Conversion tracking is a method used in digital marketing to measure what happens after a user interacts with your ad. It helps you understand whether your ad resulted in a desired action such as a purchase, form submission, phone call, sign-up, or app download. By setting up conversion tracking, you can evaluate the effectiveness of your ads and optimize your campaigns for better performance and higher return on investment.
Setting up conversion tracking allows you to see which ads, keywords, and campaigns are generating valuable actions on your website. This not only helps improve your advertising strategy but also ensures that your marketing budget is being spent efficiently. Below is a complete step-by-step guide to setting up conversion tracking using Google Ads, one of the most commonly used platforms.
Step 1: Sign in to Your Google Ads Account
Go to the Google Ads website (ads.google.com) and sign in using your Google account credentials.
Step 2: Access the Conversions Section
Click on the “Tools & Settings” icon in the top right corner. Under the “Measurement” column, select “Conversions.” Then click the “+ New Conversion Action” button to start creating a new conversion tracking setup.
Step 3: Choose the Conversion Source
You will be asked to choose the type of conversion you want to track. Google provides four options:
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Website – for tracking purchases, form submissions, and other actions on your site.
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App – for tracking mobile app installs and in-app actions.
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Phone calls – for tracking calls made directly from your ads or website.
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Import – for tracking conversions that happen offline, such as sales that occur through a CRM system.
For most businesses, especially e-commerce websites like Lenskart, you would choose “Website” to track online purchases and other actions.
Step 4: Set Up the Conversion Details
Now you need to enter the details of the conversion action:
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Conversion Name: Name your conversion action, for example, “Purchase Completed” or “Form Submission.”
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Category: Select the appropriate category, such as Purchase, Sign-up, Lead, or Add to Cart.
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Value: You can assign a fixed value for every conversion or set different values for each transaction (useful for e-commerce).
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Count: Choose whether to count every conversion or only one per ad click. Use “Every” for purchases and “One” for leads.
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Conversion window: Set how long after an ad interaction a conversion should be counted (default is 30 days).
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Include in ‘Conversions’: Keep this checked if you want to include this data in your main reports.
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Attribution model: Choose an attribution model like Last Click or Data-Driven to decide how credit is assigned.
After filling these out, click “Create and Continue.”
Step 5: Install the Conversion Tracking Tag
Once your conversion is created, Google will provide you with a code snippet to place on your website. There are two parts:
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Global Site Tag (gtag.js): This should be placed in the
<head>section of every page on your website. If it’s already there (for example, from Google Analytics), you don’t need to add it again. -
Event Snippet: This code goes on the specific page where the conversion happens—like the thank-you page after a purchase or form submission.
You can install the code manually, use Google Tag Manager, or send it to your web developer. After installing, click “Next” and then “Done.”
Step 6: Test and Verify
It’s important to make sure your conversion tag is working correctly. You can do this by:
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Visiting your website and completing the conversion action.
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Using the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension to check if the tag fires correctly.
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Checking the “Conversions” section in Google Ads after a few hours to see if any conversions have been recorded.
Additional Tips for Successful Setup
If you’re using Google Tag Manager, you can set up conversion tracking without touching your website code. Just add a new tag for Google Ads Conversion Tracking, paste the conversion ID and label, and set a trigger for your thank-you page or specific event.
For dynamic e-commerce tracking like Lenskart, where each product has a different value, use dynamic conversion values. These can be passed using variables from the checkout page.
If you use Google Analytics to track goals, you can also import those goals directly into Google Ads and treat them as conversions.
Use Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads to improve accuracy. This feature allows you to use first-party data (like email or phone number) securely to track more conversions, even if cookies are blocked.
Why Conversion Tracking is Important for Businesses Like Lenskart
Let’s take an example from Lenskart. Suppose they are running a Google Ads campaign offering “Buy 1 Get 1 Free Eyeglasses.” A user clicks on the ad, lands on a promotional page, selects two pairs, completes the checkout, and lands on the thank-you page. If a Google Ads conversion tag is placed on that thank-you page, Google will register that a purchase was completed. This information is then tied back to the specific ad and keyword that triggered the action.
Now, the marketing team at Lenskart knows which ad drove the conversion. They can increase their budget on high-performing keywords, pause underperforming ones, and refine their targeting. If they notice that many users drop off before reaching the thank-you page, they may also identify issues in the checkout flow.
Other types of conversions Lenskart may track include users who:
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Add products to their cart.
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Use the “Try On” feature.
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Sign up for email updates.
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Download the mobile app.
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Schedule an eye test.
Conversion tracking gives them insights into every part of the customer journey.
Conclusion
Setting up conversion tracking is essential for any business that wants to grow through digital advertising. It gives you clear insights into which ads, keywords, and campaigns are generating real business results.