If you’re running Google Ads for your eCommerce business your main goal should be more purchases. It would be great if you could get these purchases at the lowest possible cost. And here is important you track your conversions correctly. Why? When multiple events track conversions, it causes Google ads to overreport, counting one purchase as two or even three different events. As a result:
- The algorithm will overbid on your ads, as performance looks better than it is, and,
- Reports are wrong and often misleading.
So, in this blog post, we’ll cover how you can be sure that your tracking is on the spot and what you can do if it isn’t. Let’s dive in!
If you’re looking for how to set up Google conversion tracking for Shopify check out this blog post.
Multiple Events Tracking Conversions on Google Ads
When we discuss “multiple events tracking conversion on Google Ads,” we’re referring to the practice of setting up and tracking various actions or events on your website as conversions within the Google Ads platform. Each of these tracked events represents a specific action that you consider valuable or significant to your business goals.
One of the most common mistakes that we’ve seen is that there is more than one primary goal of the Google Ads campaign. This is one of the reasons why you can see more purchases than you actually had.
More Then One Primary Goal
So, if you’re running Google Ads, you want customers to purchase your product.
It’s natural to think that actions like adding products to the cart or starting the checkout process are super important, right?
But here’s the thing: when you tell Google Ads that all these steps are as crucial as the actual purchases, it can get a bit confusing.
Here’s the trick: always make the real purchases the primary goal. That way, Google Ads knows what you really care about. The other events, like adding to the cart or starting checkout, are still important but more like sidekicks. If you mix them up, your ads might not be as effective, and you could end up spending money in the wrong places.
Primary vs. secondary conversions in Google Ads
What is my primary goal in Google Ads?
Update the primary and secondary setting for a conversion action
Now, let’s see how you can update the primary and secondary settings for a conversion action.
Step 1. Find the goal that includes the conversion action you’d like to edit. Click on ‘Edit settings’.
Step 2. In the ‘Conversion goal and action optimization’ section, select either Primary or Secondary. Click Save.
And that’s it! This is the way you can see which goal is set to be the primary, and how to edit it. With that setup, you shouldn’t see multiple conversion tracking.
Double-Counting Purchases
Here’s another slip-up we often come across: some businesses mistakenly tell Google Ads about a sale twice. They use Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Google Analytics to share the good news. It’s like announcing, “I made a sale!” two times. The problem is, that Google Ads might think you made more sales than you did.
How does it happen? When GTM and Google Analytics tell Google Ads about a sale separately, Google Ads hears it twice. It’s a bit like accidentally repeating the same news – unnecessary and a bit confusing.
Why is important that multiple events don't track conversions
