If you’re running Google Ads without conversion tracking, you’re essentially flying a plane with a blindfold on. Conversion tracking tells you exactly which keywords and ads are actually making you money, allowing you to stop wasting budget on clicks that go nowhere and double down on what works.
At Local Marketing Group, we see so many Brisbane businesses spending thousands of dollars a month on ads, but when we ask, "Which ad generated that phone call?", they have no idea. This guide is designed to fix that. We're going to walk through the most common (and reliable) way to set this up using Google Tag Manager.
Prerequisites: What You’ll Need
Before we dive in, make sure you have the following ready to go:- A Google Ads Account: You’ll need administrative access.
- A Google Tag Manager (GTM) Account: This is the easiest way to manage tracking codes without needing a developer every five minutes. (If you don't have this, it's free to set up).
- Access to your Website Backend: You need to be able to publish changes via GTM.
- A 'Thank You' Page or Form Success Message: Something that triggers when a customer converts.
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Step 1: Define What a "Conversion" Is for Your Business
Before we touch any buttons, we need to be clear on what we are tracking. For most Australian small businesses, a conversion is usually:- A completed 'Contact Us' form.
- A click on a phone number (mobile click-to-call).
- A completed purchase (for e-commerce).
- An email link click.
Step 2: Create the Conversion Action in Google Ads
Log into your Google Ads account. This is where the magic starts.- Click on the Goals icon (it looks like a trophy) in the left-hand menu.
- Click on Conversions > Summary.
- Click the blue button that says + New conversion action.
- You’ll be given four options: Website, App, Phone Calls, or Import. Choose Website.
- Google will ask for your website domain. Type it in and click Scan. (Google is just checking if you already have the global site tag installed. Don't worry if it says it can't find anything—we’re going to set it up manually to ensure it's done right).
Step 3: Set Up the Conversion Manually
Scroll down to the bottom where it says "Add a conversion action manually using code" and click that link. This gives us much better control than the automated version.- Goal Category: Select the most relevant one (e.g., 'Submit lead form' or 'Request quote').
- Conversion Name: Be specific. Instead of "Lead", use "Contact Form - Service Page".
- Value: If you’re a service business, select "Don't use a value for this conversion action". If you're e-commerce, you'll want to use different values for each conversion.
- Count: Select One. Why? Because if one person fills out your form three times, it’s still only one lead. For e-commerce sales, you would select 'Every'.
- Click-through conversion window: Set this to 30 days (default is usually fine for most Brisbane service businesses).
- Attribution: Set this to Data-driven. This is Google’s modern standard and is much better than the old 'Last Click' model.
- Click Create and Continue.
Step 4: Get Your Tag Details
You'll now see three options for installing the tag. Click on Use Google Tag Manager.You will see two very important pieces of information:
- Conversion ID
- Conversion Label
Keep this tab open! You’ll need to copy and paste these into Google Tag Manager in the next step. This is where most people get stuck, but honestly, the interface makes it look harder than it is. Just think of these as the "Address" and "Name" of your specific conversion.
Step 5: Set Up the Conversion Linker in GTM
Open a new tab and head to Google Tag Manager.Before we track the specific form, we need to set up the Conversion Linker. This is a tiny bit of code that helps Google track data more accurately in modern browsers (like Safari) that have strict privacy settings.
- In your GTM Container, click Tags > New.
- Name it: "Google Ads - Conversion Linker".
- Click Tag Configuration and search for Conversion Linker.
- Under Triggering, select All Pages.
- Click Save.
Step 6: Create the Google Ads Conversion Tag in GTM
Now we tell GTM exactly what to send back to Google Ads when someone fills out your form.- Click New Tag.
- Name it: "Google Ads - Lead Form Conversion".
- Click Tag Configuration and select Google Ads Conversion Tracking.
- Now, go back to your Google Ads tab. Copy the Conversion ID and paste it into the GTM field.
- Copy the Conversion Label and paste it into the GTM field.
- Leave the other fields as they are for now.
Step 7: Set the Trigger (The "When")
This is the part where you tell GTM: "Only fire this tag when someone actually finishes the form."- Click on the Triggering box below your tag configuration.
- Click the + icon in the top right to create a new trigger.
- Trigger Type: This depends on your site. The most reliable way is Page View (if you have a 'Thank You' page).
- If you don't have a thank you page and use a pop-up message, you might need to use Form Submission or Element Visibility.
Step 8: Preview and Test (Don't Skip This!)
Before you publish, you must check if it works.- In GTM, click the Preview button in the top right.
- Enter your website URL and click Connect.
- A new window will open with your site. Go through the motions of filling out your contact form.
- After you submit the form, go back to the 'Tag Assistant' tab.
- Look for your tag: "Google Ads - Lead Form Conversion". It should move from "Tags Not Fired" to "Tags Fired".
If it fired, congratulations! You’ve done it. If not, check your trigger settings—usually, a typo in the URL is the culprit.
Step 9: Publish Your Changes
GTM doesn't save automatically to the live web. You need to hit the blue Submit button in the top right corner of the GTM dashboard, give the version a name (e.g., "Added Google Ads Tracking"), and hit Publish.---
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Double Tracking: Don't install the code via a WordPress plugin AND Google Tag Manager. You'll end up reporting double the conversions, which will make you look like a marketing genius for about five minutes until you realise your bank account doesn't match the data.
- Ignoring the Conversion Linker: As mentioned in Step 5, if you miss this, your data in browsers like Safari will be way off.
Troubleshooting
"My status in Google Ads says 'Unverified'" Don't panic. Google can take up to 24 hours to verify the tag. Also, the tag only 'verifies' once a real conversion actually happens. You can trigger this yourself by clicking your own ad (though this costs you a few dollars) or just waiting for your first organic lead to come through. "The Tag Assistant says my tag didn't fire" Check your trigger. Is the URL exactly right? If your thank-you page iswebsite.com.au/thank-you/ (with a slash) and your trigger is set to equals /thank-you (without a slash), it might fail. Using "contains" is usually safer.
"I see a 'Global Site Tag' error"
If you are using Google Tag Manager, you don't need the Global Site Tag (gtag.js) hardcoded on your site as well. GTM handles that for you.
Next Steps
Now that you're tracking leads, the next logical step is to ensure your Google Business Profile is linked to your Ads account so you can track phone calls from your map listing.Setting this up is the single most important thing you can do to improve your ROI. If you've followed these steps and things still aren't looking right, or if you'd rather spend your time running your business than wrestling with tags, we're here to help.
You can reach out to the team at Local Marketing Group and we can perform a full audit of your tracking setup to make sure every cent of your ad spend is being accounted for.