Setting up Google Ads conversion tracking and enhanced conversions

What Google Ads conversion tracking is and when it makes sense

Google Ads conversion tracking tells your ad account that an order, an enquiry or another valuable action followed an ad click. Each such action is a conversion action in the account. Google Ads reports campaign results from them, and primary conversions drive automated bidding.

It makes sense whenever you want Google Ads to optimise for real orders, not clicks.

Data reaches Google Ads in two ways:

• Google Ads tag (on the site or through Google Tag Manager): sends the conversion straight to Google Ads; when set up with code, with dynamic value, transaction ID and enhanced conversions.
• Import from GA4: Google Ads takes over events marked as key events in GA4. Data can take up to 24 hours to appear, and actions created from the GA4 interface are set as secondary.

According to the same help page, both can run together, but only one should be primary for purchases, or the same order counts twice.

Who it is for and who it is not for

It fits if:

• you run a shop or a site with a form and Google Ads with automated bidding,
• Google Ads numbers do not match your orders, or conversions are counted twice,
• Google Ads says your enhanced conversions setup is not active or incomplete,
• you want to track ads in ChatGPT too.

It does not fit without Google Ads campaigns. If the site has no basic tracking yet, start with GA4 and Google Tag Manager setup and add conversions later.

How the setup works

1. Current state review. Conversion actions are checked: primary or secondary, where data comes from, and whether a tag runs twice.
2. Conversion action design. The main goal (purchase, lead) is separated from supporting signals. Only what Google Ads should optimise for stays primary.
3. Implementation. A conversion tag with value, currency and transaction ID from the data layer, the conversion linker and enhanced conversions. OpenAI Ads on request.
4. Verification. Trial conversions in GTM preview: the tag fires once, carries the right value and the ID changes with each order. Then the diagnostics in Google Ads.
5. Handover. Setup notes and what to check when.

What you get

• conversion actions split into primary and secondary,
• conversion tags in GTM with value, currency and transaction ID,
• the conversion linker (or the Google tag) on every page ads lead to,
• verified enhanced conversions for web, or for leads,
• on request, OpenAI Ads tracking that starts only after consent,
• short documentation of what is sent where and how to check it.

Enhanced conversions: what is sent and how

Enhanced conversions add data the customer entered to the conversion: email, phone, name and address. Google matches it with signed-in Google accounts that interacted with the ad, which according to Google Ads Help can improve the accuracy of conversion measurement.

Before sending, the data is normalised (spaces trimmed, lower case, phone in E.164 format) and hashed with one-way SHA-256. According to the Google Ads API documentation, email, phone, first name, last name and street are hashed; country, region, city and postcode are not.

Setup options: the Google tag (automatic detection, CSS selectors, JavaScript variables or code), Google Tag Manager (data from the data layer or the form), or the Google Ads API from the server.

You must accept the customer data terms in Google Ads. According to the consent mode reference, ad_user_data is required for enhanced conversions, so where consent is required, the Google tag does not send the data without it. What may be sent depending on the banner choice is covered in Consent Mode v2.

Enhanced conversions for leads suit deals that close after the form is sent. Hashed form data is captured on the site and uploaded later with the offline conversion. Web and leads now share one setting in Google Ads. According to the same help page, offline conversion uploads move to the Data Manager API from 15 June 2026, so check whether this affects a custom API integration.

Conversions from ads in ChatGPT (OpenAI Ads)

OpenAI Ads is the ad platform for ChatGPT. It is tracked with its own pixel or the Conversions API, or the Image Tag, not through Google Ads. The pixel stores cookies and assumes consent by default. Section 89(3) of the Czech Electronic Communications Act exempts only technical storage from consent, so under this reading the pixel has to be tied to the cookie banner consent in the Czech Republic. When campaigns run in both Google Ads and ChatGPT, tracking for both platforms is set up from one data layer so that order values match.

How OpenAI Ads tracking works, what applies as of October 2026 and what to watch out for with consent is covered in a separate article on OpenAI Ads conversion tracking.

What to watch out for

• The same tag twice. A conversion tag in the theme code and in GTM, or a native shop integration plus a custom tag. Conversions double, so find all sources first.
• Two primary actions for one purchase. If both the Google Ads tag and the GA4 purchase import are primary, the order counts twice and bidding chases inflated numbers. Keep one primary (primary and secondary actions).
• Missing transaction ID. Without it, a reloaded or revisited thank-you page can count again. The ID must be unique per order.
• Value and currency. According to Google Ads Help, send the value as a number with a decimal point (1234.50, not 1 234,50 CZK) and the currency as an ISO 4217 code such as CZK. Decide on VAT once and keep it consistent. Where value and ID come from is covered by GA4 ecommerce tracking.
• Conversion linker. It stores ad click data (gclid) in first-party cookies on your domain and must run on every page reachable from an ad, including a standalone landing page. If the Google tag loads on every page, a separate linker is not needed.
• Differences from orders. Google Ads reports a conversion on the date of the click behind it, so daily numbers need not match GA4 or your order system.

How much conversion tracking costs

The price list shows tracking as scope-based, including Google Ads conversions, OpenAI Ads and Enhanced Conversions. The indicative hourly rate in the price list is from 500 CZK/hr. The price depends on the scope and complexity of the project.

It rises with more conversion actions and sources, a site without a usable data layer, clean-up of a previous setup (duplicate tags, old actions), enhanced conversions for leads with offline uploads, and server-side sending. A site with GTM, a ready data layer and one main conversion needs less work.

Describe what you have and want to track via the contact form. webrocks replies within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

What are Google Ads enhanced conversions?

They add customer-entered data (email, phone, name, address) to the conversion, normalised and hashed with SHA-256. Google matches it with signed-in Google accounts, which according to Google Ads Help can improve the accuracy of conversion measurement.

Why is Google Ads counting conversions twice?

Either the same tag runs twice (in code and in GTM), or two actions are primary for one purchase, typically the Google Ads tag and the GA4 import. Or the transaction ID is missing.

How does conversion deduplication work?

According to Google Ads Help, Google Ads does not count a second conversion with the same transaction ID for the same conversion action, though this does not cover view-through conversions.

How do I check that enhanced conversions work?

In GTM preview, check that the tag carries user data, then the conversion action’s Diagnostics tab in Google Ads, available about 72 hours after deployment, with impact results after about 30 days (Google’s setup guide).

Can ads in ChatGPT be tracked?

Yes, with the Measurement Pixel and Conversions API described in OpenAI’s documentation, or the Image Tag. The details are in the article on OpenAI Ads conversion tracking.