Hey there! Benjamin from Loves Data here! In this video, I'm going to show you how to track
conversions in Google Ads. This is my 2022 Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial! We will cover
the dedicated Google Ads conversion tracking tag and compare this to importing conversions
from Google Analytics. I'll show you how to do this with both versions of Google Analytics,
so Universal Analytics, and the latest version, Google Analytics 4 (or GA4 for
short). You will learn about the other types of conversions you can track, including calls
and offline conversions. And we will also cover the reasons why you can see differences in your
data when you compare conversions in Google Ads to Google Analytics. Let's get started!
Tracking conversions in Google Ads is critical. If you don't take the time to configure conversion
tracking, then you won't be able to report on the performance of your campaigns inside your account.
And you will also need conversions if you want to use automated bidding strategies or campaigns that
rely on machine learning, like Performance Max campaigns. If you'd like to learn about
this type of campaign, then check out the extra resources in the description below this video.
There are two options for tracking website conversions into your Google Ads account. We can
create a dedicated Google Ads conversion tag, or we can import conversions from Google Analytics.
But which one should you use? If you need to get up and running quickly and you're already
reporting conversions in Google Analytics, then importing conversions is a good option.
It means you won't need to add extra code to your website and it's pretty easy to set up as we will
see in a moment. However, for more accurate reporting of your conversions in Google Ads,
I recommend using the dedicated Google Ads conversion tag. It will require more time
to set up, but it will provide more accurate results compared to importing conversions from
Google Analytics. Let me explain why... Someone searches on Google, and then clicks your ad...
They've come to your website from Google Ads. Then they convert... If we were using the dedicated
Google Ads conversion tag, then we would see a conversion in Google Ads... And if we were
importing conversions from Google Analytics, then we would also see a conversion in Google Ads...
Okay, so that's fine. Both options are accurate, but now let's look at another example... Someone
else searched on Google, and then clicks your ad... So they've come to your website from Google
Ads, but then they leave... And they come back to your website using a link they found in a post on
Facebook... Then they convert... If we were using the dedicated Google Ads conversion tag, then we
would see a conversion in Google Ads... But if we were importing conversions from Google Analytics,
no conversion would be reported in Google Ads... This is because when you import a conversion
from Google Analytics, that conversion needs to be associated with the click from Google Ads.
And since the conversion was associated with Facebook in this example,
it isn't imported into our Google Ads account. So if you want to ensure that all conversions that
occur after someone clicks your ads is available in Google Ads, I recommend using the dedicated
Google Ads conversion tag. Using this option gives you more accurate conversions for optimization
and reporting in Google Ads. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't configure conversions in
Google Analytics, it just means that attribution plays a role in how conversions are reported.
Let's look at why you might see differences when comparing conversions in Google Ads to
Google Analytics... This is the same scenario we were looking at before. We can see someone
clicked our ad to visit our website, then they came from Facebook, and then they converted...
If we use the dedicated Google Ads conversion tag, then we know that if we're looking at our reports
in Google Ads, the conversion will be attributed to our Google Ads campaign... However, if we're
looking at our Google Analytics reports and we're using last-click attribution, then the conversion
will be attributed to Facebook. So you can immediately see that we'd be looking at different
results if we were comparing our data from Google Ads to what we find inside Google Analytics. So
attribution is the most common reason you will see differences in the number of conversions
when comparing Google Ads to Google Analytics. The reports you use will depend on what you're trying
to achieve, but overall, I recommend checking out the attribution reports in Google Analytics
to really understand the performance of your marketing channels. I've included a link in the
description below this video if you would like to learn more about attribution in Google Analytics.
Okay, we're going to set up the dedicated Google Ads conversion tag and add it to our website using
Google Tag Manager. So let's start by heading to Google Ads... We select 'Tools and Settings'...
And then 'Conversions' under 'Measurement'...
