Why is Google Ads not recording all conversions?

[Mel21]

Hi,

I have an issue with tracking Google ads conversions. Basically Google Ads only records occasional conversions and I have no idea why.

To give you an idea I have made 3 purchases after clicking on my ads and none of them was recorded as conversion.

I have it set up with Google & Youtube app
I have checked with the tag assistant and everything is fine, all tags fire when they suppose to.
In Google Ads I'm using Google Conversions not Analytics.
For testing, I have turned off all cookie banners to make sure nothing is blocking it.
All tests have been carried out from incognito tabs.

One thing I noticed is that when I look at order session details, some my Google Ads sales are attributed to sag_organic and some have no UTM Parameters which makes me think there is something wrong with the UTM setup.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[flareAI]

Hello @Mel21,

This is Gina from flareAI app helping Shopify merchants get $6Million+ in sales from Google Search, on autopilot.

Tracking conversions accurately is crucial for optimizing your advertising campaigns and measuring their effectiveness. Below are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue.

1. Verify your Google Ads conversion setup
Double-check that you have set up your Google Ads conversion tracking correctly. Ensure that you have created the appropriate conversion actions in your Google Ads account and that the conversion tags are implemented correctly on your website. You can use the Google Tag Assistant or Google Tag Manager's Preview mode to verify if the tags are firing correctly.

2. Check UTM parameters
UTM parameters are essential for tracking the source of your conversions accurately. Make sure that the UTM parameters are properly appended to your destination URLs in your Google Ads campaigns. This will help attribute conversions correctly to your ads. You can use the Google Ads URL Builder to generate UTM-tagged URLs.

3. Examine attribution models
Google Ads uses attribution models to determine how conversions are attributed to different ad interactions. It's possible that the attribution model being used is not giving proper credit to your ads. You can review and modify the attribution model settings in your Google Ads account to ensure it aligns with your desired tracking requirements.

4. Test the conversion tracking
Conduct some test conversions by clicking on your ads and making purchases to see if the conversions are properly recorded. Monitor the real-time conversions in your Google Ads account and check if they match the conversions you made. Note that it may take a few hours for conversions to appear in your reports.

5. Check for any conflicts
Ensure there are no conflicts between the Google Ads conversion tracking and any other tracking or analytics scripts on your website. Conflicting scripts can sometimes interfere with conversion tracking. Review your website's code and remove any conflicting scripts that may be blocking the conversion tracking tags.

6. Reach out to Google Ads support
If the issue persists, it may be helpful to contact Google Ads support directly. They have access to more advanced troubleshooting tools and can assist you in identifying and resolving the specific problem you're facing.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify the source of the issue and take the necessary actions to ensure accurate conversion tracking in your Shopify store.

Don't hesitate to ask if you need any further clarification.

Gina

[Dios]

I accidently replied to the wrong post

[Rachille___Jan_]

Hi Mel, I have been struggling with the same issue since I transitioned to using the Google & Youtube app (GYA). After much testing and trial and error I think I have a solution. I'd like to share it here in the hope it helps you and any others out there. It's a long winded "have you tried turning it on and off again" but I've found that the details matter here.

It's been a massive pain but the native shopify solution "should" mean a faster more streamline code and receive the necessary updates moving forward. Obviously it's got some issue otherwise we wouldn't be here LOL. Anyway here are a few thoughts and the full step by step hope it helps.

My best guess is that either during the running of the install/setup script for the Google & YouTube app  something goes wrong because it's be made for a fresh instal situation and many of us already had the app running and just started using it for GA4 & GW conversion tracking because it said it could etc. Of course ours wasn't a fresh install as so all sorts of little things tripped it up. Or like me you linked GW and GA4 together from within Google GW NOT  from within Google Analytics and that seems to make a difference! So essentially two things are key, 1 must have a clean slate for the app when connecting the properties and 2 the setup order and direction in which you connect GW and GA4 together is important!

OK lets get to it and get back to a clean slate without stuffing anything else up.

• First go to Shopify & remove any GA4, GW or GTM tracking code from any Shopify files like theme.liquid or in the Settings > Checkout > additional scripts section.
• If you use GTM pause all your tags as well!
• Next go to Shopify > Google & Youtube > Settings and disconnect google ads
• Next disconnect google analytics. (Keep the link to merchant centre! very important! No one wants to do that again)
• Uncheck conversion tracking if it is on (you get a popup) confirm that you want to do this
• Next go to google ads (GW) and disconnect the link between (GW) and GA4 via Tools & settings > linked accounts > Google Analytics (GA4) & Firebase > manage link > unlink.
• While you are there turn off google optimise sharing if it is on
• Before we leave Google ads go to Tools & Settings > conversions. You should have the Google Shopping App Purchase event from the first time you installed the app. Make sure this is set to the primary goal and any other purchase events are set to secondary.
• Now go to your GA4 property > admin > Property > scroll down that list to "product links" (google ads links) by now this should be unlinked.... but if it isn't for some reason unlink it by clicking on the name of the account that is linked > click the three dots (top right) and select delete
• OK we should now have a clean slate

