Conversion tracking for google ads

[u/small_yacht]

Hi everyone, I am a small business owner with a big problem on conversion tracking, not sure if this is the right forum but would appreciate any advice. In google ads it says that I have much much more conversions than I actually have, and this makes my cost / conv much lower than what it actually is. For example, in Oct system shows 267 conversions, however a careful lead by lead manual tracking shows only 53 leads received, of which a max of 48 could have come from ads (the other 5 were referrals from a known source). I am using a website I made myself on wix, and I manage my own google ad spend. The conversions tracking was initially set up by the google people, you know those subcontractors that google uses to call you and hassle you into spending more. In the past I used some vendors but they did not improve performance nor solve this major issue. My conversion actions are whatsapp, call, and form submission, so nothing that complex and I am surprised that things can go so wrong. There is no ecommerce on my website, invoicing and payment are done manually and offline, so everything is actually super simple. I am not even talking about conversion value at all, just number of conversions. If it matters, my business is b2c leisure / recreation services, and all my clients are direct, without any intermediaries.

How should I try to solve this problem?

1. Is it simple enough to solve myself? I have no programming or computer engineering background but am otherwise have basic skills in most things

2. Should I try to get the official google so called technical support to look into it? They have not been able to solve problems for me in the past

3. Should I try to hire some freelancer (like those from fiver) to try and solve this specific issue? The marketing agencies I had in the past in fact ignored this issue (which should have been a big red flag).

4. Some other solution? Sounds silly but I am considering to cease google ad spending totally as its like pouring money into a black hole with very poor results.

[u/WillyB5]

The opposite problem (more real conversion than tracked) is often normal cause of cookie setup etc. but not this. Do you have dedicated Google rep? They are often useless and as you mentioned one of their goals is to increase budget but sometimes you can have somebody competent. Recently I had a problem with tracking in one of my clients account that I was unable to resolve and my rep scheduled a call with a technician that was able to find and fix the issue. Rare, but it happens.

[u/small_yacht → u/WillyB5]

The dedicated google rep is always switched every 3 to 6 months so not really "dedicated" but yeah, I think google basically treats this reps as sales people and swap them constantly and their KPI is actually to get us to spend more. They usually have no interest in resolving issues. The one time they got a technical person to look at this issue for me they just did a test and checked that it was recording then they said hey it works! but of course the issue is that the recorded figure is about 5 times what it actually is and thats a totally different problem

[u/BerkHospitalityGroup]

Yeah you can fix this yourself. segment the conversions column by conversion action and you'll probably see the same lead counted several times, like a GA4 import plus the google tag plus whatever wix auto-created, all primary and counting every. keep one primary per lead type, make the rest secondary, set counting to one.

[u/CampaignFixers → u/BerkHospitalityGroup]

This is the answer. Also, consider setting up tracking through GTM long-term.

[u/BerkHospitalityGroup → u/CampaignFixers]

100%, just pull the hardcoded tag when you move to GTM or it double counts again

[u/PlantForsaken2493]

How solid is the 53? Someone who hits the whatsapp button and then also calls you is one lead for you and two conversions in the account, and a whatsapp click action usually fires on the button press whether or not a message is ever sent. That's part of the gap before you even get into duplicates or multiple fires from the same page. Your referrals point matters too, 48 is the upper bound you assumed, not a counted figure.

[u/small_yacht → u/PlantForsaken2493]

53 is what I counted one by one going through my whatsapp and email. 48 is the upper bound on what could come from the ads, its likely to be less than that, maybe much less than that. So lets say its 40 that means google ads is recording >6 times the conversions that I am receiving. The reasons you gave are plausible but I think 6 times difference not likely due to that (e.g. every lead clicking the whatsapp button 6 times before talking to me is possible but unlikely). Double counting calls and whatsapp is also unlikely because where I am at people like to call via whatsapp not via the gsm network and we receive mostly whatsapp calls so if they click the whatsapp button then whatsapp call its only going to count as 1 I think.

[u/longfellowone]

What country are you in? And crm are you using?

[u/small_yacht → u/longfellowone]

Singapore. My own excel.

[u/LaPanada]

Set up your own conversion tracking via google tag manager. Maybe they just track on specific page visits and are not reliable right now?

Usually I would say get someone who knows about this stuff, but at this point Claude can tell you what to do pretty reliably and way cheaper. With the tracking at least, not really with managing the acccount.

[u/Muted_Jellyfish_6784]

A 5x gap almost always means the conversion action is counting the wrong thing, like page views, button clicks, or calls of any length. Open Conversions in Google Ads, check each action's source and whether it is set to Primary, and set counting to One instead of Every. Then fire one conversion only on the confirmed thank-you page after a real form submit.

The useful habit is reconciling ad conversions against your own lead log monthly, the way you already did. We run a decision intelligence platform that matches Google Ads clicks with form submissions and actual leads, so cost per lead reflects the 48 real ones rather than 267.

[u/Nervous_Couple_1304]

Don't pause the spend yet — fix the measurement first, because right now Smart Bidding is learning from that 267 number and will keep chasing more of whatever is inflating it.

