Google Ads Conversion Tracking: Setup and Use (2027)

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A shopper might click an online ad today and buy a product from that store several days later. Google Ads conversion tracking can connect that purchase to the earlier interaction, giving advertisers data to assess which campaigns drive sales.

Google reports that its Display Network reaches more than 90% of internet users worldwide, citing data from Comscore. Conversion tracking measures customer actions after interactions with Google display ads, Search ads, and video campaigns.

This guide explains what Google Ads conversion tracking measures, how to set it up, and how to optimize Google Ads using the results.

What is Google Ads conversion tracking?

Google Ads conversion tracking is a free tool that records purchases, lead submissions, and other actions attributed to ads. Advertisers choose which actions to measure. Tracking covers several types of Google Ads, including Search, Display, and video campaigns.

Setup requires a Google Ads account and a connected data source for the actions being measured. Website tracking requires a Google tag or a linked Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property configured to collect the relevant events. App conversions, phone calls, and offline sales have their own setup requirements.

Google organizes its conversion categories into three groups:

1. Leads categories. Form submissions, appointment bookings, and quote requests.
2. Sale categories. Purchases and related shopping actions, such as adding products to a cart or beginning checkout.
3. Further categories. Page views and other actions outside the sales and leads categories.

Conversion attribution reports show which keywords and campaigns generate these actions. Sales data also helps assess return on investment (ROI) when evaluated against advertising and other business costs.

The same conversion data supports Smart Bidding, which uses Google AI to adjust bids for individual ad auctions. These strategies optimize for conversions or conversion value according to the campaign’s goals.

What Google Ads conversion tracking measures

Google Ads can measure conversion actions across these five areas:

• Website actions
• Phone calls
• App installs/in-app actions
• Offline conversions
• Local actions

Website actions

Website conversion tracking measures selected activities, such as purchases and newsletter sign-ups. The Google tag is code that sends measurement data to Google Ads or GA4. Google Tag Manager is a separate system for installing and managing that tag and other tracking tags.

Shopify store owners can install the Google tag and set up conversion measurement through the Google & YouTube app. After connecting a Google Ads account, merchants can review which Shopify events send conversion data to it. The app also supports setting up GA4.

Businesses using Google Analytics for ecommerce can import GA4 key events as Google Ads conversions. Link the accounts, enable auto-tagging in Google Ads, and mark the relevant GA4 events as key events. Then select those events when creating conversion actions in Google Ads.

Phone calls

Google ad extensions, now called assets, can add a phone number to an ad. Google Ads can track calls made through call assets or a Google forwarding number displayed on a website after an ad click. Advertisers can set a minimum call length for duration-based conversions or import confirmed sales calls from a customer relationship management (CRM) platform.

AI-qualified call leads use call recordings to identify potential customers based on the conversation, such as someone requesting a service or scheduling a consultation.

Google filters out spam and wrong numbers, then counts qualified calls as conversions. If recording is unavailable, the system can use call duration. Recording currently requires both the calling and receiving numbers to be in the United States or Canada.

Under Google’s Call Ads Supplemental Terms, US advertisers must notify employees and other call participants that calls may be monitored or recorded. They must also obtain express consent to monitoring, recording, and use of the recordings.

App installs/in-app actions

Google Ads can measure installs or first opens of Android and iOS apps, plus in-app activities such as purchases. Measurement options include GA4 and third-party app analytics. Google Play also supports automatic tracking of Android downloads and eligible in-app purchases.

App Connect lets advertisers configure deep links, measure in-app purchases, and use those results to adjust bids. A deep link opens a specific app page, such as the advertised product, if users have your app installed on their device. Otherwise, the ad opens the mobile website.

Offline conversions

An ad can lead to a sale completed over the phone or in person. For example, a shopper might submit a quote request after clicking an ad, then purchase after speaking with a sales representative.

Offline conversion imports connect that later sale to the advertising interaction. One method saves the Google Click ID (GCLID) with the lead’s record. When the sale closes, the business uploads that identifier along with conversion details and the conversion date. Google recommends enhanced conversions for leads, which also uses hashed customer-provided information, such as an email address, to improve matching.

Google Ads Data Manager supports imports from connected customer databases and data files. Businesses can connect a supported CRM platform or prepare a file containing the conversion records. Developers can use the Data Manager API for automated uploads.

Google’s customer data policies require disclosure that customer information is shared for advertising measurement and consent where legally required. Uploads must use permitted customer data and follow restrictions on sensitive information.

Local actions

Google Maps ads can prompt shoppers to call a store or request directions. Advertisers with active location assets can measure these local actions after ad interactions. Google Ads automatically creates the relevant local conversion goals after recording a qualifying action.

Other measurable interactions include clicks on a location’s website link and photos. Restaurants and cafés can also track menu and order-button clicks when available.

How to use Google Ads conversion tracking

Set up conversion measurement through Shopify’s Google & YouTube channel in the Shopify admin. The app connects Google Ads to store events, including purchases and checkout activity. Other websites can use Google’s tagging tools or an existing GA4 setup.

Follow these five steps to configure tracking and review the results:

1. Establish a conversion action
2. Set up a conversion action
3. Install a Google tag on your website
4. Test your conversion tracking
5. Analyze your data

1. Establish a conversion action

Choose an action that matches the campaign’s goal. An ecommerce sales campaign may want to track completed purchases, while a neighborhood barbershop might track appointment bookings or calls from prospective customers.

Set purchases as a primary conversion action when sales are the campaign goal. Google uses these actions for bidding when the campaign includes that goal. Track cart additions as secondary actions to review them in the “All conversions” report.

