Google Ads conversion tracking decides what the bidding system optimizes toward, which campaigns look profitable and which keywords get cut. Get it wrong and every automated decision, Google's or your own, points in the wrong direction. This checklist walks through the five steps that matter: choosing what counts, choosing how to track it, setting primary and secondary goals, adding enhanced and offline conversions, and monitoring tracking every day so a broken tag does not quietly wreck a month of spend.
Quick answer: Track the action that makes money (a purchase, a qualified lead, a booked call) as the primary conversion, and keep softer actions as secondary. Use the Google tag or imported GA4 key events, but do not count the same action twice. Add values, turn on enhanced conversions, and import offline conversions from your CRM if sales close later. Then check every day that conversions are still firing.
Why Tracking Comes Before Everything Else
Smart Bidding, AI Max and Performance Max all learn from conversions. If a newsletter sign-up counts the same as a purchase, they will find you cheap newsletter sign-ups. If the tag stops firing, they will think every keyword stopped working and pull back. And if one purchase is counted twice, reported ROAS will look twice as good as reality. Fixing tracking is usually the highest-return hour you can spend in a Google Ads account.
Step 1: Decide What Counts as a Conversion
| Business | Primary conversion | Useful secondary conversions |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | Purchase with order value | Add to cart, begin checkout |
| Lead generation | Qualified lead or booked call (ideally confirmed in your CRM) | Form submit, phone click |
| Local service | Calls over a minimum length, booking form | Directions clicks, contact page views |
| SaaS | Trial started or demo booked, later paid conversion from CRM | Pricing page view, sign-up started |
Step 2: Choose How to Track It
| Method | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google tag (directly or through Google Tag Manager) | Purchases and form completions on your site | Most direct; fires a Google Ads conversion on the thank-you page or event |
| Imported GA4 key events | Teams that already manage events in GA4 | Needs the GA4 property linked to Google Ads; keep one source per action |
| Phone call tracking | Businesses that sell by phone | Calls from ads and calls from the website, with a minimum call length |
| Offline conversion import | Leads that become sales later, in a CRM | Upload the click ID with the sale; enables bidding on real revenue |
Step 3: Set Primary and Secondary Goals
Primary conversions are used for bidding and appear in the Conversions column. Secondary conversions are recorded in All conversions for reporting but are not optimized toward. A common and expensive mistake is leaving micro-conversions such as page views or scroll depth as primary.
- Make one or two money actions primary per campaign goal.
- Set counting to One for leads (one lead per click) and Every for purchases.
- Give conversions values: real order value for e-commerce, an estimated value per lead type for lead generation.
- Check the conversion window fits your sales cycle.
- Use campaign-level goals when different campaigns should optimize toward different actions.
Step 4: Add Enhanced and Offline Conversions
Enhanced conversions send hashed first-party data, such as the email address entered at checkout or in a lead form, to improve how conversions are matched to ad clicks when cookies are missing. Enhanced conversions for leads extends this to sales that happen later. Offline conversion import goes further: when a lead becomes a customer in your CRM, you upload that conversion back to Google Ads with its value, so bidding learns from revenue rather than form fills. Where your traffic requires it, set up consent mode so measurement respects user consent choices.
Step 5: Monitor Tracking Every Day
- Compare yesterday's conversions with the same day last week. A drop to zero while clicks are normal means a broken tag, not a bad day.
- Watch the conversion status in Goals; investigate any action marked inactive or with no recent conversions.
- Re-test the thank-you page and forms after every website release.
- Reconcile Google Ads conversions with real orders or CRM leads monthly.
Common Tracking Mistakes
| Mistake | Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Micro-conversion set as primary | Cheap conversions, falling sales | Move it to secondary |
| Same purchase tracked twice | Reported ROAS far above reality | Keep one primary source per action |
| Tag removed in a site update | Conversions drop to zero overnight | Restore the tag; pause automated changes until fixed |
| No values on e-commerce conversions | Cannot use value-based bidding | Pass dynamic order values |
| Every form fill treated equally | Lots of leads, few customers | Import qualified leads or sales from your CRM |
How Loraloop Protects Your Account When Tracking Breaks
Loraloop's ads agent, Angie, watches for a conversion flatline every 15 minutes and alerts you when a tag that was firing goes quiet. Its nightly audit checks that conversion tracking exists, that the numbers behave normally, and that a micro-conversion is not set as a primary goal. When tracking looks dead, Angie holds back its proposed fixes, because pausing keywords or tightening targets on broken data does damage.
Angie can also help set tracking up: show your current conversion setup, create a conversion action for a website tag or offline uploads (secondary by default, so it does not change bidding until you choose), import GA4 key events once the property is linked, and upload offline conversions. Each of these waits for your approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use the Google tag or import GA4 key events?
Either works. The Google tag is the most direct for site purchases and forms; GA4 imports suit teams that already manage events in GA4. What matters is using one primary source per action so nothing is counted twice.
What is the difference between primary and secondary conversions?
Primary conversions are used for bidding and appear in the Conversions column. Secondary conversions are recorded in All conversions for reporting only. Make money actions primary and softer signals secondary.
What are enhanced conversions?
Enhanced conversions send hashed first-party data, such as an email address, along with the conversion so Google can match it to the ad click more reliably when cookies are missing.
Do I need offline conversion import?
If your leads become customers later (B2B, high-ticket services, anything with a sales call), yes. Importing closed sales lets bidding optimize toward revenue instead of form fills.
How do I know if Google Ads conversion tracking is broken?
Conversions drop to zero or far below normal while clicks stay steady, or a conversion action shows as inactive. Check daily, and re-test after every website change.
Know within the hour when your tracking breaks: Angie watches conversions every 15 minutes and holds changes until the data is trustworthy.
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