This is where we can create our dedicated Google Ads conversion tag and import conversions
from Google Analytics. You will also see any conversions that have already been configured
for account. We're going to add a new conversion, so let's click 'New Conversion Action'...
This shows us all of the types of conversions we can configure in Google Ads. First we have
the option to set up 'website' conversions, which we're about to cover. And we also have the option
to track conversions for our apps, phone calls and even import conversions. Let's select 'Website'...
Now we need to configure our new conversion...
First, is the category for the conversion. The category allows you to group related conversions
in Google Ads. The category you select can be used when segmenting data in Google Ads. And categories
are also used when setting an objective for your campaign, so take time to choose a category that
closely fits to the objective you're going to be tracking. Let's choose a category...
We can see there are a range of options to choose from.. Today I'm going to walk through setting up
conversion tracking for a sign-up form, so I'm going to select 'Sign-up' as the category...
We can then choose if we want to use the conversion data to optimize
our campaigns in Google Ads. Let's click 'Conversion Action Optimization Options'...
This lets as decide if the conversion we are creating is for a primary action,
or a secondary action. Another way to think about this, is if the conversion is a macro conversion
or a micro-conversion. Depending on the category you've selected, some categories are automatically
used to optimize your campaigns, while other don't, so take a moment to read any messages
that pop up when making your selection. Overall, you want to make sure that your
important conversion actions are set as a 'Primary Action'... Then we need to name our conversion. I
am going to name my conversion 'Email Sign-up'... Now I have the option of assigning a dollar value
for the conversion. The first option is to assign the same value for every conversion...
So I can enter the value that my sign up form generates each time it is completed.
In this example, I'm entering the average value of a form submission,
but there are other options... If you were measuring real value, from say, purchases
you can measure those changing (or dynamic values) with the Google Ads conversion tag.
And there is also the option to track the conversion without assigning a value.
I really encourage you to try and assign a value even if it's guesstimate or approximate value.
Next, you will need to decide how you want to count conversions in Google Ads. My tip
here is that if you're capturing leads, then you'll only want to count each conversion once.
For example, let's say we're advertising a gym and we have a form that allows people to sign up for
a free trial. Once we've captured their details, it doesn't matter how many times they fill out the
form. We already have their details and we're not going to create additional value if they fill out
the form multiple times. So for this scenario, we would count the form as one conversion,
even if someone completes it multiple times. However, if we were measuring transactions,
then each time someone makes a purchase we are adding additional value. So in this case we'd want
to count every action as a conversion. Now coming back to my example, I'm going to select 'One'
because I'm tracking a sign up form and I only want to count a single conversion,
even if the form is completed multiple times by the same person.
Now I can select a conversion windows for people clicking our ads, engaging with our ads,
and viewing our ads. This tells Google Ads how far back in time to look for anyone who has converted.
I recommend leaving these as the defaults, unless you expect people to take a longer amount of time
to convert. Finally you can select an attribution model for the conversions. This allows you to
decide how to give credit for the conversion if someone clicks on more than one of your ads.
For example, if someone clicked through on two of your ads, the 'last click' attribution model would
give 100% of the credit to the final ad that was clicked before the conversion occurred. You have
the option of choosing between last click, first click, linear, time decay and position based
attribution models. If you have enough conversion data you can even move to the 'data driven' model.
I recommend using the 'Time Decay' model or the 'Data Driven' model if it's available.
Now we've completed all of the steps. From choose a category, naming our conversion, to assigning
value, right through to selecting the attribution model. So let's click 'Create and Continue'...
Now we need to add the conversion tag to our website. We're given three options... We can
add the tag ourself, we can email the tag to our web developer, or we can use Google Tag Manager.
I recommend using Google Tag Manager, as it makes it easy to manage multiple tags on our website.
And if you're new to Google Tag Manager, then you can find my dedicated tutorials in the description
below this video. Okay, let's select 'Google Tag Manager'... We're now given the 'Conversion ID'
and 'Conversion Label' that we can use in Google Tag Manager to create a new conversion tag.
