Google Ads Conversion Tracking Tutorial for Beginners | WordPress Guide

Are you looking to set up Google Ads conversion tracking for your WordPress website?

Google Ads is an incredible platform that helps promote your business right in front of your potential customers.

But did you know that Google Ads also allows for conversion tracking – a valuable tracking feature to help you measure and track important events happening on your website?

In this Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial for beginners, we’ll explain how to set up WordPress conversion tracking using Google Ads.

Are you ready? Let’s learn how to track your conversions!

Read more: What is Google Ads

How to Setup Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

These are the following actions for setting the Google Ads Conversion Tracking:

Step 1: Log in to Google Ads

Google Ads is an Online Advertising Platform

To get started with Google Ads conversion tracking, you’ll first need to log in to Google Ads.

If you’re completely unfamiliar with Google Ads, we suggest watching this tutorial first.

This tutorial will help you get started with Google Ads and set up your first campaign!

And once you’re done, jump back in to find out more about WordPress conversion tracking.

However, let’s get started.

Read more: Google Ads Tutorial for Beginners

Google Analytics 4 Tutorial for Beginners | Get Started in Google Analytics

Step 2: Create a Conversion Action

Next, in this Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial, we need to create a conversion action.

We’ll initiate Google Ads conversion tracking for a service-based business (for today’s example).

Using Google Ads, we can send paid traffic to the booking form on our website.

We can then track form submissions as a conversion using the following method outlined in this guide.

In this example, when an individual submits the booking form after entering their details, this will be measured as a successful conversion.

For step 2, take these actions:

• Click on Tools and Settings (refer to the screengrab)

• Locate ‘Conversions’ in the ‘Measurement’ column and click on it

• Tap on the ‘New Conversion Action’ button

• Next, choose the type of conversion you wish to track:
  1) track actions on your website
  2) track actions on your app
  3) track calls from your ads or website
  4) important data from Google Analytics

• We’ll choose ‘track actions on your website’ as our Google Ads conversion goal. Under website conversion, these are the metrics we can track: online sales, link clicks, page views, and sign-ups.

• Next to ‘Goal and action optimization’, choose ‘Submit lead forms’ from the drop-down menu

• Name your conversion in the given field. We’ll name it ‘Booking Form Lead’ in this Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial. This name is for your own reference within your account.

• Next to ‘Value’, select the option that says ‘Use the same value for each conversion’

• Add an average value of each lead that this business generates. We will enter NZD 300 just as an example. However, you also have a second option, which is to ‘use different values for each conversion’. There is a third option which is to not use any value at all (not recommended).

• Under ‘Count’, select the number of conversions you wish to count for every click or transaction. Choosing ‘Every’ is the correct option if you wish to track purchases.

Let’s say a person clicks on your Google Ads and then makes a purchase through the booking form on your website.

Later on, they make another purchase by revisiting your website – this time not by clicking a Google Ad.

Those two purchases will be recorded under that single click!

Therefore, the customer made two purchases using the first ad click.

Although they clicked on the Google Ad only once, they made two purchases, which is why they are recorded as two conversions.

If you choose ‘One’ under ‘Count’, only the first interaction will be recorded.

Since we’re generating leads, in this WordPress Google Ads tracking tutorial, we’ll keep ‘One’ selected.

Click-through Conversion Window

Continuing with step 2, you now want to set up the click-through conversion window.

You see, people don’t always buy immediately after clicking a Google Ad. It may take days or even weeks for them to return to your website!

Here you want to select a window post-ad-interaction to track the conversions.

However, for this Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial, we’ll pick ’30 days’ from the drop-down.

This means that if someone revisits the booking form 31 days after clicking your Google Ad, it won’t be counted as a conversion because it’s outside the click-through conversion window.

However, if they revisit and complete the purchase in, let’s say, 15 days – it will be considered a conversion.

Engaged-view Conversion Window

This is important if you’re running video ads.

Here you want to choose the timeframe post-video-ad-engagement that you wish to track conversions for.

So, it’s essentially the same as a click-through conversion window but for video ads.

Let’s say, we set the engaged-view conversion window as three days, a conversion after that specific time duration will not be counted.

View-through Conversion Window

Tracking this type of conversion is important if someone sees your ad but doesn’t interact with it (i.e, does not click the ad or view the video ad).

However, they may convert later after some amount of time has passed.

How long do you want to track that conversion?

That is what the view-through conversion window is!

For this Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial, we’ll keep it one day.

Attribution Model

This allows you to allocate credit per ad interaction for your conversions.

We have these options:

• Last click – the last click that converts gets all the credit

• First click – the first click gets all the credit

• Linear – credit gets distributed equally for all clicks that end in conversions

• Time decay and position-based

Although we advise selecting ‘Last-click’ as the preferred attribution model, especially if you are setting up Google Ads conversion tracking for the first time.

