Set up Google Ads conversions

Google Ads tracks conversions using Conversion Actions (one per goal: Purchase, Lead, Sign-up, etc.). You create these in Google Ads UI, install the tag on your site (Google Tag Manager or native), then Wevion imports the active conversion actions for use as campaign optimization targets.

Who is this for

Mediabuyers launching conversion-objective Google Ads campaigns (Sales, Leads, App). Awareness and Brand campaigns don't strictly need conversions — but tracking helps prove value.

Conversion Action = the unit of tracking

In Google Ads, each business goal is a Conversion Action:

• One for Purchase (e-commerce checkout)

• One for Sign-up (account creation)

• One for Lead (form submission, demo request)

• One for Phone call (click-to-call)

• One for Add to cart (mid-funnel signal)

• One for App install (mobile-app campaigns)

You can have many simultaneously, but pick one primary per campaign as the optimization target.

Setup walkthrough

Step 1: Create the Conversion Action in Google Ads

(Done in Google Ads UI, not Wevion.)

• Google Ads → Tools → Conversions → New conversion action

• Choose: Website for browser-based events; App, Phone calls, Import for others

• Define: name, category (Purchase / Lead / Sign-up / ...), value (Same / Different / No value), count (Every / One), conversion window (default 30 days for clicks)

• Click Create and continue

Step 2: Install the conversion tracking tag

Google offers 3 install methods:

• Google Tag (recommended) — single snippet on every page; fires conversion events via event_snippet

• Google Tag Manager — manage via GTM container with Conversion Linker + dedicated tag per action

• Manual code — copy-paste the global site tag + event snippet directly in code

For each conversion action, install the event snippet on the page where the conversion happens (e.g. checkout success page for Purchase).

Step 3: Verify firing

In Google Ads → Conversions → click the action → Conversion status section. Should show "Verified" with at least one recent conversion within 24-72h.

Step 4: Wevion imports automatically

The next 15-min sync after the conversion action becomes Active in Google Ads, Wevion imports it (creates a google_conversion_action row).

View at /pixels (Wevion lists Google conversion actions in the pixels grid for cross-platform consistency) or in /connect/google-ads → ad account detail drawer → Conversions tab.

Use a conversion action in a campaign

In Campaign Creator for a Google Ads campaign with conversion objective:

1. Pick the ad account

2. Select objective: Sales / Leads / App promotion (these require conversions)

3. Conversion action dropdown appears → pick the action to optimize for

4. Configure the campaign as normal

Without a configured conversion action, Sales/Leads campaigns cannot launch.

Enhanced conversions

For e-commerce and higher-quality attribution, set up Enhanced Conversions:

• In Google Ads → Conversion action → Enhanced conversions: enable

• Configure: send customer data (email, name, phone, address) hashed via SHA-256 alongside conversion events

• Use case: helps Google match conversions to ad clicks across device + browser changes, recovers conversions lost to cookie deprecation

Wevion respects the enhanced-conversion data path — if your site sends hashed customer data, Google receives it.

Conversion window

The conversion window (set per action) is how long after an ad interaction a conversion can be credited:

View-through window (smaller, 1-3 days typical) handles ad-view → conversion without click.

Change window in Google Ads → Conversion action → settings → conversion window.

Conversion categories

Categories help Google's optimization algorithms understand goal types:

• Purchase / Sale — e-commerce

• Lead — form, signup

• Page view — engagement (rarely used as optimization target)

• Sign-up — account creation

• App download — mobile install

• Contact — phone call, email

Pick the most specific category — wrong category can confuse Google's auto-bidding.

Wevion-side visibility

/pixels lists Google conversion actions with:

• Action name

• Category

• Status (Active / Inactive / No recent conversions)

• Last 7d conversion count

• Conversion value (if Value Same/Different configured)

Inactive actions don't appear in Campaign Creator's conversion dropdown.

What you'll see

A correctly-set conversion:

• Google Ads → Conversions: status Verified with recent conversions logged

• Wevion → /pixels: action visible with conversion counts

• Campaign Creator: conversion appears in dropdown for Sales/Leads campaigns

• After 50+ conversions: campaign performance metrics (CPA, ROAS) populate reliably

Smart Bidding requires conversions

Google's automated bid strategies (Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, Maximize Conversion Value) require conversion data to function. Without active conversion actions, you're limited to Manual CPC.

For best results: at least 30-50 conversions/month per campaign before enabling Smart Bidding.

Common issues

• Conversion not appearing in Wevion: not yet Active in Google Ads (status verifying). Wait 24-72h.

• Conversion count 0 in Wevion despite Google showing data: 15-min sync delay; refresh after one cycle.

• Duplicate conversions counted: tag installed twice on the same page (Global Tag + GTM both firing). Remove one.

• Wrong category in dropdown: change category in Google Ads → Conversion action settings.

• "Conversion action not eligible for optimization": Google requires the action to have at least 30 conversions in 30 days before optimization. Wait, or temporarily switch to a higher-volume conversion.

• Enhanced Conversions not working: customer data field not configured. Verify in Google Ads → Conversion action → Enhanced conversions.

Imports from offline / CRM

For lead-gen with offline qualification (e.g. lead → call qualified → opportunity → sale):

• Set up Offline Conversion Import in Google Ads

• Upload qualified leads via CSV or API

• Optimize campaigns for Qualified Lead instead of just Lead — better signal

Wevion doesn't directly manage offline import, but respects the imported conversions when they appear in Google Ads.

Related

• Connect Google Ads — prerequisite

• Shopping, Search, Performance Max — differences — picking the right campaign type

• Set up your first pixel — generic tracking concept