Short answer: Google Ads records a conversion when someone who clicked or viewed your ad then does something you defined as valuable, like a purchase, a form or a call. To set it up, go to Summary in the Goals menu and select + Create conversion action. Connect your website through the Google tag or Google Analytics, and create one conversion action for each thing you want to count. For leads, count one conversion per ad click.
How Google Ads counts a conversion
You add a Google tag, a snippet of code, to your website. When someone clicks your ad on Google Search or on selected Display Network sites, or views your video ad, a temporary cookie is placed on their device. When they complete the action you defined, Google recognizes the cookie through that code and records a conversion.
Calls from call assets or call-only ads don’t need a tag: a Google forwarding number tells Google the call came from your ad.
| What you want to count | Where Google Ads gets it |
|---|---|
| Forms, bookings and purchases on your site | The Google tag or Google Analytics, through “Conversions on a website” |
| Phone calls | Calls from your ads, calls to the number on your website and taps on your number on the mobile site |
| Sales you close later | Imports with the click ID (GCLID), or enhanced conversions for leads |
| App installs | Installs and actions inside your Android or iOS app |
From Google Ads Help, “About conversion measurement”, read November 2, 2026.
How to set up conversion tracking for your website
Sign in to your Google Ads account. Then:
- Go to Summary in the Goals menu and select + Create conversion action. If you don’t see that option, go straight to the next step.
- Select Edit data sources for “Conversions on a website”, enter your domain and select Scan. If Google finds no Google tag, it offers to set one up.
- Choose the category closest to the action, such as a lead form or a purchase, and create the conversion from the Google tag or from a Google Analytics event.
- For a thank-you page, select Automatically without code, then choose the event type, such as landing on a page, and the match type. Enter the page address: “URL contains” with “thank-you” covers a page like /thank-you/.
- Check the conversion settings, such as value and count, and select Done. On the last screen, set up the Google tag if you don’t have one yet, and select Agree and finish.
Buttons, links and values that change with each sale need the code method: select Manually using code and add the snippet Google gives you, directly or through Google Tag Manager. If your website builder has a plugin that adds Google tags, use one way only. Tagging the site twice can count each conversion twice.
From Google Ads Help, “Set up your web conversions”, read November 2, 2026.
One conversion or every conversion
For each conversion action, you choose how Google Ads counts it. One conversion counts only one conversion per ad click, which suits leads: five forms from the same person after one click are still one lead. Every conversion counts each conversion after an ad interaction, which suits sales. Every conversion is the default for website actions, so change it on your lead forms. One conversion is already the default for calls from ads and calls to the number on your website.
Each action is also primary or secondary. Google warns that a wrong setting can keep Smart Bidding from optimizing well: it relies on the primary actions, and secondary ones are only observed.
From Google Ads Help, “About conversion counting options” and “About conversion measurement”.
Phone calls
Google Ads measures calls in four ways:
- Calls from ads. Calls from call-only ads or from call and location assets. You set a minimum call length, and every call that lasts at least that long counts.
- Calls to the number on your website. People who came from an ad see a Google forwarding number on your site, with the same minimum length. This one also needs the Google tag and a call snippet on your site.
- Taps on your number on your mobile site. Google counts the tap on the number, button or link, not the call itself.
- Clicks on call ads and assets. Without a forwarding number, Google counts a click when it estimates that a meaningful call followed.
The first two, and importing calls, need Google forwarding numbers. Google also asks you to turn on call reporting in your account settings.
From Google Ads Help, “About phone call conversion tracking”.
Enhanced conversions and sales you close later
Enhanced conversions add first-party data from your forms, such as an email address, a name, a home address or a phone number. Your tag hashes it before sending it, and Google matches it with Google accounts that were signed in when people engaged with your ad. Since April 2026, enhanced conversions for web and for leads are one on/off setting, which you can switch on in the last setup step.
Many local businesses close the sale later, on the phone or in person. For that, Google Ads gives every ad click a unique ID, the GCLID. Save it with the lead in your form or CRM. When the lead becomes a customer, send that ID back to Google Ads with the type of conversion and when it happened. Enhanced conversions for leads does the same with the lead’s hashed details, and Google says the fastest way to set it up is Data Manager.
From Google Ads Help, “About enhanced conversions” and “About offline conversion imports”.
Check that it works
Go to Summary in the Goals menu, find the conversion action in the Name column and check the Status column in the same row. Google Tag Assistant shows which tags fire on your pages. If you use Google Tag Manager, also check the Conversion Linker tag.
A new or changed conversion action also affects automated bidding. Google says Smart Bidding needs a learning phase of 7 to 14 days, and advises against frequent changes to budgets, targets or goals during it.
From Google Ads Help, “Set up your web conversions” and “About conversion measurement”, and Tag Assistant Help.
Before you trust the numbers
- Each action counts something with real value: a sent form, a booking, a sale or a call, not a page view.
- The thank-you page only loads after a real submission.
- Lead forms count one conversion per click.
- The site has the Google tag once, not from a plugin and by hand at the same time.
- Call reporting is on, and the minimum call length matches a real conversation.
- The primary actions are the ones you want bidding to chase.
RememberCount a few actions that matter, set lead forms to one conversion per click, and check the Status column before you let Smart Bidding use the numbers.
The same job on Meta is in our guide on the Meta Pixel and the Conversions API. To see what the clicks you pay for cost, read how much Google Ads costs. If you want us to run your campaigns, see our Google Ads service. It sets up Google Ads conversions and GA4 on your site, for forms and WhatsApp taps, and tests each one before launch.
Quick answers about Google Ads conversion tracking
How do I set up conversion tracking in Google Ads?
Go to Summary in the Goals menu and select + Create conversion action. Add your website as a data source with Edit data sources and Scan, choose a category, and create the conversion from the Google tag or a Google Analytics event. For a thank-you page, use Automatically without code.
Should I count one conversion or every conversion?
Count one conversion for leads: Google Ads then counts only one conversion per ad click, however many forms the person sends. Count every conversion for sales, where each purchase adds value. Every conversion is the default for website actions.
Can Google Ads track phone calls?
Yes. It tracks calls from your ads and calls to the number on your website with Google forwarding numbers. It counts the calls that last at least the minimum length you set. It can also count taps on your number on your mobile site, but then it counts the tap, not the call.
What are enhanced conversions in Google Ads?
A setting that adds first-party data from your conversions, such as an email address or a phone number. Your tag hashes it and sends it to Google, which matches it with Google accounts that were signed in when people engaged with your ad. Google says it can improve the accuracy of your conversion measurement.
Why are my Google Ads conversions not showing?
Check the Status column of the action in Summary, under Goals, and use Google Tag Assistant to see whether the tag fires. Look for double tagging by a plugin, and if you use Tag Manager, check the Conversion Linker tag. After you link Google Analytics, its import options can take 24 to 48 hours to appear.
Sources
All read on November 2, 2026. Google Ads Help: About conversion measurement, Set up your web conversions and About conversion counting options. Also About phone call conversion tracking, About enhanced conversions and About offline conversion imports. Tag Assistant Help: Troubleshoot with Tag Assistant.