Configuring Google Ads Offline Conversion Actions (Google Platform Setup)

About Google Ads Conversion Actions

A Google Ads conversion action defines a specific customer event you want to track, such as a new lead, a booked appointment, or a completed sale. By creating these actions in your Google Ads account, you establish the rules for how Google records and optimizes for these outcomes. For actions that happen outside of a website, like a deal being marked as won in your CRM, you use offline conversion actions. Google matches these offline events to the original ad click using unique identifiers, allowing you to attribute final results back to your advertising campaigns.

Key Benefits

Setting up dedicated conversion actions provides several advantages for managing your ad performance:

• Improved Bidding: Provides clean data signals for Google's automated Smart Bidding strategies.
• Clearer Reporting: Allows you to separate and prioritize key business outcomes from less critical events.
• Control Over Counting: You can choose whether to count Every instance of an event or just One per customer.
• Flexible Attribution: You can select the attribution model (like Last Click) that best fits your sales process.
• Offline Tracking: Enables you to upload valuable customer actions that occur after the initial ad click, directly from your CRM or other systems.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following in place:

• Admin or Standard user access to the Google Ads account where you want to create the conversion action.
• A clear plan for what type of conversion you are tracking (e.g., "Qualified Lead" vs. "New Customer").
• Decide if this conversion should be a Primary action used for Google's automated bidding optimization.
• Know which click identifier (like GCLID, GBRAID, or WBRAID) you will be capturing and sending from your CRM later.

How to Set Up an Offline Conversion Action in Google Ads

Follow these steps within your Google Ads account to create the conversion action that will later receive data from your CRM.

Note: This guide covers only the setup within the Google Ads platform. After completing these steps, you will need to configure your CRM to send conversion data. Consult the relevant CRM help articles for connecting via the Ads Manager or using Workflow actions.

Step 1: Access the Conversions Section

Log into your Google Ads account. In the main navigation, click the Tools & Settings icon (usually represented by a wrench). Under the "Measurement" section, select Conversions.

Step 2: Create a New Conversion Action

On the Conversions page, click the blue + button and choose New conversion action from the dropdown menu.

Step 3: Select the Conversion Source

You will be prompted to choose how you want to measure conversions. To track events from your CRM, you must select the Offline option. Other sources like website, app, or phone calls are not supported for this CRM integration method.

If prompted to edit data sources, you can select the option to Skip this step and set up a data source later. Click Save and Continue.

Step 4: Define the Conversion Details

You will now configure the specifics of your conversion action.

1. Select a Category: Click See all to view the full list and choose the category that best describes what you are measuring (e.g., "Lead" or "Purchase/Sale").
2. Name the Action: Enter a descriptive name for this conversion, such as "CRM Qualified Lead." It is recommended to copy this name for use later in your CRM setup.
3. Set the Value: Choose whether the conversion has the same value every time, a different value, or if you do not want to assign a value.
4. Choose How to Count: Select either Every (counts every instance) or One (counts only one conversion per ad click). For lead generation, "One" is typically recommended to avoid double-counting.
5. Configure the Conversion Window and Attribution Model:
   • Set the click-through conversion window (the period after a click during which a conversion is credited). A common setting is 90 days.
   • Select an engaged view conversion window from the dropdown if applicable.
   • Choose an attribution model. "Last Click" is a standard option, while "Data-Driven" is recommended if you have sufficient conversion volume.
6. Set the Action Optimization: Ensure the radio button for Primary action used for bidding optimization is selected if you want this conversion to guide your automated bids.

Step 5: Save and Create

Click Done to save the settings for this action, then click Save and Continue. On the final summary screen, click Create Conversion to finish. You can click Add Another Category if you need to create more conversion actions, or click Finish to complete the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I set 'Count' to 'Every' or 'One'?

For lead generation events (like a form submission), use One to prevent a single customer from inflating your conversion count by triggering the event multiple times. For revenue-related events (like purchases), Every may be more appropriate to count each transaction.

How long does it take for uploaded conversions to appear in Google Ads?

There is typically a processing delay. It can take from a few hours up to 24–48 hours for conversions to appear in your reports, depending on data volume. Use absolute date ranges when checking for new conversion data.

What identifiers do I need to send offline conversions from my CRM?

You must send at least one of the following click identifiers with your conversion data for Google to match it correctly: GCLID, GBRAID, or WBRAID. Your CRM needs to capture and store one of these identifiers when a contact first interacts with your ad.

Where can I verify that conversions are being recorded?

You can check in your Google Ads account under Tools & Settings > Measurement > Conversions. You can also view conversion data within your individual campaign performance reports.