Setting up Google Ads Conversions starts with creating a conversion action -- website, app, phone call, or import -- and assigning it a value (a fixed amount, a per-conversion value passed from the page, or no value counted). Each action is marked "primary" or "secondary": primary conversions feed Smart Bidding and show in the main Conversions column, while secondary ones are tracked for visibility without influencing bid optimization.
Website conversions require the Google tag (gtag.js) installed site-wide, typically deployed through Google Tag Manager, with a conversion event fired on the specific action (like a purchase confirmation or form submit). Getting the primary/secondary split right matters because Smart Bidding strategies optimize toward whatever's marked primary, not toward every action being tracked.
- Conversion actions can be website, app, phone call, or import-based, each with an assigned value
- Actions are marked primary (feeds Smart Bidding) or secondary (tracked, doesn't affect bidding)
- Website tracking needs the Google tag deployed (usually via Tag Manager) plus an event fired on the specific action
Use cases
Intro for use cases
- Define a purchase event as a Google Ads Conversions goal
- Track newsletter sign ups via a form submission and feed into Google Ads Conversions
- Measure add to cart actions to boost remarketing with Google Ads Conversions
- Capture in app events like level completion and attribute to Google Ads Conversions
- Audit data flows from CRM to Google Ads Conversions for accuracy
- Validate cross domain events with Google Ads Conversions to maintain consistency
Optional closing