How to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking in Magento 2?

When your Google Ads campaign is up and running, you start generating a great number of clicks. However, how many of those clicks actually end up in sales? If you don't know that, you're actively throwing your money down the drain. 

That's why you need Google Ads Conversion Tracking to measure how well your campaigns perform. It allows you to change keywords, adjust the bidding and choose a different budget. 

Regardless if you're starting fresh or just want to improve your current campaign, you'll find everything in this comprehensive guide. We'll discuss how you can set up Google Ads conversion tracking in Magento using GTM and Google Tag Manager Extension.

But before we move any further, that's make it clear what conversion tracking is.

What is Google Ads Conversion Tracking?

Google Conversion tracking is a free tracking tool that allows you to see what happens after a customer interacts with your ads. Whether they place an order, sign up for a newsletter, download your products or call you. 

Usually, you need to create a conversion action and add a conversion tracking tag to your website to make conversion tracking work. 

We'll take a shortcut and make it simpler for you. So, keep reading.

How to Set Up Conversion Tracking in Magento?

We'll go through each step of the conversion tracking configuration. Thus, if you've covered some of them, just move to the next steps. 

1. Create a Google Ads account

To enable conversion tracking in Google Ads, you need to have a Google Ads account

create google ads account

2. Install the Magefan Google Tag Manager

The Magento 2 Google Tag Manager module allows you to add the tracking code from the admin panel. So, install Google Tag Manager Extension to configure conversion tracking for your store.

Note: the conversion tracking feature is available only in the Google Tag Manager Plus plan.

3. Get Google Ads conversion ID and label

After the extension is installed, you need to get the Conversion ID and Label to enable the conversion tracking.

  • Conversion ID

For that go to Google Ads account > Tools > Shared Library > Audience Manager > Your Data SourcesDetails in the Google Ads tag card.

google ads data sources

Scroll to the Tag setup section and switch to the Use Google Tag Manager. You'll get your Conversion ID under the Instructions.

Dynamic remarketing conversion IDs

  • Conversion Label

Note: the conversion label is required for conversion tracking.

To find it, go to Goals > Summary and click on a corresponding action (it's Purchase in our case). 

Note: if you don't have any actions here, just click on a +New conversion action button to create the action you'd like to track on your store.

google ads actions

Go to the Tag setup > Use Google Tag Manager to find a Conversion Label.

google ads conversion label

4. Configure GTM and GA4

Go to Stores > Configuration > Magefan Extensions > Google Tag Manager > Web Container and paste all the GTM IDs (Public ID and Account ID) into this section. You can find more details on where to find these IDs, in this GTM setup guide.

Set up Google Tag Manager in Magento 2

Then move to the Google Analytics 4 section to add the Measurement ID from your GA4 property.

Google Analytics in Magento 2

5. Configure Google Ads Conversion Tracking

Remember the Conversion ID and Label you retrieved earlier? You know need to paste them into your Magento:

For that go to  Stores > Configuration > Magefan Extensions > Google Tag Manager > Google Ads Conversion Tracking. Enable this feature, paste your ID and label in the corresponding fields, and Save the settings. 

google ads conversion tracking in magento

6. Create GTM tags

It's a step when we automatically create the tracking tags in GTM to pass data to GA4 and Google Ads correspondingly. 

So, once everything's set up go to Stores > Configuration > Magefan Extensions > Google Tag Manager > Export Container and click on the Generate JSON Container & Download File button. 

Export Google Tag Manager Container

After you have the file, navigate to the GTM homepage > Admin tab and click on the Import Container

Import Google Tag Manager Container

Select the file to import, choose a workspace and set whether to overwrite or merge the selected workspace with the container you want to import. Then select a workspace, which is usually the default.

Import JSON container into GTM

Note: 

  • Overwrite option deletes all the existing tags, triggers and variables you have and replaces them with the tags from the JSON file.
  • Merge option adds tags from the JSON file while keeping the existing tags.

You'll see a preview of the tags and triggers that will be imported. Simply confirm them. 

Updated GTM Tags and Triggers

After the confirmation, you will see the corresponding tag created automatically, along with other tags. 

google conversion tracking

7. Check GTM tags implementation

Before you move to create the remarketing lists you need to make sure the tags are working. 

Once you're in your Google Tag Manager account, click on Submit. Then  Preview and enter your website URL. Then press continue and you're all set up. 

Connect tag assistant to your website

You can create a test order in the debug view to check if the purchase event is tracked. That's how you check if the conversion tracking works properly.

Additionally, you can also check if the action you've used to track conversions in your Google Ads account changes the Status to Active:

google ads tags

Once you enable Google conversion tracking in Magento, you have leverage. You can determine which campaigns perform the best and optimize them accordingly to reach the highest ROI.  

However, that's not it. If you get a lot of traffic, but no purchases, you can use Google Ads dynamic remarketing to drive people back to your store and make them convert.