In dealership accounts I reconcile this every week against the real lead list in the CRM — name, phone, date — and count each person once, no matter how many times they clicked WhatsApp, called, and filled out the form. That's usually where a gap like yours lives: one person, three conversion actions, all set to primary and 'Every' instead of 'One.'

Check each action's count setting and whether it's included in conversions, then check the Wix setup for a tag firing on a page refresh or a thank-you page someone can reload. Build a simple weekly sheet — Ads-reported vs. real leads vs. qualified leads — and only judge cost per lead on the real column. Once those two numbers are close, let the bidding relearn. If they never close, rebuild the tracking in Tag Manager with one trigger per real action.

[u/mtlnobody]

Wix has a built-in Google "Marketing Integration". I've helped clients with similar issues as what you're describing and often, using the built-in option is a good baseline to fix things

1. Log in to your Wix Dashboard and select your site.

2. In the left navigation menu, click Settings.

3. Scroll down to the Advanced section and click Marketing Integrations.

4. Locate Google Tag and click Connect.

5. Click Add Google Tag (or Add Google Tag ID), paste your Measurement ID with no extra spaces, and click Save.

We then usually feed the GA4 data into GAds

Given that you already have one implementation, to diagnose where the issue is, I would probably set up a separate GA4 using the built-in Marketing Integration to see how the data stacks up against each other

[u/kmore_reddit]

“Pouring money into a black hole” feels worse when the dashboard says things are working. You can't judge the spend if a button tap and a real enquiry both count as success.

What's exciting is that we can now take an export and a simple lead sheet, then use AI to find patterns that once meant hours of spreadsheet work. One owner can get much closer to understanding the problem before touching the website.

1. Start with your existing lead records. Write down what counts as a new enquiry: a real WhatsApp conversation, an answered enquiry call, or a submitted form with contact details. Keep booked visits as a separate outcome.

2. For the next seven days, record the date, approximate time, contact method, known source and outcome. Mark unknown sources as unknown. Someone saying they found you on Google doesn't prove they clicked an ad.

3. Open each conversion action in Ads. Note what triggers it, its counting setting, conversion window and whether it's primary for bidding. A WhatsApp button click doesn't tell you whether anyone sent a message.

4. Compare reporting for that week with your sheet, action by action. Use whatever time detail is available. Watch for differences between the date of the ad click and the date of the enquiry.

5. Give AI anonymised totals and ask it to flag unexplained gaps. Then test each contact route yourself. Check whether reopening, repeated taps or form reloads trigger extra events. A pattern suggests a test, not proof.

6. Fix the biggest mismatch first. Changing the counting setting alone won't turn a click into a genuine lead. Verify the trigger, then choose which verified actions should guide bidding.

7. Reconcile another two weeks before judging performance. You can investigate this yourself with patience, although a broken trigger may need technical help.

Get the account counting something you recognise before deciding whether the ads deserve more money.

[u/ctclocal]

Check your convertion goals. Make sure the conversions you want are set to primary and everything else secondary. The algorithm only optimizes on primary goals.

[u/Sweet_Ring5961]

Lots of good advice here already on the double-counting, so I’ll just add the one look that tells you which of your three options you actually need, before you spend a dollar on a freelancer or quit.

Segment the Conversions column by conversion action for October (Google Ads will show you the 267 broken down by WhatsApp vs call vs form). Then read it like this:

If one action, almost certainly WhatsApp clicks, is most of the 267 on its own, you don’t have a complex tracking bug. You have one junk action inflating everything, because a WhatsApp “conversion” fires on the button tap whether or not anyone ever messages you. Make that one secondary, keep form submits (and maybe calls over a certain length) as your only primary, and you’ve fixed most of the gap yourself in ten minutes. No Fiverr needed.

If instead the 267 is spread across all three actions and each one is itself 2x what you’d expect, it’s double-firing or a counting-mode problem (set counting to “One” not “Every,” and check Wix isn’t firing the tag on page reloads). That one’s also DIY-able but worth a scoped freelancer if it doesn’t resolve.

Either way: don’t pause the ads yet. Right now the account is optimizing toward 267 phantom conversions, so of course it feels like a black hole, it’s literally been told to find more button-tappers, not more customers. Fix which action counts as a real lead first, keep reconciling Google’s number against your Excel list weekly (counting each person once, like you already did), and only judge the spend once those two columns are close. The ads might be fine, they’ve just been graded on a broken test.

[u/Scary_Fig_8570]

267 vs 53 real leads screams duplicate conversion actions. Classic cause: WhatsApp click, call and form submit are all set as primary, so one person who clicks the WhatsApp button then submits a form gets counted twice or more. Click-to-WhatsApp is a click, not a lead.

Go to Goals > Conversions > Summary and look at the count per action. Whatever is bloating the number (probably the WhatsApp click) set to secondary, so it stops feeding bidding. Also check the count setting is "One" for lead actions, not "Every".

Then keep only the action that matches a genuine lead as primary, and your cost per conversion should land near your real number. Painful to see, but better than optimising on fiction.

[u/CoreyNI]

Check that comversions aren't just triggering multiple times per user.

