Setting up Google Ads conversion tracking — two snippets, two places
<head>, and the event snippet on the conversion page itself. Miss either and nothing is measured. After installing, conversion status can take up to 48 hours to update in Google Ads.
Without conversion tracking, Google Ads is a click machine with no feedback: you see what you spend, not what you get. And with no conversions, no automated bidding strategy has anything to learn — which ties directly to the learning period.
Two snippets, two places
This is where most installations fail: it is not one piece of code, it is two.
First, the Google tag — everywhere: "The Google tag snippet should be placed on all pages of your website" — typically, Google says, within the <head> (Google Ads Help)
Second, the event snippet — only where the conversion happens: "For website conversion tracking to work, the event snippet should be installed on the conversion page itself." (Google Ads Help)
| Code | Where it goes | If it is missing… |
|---|---|---|
| Google tag | All pages, in the <head> | No basis for measurement at all |
| Event snippet | Only the conversion page (thank-you page) | Clicks counted, conversions not |
The classic failure: the Google tag is deployed cleanly through Tag Manager, the event snippet is missing — and the account shows zero conversions while enquiries keep arriving.
What the tag actually does
"Using the Google tag sets new cookies on your domain, which will store a unique identifier for a user" (Google Ads Help)
Two consequences follow. Those cookies belong in your consent solution, and without consent they must not be set. Loading tracking without asking is not a measurement problem, it is a legal one — and you still end up without the data.
The 48 hours that cause panic
"It may take up to 48 hours for the conversion status to update in Google Ads after implementing or correcting your tags." (Google Ads Help)
Practical consequence: leave two days between installing and judging. Checking the status the same afternoon leads people to "fix" tracking that works — and introduce a real fault while doing it.
Check in this order when no conversions arrive
- Is the Google tag genuinely on all pages, not just the homepage?
- Is the event snippet on the actual thank-you page — and does that page ever load?
- Have 48 hours passed since installation?
- Is your consent solution blocking the tag because nobody accepts?
- Are clicks arriving at all? If not, it is not a tracking problem — see no impressions and no clicks.
Why this belongs before the first campaign
Traffic without measurement is money you cannot account for — you cannot reconstruct afterwards which click produced an enquiry. The full setup order is in the setup guide.