2. Set up a conversion action

To create a website conversion action, follow these steps in Google Ads:

1. Open Goals and select + Create conversion action.
2. Under Conversions on a website, select Edit data sources. Enter the website domain and select Scan.
3. Choose the detected Google tag or Google Analytics property, or follow the prompt to configure a new tag.
4. Select a conversion category, such as Purchase, and create the conversion action using the chosen data source.

URL-based setup can count visits to a specific confirmation page. Use manual event tracking for website button clicks or purchases that require transaction IDs and order-specific values.

Open Conversion settings to control how Google Ads records the action. Review these settings before saving:

• Count. Choose Every to count each purchase after an ad interaction. Choose One to count one lead conversion per interaction for that conversion action.
• Value. Assign a fixed value or pass a different value for each transaction, such as the order amount.
• Conversion window. Set how long after an ad interaction a conversion can receive credit. Choose a window that reflects the time customers typically take to purchase.

3. Install a Google tag on your website

Install the Google tag across the website through its platform integration, Google Tag Manager (GTM), or the site’s code. Check for an existing installation before adding another tag to prevent duplicate tracking.

For manual conversion tracking, an event snippet sends information about the specific action. Configure it to run when the action occurs, such as after a completed purchase. Purchase events can pass on the order value, currency, and a unique transaction ID. The transaction ID helps prevent the same order from being counted again when someone revisits the confirmation page.

For Google Ads conversion tracking through GTM, open the conversion action in Google Ads and select Tag setup > Use Google Tag Manager. Copy its Conversion ID, which identifies the Google Ads account, and Conversion label, which identifies the action. Enter both in a Google Ads conversion tracking tag, then configure the trigger that fires it.

Google Tag Assistant shows detected tags, the events they send, and associated data or errors. Its tag coverage summary also identifies tagged and untagged pages. Use these details to check that the purchase event fires at checkout completion and sends the expected order information.

Enhanced conversions in Google Ads can improve measurement by sending hashed customer-provided information, such as an email address, with conversion data. Google uses that information to match conversions with signed-in accounts that interacted with an ad. Review Google’s enhanced conversion guidance and customer data requirements before enabling the feature.

How to set up Google Ads conversion tracking on Shopify

The Google & YouTube app setup connects Google Ads directly to Shopify. Google Merchant Center is optional when setting up conversion measurement alone.

To run Google Ads, including Google Shopping ads, follow these steps:

1. Install the Google & YouTube app. In Shopify admin, open Sales channels > Google & YouTube.
2. Select Connect Google Account and sign in with an account that has administrator access to Google Ads.
3. In the “Just want to set up Google Ads conversion measurement?” banner, select Get started. Select Get started again in the Google Ads section.
4. Choose the Google Ads account from the dropdown and follow the connection prompts.
5. Review the Shopify events and Google Ads conversion destinations under Measure conversions. Use Manage to change the mappings, then confirm the events and enhanced conversion settings.
6. Complete the remaining prompts and select Complete setup.

For stores already connected to the Merchant Center, Shopify has an Advertise your products with Google Ads banner. Select Get started, and in the Set up your Performance Max campaign section, choose the Google Ads account from the dropdown menu, and select Connect.

4. Test your conversion tracking

Complete a test conversion to check that the expected event fires and sends its data. Google’s Tag Assistant troubleshooting workflow walks through verification:

1. Open Goals > Summary. In the Conversions dropdown menu, select All conversions.
2. In the conversion summary table, find an action marked Unverified, Tag inactive, or Needs attention. Hover over its status and select Troubleshoot.
3. Continue to Tag Assistant, enter the website’s homepage or landing-page URL, and select Connect.
4. Perform the action being measured, such as submitting a form or completing a test purchase.
5. Select Finish and review the results. Close Tag Assistant to return to Google Ads.

Allow approximately 30 minutes for verified actions to update. An action may show No recent conversions after verification until Google Ads records an attributed conversion.

If the test fails, check that the tag loads on the relevant pages and that its trigger matches the intended action. Verify the Conversion ID and Conversion label, publish any pending GTM changes, and check whether an ad blocker or consent setting prevented the tag from running.

On Shopify, Tag Assistant’s Troubleshoot tag feature cannot detect Google tags inside a custom pixel. Use Shopify Pixel Helper to inspect those events. Go to Settings > Customer events, open the connected custom pixel, and select Test.

Perform the customer action and review Events received for event data and callback errors. Check conversion status in Google Ads to confirm receipt.

5. Analyze your data

Add conversion reporting columns to compare campaign costs with the actions recorded. Review these five metrics:

• Cost per conversion. The average advertising cost for each conversion.
• Conversion rate. The percentage of eligible ad interactions that produce conversions.
• Conversion value per cost. Total conversion value divided by advertising cost. When values represent sales revenue, this measures return on ad spend (ROAS).
• Conversion value per click. Total conversion value divided by eligible clicks.
• Value per conversion. The average value of each recorded conversion.

Calculate conversion rate using this formula:

Conversion rate = (Conversions / Eligible ad interactions) x 100

For example, 50 conversions from 1,000 eligible clicks produces a 5% conversion rate: (50 / 1,000) x 100. Eligible interactions can also include video ad views, depending on the ad format.

Compare campaigns using the same conversion action and date range. Review Google Ads retargeting results separately to see how much it costs to convert people who have already visited the site.

For purchase campaigns, calculate how much each order earns after product and fulfillment costs. Use that amount to set an advertising cost per purchase that leaves enough profit to cover other business expenses.