So let's copy these as we will need them in a moment. Now let's head to Google Tag Manager...
And we need to create a new tag... We name our tag...
And select 'Google Ads Conversion Tracking' as the tag type...
We can see an alert telling us that we don't have a conversion linker tag in Google Tag Manager.
If you see thie message too, then click 'Create'...
This is a special tag that ensure details about the click from Google Ads is made available to
the conversion tag we're about to create. Let's name the tag 'Google Ads Conversion Linker'...
And save the tag...
Now we enter the 'Conversion ID' we copied from Google Ads...
And the 'Conversion Label'... Then we need to add a trigger to the tag... We can create a new
trigger or select an existing trigger for our conversion... I already have a trigger for the
conversion action I want to track, so I'm going to select this... Now we need to save our tag...
And publish the changes to our website...
The Google Ads conversion tag is now implemented on our website. Again, if you would like to learn
more about Google Tag Manager, I've included links in the description below this video.
Now that we've covered how to track website conversions, we're going to look at the other
ways you can track conversions in Google Ads. Let's head back to Google Ads... Let's click
the button to create another conversion... Apart from tracking website conversions, you can also
configure conversion tracking for apps... This option lets you measure app installs and actions
within your app as conversions. You have the option of pulling data in from Google Analytics 4,
Google Play, or third-party app analytics. You can select the option you'd like to use and then
travel through the configuration options... Next we have phone call conversions which lets you
track people calling you as conversions in Google Ads. Let's select this... We can see there are
three options for tracking calls as conversions. If you're using a Google Forwarding Number which
is an option if you're using a call extension with your ads, then you can track calls as conversions.
For example, you can choose to count conversions if someone spends over two minutes on a call.
The second option allows you to embed the Google Forwarding Number on your website. When someone
clicks through from one of our ads the phone number will be changed to the one that was
included with the ad. When they call the number, a conversion will be reported in Google Ads.
The final option is to measure clicks on our mobile website. This allows us to measure
clicks on our phone number as a conversion... The final option is to import conversions...
There are a number of options when it comes to importing conversions. We can import
conversions from Google Analytics (including Universal Analytics and GA4 properties),
third-party app analytics, Salesforce and other data sources. If you want to import conversions
from Google Analytics, then you will need to start by ensuring that Google Analytics is linked to
Google Ads. I've included links to my dedicated tutorials for linking your accounts in the
description below this video. Okay, so the first option, 'Google Analytics UA', lets you import
goals and transactions from your linked Google Analytics property. Let's select this option...
And click 'Continue'... You will see any goals you've already configured in Google Analytics,
along with transactions if you're selling online. You can then select
the conversions you would like to import... And then click 'Import and Continue'...
Now let's import a conversion from GA4 (Google Analytics 4).
Let's click 'New Conversion Action' again...
Select 'Import'... Choose 'Google Analytics 4'... Then 'Web'... And click 'Continue'...
Now you can select the conversions you would like to import... And click 'Import and Continue'...
I want to highlight that we've now covered three different ways you can track a conversion into
Google Ads. We've covered the dedicated Google Ads conversion tag, importing a
conversion from a Universal Analytics property, and importing a conversion from a GA4 property.
For each conversion action you want to track, you only need to set it up once in Google Ads.
For example, if you want to track people submitting a form, you only need to configure
one of the options we've covered. If you were to track the form using two of these options, then
you will be double-counting conversions in Google Ads. Just use one of the options we've covered.
So that's how you can track conversions in Google Ads. Remember you can use the dedicated
Google Ads conversion tag, but you can also import conversions from Google Analytics or a combination
of both. The main thing is that you only track a conversion action once into Google Ads. If you
want to learn more about Google Ads, then check out my other resources in the description below
this video, including my Google Ads course. How are you tracking conversions in Google
Ads? I'd love to know! Let me know in the comments below. And if you found this video
helpful, then please like it, so I know to make more videos like this. See you in the next video!