Goals and Conversion Tracking

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Goals & Conversion Tracking

Defining marketing objectives

Setting clear marketing objectives is the first step to a successful PPC campaign. Your goals will shape everything — from ad copy to targeting, bidding, and landing pages.

What Are Marketing Objectives?

Marketing objectives are specific outcomes you want to achieve with your ads. These could be related to visibility, traffic, leads, or sales.

Types of Marketing Objectives in PPC

1. Brand Awareness

  • Goal: Increase visibility and reach
  • Metrics: Impressions, Reach, CPM (Cost per 1,000 views)
  • Best for: New product launches or entering new markets

2. Website Traffic

  • Goal: Drive more visitors to your website
  • Metrics: Clicks, CTR (Click-Through Rate), Bounce Rate
  • Best for: Blog promotion, product pages, educational content

3. Lead Generation

  • Goal: Capture user info (emails, signups, form fills)
  • Metrics: Cost per Lead (CPL), Conversion Rate
  • Best for: B2B, services, webinars, consultation bookings

4. Sales/Conversions

  • Goal: Generate direct purchases or transactions
  • Metrics: CPA (Cost per Acquisition), ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)
  • Best for: Ecommerce, product launches, online bookings

5. App Promotion

  • Goal: Drive mobile app installs or engagement
  • Metrics: Installs, Cost per Install (CPI), In-app actions

6. Local Store Visits

  • Goal: Increase foot traffic to physical locations
  • Metrics: Location extensions clicks, direction requests

SMART Objective Example
Instead of saying “I want more leads,” make it:

“I want to generate 100 leads per month at a cost per lead under $10 within 60 days.”

SMART = Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

Setting up conversion tracking

Conversion tracking lets you see what actions users take after clicking your ad — like purchases, signups, or form fills — so you can measure ROI and optimize performance.

Step 1: Decide What You Want to Track

Examples of conversions:

  • Purchase (Ecommerce)
  • Lead form submission
  • Phone call
  • Newsletter signup
  • App install or in-app action
  • Button click or page visit

Step 2: Create a Conversion Action in Google Ads

  1. Go to your Google Ads account:
  2. Click Tools & Settings (wrench icon) → under “Measurement”, click Conversions
  3. Click + New Conversion Action
  4. Choose the type of conversion:
  • Website
  • App
  • Phone calls
  • Import (from Google Analytics, Salesforce, etc.)

Step 3: Set Up Website Conversion Tracking

If you chose “Website”:

  1. Enter your domain (Google will scan your website)
  2. Choose Add a conversion manually (recommended for full control)
  3. Fill in the details:
  • Conversion name (e.g., “Lead Form Submit”)
  • Category (Purchase, Lead, Signup, etc.)
  • Value (fixed, dynamic, or no value)
  • Count (every vs. one conversion per click)
  • Click-through conversion window (default is 30 days)
  • View-through conversion window (optional)
  • Attribution model (Data-driven, Last-click, etc.)

Step 4: Install the Conversion Tag

After setting up, you’ll see two tag options:

  • Global site tag (gtag.js) – goes on all pages of your website
  • Event snippet – goes only on the page where the conversion happens (e.g., thank-you page)

Option A: Manual Installation

  • Copy the global site tag and paste it between <head></head> on every page of your site
  • Copy the event snippet and paste it right before the </body> on the confirmation/thank-you page

Option B: Use Google Tag Manager (GTM)

  1. Go to Google Tag Manager
  2. Create a new tag:
  • Type: Google Ads Conversion Tracking
  • Add your Conversion ID and Conversion Label
  • Set a trigger (e.g., page view on thank-you page or click on a button)
  • Save and publish the tag

Step 5: Verify the Tracking

  • Use the Google Tag Assistant or the Google Ads Tag Helper extension to check if the tag fires properly
  • Or check “Status” under Tools > Conversions — it will show as “Recording conversions” after a successful event

Step 6: Track & Optimize

  • View conversion data under your campaign/ad group/ad level
  • Analyze Cost/Conv, Conv. Rate, and ROAS
  • Use this data to
  • Adjust bids and budgets
  • Test ad copy and landing pages
  • Pause underperforming keywords

Would you like a ready-to-use GTM tag template, or do you want to integrate it with a specific platform (like WordPress, Shopify, or Wix)?

Using Google Tag Manager

Step 1: Set Up Google Tag Manager on Your Website

If GTM is not already installed:

1. Go to https://tagmanager.google.com

2. Click Create Account

  • Account Name: Your company or site name
  • Container Name: Your website URL
  • Target Platform: Web

4. Click Create, agree to Terms

5. You’ll receive two snippets:

  • Add the first code to <head> of every page
  • Add the second code immediately after <body> tag

You can do this manually or using a plugin (if using WordPress, Shopify, Wix, etc.)

