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Google Ads Conversion Tracking

7 min read

Overview #

HT Easy GA4's Google Ads Conversion Tracking feature seamlessly integrates with your WooCommerce store to measure the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns. Track conversions automatically and send detailed data to Google Ads to optimize your campaigns and maximize ROI.

What You Can Track #

Free Version:

  • Purchase conversions (WooCommerce orders)
  • Transaction values and product details
  • Delayed conversion attribution

Pro Version (includes all Free features plus):

  • Add to Cart conversions
  • Begin Checkout conversions
  • Product View conversions
  • Category View conversions
  • Complete conversion funnel analysis

Features #

Automatic Conversion Tracking #

Track customer actions automatically without writing any code. The plugin handles all the technical implementation for you.

Rich Product Data #

Send comprehensive product information to Google Ads including:

  • Product names and IDs
  • Categories and variants
  • Prices and discounts
  • Quantities and transaction values

Delayed Conversion Tracking #

Conversions are properly attributed even when customers complete their purchase during a later visit. The system stores pending conversions and fires them when the customer returns.

Multiple Tracking Hooks #

Three redundant tracking mechanisms ensure no conversion goes untracked:

  • Payment completion hook (primary)
  • Thank you page hook (fallback)
  • Order status change hooks (backup)

Unified Data Structure #

Both GA4 events and Google Ads conversions use identical data from shared helper functions, ensuring consistency across all tracking methods.

Free vs Pro Comparison #

FeatureFreePro
Purchase Conversion Tracking✅ Yes✅ Yes
Transaction Value Tracking✅ Yes✅ Yes
Product Data (items array)✅ Yes✅ Yes
Delayed Conversion Attribution✅ Yes✅ Yes
Multiple Tracking Hooks✅ Yes✅ Yes
Add to Cart Conversions❌ No✅ Yes
Begin Checkout Conversions❌ No✅ Yes
View Product Conversions❌ No✅ Yes
View Category Conversions❌ No✅ Yes
Full Funnel Analysis❌ No✅ Yes

Setup Guide #

Prerequisites #

Before setting up Google Ads conversion tracking, ensure you have:

  1. HT Easy GA4 plugin installed and activated
  2. WooCommerce installed and activated
  3. Google Ads account with an active campaign
  4. Google Ads Conversion ID from your Google Ads account

Step 1: Get Your Google Ads Conversion ID #

  1. Log in to your Google Ads account
  2. In the left navigation, click Goals
  3. Click Conversions
  4. Click Summary tab
  5. Click the + New conversion action button
  6. Select Website as the conversion source
  7. Follow the wizard to create your conversion action
  8. Copy your Conversion ID (format: AW-XXXXXXXXXX)
  9. Copy your Conversion Labels for each event type you want to track

Step 2: Configure the Plugin #

  1. In WordPress admin, go to HT Easy GA4 > Settings
  2. Navigate to the Google Ads tab
  3. Enable Google Ads conversion tracking
  4. Enter your Conversion ID (without the “AW-” prefix)
  5. Configure conversion labels for each event:
    • Purchase (Free): Enter your purchase conversion label
    • Add to Cart (Pro): Enter your add to cart conversion label
    • Begin Checkout (Pro): Enter your checkout conversion label
    • View Product (Pro): Enter your product view conversion label
    • View Category (Pro): Enter your category view conversion label
  6. Click Save Settings

Step 3: Verify Tracking #

  1. Make a test purchase on your WooCommerce store
  2. Log in to Google Ads
  3. Go to Goals > Conversions > Summary
  4. Check if the conversion appears (may take a few hours to show)
  5. Use the GA4 Inspector tool to debug in real-time:
    • Add ?htga4_inspector=1 to any page URL
    • Check if conversion tracking code is firing

How It Works #

Purchase Conversion Flow (Free) #

  1. Customer completes purchase on your WooCommerce store
  2. Plugin captures order data including:
    • Transaction ID and value
    • Product details (name, ID, price, quantity)
    • Tax and shipping amounts
    • Currency and coupon information
  3. Conversion tracking fires via one of three hooks:
    • woocommerce_payment_complete (primary)
    • woocommerce_thankyou (fallback)
    • woocommerce_order_status_* (backup)
  4. Data sent to Google Ads via gtag.js conversion event
  5. Order marked as tracked to prevent duplicates

Delayed Conversion Tracking #

For logged-in customers who complete purchases in later sessions:

  1. Order data stored in user meta when order is created
  2. Conversion fires on next visit when customer returns to site
  3. Data cleared from user meta after successful tracking
  4. Works via AJAX for seamless background processing

Pro Conversion Events #

Add to Cart:

  • Fires when customer adds product to cart
  • Sends product data and value to Google Ads

Begin Checkout:

  • Fires when customer visits checkout page
  • Includes cart contents and total value

View Product:

  • Fires on single product page views
  • Sends product information and price

View Category:

  • Fires when browsing product categories
  • Includes category name and ID

Conversion Events Reference #

Purchase Event Data Structure #

{
  'send_to': 'AW-XXXXXXXXXX/CONVERSION_LABEL',
  'transaction_id': '12345',
  'value': 99.99,
  'currency': 'USD',
  'tax': 8.50,
  'shipping': 5.00,
  'coupon': 'SUMMER2025',
  'items': [
    {
      'item_id': '123',
      'item_name': 'Product Name',
      'item_category': 'Category Name',
      'price': 49.99,
      'quantity': 2,
      'item_variant': 'Size: Large, Color: Blue'
    }
  ]
}

Add to Cart Event Data (Pro) #

{
  'send_to': 'AW-XXXXXXXXXX/CONVERSION_LABEL',
  'value': 49.99,
  'currency': 'USD',
  'items': [
    {
      'item_id': '123',
      'item_name': 'Product Name',
      'item_category': 'Category Name',
      'price': 49.99,
      'quantity': 1
    }
  ]
}

Troubleshooting #

Conversions Not Showing in Google Ads #

Issue: Conversions don't appear in Google Ads dashboard

Solutions:

  1. Wait 24-48 hours – Google Ads may take time to process conversions
  2. Check Conversion ID – Ensure you entered the correct ID (without “AW-” prefix)
  3. Verify Conversion Labels – Each event type needs its own unique label
  4. Test on Production Domain – Google Ads doesn't track conversions from localhost
  5. Check Order Status – Ensure orders are completing successfully in WooCommerce

Duplicate Conversions #

Issue: Same conversion tracked multiple times

Solutions:

  1. Check order meta – Plugin uses _htga4_conversion_tracked to prevent duplicates
  2. Review tracking hooks – Ensure you haven't customized WooCommerce hooks
  3. Clear user meta – Run: DELETE FROM wp_usermeta WHERE meta_key = '_htga4_pending_conversions'

Conversions Fire But No Data Shows #

Issue: Conversion event fires but no product data appears

Solutions:

  1. Enable Debug Mode – Add ?htga4_inspector=1 to URL and check browser console
  2. Verify Product Data – Ensure products have valid prices and categories
  3. Check WooCommerce Version – Update to latest version for compatibility
  4. Review Item Data – Items array must contain valid product information

Localhost Testing #

Issue: Cannot test conversions on local development environment

Why: Google Ads requires verified domains and cannot access localhost

Solution:

  • Test on staging site with publicly accessible domain
  • Or wait to test on production environment

FAQ #

Do I need Google Analytics 4 to use Google Ads conversion tracking? #

No. While HT Easy GA4 includes both GA4 tracking and Google Ads conversion tracking, they work independently. You can use Google Ads conversions without GA4 tracking.

Can I track conversions without WooCommerce? #

Currently, Google Ads conversion tracking requires WooCommerce. The plugin tracks WooCommerce-specific events like purchases, cart additions, and checkout.

How are conversions attributed? #

Conversions are attributed using Google Ads' standard attribution model based on the gclid (Google Click ID) parameter in the URL. The plugin doesn't change Google Ads attribution – it simply sends conversion data.

Will this affect my site performance? #

No. The plugin uses asynchronous JavaScript that doesn't block page loading. Conversion tracking happens in the background without impacting user experience.

Can I customize conversion values? #

Yes. The plugin automatically sends transaction values from WooCommerce. You can use WordPress filters to modify values if needed (requires custom code).

What's the difference between GA4 events and Google Ads conversions? #

  • GA4 Events: Track user behavior for analytics purposes (page views, interactions, etc.)
  • Google Ads Conversions: Track specific actions that indicate advertising success (purchases, sign-ups, etc.)

Both can track purchases, but serve different purposes. GA4 helps you understand user behavior, while Google Ads conversions help you measure and optimize campaign ROI.

Does delayed conversion tracking work for guest customers? #

Delayed conversion tracking works best for logged-in customers using user meta storage. For guest customers, the plugin uses browser cookies, which may be less reliable if cookies are cleared.

Can I disable specific conversion events? #

Yes. In the plugin settings, you can enable/disable each conversion event type individually. Simply toggle off any events you don't want to track.

How do I track conversions for multiple Google Ads accounts? #

The plugin currently supports one Google Ads account at a time. For multiple accounts, you would need to implement custom tracking code or contact support for multi-account solutions.

Where can I see conversion data? #

Conversion data appears in your Google Ads account under Goals > Conversions > Summary. The plugin sends data to Google Ads – it doesn't store conversion records locally.

Support #

Need help with Google Ads conversion tracking?

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