Table of contents
Keywords, campaign types, ads, ad groups, assets, audience segments, bidding strategy, negative keywords, target locations, placements, ad scheduling,…
When we are entrusted with a new Google Ads account, we know well that the list of configurations we will have to analyze will be very long!
Where to start?
One of the first aspects we always check is conversion tracking: is tracking active? What actions are being monitored? How were they implemented? What configurations were chosen?
It may seem superfluous to say, but accurate conversion tracking is essential to maximize the effectiveness and performance of your online advertising activities: without reliable data, it becomes impossible to evaluate the impact of campaigns and make informed decisions to optimize them, yet it is not uncommon for conversion tracking to be handled superficially.
In this article, we will explore what conversions are, why it is crucial to track them correctly, and the different methods available for tracking in Google Ads.
Conversions: What Are They?
Used to evaluate the effectiveness of digital activities, conversions are actions that a company considers particularly relevant to its business. In Google Ads, a conversion indicates that a user has completed one of these relevant actions after interacting with an ad.
Every advertiser can choose which actions to track as conversions based on their type of business and goals.
Some of the most common conversions are:
- Completion of an online purchase
- Submission of a contact form or request for a quote
- Phone calls to the company’s number
- Clicks on contacts listed on the website (email address, phone number, WhatsApp link, etc.)
- Newsletter sign-ups
- Account creation
- Document downloads (catalogs, brochures, etc.)
- App installations
- Viewing embedded videos on the website
- Adding products to the cart
- Viewing a strategic page within the website
- Etc.
Why Is Conversion Tracking Important?
Measurement and Optimization
Conversion data primarily allows you to accurately measure the results of your campaigns and understand which aspects of your digital marketing strategy are working and which should be reviewed.
By collecting precise information on which ads, keywords, and audience segments are most effective, you can gain insights on where to allocate your advertising budget to maximize return on investment.
Feeding Machine Learning
Conversion tracking is not just a measurement tool; it is also a fundamental element for the functioning of Google Ads’ machine learning.
Google Ads’ smart bidding relies on conversion data in the account to automatically optimize bids to achieve the advertiser’s goals in terms of conversions and ROAS (return on ad spend).
Without accurate conversion data, Google Ads’ machine learning cannot correctly optimize bids, which can lead to inefficient distribution of the advertising budget, negatively affecting campaign performance.
Configuring Tracking in Google Ads
Within Google Ads, you can choose from various types of conversions and different tracking methods.
Website Actions
You can track a series of actions that users take on your website, such as online purchases, form submissions, registrations, link clicks, or page views.
To start tracking, Google provides a conversion tag, a customized snippet of code to insert into your website.
Phone Calls
Google Ads also allows you to track:
- calls made directly from one of your ads,
- calls to a phone number on your website,
- clicks on the number on your mobile website.
While calls from ads only require the use of Google forwarding numbers, other conversion actions also require the insertion of a tag within the website.
App Installs and In-app Actions
You can track your app installations and in-app purchases or other actions by importing data:
- from a Firebase project or a Google Analytics 4 property,
- from Google Play,
- from a third-party data analytics platform.
Import
This option allows you to directly import conversions from another data source, such as Google Analytics, CRM, third-party apps, or other platforms.
For example, if you are already tracking conversions in Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you can easily import them into Google Ads.
Some Tips
Pay Attention to Settings
Starting tracking is not enough! If you want to get really precise data, make sure to configure all the available settings for each conversion according to your needs, such as:
- Conversion value
- Primary or secondary action
- Counting
- Click-through conversion window
- View-through conversion window
- Attribution model
- Enhanced conversions
Use the Google Ads Tag Instead of Importing Conversions from GA4
When possible, choose to use the Google Ads conversion tag instead of directly importing conversions from Google Analytics.
The Google Ads tag offers some advantages over importing from GA4:
- More accurate attribution: The Google Ads tag is more precise in attributing conversions to ad campaigns, especially in the case of indirect conversions (when a user accesses the website through multiple channels before completing the conversion).
- View-through tracking: The Google Ads tag allows tracking of “view-through” conversions, where a user views an ad without clicking on it but converts later.
Although using the Google Ads conversion tag requires a bit more complex setup compared to direct import from GA4, the advantages in terms of data accuracy are significant.
Always Assign a Value to Your Conversions
Even if you do not have an e-commerce, always assign a specific value to each conversion. This way, you can signal to Google Ads which actions are most relevant to your business, allowing more targeted and effective bid optimization.
For example, you could assign higher values to conversions like form submissions and lower values to conversions like simple page views, guiding machine learning to prioritize the most strategic actions for your business.
Additionally, assigning a value to conversions makes it easier to understand which campaigns, ads, keywords, and target audiences are generating the most valuable conversions, providing valuable insights for your digital strategy.
Interested in learning more? In this article, we described how using Google Ads Smart Bidding and assigning a value to conversions helped one of our clients improve campaign results with the same budget invested.
If you are running PPC campaigns and want to ensure that conversion tracking is set up correctly, contact us for a consultation.
Table of contents
