Google Ads Enhanced Conversion Tracking - Simple Guide
Knowing if your ads are doing their job can seem challenging. With an increase in privacy settings, ad-blocking software, and users bouncing between devices, accurately tracking conversions is harder than ever. But not all is lost - Google Ads Enhanced Conversion Tracking is a beacon of hope. Let's delve into it.
Google Ads Enhanced Conversions Video
The video above will explain everything you need to know.
What are Google Ads enhanced conversions
How do Google Ads enhanced conversions work
What problem do Google Ads enhanced conversions solve?
Benefits of Google Ads enhanced conversions
How to implement Google Ads enhanced conversions
Google Ads Enhanced Conversion Tracking: A Closer Look
Think of Google Ads Enhanced Conversion Tracking as an optional turbocharged add-on to your regular Google Ads conversion tracking. You can use normal Google Ads conversions, or take them to a new level by enabling the Enhanced Conversion extras.
Google Ads Enhanced Conversion Tracking is a tool born out of necessity, as the rise of ad-blocking extensions, privacy-centred iOS 14 updates, and browsers that block tracking cookies have made accurate data collection more difficult.
Classic Google Ads conversions
Usually, Google Ads conversion tracking just tells Google Ads that a conversion has occurred. For example, after someone clicked your ad, they bought a rain jacket for $100. But it doesn't tell us who made the purchase. Tracking is usually done using a Google Click ID stored as a cookie called _gcl_aw.
Enhanced Google Ads conversions
However, Enhanced Conversion Tracking goes a step further. Instead of just saying a jacket was bought, it tells Google that a customer named John Smith, whose phone number is +123455678987654 and whose email is johnsmith@gmail.com purchased the rain jacket.
What Google says about the Enhanced Conversion tracking
Video summary:
The video above about Google Ads enhanced conversions was pretty clear and to the point.
The problem: Privacy restrictions, less reliable tracking cookies.
The solution: Matching user data from the conversion (like email or phone number) to logged-in Google user data to put the puzzle pieces together.
Availability: Enhanced Conversions are available for Google Ads and Youtube ads, and should soon be available for Google Analytics 4 (video mentions enhanced conversions being available for GA4 in 2022, but as far as I know this feature is still not available for Analytics – only Ads.)
Benefits: 5% median increase in conversions rate for search and 17% for Youtube.
Why Bother with Enhanced conversion tracking Tracking?
The key to understanding this lies in detail and tracking. Enhanced Conversion Tracking allows Google to monitor logged-in Gmail users, which can prove to be valuable.
Let's take John Smith as an example. During his lunch break, he discovers your ad on his phone and clicks on it. He finds a rain jacket intriguing but doesn't make a purchase right away. Later, he remembers the jacket and decides to buy it on his laptop, this time without clicking an ad. Because there is no Google Ads tracking cookie on John’s laptop, normally Google Ads couldn’t put the pieces together. Without Enhanced Conversion Tracking, the connection between the ad click and the purchase would be lost. But with Enhanced Conversion Tracking, Google recognizes John's email and connects the dots – John clicked on your ad earlier on another device, now attributing the jacket purchase to your ad.
The same holds true even for browsers that prioritize privacy and block tracking cookies. If John goes ahead and buys that jacket, Google can still connect his purchase back to your ad using Enhanced Conversion Tracking.
Two Types of Conversions: Explained
Observed Conversions: This method is straightforward. A character named Mike clicks on your ad, a cookie saves this click, and when Mike makes a purchase, Google Ads links this sale to the ad click. We have a clear, 100% sure link between the ad click and the purchase, if they happen on the same device without any ad blocking, private browsers or other challenges.
However, the recent privacy changes have made relying solely on cookies for conversion tracking less reliable, so observed conversions are becoming more and more unreliable.
Modeled Conversions: Google takes on a smarter approach here. It employs machine learning to link ad interactions and conversions, even when the connection isn't 100% clear and obvious like with the tracking cookie. So, if Mike clicks on your ad but maybe blocks cookies or switches devices, Google can work like a private detective and still put the pieces together – if we give Google Ads the tools to do so. And one of those tools is of course the Google Ads Enhanced conversion tracking.
How to enable Enhanced Conversion Tracking with Google Tag Manager?
(video coming soon)
Are Enhanced Conversions Worth The Effort?
Definitely. Advertisers who've adopted Enhanced Conversions have experienced a significant 17% increase in conversions on YouTube – quite impressive.
In a nutshell, Enhanced Conversion Tracking is an essential tool to understand your ad performance, navigate around privacy constraints, and make smart, data-driven decisions to enhance your marketing strategy. Despite the evolving digital landscape and increasing privacy measures, tools like Enhanced Conversion Tracking allow us to stay informed and ahead in our marketing efforts.
Need help with Enhanced Conversions?
Please get in touch at @hire and we’ll get your Enhanced Conversions setup.