How to Set Up Conversion Tracking in Google Ads: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re running Google Ads, you already know paying for clicks is only half the battle. The real question is: Are those clicks turning into customers?
That’s where conversion tracking comes in. Conversion tracking gives you measurable insights into what people do after clicking your ads—whether they make a purchase, fill out a form, call your business, or visit your location via Google Maps. Without conversion tracking, you’re flying blind. With it, you can optimize your Search Ads, lower your costs, refine your keywords, and rank higher in competitive SEM campaigns.
Whether you’re a small local business trying to rank higher in Google Maps, or a digital marketer managing multi-channel campaigns across Display Ads and search, setting up conversion tracking properly is essential for long-term success.
This guide walks you through exactly how to set up conversion tracking, why it matters, and how to use the data to boost your results.
1. What Is Conversion Tracking in Google Ads and Why It Matters
Conversion tracking is a measurement system inside Google Ads that tracks the actions people take after interacting with your ads. A "conversion" is any action that supports your marketing goals.
Common conversion examples:
Form submissions
Calls from your website or ads
Online purchases
Appointment bookings
Map direction requests
Email sign-ups
Downloading resources
Visiting key pages on your site
If you want to improve your SEM performance, optimize your SEO, refine your keywords, or measure how well your digital marketing efforts perform—conversion tracking is your most valuable tool.
Why it’s important:
Helps you see which keywords and ads actually drive results
Lowers CPC by improving Quality Score
Improves bidding strategies
Increases ROI
Shows which campaigns waste money
Helps you optimize landing pages
Enables advanced features like automated bidding and remarketing
Without conversion tracking, Google Ads becomes guesswork. With it, you gain clarity, direction, and full control of your marketing performance.
2. Types of Conversions You Can Track in Google Ads
Before you set up tracking, choose the types of conversions that matter most for your business.
1. Website Conversions
These include:
Purchases
Sign-ups
Contact form submissions
Page visits
Downloads
This requires adding a tracking tag (code) to your website.
2. Phone Call Conversions
Great for local businesses that want to rank higher in Google Maps.
You can track:
Calls from your ads
Calls from your website after clicking your ad
Click-to-call buttons on mobile
3. App Conversions
Useful for businesses promoting mobile apps.
4. Offline Conversions
Ideal for businesses with CRM systems or phone-based sales teams.
5. Google Analytics Conversions
Syncing Analytics with Google Ads gives you deeper insights and easier tracking setup.
6. Location-Based Conversions
These measure visits to your store or requests for directions through Google Maps.
Location conversions are especially powerful for brick-and-mortar businesses focusing on local SEO and foot traffic.
3. How to Set Up Conversion Tracking in Google Ads (Step-by-Step)
Here’s the complete process, broken down into simple steps.
Step 1: Go to Your Google Ads Dashboard
Login to your Google Ads account.
Click the Tools & Settings icon (the little wrench).
Under “Measurement,” select Conversions.
This is where all your conversion actions will live.
Step 2: Create a New Conversion Action
Click the blue + New conversion action button.
You will now choose where the conversion takes place:
Website
App
Phone calls
Import (from CRM or Analytics)
Most businesses start with Website conversions.
Step 3: Set Up Website Conversions
When selecting “Website,” you have two options:
Option A: Use the Website URL Scanner (Easiest)
Google will scan your website for common actions like:
Buttons
Forms
Calls
Page views
Then you can select which actions to track.
Option B: Manually Create a Conversion
This gives you more control.
You’ll need to:
Name your conversion
Select the category
Choose the value (e.g., $50 per lead or dynamic value for eCommerce)
Select counting method (one vs. every conversion)
Set conversion windows
Enable enhanced conversions (recommended for accuracy)
Click Create and Continue.
Step 4: Install the Google Ads Tag on Your Website
After creating your conversion, Google gives you:
Global site tag
Event snippet
You can install these in several ways:
WordPress plugins
Google Tag Manager (recommended)
Manually adding code to your site
If using Google Tag Manager:
Select “Google Ads Conversion Tracking” as your tag type
Paste your Conversion ID and Label
Trigger it on the correct page (such as a thank-you page)
If installing manually:
Add the global site tag to every page of your site
Add the event snippet only to the conversion page
Once installed, click Next → Done.
Step 5: Verify Your Conversion Tracking
Google needs to confirm your tag is firing correctly.
You can check:
Inside Google Ads (look for a "Recording" status)
Using Google Tag Assistant
Using the Tag Manager preview mode
Within 24–48 hours, you should begin seeing data.
Step 6: Set Up Phone Call Conversions (Highly Recommended)
For businesses using a mix of traditional marketing, local SEO, and digital marketing, phone calls matter.
Google Ads can track:
Calls from call extensions
Calls from your website
Click-to-call ads on mobile
This gives you insights into how many calls come from your ads—not just clicks.
Phone conversions are critical for service businesses trying to rank higher in Google Maps because they signal strong user engagement.
Step 7: Import Conversions from Google Analytics (Optional But Powerful)
If you use Google Analytics 4:
Connect Analytics to Google Ads
In Analytics, create conversion events
Import them into Ads via “Import conversions”
This allows you to track:
Deeper user behavior
Scroll depth
Engagement time
Micro-conversions
E-commerce transactions
Analytics-based conversions are more accurate for complex websites.
4. Best Practices for Accurate Conversion Tracking
Setting up conversion tracking is just the first step. To ensure accuracy and maximize performance, follow these best practices:
Use Clear and Simple Goals
Don’t track everything. Only track actions that matter, such as:
Leads
Sales
Key page views
Calls
Map direction requests
Set Conversion Values
Values help Google’s bidding algorithms work properly.
Examples:
$10 per lead
$25 per booked call
$100 per sale
Values help you optimize for profit—not just traffic.
Enable Enhanced Conversions
Enhanced conversions increase accuracy using hashed first-party data.
This is essential in a world with fewer cookies.
Use Trend Marketing to Identify New Opportunities
Use trending topics and seasonal campaigns to:
Capture new traffic
Test new conversions
Improve relevance
Reduce CPC
Higher relevance = more conversions.
Track Google Maps Interactions
Local businesses should track:
Calls from maps
Clicks for directions
Website visits from Google Maps
This data strengthens your local SEO strategy and helps you appear in the Local 3-Pack.
5. How Conversion Tracking Improves Your Google Ads Performance
Once your tracking is set up, the benefits begin immediately.
It allows you to:
Lower CPC
Improve Quality Score
Identify and remove low-performing keywords
Optimize Search Ads and Display Ads
Build remarketing audiences
Improve SEM strategies
Increase ROI
Scale winning campaigns
Most importantly, you can finally see which ads produce revenue—and which ones waste money.
Conclusion
Setting up conversion tracking in Google Ads is one of the most important steps in any successful digital marketing strategy. It helps you measure results, improve ROI, refine keywords, optimize SEM campaigns, and even boost your local visibility in places like Google Maps.
With accurate conversion tracking, you gain the power to:
Make smarter decisions
Cut wasted spend
Improve your ads
Scale faster
Grow your business with confidence
Whether you’re focusing on Search Ads, Display Ads, digital marketing, or a mix of traditional and modern marketing strategies, conversion tracking is the foundation that ties it all together.
Start today—and watch your Google Ads performance transform.
