Tracking Conversions in Google Ads: Why It Doesn’t Have to Be a Hassle

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Setting up and testing tracking for new forms, chats, or phone numbers on your site doesn’t have to be hard work, especially with a little expert help…  

When it comes to managing your Google Ads campaigns, tracking conversions is one of the most crucial steps to understanding your return on investment (ROI). Without it, you’re spending your ad money blindly.

Yet for many business owners, setting up and testing tracking can seem like a daunting, time-consuming task – especially when you’re adding new elements to your website like forms, live chat, or new phone numbers. Which is why it’s something we handle for many of our clients.

Though it looks like a hassle, proper tracking is well worth the effort. It tells you where your money is going, giving you the insights you need to make data-driven decisions and ensure your ad spend is being used efficiently. But we know the process can seem overwhelming, so in this blog post, we’ll break it down and explain how you can set up tracking without all the frustration.

 

Why Tracking Is Essential for Your Google Ads Success

Whether you’re looking to track form submissions, chat interactions or phone calls, your ultimate goal is to understand which actions on your website are leading to conversions. Knowing this will help you see what’s working, decide where to allocate more budget, and learn where and how to optimise your ads for better performance. 

Not knowing this leaves you working in the dark. You may be driving traffic to your site, but you won’t know whether those visitors are taking the desired actions that drive your business forward. If you’re not tracking conversions properly, you’re missing out on the ability to:

  • Measure ROI accurately, ensuring you’re spending your ad budget wisely.
  • Refine your strategy based on the data, such as improving landing pages or targeting.
  • Make more informed decisions about your campaigns by understanding which ads are actually working.

 

The Pain Point: The Hassle of Setting Up and Testing Tracking

But the thought of setting up tracking for a new form, chat feature, or phone number can be overwhelming. It’s easy to put it off because it seems like a big effort, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the technical side of things.

These are the sorts of concern we hear from clients and prospects:

  • ‘I don’t have the time to set up and test tracking.’
  • ‘I’m not sure how to set up conversion tracking properly.’
  • ‘It seems like a lot of effort for something that may not even work right away.’

It’s why many of our clients ask us to handle the whole process for them. But these concerns are valid, of course, so let’s look at each in turn.

 

1. Without conversion tracking, you’re essentially flying blind

Ultimately any spend that isn’t tracked is being spent blindly. You won’t know which actions are leading to conversions, or where the leads and prospects are coming from. This in turn means you can’t adapt future sales and marketing activities to optimise for your best-performing channels and audiences.    

 

2. Yes, it takes time but it’s worth it
Setting up tracking isn’t an instant task, but it’s not as complex as you may think. The time it takes to set up conversion tracking will depend on what exactly you’re tracking, but in general, it can be completed within a few hours. 

Once tracking is set up, it requires little maintenance. This small investment of time ensures you’re measuring valuable actions on your website – such as form submissions, chat interactions, or phone calls – so you can optimise your Google Ads campaigns for success.

 

3. No need to go it alone on the tech front
If the thought of diving into tags, code snippets, and triggers makes you nervous, you’re not alone. Many business owners feel overwhelmed when it comes to the technicalities of setting up tracking. However, the good news is that you don’t have to be an expert in coding to get it right.

There are plenty of tools and resources available that make setting up conversion tracking relatively easy. Google Ads provides a step-by-step guide for creating tracking tags for different types of conversions, and platforms like Google Tag Manager simplify the process even further by allowing you to manage tags without touching code.

If the technical aspect still feels intimidating, working with a PPC agency (like us!) can help remove the burden. We’ve got the know-how to set everything up quickly and efficiently.

 

4. Testing: It’s Easier Than You Think
Once your tracking is set up, it’s important to test that everything is working properly. This is an area where we can really do the heavy lifting for clients. But here’s how to get started. 

  • Form submissions: Complete a test form on your website, then check your Google Ads account to see if the conversion has been recorded.
  • Live chat: Start a chat conversation and ensure it shows up as a tracked conversion in Google Ads.
  • Phone calls: If you’re using call extensions or call conversion tracking, call the tracked number and see if it’s recorded in Google Ads.

If something isn’t tracking correctly, you can use tools like Google Tag Assistant to troubleshoot and identify any issues. With a little testing and tweaking, you’ll be good to go.

 

How to Make the Tracking Setup Process Easier

Now that we’ve addressed the pain points, let’s talk about ways to make the tracking setup process smoother.

 

1. Use Google Tag Manager
Google Tag Manager is an excellent tool for managing and deploying tags on your website without needing to touch any code. It streamlines the process of adding and managing Google Ads conversion tracking, allowing you to implement changes quickly and efficiently.

 

2. Take advantage of Google’s step-by-step guides

Google Ads provides detailed guides for setting up conversion tracking. These guides break down the process step by step, helping you understand exactly what you need to do to start tracking forms, phone calls, chats, and more.

 

3. Work with a PPC Agency

Our clients opt to skip the hassle of tracking setup and testing, partnering with us to save time and enjoy the peace of mind of knowing everything is set up and managed properly. We’ll handle all the technical work so you can focus on running your business.

 

Talk to us
At Pixal, we specialise in setting up and optimising Google Ads campaigns, and that includes making sure your conversion tracking is set up correctly and tested. Contact us today to learn how we can streamline the process and help you make the most of your advertising efforts.