How to set up conversion tracking on your site

Conversion tracking lets you measure which marketing channels actually drive revenue, not just clicks. This guide sets up conversion tracking across Google Ads, Meta Ads, and GA4, so a single conversion is attributed correctly across all three.

1. 1

   Define a conversion

   Before tracking, define what counts as a conversion. For ecommerce: a completed purchase. For SaaS: a paid signup. For lead generation: a qualified form submission. Be specific — vague definitions create unreliable data.

2. 2

   Install Google Tag Manager (if you don't have it)

   GTM is the central place to manage all tracking tags. Sign up at tagmanager.google.com, create a container for your site, and install the GTM snippet on every page.

3. 3

   Set up the GA4 base tag

   In GTM, create a tag with type 'GA4 Configuration' and your GA4 measurement ID. Trigger on All Pages. Publish.

4. 4

   Add the GA4 conversion event

   Create a tag with type 'GA4 Event'. Event name: 'purchase' (or 'signup', 'lead' depending on your conversion). Trigger when the conversion happens — typically on the thank-you / confirmation page.

5. 5

   Add the Google Ads conversion tag

   In Google Ads, create a new conversion action. Copy the conversion ID and label. In GTM, create a 'Google Ads Conversion Tracking' tag with these values. Trigger on the same conversion page.

6. 6

   Add the Meta Pixel and conversion event

   Install the Meta Pixel base tag (from Meta Events Manager) on all pages via GTM. Then add a Meta Pixel event tag with event 'Purchase' (or 'Lead', 'CompleteRegistration'), triggered on the conversion page.

7. 7

   Test in preview mode

   In GTM preview mode, walk through a real conversion on your site. Confirm all three conversion tags fire on the confirmation page. Check Meta Events Manager and Google Ads conversion debugger for the matching event arriving.

8. 8

   Publish the GTM container

   When tests pass, publish the GTM container. Conversions start appearing in each platform within a few hours — Google Ads typically shows them within 24 hours.