Google Ads and Enhanced Conversions Checklist

Google Ads and GA4 accounts are linked (Admin link or shared admin access).

Without a link it is hard to diagnose gaps and import GA4 conversions without duplicates.

Auto-tagging is enabled in Google Ads or gclid is passed consistently when tagging manually.

Disabled auto-tagging often breaks attribution and GA4 Search reports.

Primary conversion actions are separated from secondary / micro-conversions in bidding strategies.

Use purchase and generate_lead as Primary; keep scroll or page_view as Secondary or out of Smart Bidding.

Attribution windows and counting method (one vs every) are set deliberately per conversion type.

Lead gen is often “one”, ecommerce purchase often “every” - document it in your campaign runbook.

You do not double-count: Google Ads tag + GA4 import + offline upload for the same goal.

Common mistake: purchase in GTM plus a GA4 key event imported as an Ads conversion.

Google Ads conversion tags respect Consent Mode v2 (ad_storage, ad_user_data).

Without granted ad_storage, conversions in the EEA/UK may be undercounted or modeled.

Conversion linker (_gcl_aw / linker) covers checkout domains and store subdomains.

Verify cross-domain on the thank-you page, payment gateway and cart subdomain.

Ads conversions are not fired from multiple paths at once (hardcode + GTM + CMS plugin).

One owner for the conversion tag - usually GTM or gtag after Consent Initialization.

Conversion value and currency in the tag match the order (not a static placeholder).

Use dynamic value from the dataLayer; currency aligned with the Ads account and GA4 report.

Enhanced Conversions for Web is enabled in Google Ads and configured in GTM/gtag.

Turn it on in Ads first, then pass user_data in the conversion tag - not the other way around.

user_data is SHA-256 hashed: lowercase trimmed email, E.164 phone before sending.

GTM can hash automatically - verify in Preview that you are not sending plain text.

Enhanced Conversions fire only when ad_user_data is granted (and ad_storage where required).

CMP category mapping must include ad_user_data, not only analytics_storage.

You collect at least email or phone on the conversion page (form / checkout).

Without an identifier EC is less effective - consider address.first_name as a supplement.

If you use offline conversions / CRM upload, you have consistent transaction_id or gclid.

B2B and phone sales: store gclid in CRM or use hashed email with the same normalization as web.

The conversion tag was tested in GTM Preview / Tag Assistant on a real conversion path.

Check conversion event, value, currency and user_data on thank-you / order confirmation.

You weekly compare Ads conversions with GA4 key events (accounting for lag).

A >20-30% gap without explanation (consent, ad blockers, attribution) needs a tag audit.

The team understands conversion lag and does not tune bids on the last 48-72 hours alone.

Daily GA4 reports vs 7-30 day conversion windows in Ads are a common source of false alarms.

You have a runbook: who adds conversions, who tests, who publishes GTM/Ads changes.

Marketing + analytics + dev - one list of Primary actions and tag owners.