Once you start generating data within your account, then ‘Data-driven’ is the best approach.

In this model, Google Ads distributes credit based on past data for a specific conversion action.

Keep ‘Last click’ selected and hit ‘Create and Continue’.

That concludes step 1 of 3!  

We chose a conversion goal, set a conversion value, selected the count, picked the click-through conversion window, engaged-view conversion window, view-through conversion window, and the attribution model.

Now let’s continue with this WordPress Google Ads conversion tracking guide.

Also read: How To Use Google Keyword Planner

Step 3: Set Up a Conversion Tag                                   

Setting up a conversion tag can be daunting for beginners, but don’t worry!

We’re going to walk you through it step-by-step.

For step 3 (refer to the screengrab), take these actions:

• Under ‘Tag setup’, select ‘Install the tag yourself’ [Note: If you have access to the help of a developer, choose ‘Email the tag’ instead of ‘Install the tag yourself’. Scroll down, enter the developer’s email address, and click ‘Send and Continue’. Your developer will then handle the next steps.]

• Copy the global site tag (the code snippet shown in the ‘Install the tag yourself’). We need to install this tag on every page of our WordPress website

Step 4: Install Plugin (HFCM)

To install the conversion tag onto your WordPress website simply navigate the following steps.

• Login to your WordPress website

• Click Plugins > Add New

• Type in ‘HFCM’ in the plugin search bar

• Locate ‘Header Footer Code Manager’ and hit ‘Install Now’ (refer to the screengrab to ensure that you install the right plugin). We also advise you to back up your website (Learn how to backup your WordPress website here) before installing any. This is because sometimes plugins can clash with each other and your website could go down.

• Activate the plugin

Read more: How To Backup Your WordPress Website

Step 5: Add Global Site Tag

• Now locate the HFCM plugin on the navigation panel and click on it

• Select ‘Add New Snippet’ and name it. We’ll name it ‘Global Site Tag – Google Ads’ for this Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial.

• Under ‘Snippet Type’, make sure ‘HTML’ is selected

• Under ‘Site Display’, make sure ‘Site Wide’ is selected

• Under ‘Location’, make sure ‘Header’ is selected

• Scroll down to ‘Snippet/Code’ and paste the global site tag that you copied earlier

• Hit ‘Save’

Step 6: Add Event Snippet

Continuing into step 6, we now need to install the event snippet:

• Head back to your Google Ads account

• Copy the event snippet code and navigate back to your WordPress website

• Tap the ‘Add New Snippet’ button and name it ‘Event Snippet – Google Ads (Booking Form Conversions)’. This is for our own reference.

• Again, ensure that the snippet type is HTML

• Next to ‘Site Display’, choose ‘Specific Pages’ from the drop-down

• Under ‘Page List’, select the thank you page. When a visitor completes the booking form, they’ll be taken to the thank you page. That’s going to be recorded as a conversion.

• Next to ‘Location’, select ‘Before Content’

• Scroll down to ‘Snippet/Code’ and paste the event snippet code copied earlier

• Hit ‘Save’

• Head back to your Google Ads account and hit ‘Next’

In the next step, you just need to click ‘Done’.

On the Summary page, you’ll see the newly created conversion action.

Currently, the status is unverified and it can take up to three hours before you’re verified.

Read more:  Google Ads for Small Business

Step 7: Install Google Tag Assistant

To make sure that Google Ads conversion tracking is set up properly, we need to download a Chrome extension called Tag Assistant Legacy (by Google).

• Locate the extension using the above link and click ‘Add to Chrome’

• Select ‘Add Extension’

• Click on the extension after it’s added to Chrome and hit ‘Done’

• Tap ‘Enable’

Now we want to test if the conversion tracking is working on our website.

To do that:

• Head over to the WordPress website that you just activated Google Ads conversion tracking for

• Refresh your website pages

• Click on the Tag Assistant Legacy plugin

• Under ‘Result of Tag Analysis’, you’ll be able to see the global site tag

• Head over to the thank you page and click on the extension again

• Tap on the arrow next to ‘Where to optimize’

• Notice that ‘Google Ads Conversion Tracking’ is highlighted in green, which means that it’s working perfectly fine!

Read more: Google Ads Tutorial for Service Businesses 

Step 8: View Your Conversions

If you head back to your Google Ads account, you’ll be able to see the conversions (in a separate column) under your campaigns.

You can also see the cost per conversion and the conversion rate.

And that’s how you create and track conversions within Google Ads!

That concludes our WordPress Google Ads conversion tracking tutorial.

Watch The Full Video Guide Here

We also have a full video tutorial that you can check out below to give you a visual walkthrough of this process. Enjoy!