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The Top 3 Conversion Mistakes Costing You Google Ads ROI
Why Conversions Are the Backbone of Your Google Ads Strategy
Conversions aren’t just “nice to have”—they are the north star for your campaigns.
- They tell Google what matters.
- They guide Smart Bidding.
- They determine what success looks like.
Here’s the kicker: 🔍 Most small business accounts don’t have conversions set up correctly—or at all.
And that’s a problem because without conversion data, Google’s algorithm is flying blind.
Not All Conversions Are Equal (And That’s Okay)
Let’s say your business has two forms on your site:
- Contact Us Form — someone is just asking a fundamental question.
- Request a Quote Form — someone is ready to buy.
👉 Both are conversions.
👉 But only one should guide your bidding.
This is where Primary vs. Secondary Conversions come in:
- Primary conversions: Used for bidding. These are your money makers (quote requests, calls, bookings).
- Secondary conversions: Tracked for insight only, not used in Smart Bidding (newsletter opt-ins, location views, contact form submissions).
🎯 Tip: Use Primary conversions only for bottom-funnel actions with clear buyer intent.
Top Mistakes I See with Conversion Tracking (And How to Fix Them)
1. Tracking too many “soft” conversions as Primary
Example: Tracking page views or contact form submits as Primary. This muddies the waters and sends weak signals.
✅ Fix: Audit your conversion actions. Set only bottom-funnel ones to Primary (e.g., quote requests, calls, bookings).
2. Relying only on Google Ads tracking
Google Ads tracking is limited. You're missing out on granular control and data accuracy if you’re not using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Google Tag Manager (GTM).
✅ Fix:
- Set up GTM to trigger events.
- Send events to GA4.
- Import high-value events from GA4 into Google Ads.
- Label them correctly as Primary or Secondary.
3. Forgetting to test your conversions
A misfired tag or broken form can kill your performance.
✅ Fix:
- Test every form and button on both mobile and desktop.
- Use Google Tag Assistant and GA4 DebugView to confirm that events have been appropriately fired.
- Periodically recheck as your site changes.
Smart Bidding Works Best with Clean Signals
Google needs quality data to optimize if you're using bidding strategies like Maximize Conversions or Target CPA.
The algorithm isn’t magic—it just reacts to your signals.
If you feed it contact form conversions, it’ll find curious visitors.
If you feed it quote requests, it’ll find ready-to-buy customers.
📈 Better conversions = better learning = better results.
Pro Tips for Lead Generation Accounts
💡 Use Call Tracking: Set up a conversion for phone calls over 30 seconds. These often signal genuine interest.
💡 Exclude Low-Intent Pages from Conversion Paths: Set up GA4 audiences for visitors who view high-value pages (pricing, service areas, quote forms) and target those in campaigns.
💡 Track Form Abandonment: Set up events to see how far people get in the form (start, error, completion). This will show where people drop off and how to fix it.
💡 Use Thank You Page Goals: If your forms redirect to a confirmation page, that's a lean and reliable way to trigger a conversion.
Conversions Aren’t Metrics—They're Strategy
Your ads, landing pages, and bidding strategy all orbit around the conversions you set.
If you set the wrong ones, nothing performs.
If you set the right ones, even a $25/day budget can crush it.
Want to see how I help small service businesses dominate with dialed-in conversions?
Take My $65 Google Ads Course
You’ll learn how to run smarter Google Ads—even with a small team and budget.
