Fireshift / Guides

Primary vs secondary Google Ads conversions for B2B SaaS

By the Fireshift team · Updated 2026-11-04

How many conversions B2B SaaS sites carry

On 4 Nov 2026 we read the public GTM and Google tag containers of 449 B2B SaaS sites (method and limits in the study). 235 of them had at least one Google Ads conversion. Here is how many each of those sites has:

Median 5. Mean 8.2. The top tenth of sites carry 19 or more. A SaaS funnel has maybe four real steps: lead, qualified lead, trial or demo, paid. The rest is page views, clicks, logins and tests that someone added and nobody removed. In the same 235 sites, 39.1% had a conversion on All Pages or a plain page view, 45.1% had one that fires on a click and 11.5% had one on a login.

What this table does not tell you: how many of those conversions are primary. A site with 16 conversions and 2 primary is fine. A site with 5 conversions that are all primary and include a page view is not. Primary and secondary cannot be read from outside, so the counts above are the upper bound of the problem, not the problem itself.

What primary and secondary do

In Google Ads, a primary action counts in the Conversions column and Smart Bidding optimizes toward it. A secondary action is reported in All conversions and is not used for bidding (Google Ads Help: primary and secondary actions). So the primary list is the instruction you give the bidder. If a page view is on that list, you are telling Google to find more page views.

The rule: would you pay for it as a lead?

Go down your conversion list and ask one question of each action: would we pay for this as a lead?

For most B2B SaaS accounts that gives one to three primary actions. If you have fewer than about 30 of the deepest action a month, bid on the step above it and import the deeper one as secondary until volume grows. That is our rule of thumb, not a Google requirement.

Check your own account in 5 minutes

1. In Google Ads open Goals, Conversions, Summary.
2. Sort by Goal / Action optimization and count the rows marked Primary.
3. For each primary row, apply the question above. Mark anything that fails as secondary.
4. Look at Source and Status. Rows with no recent conversions are dead and can be removed.
5. Match the labels to your site. In GTM, open Tags, filter on "Google Ads Conversion Tracking" and read each trigger. Two primary actions on one trigger is a double count, see duplicate conversions in GTM.
6. Write down the current Conversions number for the last 30 days before you change anything. It will drop. That is the number getting honest, not the campaign getting worse.

What changes when you clean it up

• Reported conversions go down and cost per conversion goes up. The old number counted things that were not leads.
• Smart Bidding needs time to relearn. Change the list once, on purpose, and leave the campaigns alone for a couple of weeks.
• Nothing is lost. Secondary actions stay in All conversions, so you still see them.

What we can't see from outside

• Primary or secondary. Account setting. This is exactly why the counts above are a ceiling.
• Count setting, value rules and conversion windows.
• GA4 key events imported into Ads, which show up as extra actions. See GA4 key events vs Google Ads conversions.
• Server-side tags, and tags added by consent tools or non-Google loaders.
• The sample is hand-picked well-known vendors, skewed to larger companies. It is not random, and it is a static read of public containers, not a browser session.

FAQ

How many primary conversion actions should a B2B SaaS account have?

Usually one to three: demo request, trial or signup, and a qualified lead if you can import it. In 449 sites we scanned, the median site with Ads conversions carries 5 conversions in total. We can't see how many are primary.

Does making an action secondary delete its data?

No. Secondary actions still count in the All conversions column. They stop counting in the Conversions column and stop steering Smart Bidding.

Should the thank-you page or the form submit be primary?

Pick one for each form. A form success event is usually safer than a thank-you page load, because a page can be reloaded or shared. Never both as primary.

Can Fireshift see which of my conversions are primary?

No. Primary and secondary are set inside your Google Ads account and are not visible from the site. Fireshift shows the conversions your site sends and flags the ones that look like page views, clicks or logins. You check their status in Goals, Conversions.

Will my conversions drop when I change this?

Yes, if some primary actions were not leads. Reported conversions fall and cost per conversion rises because the old numbers counted more than leads. Smart Bidding needs a couple of weeks to relearn.