How to set up Google Ads conversion tracking

Without conversion tracking, Google Ads is gambling. Set up conversion tracking via GA4 import (the easiest reliable method) in 20 minutes.

7 min read intermediateUpdated Jun 10, 2026

Reviewed by the editorial team · Jun 10, 2026

Before you start

Step by step

01
Define what 'conversion' means
Pick the ONE primary conversion (purchase, lead form submit, demo booked) before you touch anything. Tracking everything is the same as tracking nothing.
02
Set up the event in GA4
GA4 → Admin → Events. Mark your target event (e.g. purchase, generate_lead) as a Key Event. If it doesn't exist yet, create it with Google Tag Manager.
03
Link GA4 to Google Ads
GA4 → Admin → Google Ads Links → Link → pick your Ads account → grant data sharing.
04
Import the conversion
Google Ads → Goals → Conversions → New conversion action → Import → Google Analytics 4 properties → tick your event → Continue.
05
Set the conversion value and category
Pick the category (Purchase, Lead, Sign-up). For purchases, use 'Use a value per conversion' and set it from GA4 e-commerce data.
06
Set as Primary
On your imported conversion, set the goal to Primary. Only ONE primary per campaign — secondary conversions are observation-only.
07
Verify with a test
Trigger the conversion yourself. Within 24-48 hours it should show in Google Ads → Conversions with status Recording conversions.