We're spending on Google Ads but don't know which ad drives sales — how do you track conversions?

Instead of messing with code directly, set up Google Tag Manager. You only add the GTM container code to your site once, and after that, you can deploy the Ads conversion tag to your order confirmation page with a few clicks right from the dashboard. It's by far the cleanest, most foolproof way.

We were running ads blind with a similar budget in Madrid for our first few months. The very first week we turned on conversion tracking, we realized almost 300 Euro of our budget was going to broad searches like "leather conditioner" and had generated zero bag sales. Once we added those to our negative keyword list, our monthly orders jumped from 25 to 45 on the exact same budget.

definitely check the url structure of the thank you page... sometimes if a customer refreshes their confirmation page the system counts it as a new sale. make sure to set the count setting to "one" so it only counts one conversion per order.

Cookie consent rules in Europe are very strict, so even with conversions set up, you won't see 100% of your real sales in the dashboard. When a visitor rejects cookies, that data doesn't get attributed. You might see 20 conversions in Ads while your bank account shows 35 sales; just accept this up front and use the dashboard to track overall trends.

What platform is your site built on? If you're using a standard WordPress-based e-commerce plugin official Google extensions can automatically inject the conversion code and dynamic order value with a single checkbox—no need to touch any code at all.

I'd also recommend enabling 'Enhanced Conversions' during setup. It securely hashes and matches the email address the customer enters at checkout, so you bypass third-party cookie restrictions and minimize lost conversions.

the dashboard feels super complicated and intimidating at first, weve all been there. once you get the order confirmation page talking to the ads dashboard, seeing exactly which keywords bring in money is incredibly satisfying dont give up.

It's simple: 1) Create a purchase conversion in the dashboard, 2) Place the tag on the thank-you page, 3) Check the Cost Per Acquisition column on the campaigns screen and pause any keywords that aren't bringing in orders.

I completely agree. The real issue isn't the number, but what it's based on.

Hope this helps.

Let me summarize what's been said so far. People defend habits, not processes. Resistance comes from there.

Hope this helps.

If you're going this route, sort this out first. A page with low traffic might be reaching the right people. Look at where sales come from.

Hope this helps.

exactly like that then dont hesitate to ask; those who dont ask always pay more.

hope this helps.

It's rare to find an explanation this clear. Start with a small trial; don't commit to everything at once.

Most time waste accumulates in tasks waiting for approval... Im also curious if anyone does it differently.

This thread is archived.

I'm in the same situation, that's why I'm asking. Mistakes made on the Google Ads conversion tracking side are usually reversible but expensive.

Let me speak from the other side; I'm on the supplier side. If rankings stay the same but clicks drop the issue isn't your page, but the search result appearance.

The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say. Of course it varies if your situation is different.

We got stuck at the same point for a while. When you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.

If you have questions, write them; I'll answer as best I can.

Do you think this works at any scale? Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate.

Any comment made without a control group is just a guess.