Step 2: Set Up Conversion in Google Ads

1. Go to Google Ads

2. Click Tools & Settings ( icon) → Conversions

3. Click + New Conversion Action → Choose Website

4. Add your domain and scan it (optional)

5. Click Add conversion manually

6. Fill in:

  • Conversion Name (e.g., “Form Submission”)
  • Category (e.g., Lead, Purchase)
  • Value (Fixed, Dynamic, or None)
  • Count (One or Every)
  • Click-Through Conversion Window
  • Attribution model (usually “Data-driven”)

7. Click Done and Use Google Tag Manager

8. Copy the Conversion ID and Conversion Label

Step 3: Create the Conversion Tag in GTM

  1. Go to Google Tag Manager Dashboard
  2. Click Tags → New
  3. Name the tag: Google Ads – Form Submit or similar
  4. Click Tag Configuration → Select Google Ads Conversion Tracking
  5. Paste the Conversion ID and Conversion Label from Google Ads
  6. (Optional) Set Conversion Value, Currency, or Order ID

Step 4: Set the Trigger

You need a trigger to define when this tag should fire.

  • Common Options:
  • Thank You Page View:
  • Click Triggering → New
  • Type: Page View
  • Condition: Page Path contains /thank-you or similar

Form Submission:

  • Trigger Type: Form Submission
  • Check “Wait for Tags” and “Check Validation”
  • Set conditions (e.g., Form ID or Page URL)

You can also use Click Trigger if tracking button clicks.

Step 5: Preview & Test the Tag

  1. In GTM, click Preview
  2. Enter your website URL → Click Connect
  3. Interact with the site and perform the conversion action (e.g., submit the form)
  4. Check the debug panel to ensure your tag fired properly
  5. Use Tag Assistant or Google Ads Tag Assistant Chrome extension for extra verification

Step 6: Publish Your GTM Changes

Once the tag works:

  • Click Submit in GTM
  • Add a version name (e.g., “Add Google Ads Conversion”)
  • Click Publish

Step 7: Verify in Google Ads

  • Go back to Tools → Conversions
  • Find your conversion and check if the Status = Recording Conversions
  • You’ll begin to see data once users complete the tracked action

Pro Tip:

Track multiple conversions (purchases, form fills, phone clicks) by creating separate tags and triggers for each action — GTM keeps everything organized in one place.

Connecting Google Ads to Google Analytics

Why Link Google Ads and GA4?

  • See how users behave after clicking your ads
  • Import GA4 conversions into Google Ads
  • Build remarketing audiences in GA4
  • Get richer insights for campaign optimization

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before linking:

  • You need edit access to both the Google Ads account and the GA4 property.
  • Ensure the same Google account has access to both.

Step 2: Link from Google Analytics (Recommended Method)

  1. Go to analytics.google.com
  2. Open your GA4 property
  3. Click the Admin gear icon (bottom-left corner)
  4. Under the Property column, click Google Ads Links
  5. Click Link
  6. Select the Google Ads account(s) you want to link
  7. Click Next

Step 3: Configure Link Settings

You’ll be prompted to:

  • Enable Personalized Advertising – allows GA4 audiences to be shared with Google Ads
  • Enable Auto-Tagging (recommended) – ensures that ad data flows into GA4 properly
  • Keep both options enabled, unless you have a specific reason not to.
  • Click Next, then Submit.

Step 4: Verify the Connection

  • Go back to Admin → Google Ads Links in GA4
  • You should now see your Google Ads account listed as “Linked”
  • In Google Ads, go to Tools & Settings → Linked Accounts → Google Analytics (GA4)
  • You’ll see your GA4 property listed and active

Step 5: Import GA4 Conversions into Google Ads (Optional but Recommended)

If you’re using GA4 to track conversions (e.g., purchases, form submissions):

  1. Go to Google Ads
  2. Click Tools & Settings → Conversions
  3. Click New Conversion Action → Import
  4. Choose Google Analytics 4 properties (Web)
  5. Select the conversions you want to import (e.g., “purchase”, “generate_lead”)
  6. Click Import and Continue

These conversions will now appear in your campaign performance data and be used for Smart Bidding.

Step 6: Enable GA4 Audiences in Google Ads (for Remarketing)

Once linked, GA4 can automatically share audience segments (like “Engaged Users” or “Abandoned Cart”) with Google Ads.

  • In GA4: Go to Admin → Audiences → Create Audience
  • Example audience: “Users who visited product page but not thank-you page”
  • Once created, these audiences can be targeted or excluded in Google Ads campaigns

Pro Tips:

  • Make sure auto-tagging is ON in Google Ads for clean data
  • Use UTM parameters if using manual tagging for consistency
  • Always double-check that your conversions are not double-counted (GA4 + Google Ads native

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