How to Set Up Conversion Tracking in Google Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide?

June 19, 2024

Setting up conversion tracking in Google Ads is essential for understanding how well your advertisements perform. This guide will simplify the process, allowing you to effectively track important actions like sales, sign-ups, or leads directly resulting from your ads. By learning how to set up conversion tracking, you will be able to identify which ads are driving these actions and better optimize your advertising budget. This step-by-step approach ensures you gain the insights needed to enhance your marketing efforts.

Set Up a Conversion Action in Google Ads

The first step to set up conversion tracking in Google Ads is creating a conversion action. Here's how:

Sign in to your Google Ads account.
Click on "Tools & Settings" in the top right corner.
Under "Measurement," select "Conversions."
Click on the plus button (+) to create a new conversion action.
Choose the type of conversion you want to track, such as:
- Website actions (like purchases or sign-ups)
- Phone calls
- App installs or in-app actions
- Offline conversions (like in-store purchases)
Follow the prompts to set up your specific conversion action, providing details like the conversion name, value, and counting method.

For example, if you want to track purchases on your e-commerce website, you would select "Website actions" and then choose "Purchase" as the specific action. You can then assign a monetary value to the conversion and decide whether to count every conversion or just one per ad click.

By setting up a conversion action, you lay the foundation for tracking the metrics that matter most to your business. This crucial step in setting up conversion tracking in Google Ads enables you to measure your ads' performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns.

Install the Google Ads Conversion Tracking Tag

After creating your conversion action, the next step is to install the Google Ads conversion tracking tag on your website. This tag is a snippet of code that allows Google Ads to record when a conversion occurs. Here's how to install it:

In your Google Ads account, navigate to the "Conversions" section under "Tools & Settings."
Click on the conversion action you just created.
In the "Tag setup" section, select "Install the tag yourself."
Choose the type of website you have:
- HTML: Copy the provided Global site tag and event snippet.
- WordPress, Wix, Shopify, or other website builders: Follow the specific instructions for your platform.
Paste the Global site tag in the header of every page on your website, right after the opening <head> tag.
Place the event snippet on the specific page where the conversion occurs, like the "Thank you" page after a purchase or sign-up.

For instance, if you're tracking purchases on a Shopify store, you would:

In your Shopify admin, go to "Online Store" and click "Preferences."
Scroll down to the "Google Analytics" section and paste the Global site tag.
Add the event snippet to your "Order status" page to track completed purchases.

By installing the Google Ads conversion tracking tag, you ensure that Google Ads can accurately record when a user completes the desired action on your website. This step is essential for how to set up conversion tracking in google ads and gathering the data needed to measure your advertising ROI and make informed campaign optimizations.

Optimize Your Conversion Tracking Setup

Once you've set up conversion tracking in Google Ads and started gathering data, it's essential to continuously optimize your setup to ensure you're getting the most accurate and valuable insights. Here are some tips:

Regularly review your conversion actions to make sure they align with your current business goals and marketing objectives.
Use the "Conversion window" setting to specify how long after an ad click or view you want to track conversions. This can help you attribute conversions more accurately based on your typical customer journey.
Take advantage of the "Attribution model" feature to determine how much credit each ad click or view receives for a conversion. Different models, like "Last click" or "Linear," can provide insights into how users interact with your ads before converting.
Implement conversion value tracking to assign monetary values to your conversions, allowing you to measure the ROI of your ad spend more effectively.

For example, if you notice that many customers take several days to make a purchase after clicking your ad, you might extend your conversion window from the default 30 days to 60 or 90 days. This would ensure that you're capturing more of these delayed conversions and getting a more accurate picture of your ads' performance.

By regularly reviewing and optimizing your how to set up conversion tracking in google ads setup, you can ensure that you're making data-driven decisions to improve your campaigns and grow your business.

Regularly update and maintain your conversion tracking setup to keep pace with any changes on your website or in your marketing strategy. Stay informed about new features and best practices in conversion tracking by following industry blogs and updates from Google. Consider integrating more advanced tools like Google Analytics for deeper insights into user behavior and conversion pathways.

Setting up conversion tracking in Google Ads is a critical step in measuring the success of your online advertising efforts. By following this step-by-step guide, you can start gathering valuable data on how your ads are driving meaningful actions for your business, allowing you to optimize your campaigns for better performance and ROI.