Setting Up Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads

Step 1: Check Prerequisites for Enhanced Conversions

Before enabling Enhanced Conversions, ensure your Google Ads account meets these requirements:

1. Conversion tracking is already set up and active. If not, follow the official guide to set up conversion tracking.
2. Accept customer data terms:
   1. Go to "Tools & Settings" > "Measurement" > "Conversions".
   2. Click on "Settings" in the left sidebar.
   3. Under "Enhanced Conversions", click "Accept" to agree to the customer data terms.

Step 2: Implement Tags for Enhanced Conversions

Enhanced Conversions requires either the Google tag (gtag.js) or Google Tag Manager:

• For the Google tag, add the following script to your website, replacing "AW-CONVERSION_ID" with your actual Conversion ID:

<script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-CONVERSION_ID"></script>
<script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID');
</script>

• For Google Tag Manager, set up a new tag:
  1. Choose tag type "Google Ads Conversion Tracking".
  2. Enter your Conversion ID and Conversion Label.
  3. Select a trigger to determine when the tag should fire.
  4. Save the tag and publish the container.

Step 3: Collect Customer Data for Enhanced Conversions

To leverage Enhanced Conversions, you need to capture key customer data:

1. Collect one or more of these data points: email address, phone number, name (first and last), home address.
2. Ensure data is gathered in a structured format, especially on e-commerce sites during the checkout process.
3. Example: An order confirmation page might include a hidden form field like this to pass the email address:

<input type="hidden" name="enhanced_conversion_data" value="email=jdoe@example.com">

Step 4: Enable Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads

1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
2. Click the Tools & Settings menu, select "Measurement" > "Conversions".
3. Click the "Settings" tab in the left sidebar.
4. Under "Enhanced Conversions", click the toggle switch to turn it on.
5. Select the types of customer data you want to use for matching:
   • First and last name
   • Email address
   • Phone number
   • Home address
6. Click "Save" to apply the settings.

Step 5: Modify Website Tags to Pass Customer Data

Update your Google tag or Google Tag Manager configuration to include the customer data you collected:

• For the Google tag, add the enhanced_conversion_data parameter to the config command, passing the customer data as key-value pairs:

gtag('config', 'AW-CONVERSION_ID', { 'enhanced_conversion_data': { 'email': 'jdoe@example.com', 'phone_number': '1234567890', 'first_name': 'John', 'last_name': 'Doe', 'home_address': { 'street': '123 Example St', 'city': 'Anytown', 'region': 'CA', 'postal_code': '12345', 'country': 'USA' } }
});

• For Google Tag Manager, add a new "Fields to Set" entry in your Google Ads Conversion Tracking tag, with the Field Name "enhanced_conversion_data" and the customer data as the Value, formatted as a JavaScript object.

Maximizing Google Ads Performance with Enhanced Conversions

Monitoring and Optimization

Once you've implemented Enhanced Conversions, it's crucial to monitor its performance and make adjustments as needed.

Performance Review

Regularly assess your conversion data in Google Ads for accuracy and any discrepancies. Compare the data before and after implementing Enhanced Conversions.

Calculate the improvement in conversion tracking using this formula:

Improvement = (Enhanced Conversions - Standard Conversions) / Standard Conversions * 100

For example, if you were tracking 100 conversions per week with standard tracking and now see 120 conversions with Enhanced Conversions, the improvement would be:

(120 - 100) / 100 * 100 = 20%

If you notice any unexpected changes or inconsistencies, review your implementation and adjust your Enhanced Conversion settings accordingly.

Advanced Tracking Technologies

Enhanced Conversions are just one piece of the puzzle. To gain a comprehensive understanding of your advertising performance, consider exploring additional tracking technologies.

Beyond Basic Tracking

Offline conversion tracking allows you to measure conversions that happen offline, such as in-store purchases or phone sales, and attribute them to your Google Ads campaigns. Learn more about offline conversion tracking.

Attribution modeling helps you understand the impact of your ads across multiple touchpoints in the customer journey. Experiment with different attribution models, such as time decay or position-based, to gain insights into how your ads influence conversions. Explore attribution modeling.

Strategic Benefits and Continuous Improvement

Implementing Enhanced Conversions and advanced tracking technologies is not just a technical exercise; it's a strategic decision that can significantly improve your advertising performance.

1. Leveraging Enhanced Conversions

By capturing more accurate and comprehensive conversion data, Enhanced Conversions help you better understand the customer journey and make data-driven decisions. Use these insights to:

• Optimize your campaign targeting, bids, and budgets based on reliable conversion data
• Identify high-performing ads and double down on what's working
• Reallocate budget from underperforming campaigns to those driving the most value

2. Commitment to Advancement

Embracing advanced tracking technologies demonstrates your commitment to continuously improving your advertising performance. As your campaigns and business evolve, regularly review and refine your tracking setups to ensure you're capturing the most relevant and accurate data.

Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in conversion tracking and be proactive in implementing them to stay ahead of the competition. By dedicating time and resources to advanced tracking, you'll be well-positioned to maximize the return on your advertising investment.