Google Enhanced Conversion Tracking technology uses first-party data to create consumer profiles and combine information on user activity across multiple devices. If you click on an ad on one device and later purchase the item on a different device, Google will attribute the purchase to the click on the initial ad. 

Tracking conversions is important because it provides data that shows the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. Understanding tracking data can help you make important marketing decisions. 

Types of Enhanced Conversion Tracking 

Conversions happen when a consumer clicks on your ad and engages with it by taking a specific action. There are several ways to track conversions.

Website Actions

Website actions that you can track include making a purchase, completing an online form, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading an eBook. 

Online Sales

Tracking the conversion values of your sales transactions can provide data for such metrics as the amount of profit that is created from an ad or a specific keyword. 

In-Person Sales Imports

You can track in-person sales by importing data from your CRM into Google Ads. 

App Usage

You can track the conversions for consumers who download or install your app, open it for the first time, or make a purchase through it.

Phone Calls

You can track conversions for phone calls to your business when consumers click on your phone number that appears on your website, or in an ad. 

Why is Enhanced Conversion Tracking Important for Future-Proofing and Improving Ad Measurement? 

With the elimination of third-party cookies, marketers need to rethink their conversion tracking strategies to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. Using Google Enhanced Conversion Tracking will help prepare businesses for a future where they won’t rely on third-party cookies. 

How Enhanced Conversion Tracking Works 

A user clicks on your ad, visits your website, and fills out a form. That form includes first-party data, such as an email address, name, or phone number, which is captured and sent to Google as hashed lead information.

This involves using a hashing algorithm to turn first-party data into hashed data, which protects the user’s privacy. This is similar to Facebook’s Advanced Matching, which uses a Facebook pixel to capture hashed personal information and send it to Facebook to optimize advertisers’ campaigns. 

This user’s information is then stored in your CRM database. Later, when this lead converts, you upload this hashed lead information, and Google tracks it back to the original ad that the user clicked on in the beginning. This allows businesses to view their customer’s journey and their campaign’s performance. 

Benefits of Enhanced Conversion Tracking

Google will store first-party information to improve the following: 

Consumer Privacy

Google Enhanced Conversion tracking can show a detailed picture of an ad campaign’s performance while relying on first-party data to measure its effectiveness and protect consumer privacy. 

Return on Investment

You can use advanced tracking to determine which ads have the best Return on Investment (ROI), which will help you make informed decisions on spending for future campaigns.

Smart Bidding

Google’s Enhanced Conversion Tracking technology will help you use smart bidding strategies to optimize for maximum conversions, maximum conversion values, maximum clicks, target cost-per-action (CPA), or target return on ad spend (ROAS).

Following the Customer Journey

Enhanced Conversion Tracking shows the path that customers take throughout the conversion process, as they click on your ad, interact with your website, and make a purchase.

How to Set Up Enhanced Conversions 

You can set up Enhanced Conversions using the Global Site Tag on your pages or with Google Tag Manager, it really depends on how tracking is set up on your website. That said, depending on which method you choose, you may need to make some adjustments to your tagging configuration when you do this.

Privacy-Focused Recommendations for Moving to First-Party Data Support

As you adapt to the elimination of third-party cookies, you can use these strategies to adopt privacy-focused methods for collecting consumer data. 

  • Adopt a first-party data system by reviewing the third-party tags that you are currently using and determining your replacement options.
  • Create a customer identification system that tracks information on your existing customers.
  • Use data collection methods that respect consumer privacy.

At WTM Digital, we can help you track your conversions more effectively. If you’re ready to get the most out of your advertising efforts, contact our team of digital marketing experts to implement Enhanced Conversion Tracking.