Mastering Conversion Tracking: A Step-by-Step Guide – 2024

1. Setting Up Conversion Tracking in GA4:

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers a flexible event-based tracking system.

• Events in GA4: Everything from page views to button clicks is considered an event. Navigate to the “Events” section in GA4 to define specific events as conversions.

Example: If you want to track a button with the ID “submit-request-appointment”, you’d set up an event for this button click and then mark it as a conversion in GA4.

2. Google Ads Conversion Tracking:

Track actions users take after interacting with your ads.

• Direct Tracking:
  1. In Google Ads, navigate to the “Conversions” section.
  2. Click on the “+ Conversion” button.
  3. Choose the “Website” option.
  4. Follow the instructions to set up your conversion action.
• GA4 Import:
  1. In Google Ads, go to “Conversions”.
  2. Click on “Import”, then select “Google Analytics (GA4)”.
  3. Choose the events you want to import as conversions.

3. Designating Primary and Secondary Conversions in Google Ads:

• Primary Conversion: Navigate to the “Conversions” section, click on the conversion action, and ensure “Include in ‘Conversions'” is turned on.
• Secondary Conversion: Navigate to the conversion action and turn off “Include in ‘Conversions'”.

4. Google Tag Manager (GTM) and Conversion Tracking:

GTM allows you to manage tags without editing your website’s code.

• Setting Up Tags in GTM:
  1. In GTM, click on “New Tag”.
  2. Name the tag (e.g., “GA4 – Button Click Event”).
  3. Choose the tag type (e.g., GA4 Event).
  4. Set up the trigger. For a button click, you’d choose “Click – All Elements” and then refine by the button’s attributes.

Example: To track a button with the ID “submit-request-appointment”, set the trigger to fire on “Click – All Elements” where the “Click ID” equals “submit-request-appointment”.

5. Conversion Linker Tag in GTM:

• Navigate to GTM and click on “New Tag”.
• Choose the “Conversion Linker” tag type.
• Set it to trigger on “All Pages”.

6. Challenges and Solutions:

• Discrepancies: Regularly compare data from both tracking methods.
• Tagging Issues: Use GTM’s preview mode to verify tags are firing correctly.
• Google Ads Errors: Ensure proper linking between Google Ads and GA4.

7. Tracking Specific Buttons:

To track a specific button, like one with the ID “submit-request-appointment”:

1. In GTM, create a new trigger.
2. Choose “Click – All Elements”.
3. Refine by the button’s attributes, such as “Click ID” equals “submit-request-appointment”.
4. Link this trigger to your desired tag.

Example: If you’re using Elementor in WordPress, you can add custom attributes or classes to buttons, making them easier to track in GTM.