optimization
Conversion tracking helps you see which campaigns, ad groups, and ads drive the outcomes you want. Using this performance data, you can optimize your Google ads and get more value.
Access smart bidding
You can get more control over your campaigns with Google Ads’ advanced smart bidding strategies. To access options like Maximize Conversions and Target CPA (Cost Per Action), you have to enable conversion tracking.
5 Types of conversions to track with Google Ads
Google Ads divides conversions into five distinct categories. Each type of conversion can take place throughout your funnel.
Website actions. Website conversions include subscriptions, sales, and other lower-funnel events. You can also track upper-funnel conversion events like webpage views and adds to cart.
App installs. If you’re advertising a mobile app, you can track installs and purchases. Google Ads supports both Android and iOS app conversion tracking.
Phone calls. If your company captures leads or processes orders over the phone, you can track calls. Google Ads supports tracking calls that come directly from ads and those that come indirectly from your website.
Local actions. Does your business have a physical location? You can track conversion actions related to your local ads, such as searching for directions, viewing a menu, and visiting a store.
Offline actions. Do your most valuable conversions happen on site rather than online? You can import offline conversions using integrations like Zapier, Salesforce, and HubSpot.
And to get even more fine-tuned conversion data, you can set up Google Analytics and link it with your ad account for seamless conversion tracking.
Tips for troubleshooting Google Ads conversion tracking
Your ad account should begin tracking within 24 hours of setup. It’s easy to tell if the process is working—and it doesn’t require a complete Google Ads audit. First, go to the Campaigns tab in your Google Ads account and check the Conversions column. If the number of conversions is greater than zero, your account is tracking successfully.
If your campaign metrics don’t show any conversions yet, click on Tools & Settings and select Conversions under the Measurement menu. Look for Recording Conversions in the tracking status column.
Google Ads conversion actions tab
You can update and add new events from the Conversion Actions tab. If the status doesn’t show Recording Conversions, tracking may not be working properly. Here’s how to address some common errors:
Unverified: No one has completed the conversion yet. Click the blue button to test out using Tag Assistant.
No Recent Conversions: No one has completed the conversion in a week or more. Double-check the setup and confirm your ads link to a tagged landing page.
Tag Inactive: The tag has been removed from the landing page or isn’t working properly. Reinstall the conversion tracking tag to resume monitoring correctly.
Overall
Ultimately, conversion tracking requires just a few minutes of setup in exchange for a ton of valuable information. Not everyone has an expert on their staff and that’s where we come in. Whether you need to build your marketing campaigns for the first time or need help managing them, our team can focus on building your marketing while you focus on your business.
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