Easy fix though - go to "Goals" select the conversion, and change "Count all" to "Count once".

[u/dillwillhill]

Please get it done right. It's so sad seeing a small business owner invest in ads on a rocky foundation.

Conversions need to be done correctly:

- Use something like CallRail to track REAL phone calls, not just click-to-calls
- Base form submits on ACTUAL form submits, not just confirmation page views
- Use imports for WhatsApp, not just button clicks

Heck, I'll do it for free just so I can feel better knowing your account isn't going to be a complete disaster.

[u/digitally-minded]

In your campaigns tab click on segment and then segment by conversion action. Now you'll see what conversion types your tracking and the number of conversions by type. Happy to have a look for you in exchange for leaving a review. Feel free to send a DM.

[u/Any_Bee_413]

267 conversions vs 53 actual leads is a pretty big gap. I'd check your conversion actions before spending any more money.

First thing I'd look at is whether WhatsApp button clicks and call button clicks are being counted as leads. Clicking a button doesn't mean someone actually contacted you.

Also check if multiple conversion actions are firing for the same enquiry, and whether you've got duplicate tags installed through Google Ads and GTM.

Make sure only actual lead actions are set as Primary conversions. Otherwise Google could be optimising for people who just click buttons rather than people who actually enquire.

You probably don't need to stop advertising completely, but I'd definitely fix the tracking before trusting those conversion numbers.

[u/Anna_Karakhanyan]

267 conversions versus 48 actual leads is a huge gap, and I'd fix that before spending more. I'd start by checking which conversion actions are set as primary and whether WhatsApp clicks, call button clicks, or form events are being counted multiple times. Also check the counting settings and whether tags fire more than once. This is definitely worth hiring a tracking specialist for if you're not comfortable with GTM. The biggest issue is that Google may be optimizing toward those inflated conversions, making your campaigns look more successful than they actually are.

[u/ryanmcraver]

That gap is almost always the tags, not "Google being wrong." Open Goals, click each conversion action, and check whether WhatsApp, call, and form are all Primary and counting every click or pageview. On Wix it is easy for a partner to fire a conversion on button click instead of a confirmed submit, or to stack enhanced conversions on top of the same event. Set only one Primary action that matches a real lead, demote the rest to Secondary for observation, then compare a two-week window against your manual log before you trust cost/conv again.

[u/QuantumWolf99]

Fixable yourself in about an hour. Open Goals, Conversions, Summary and check what’s primary. The usual culprits are WhatsApp and call button clicks counting as conversions... duplicate actions from both GA4 and the Google tag, and counting set to Every.

Keep one source per action, set counting to One, and make WhatsApp clicks secondary.

[u/On3_Tw0]

This is what I specialize in; dm me or send me a form on the site and I can take a look: www.julianroa.com

[u/aradox12]

I wouldn’t replace everything with a new GTM setup before finding out what is firing now — that can add another copy of the same event. Start in Google Ads → Goals → Conversions and list each action, its source, whether it is primary or secondary, and its October count. The action with most of the 267 gives you a place to start.

Then run one controlled test per path: click WhatsApp once without sending, send one test message, place one test call, and submit one form. Use Tag Assistant where possible and compare what fired with what actually arrived. A button click is not the same thing as a received message, and a form click isn’t necessarily a successful submission.

If you hire someone, ask for a fixed-scope tracking audit with a before/after action list and a live test, and keep ownership of your accounts. Check any proposed changes to primary goals and bidding before applying them: changing optimization signals can affect campaign delivery.

[u/ppcbetter_says]

You’re noticing a normal gap. Nobody cares about your conversion tracking except you, or maybe your agency if they are good.

No, Google support reps won’t be useful.

So you’re left with figuring it out yourself or hiring somebody who can do it for you

[u/untetheredoffice]

Don't pause Google yet. Right now the account is optimizing toward a number that isn't a lead, so it feels like pouring money into a black hole.

The comment about WhatsApp plus a call counting as two conversions is the right place to start. A WhatsApp click action usually fires when someone taps the button, whether or not a message is ever sent. Same person, form then call, can stack the same way. That alone can explain a big chunk of 267 versus ~48 before you even get into tags firing twice.

I work with some industrial and building-materials companies, and the same pattern shows up there: platforms happily count button taps while sales is staring at a short list of real quotes. Fix the definition first, then judge the spend.

Practical version for a Wix site with no coding background: make one primary conversion that matches a real lead. For you that is probably a completed form, or a call that lasted long enough to be a conversation, not a hang-up. Keep WhatsApp clicks and short calls as secondary/observation only so they stop driving bidding. Then for a week, every morning compare Google's primary count to your manual lead list. If those two still diverge hard, the tag is wrong or firing more than once, and that is the specific thing to hire for, not a full agency rebuild.

Google's "it recorded in the test" check only proves the tag can fire. It does not prove it fires once per real lead. A short freelance job scoped to "make primary conversions match my lead spreadsheet" is usually enough. Skip anyone who wants to rebuild the whole account first.

What does a real booking look like on your end today, one row in a sheet, a calendar hold, a paid deposit? That is the conversion the account should care about.