Google Ads

Google Ads conversion tracking: is it actually counting?

Broken Google Ads conversion tracking means Smart Bidding optimises on bad data - or no data. duckmetric checks your conversion linker, conversion values, enhanced conversions and whether a conversion is double-counting on the wrong pages.

This audit is for teams that need proof, not guesses: whether tags fire on the real page, whether events contain the right parameters, and whether ad platforms receive the signal they need to optimise campaigns.

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Home / Google Ads conversion tracking

What we check in Google Ads tracking

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Conversion linker

Without the conversion linker, attribution breaks and conversions go uncounted. We check it's present and working - it's critical.

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Conversion value & dedup

Your conversion should send value, currency and transaction_id (for deduplication). Missing these, ROAS and value bidding fail.

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Enhanced conversions

Hashed email/phone improve match rates and recover conversions lost to cookies. We check whether they're configured.

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Double-counting

A conversion that fires on every page instead of only the thank-you page inflates results and misleads bidding.

Why this quietly burns budget: Google Ads Smart Bidding is only as smart as the conversions you feed it. A missing value, a missing conversion linker, or a double-counted conversion teaches the algorithm the wrong thing - and you pay for it on every click.

Common Google Ads tracking problems

How to check Google Ads conversion tracking yourself

You can confirm the essentials in the browser before Smart Bidding wastes budget on bad data:

Filter Network for conversion

Complete a test conversion and look for requests to googleads.g.doubleclick.net or /pagead/conversion. No request means the conversion isn't counted.

Check value and currency

The conversion request should carry value and currency_code. Without them, value-based bidding (tROAS) has nothing to optimise toward.

Confirm the conversion linker

Look for the _gcl_aw cookie / conversion linker tag. Without it, ad clicks aren't attributed and conversions get under-counted.

Check it fires only on the thank-you page

If the conversion fires on every page or on refresh, you're double-counting - inflating conversions and misleading bidding.

Google Ads conversion tracking FAQ

How do I test if Google Ads conversion tracking is working?

Complete a test conversion with DevTools → Network open and look for a request to /pagead/conversion or googleads.g.doubleclick.net carrying value and currency_code. Also check Google Ads → Conversions for "Recording conversions" status.

What is the conversion linker and do I need it?

Yes. The conversion linker stores ad-click information in a first-party _gcl_aw cookie so conversions can be attributed to the click. Without it, especially under Safari/ITP, conversions are lost or under-counted.

What are enhanced conversions and should I use them?

Enhanced conversions send hashed first-party data (email/phone) with the conversion to recover attribution the browser can't. They typically improve match rates and are recommended, especially for lead-gen. An audit checks whether they're set up correctly.

Why are my Google Ads conversions higher than actual sales?

Usually the conversion tag fires on more than the thank-you page, or on page refresh, so a single order is counted multiple times. Confirm the tag fires once, only on the confirmation page, with a unique order value.

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See whether your conversions are counted correctly. The full audit confirms the actual purchase conversion end-to-end.

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