Now the lets set it up again in the correct order

• Go to Shopify > online store > preferences > click manage pixel here
• Turn on conversion tracking
• Select your GA4 property and click connect
• Click the go to overview button
• Scroll down and you should see an advertise your products with google ads box... click get started. Choose your google ads account and click connect.
• Scroll down a bit and click the complete setup button
• Now if you click on the settings tab you should see that your GMC, GW and GA4 properties are all connected.
• Next go to Google Analytics > Admin > under property scroll down again to product links and click on Google Ads Links and select the link button 
• Choose your google ads account tick the box next to your account and click confirm
• Click next, choose enable personalised advertising, enable auto tagging and allow access to analytics features from within google ads (all these are probably on by default which is what you want)
• Click Next then Submit and you should get a little green box at the top right saying link created.
• Now head back over to Google Ads > tools & settings > linked accounts
• If you still have a tab with that page open hit refresh and you should see the GA4 & Firebase under the linked accounts section
• Next Click manage link on the GA4 connection and turn google optimise sharing back on

You Done!

Monitor the results for a bit to ensure that the correct attribution is happening etc.

Side Note: there's still little $ amount discrepancies between GA4 and GW due to how they each record the sale amount with tax shipping GST attribution etc but your GW should now be capturing all the sales that are attributed to the ads which is the main thing. 

One more thing by default the Google shopping app purchase event uses the data driven attribution model, my old setup was last click so that also takes a little getting use to but as far as I can tell it's the best method to use for tracking sales. 

[Robbie3]

Just followed your steps.  Thanks for taking the time to type that up.  Lord willing, it'll work!

[Robbie3]

Still only reporting 60% of conversions. 😞  This morning there's a conversion in Google Ads under the wrong campaign!  I don't understand it.  So frustrating.

[Rachille___Jan_]

By the way Mel, the below result is a purchase that has come from an organic product match e.g. someone has come to your store and purchase from a free google merchant product listing Not and add. So that won't show up in Google ads as a conversion but it will show up in GA4.

Campaign - Sag_organic

Source - google

medium - product_sync

content - sag_organic

If it was from an ad it would have: campaign "name of your ad campaign" and the medium would be the type of ad campaign like "smart_campaign" like this

Campaign - my_google_shopping_campaign

Source - google

medium - smart_campaign

content - sag_organic

[Robbie3]

I don't know if this is an answer, but I realized I have a Smart Shopping campaign where the UTM parameters were setup for me.  But, any campaign in Google Ads I created did not have those UTM parameters.

So I added in those UTM parameters and it's helping me debug a ton.

Campaign level > under settings > additional settings > Campaign URL options
{lpurl}?utm_campaign={_campaign}&utm_source={_source}&utm_medium={_medium}&utm_term={_term}

And then for the ad group level...

[Robbie3]

I installed Wixpa today.  I'll report back to see if it helps at all.

[Robbie3]

I tried Wixpa and Elevar with no luck. 😞

[PartyPro]

Hi Mel21,

Did you find any solutions to this? I've been trying a lot, but until now i see a lot of conversions not being attributed to the ads i run.

[Dios]

Step 0
Switch to Classic Mode Merchant Center

To follow these steps, you need to be in Google Merchant Center “Classic” Mode. If you are instead in “Google Merchant Center Next” mode, follow these steps first:

1. Click on the Help logo in the top right
2. Click the last menu option “Use classic Merchant Center“
3. Confirm by clicking “Switch Now“

Step 1
Remove the UTM tags

To remove the UTM parameters from your Product Links

1. Go to Merchant Center > Products > Feeds
2. Click on the Content API feed
3. Click on the Feed Rules tab
4. Click the big blue PLUS + button, type link in the field, and select link from the drop down.
5. For Data Source, select Set to, type link and select link from the Primary Feed: Content API list.
6. Click OK
7. Set the default behaviour if the link is blank to “Leave Blank”
8. Now go to Modifications > Add Modification
9. Choose Optimize URL > Set Parameter

Function Parameter Name

Remove Parameter	utm_source
Remove Parameter	utm_medium
Remove Parameter	utm_campaign
Remove Parameter	utm_content

1. Click OK and look in the right side column preview to see if the link has been properly updated.
2. Click Save as Draft and Apply

[Nimra007]

Hi,

I understand your frustration with tracking Google Ads conversions, as I faced a similar issue recently. My conversions were sporadically recorded, even after thorough checks with the tag assistant and ensuring proper UTM parameter setup.

After trying multiple solutions, I found the Infinite Google Ads Conversion Tracking app to be a game-changer. Here’s what I did and how the app helped:

1. Easy Setup and Integration:
    The app seamlessly integrated with my Google Ads account and Shopify store, ensuring all tags and tracking parameters were correctly set up.

2. Accurate Conversion Tracking:
    Unlike my previous setup, the app consistently recorded all conversions accurately, even those that were previously missed. It ensured that every purchase from my ads was tracked, eliminating any discrepancies.

3. Comprehensive Diagnostics:
    The app provided detailed diagnostics and insights into potential issues with my existing setup. This helped me identify and resolve the underlying problems that were affecting my conversion tracking.

4. User-Friendly Interface:
    The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to monitor and manage my conversion tracking without needing advanced technical knowledge.

If you’re struggling with tracking Google Ads conversions, I highly recommend trying the Infinite Google Ads Conversion Tracking app. It resolved my issues and ensured that my ad spend was accurately attributed to actual conversions.

Give it a try, and I’m confident you’ll see a significant improvement in your conversion tracking.