Google Ads conversion tracking audit: 9 checks
Check nine things: 1 conversions firing on every page, 2 logins counted as conversions, 3 clicks counted as conversions, 4 duplicates, 5 pixels firing before cookie consent, 6 tags that stopped firing, 7 conversions without values, 8 no qualified-lead signal, and 9 how your setup compares with competitors'. Fireshift runs all nine from the outside in about a minute.
The checklist
1. Pageview: conversions on every load
Load three normal pages and watch for pagead/conversion hits. Any conversion firing without a real action is noise. How to fix it.
2. Login: customers counted as leads
Look for triggers like login, loginsuccess or dashboard attached to Ads conversion tags.
3. Click: buttons counted like signups
"Book a demo" or "Start trial" clicks before any form. Fine as secondary, wrong as primary.
4. Dupes: the same step twice
signup_success from the Ads tag plus Web_SignupVerified imported from GA4, or two GA4 properties loading.
5. Consent: firing before accept
Clear cookies, load the page, and don't touch the banner. Any Meta, LinkedIn or Ads hit before you accept is a consent leak in GDPR markets.
6. Silent: tags that stopped
A release renames a dataLayer event and a conversion quietly stops. Only daily checks catch this before the monthly report does.
7. Value: no value passed
Without values, Google treats a $20 signup and a $20k deal the same. Pass real or estimated values.
8. Gate: no qualified-lead signal
If Google only sees signups, it finds people who sign up, not people who buy. Send CRM stages back with offline conversion import or enhanced conversions for leads.
9. Rivals: what competitors count
Their public GTM containers show what they report to Google. How to read them.
FAQ
How often should I audit conversion tracking?
After every site release that touches forms, signup or checkout, and at least monthly. Daily automated checks are better.
Can I audit tracking without access to the ad account?
Yes, from the outside: public tag containers and network hits show what exists and fires. Primary vs secondary still needs account access.
Run all nine checks on your site, free.
Fireshift reads what your site tells Google Ads, GA4 and Meta from the outside. No install, about a minute.
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