Highlights
- Step-by-step guide on setting up Google Ads conversion tracking.
- Linking Google Ads and Google Analytics for seamless lead tracking.
- Using Google Tag Manager for advanced tracking of form submissions and clicks.
- Optimizing Google Ads with lead form extensions to capture leads directly.
- Analyzing lead quality, attribution, and campaign performance through detailed reports.
You have developed a website for your services or products considering all best practices like ADA compliance and others, and now you want to navigate traffic to your site and have conversions, Google Ads is your answer. However, if you’re investing in Google Ads, you need to know whether those clicks and impressions are turning into actual leads for your business.
By understanding Google ad tracking, and their performance, and interpreting the results, you can make data-driven decisions that maximize ROI. So, let’s get into the details of how all of this works.
Setting Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking
To effectively track leads, start by setting up conversion tracking within your Google Ads account.
Here’s how to set up conversion tracking for your Google Ads campaigns:
- Go to your Google Ads account and navigate to the “Tools and Settings” menu.
- Under “Measurement,” select “Conversions.”
- Click on the blue plus (+) button to create a new conversion action.
- Choose the type of conversion you want to track, such as “Website,” “App,” “Phone calls,” or “Import” for offline conversions.
- Follow the prompts to set up your conversion action. Google will provide a snippet of code to install on your website usually called a tracking tag or event snippet that triggers when a user completes a conversion.
Using Google Analytics to Track Leads from Google Ads
If you’re wondering, “Can Google Analytics track leads from my Google Ads?”, the answer is yes! Google Analytics is an effective tool for tracking user actions and goals on your website.
Linking Google Ads with Google Analytics:
- Go to Google Analytics, navigate to “Admin,” and find the “Property” column.
- Click on “Google Ads Linking.”
- Select your Google Ads account and follow the prompts to link it to Google Analytics.
Setting Up Goals in Google Analytics
- Step 1
In Google Analytics, go to “Admin” and select “Goals” under the “View” column.
- Step 2
Click on “New Goal” and choose a template that best matches your desired lead action e.g., “Contact Us”.
- Step 3
Define the specific conditions for the goal, such as a URL that users visit after completing the action e.g., a “Thank You” page.
- Step 4
Save the goal.
Understanding Attribution in Google Analytics
Not every lead will come directly from a Google Ads click. Some users may click an ad, browse your site, and return later to convert.
- Go to Conversions > Multi-Channel Funnels > Top Conversion Paths
- This report shows the series of interactions that lead to conversions, including clicks on Google Ads.
- Choose Attribution Models
Implementing Google Tag Manager for Enhanced Lead Tracking
Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a tool that allows you to manage all your tracking tags in one place. It’s useful for tracking custom events like form submissions or button clicks, which may not trigger a page load (and therefore might not be tracked by Google Analytics goals alone).
- Step 1
Install GTM on your website.
- Step 2
Create a new tag in GTM, choose “Google Analytics: Universal Analytics” as the tag type, and set the track type to “Event.”
- Step 3
Define the event you want to track (e.g., a form submission), and add a trigger to fire the tag whenever the action occurs.
Measuring Performance with Google Ads Lead Form Extensions
If your goal is to generate leads directly from the Google search results page, consider using Google Ads lead form extensions. Lead form extensions allow users to submit their information directly from your ad, without having to visit your site.
- Go to Google Ads and select the campaign
- Click “Ads & Extensions,” then “Extensions.”
- Add a new lead form extension
- Customize the form to collect the necessary information (e.g., name, email, phone number).
Tracking Lead Quality and Conversion Value
Understanding the quantity of leads is important, but so is tracking the quality of those leads. Not all leads will convert to sales, so consider assigning values to different conversions based on their likelihood to close
In Google Ads, you can assign different values to each conversion type during setup. In Google Analytics, you can monitor how leads behave after the initial conversion, checking metrics like time on site, pages per session, and bounce rate to gauge lead quality.
Using Google Ads’ Reports to Assess Lead Performance
Google Ads’ reporting tools provide detailed data on the keywords, ads, and campaigns driving the most leads. Here are some key reports:
- Search Terms Report
See which search queries triggered your ads and led to conversions.
- Conversion Tracking Report
Analyze performance metrics, like cost per lead (CPL) and conversion rate.
- Audience Insights
Understand the demographics, interests, and locations of users who convert.
Regularly reviewing these reports will help you optimize your campaigns by adjusting bids, refining keywords, or reallocating the budget to maximize lead generation.
Conclusion
By leveraging Google Ads’ built-in tracking capabilities and integrating them with Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, you can gain a full view of how effectively your Google ads bring in leads. So, to answer your question, “Can Google Analytics track leads from my Google Ads?” Absolutely. Whether you’re new to tracking leads, these strategies will help you measure, refine, and enhance your Google Ads campaigns.This is it for today’s blog. For more such interesting stuff, stay connected with submit-blog. Moreover, you can write for us or publish a blog on our site as a guest post, so if you have any queries regarding that, feel free to contact us anytime.
