Sometimes, the journey from clicking an ad to making a purchase doesn’t happen online. Think about buying a car at your local dealership – that’s a sale that starts with an ad but finishes offline. Importing these offline conversion events lets you see the full picture of what happens after someone clicks your ad.
This guide will walk you through setting up and importing these offline conversions using Enhanced Conversions for Leads in Google Ads. It’s a secure and private way to get a clearer view of your ad performance, especially for sales that don’t happen instantly online.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced Conversions for Leads improves accuracy and bidding performance by using customer data.
- It can lead to about 10% more reported conversions compared to standard offline imports.
- Setup involves accepting terms, turning on the feature, configuring your tag, and setting up a new conversion action.
- You can add this to existing offline conversion imports.
What Are Enhanced Conversions for Leads?
Enhanced Conversions for Leads is an updated version of the standard offline conversion import. It uses information you collect from customers, like their email addresses or phone numbers, to make your imported offline conversion data more accurate. This boost in accuracy helps improve your ad bidding performance. On average, businesses see around 10% more conversions when using Enhanced Conversions for Leads compared to the older method.
Before You Start
To get started, you’ll need a few things in place:
- Auto-tagging enabled: Make sure this is set up to track offline conversions using Google Tag Manager or Google Tag.
- A web form: You need a form on your website that collects first-party customer data, such as an email address or phone number.
- Data storage: This customer data needs to be stored in a system like an API, CRM, or a spreadsheet that you can share with Google.
Implementing Enhanced Conversions for Leads: Four Simple Steps
You can set up Enhanced Conversions for Leads directly from your Google Ads account in just four steps:
Step 1: Accept The Customer Data Terms
First, log into your Google Ads account. Click the ‘Goals’ icon, then ‘Conversions’ from the menu, and select ‘Settings’. You’ll need to expand the ‘Customer data terms’ section. If you haven’t already, accept the privacy terms and conditions. Remember, this feature uses customer-provided email addresses or phone numbers, so it’s important to review and ensure you can comply with Google’s customer data policies. Read through the terms carefully and click ‘Accept’.
Step 2: Turn On Enhanced Conversions for Leads
Next, expand the ‘Enhanced conversions for leads’ section. Check the box to turn the feature on. You’ll then need to choose how you want to set up and manage the user-provided data. You can use your existing Google Tag or Google Tag Manager. When configuring your tag, make sure to select ‘Include user-provided data from your website’. This allows the tag to securely capture the data from your website’s lead form. Click ‘Save’.
Step 3: Set Up A New Conversion Action
Now, you need to create a new conversion action. Be sure to select ‘Import’ as the conversion tracking type and ‘Track conversions from clicks’. Then, choose the data source you want to connect. Options include importing conversions from a linked CRM, files, or other data source accounts. Select an existing source or connect a new one that suits your business. For example, you might select Google Sheets and the direct connection option via Google Ads Data Manager.
If you haven’t already, you’ll need to accept the customer data policy again. Click ‘Continue’.
Select the goal category that best fits the offline event you’re uploading. For instance, choose ‘Converted leads’ for offline sales or ‘Qualified leads’ for sales or marketing-qualified leads.
Step 4: Import Your Offline Data
Finally, you’ll be prompted to import your offline data into your new conversion action. You can do this through Google Ads Data Manager, the Google Ads API, or third-party import methods. Click ‘Set up your data source’. The source you selected earlier will appear here. If your data source is supported by Google Ads Data Manager, this is recommended as it simplifies connecting and using your first-party data.
If you use Google Sheets, click ‘Browse’ to find your sheet in Google Drive. You can map fields and set up data filters directly within the Google Ads interface.
Using Existing Offline Conversion Imports:
If you’re already using offline conversion import, you can add Enhanced Conversions for Leads to your existing actions. Just configure your imports to include user-provided data. This upgrade is available for Data Manager data sources, Google Ads API, and third-party integrations like Zapier or HubSpot.
- Data Manager: After opting in, edit your connection to map user-provided data fields.
- Google Ads API: Follow the Developer Center article for instructions on including user-provided data.
- Third-Party Methods (Zapier, HubSpot): Consult their specific instructions for including user-provided data in imports.
It’s really important to send Google Click ID (GCLID), lead, and user-provided data in your uploads. Also, send all your conversion data, both attributed and unattributed. This helps Google identify cross-device or YouTube conversion touchpoints that drive performance. You won’t see these benefits if you only send GCLID and PII rows.
Making Your Conversions Primary
Once your setup is complete, you can make your Enhanced Conversions for Leads imports primary and biddable. Keep in mind that after changing your conversion action to primary biddable, you might see some fluctuations for about two weeks or three conversion cycles as your bid strategy adjusts. Use your bid strategy targets and budgets to manage your spend during this time.
And that’s it! Your Enhanced Conversions for Leads setup is complete. This process helps you get a much clearer picture of your ad performance by connecting online clicks to real-world sales.
