Offline Conversions
Part of Paid search conversion measurement
Choosing primary conversions for bidding
Choose Google Ads conversions for bidding by checking business value, data quality, campaign goals and overlap between lead stages.
Pick a primary conversion because it represents an outcome a Google Ads campaign should seek more often. Smart Bidding uses primary conversion actions for bidding when the related goal is used for bidding; secondary actions are normally for observation in All conversions. Confirm that the campaign uses the goal containing the action you want it to optimise towards.
Choose the stage that answers the business question
Map the measurable stages between a click and revenue: perhaps a form submission, an accepted enquiry and a closed sale. Which stage has a consistent definition, reliable recording and enough connection to the commercial outcome to guide the campaign? An easy-to-record action is not necessarily a useful one.
A deeper event can be more useful for bidding, but the trade-off is volume. Review the conversion actions recorded in the account, such as form submits, purchases, qualified leads or phone calls, and choose the one that best represents the campaign’s result.
| Candidate action | Reason to consider it for bidding | Reason to observe it separately |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase | It represents a completed online order when tracking and value are dependable. | The event or value is incomplete, duplicated or includes cancellations without a correction process. |
| Form submission | It may be the earliest reliable signal for an enquiry campaign. | Many submissions are duplicates, spam or outside the offer. |
| Qualified enquiry | The receiving team applies a consistent acceptance rule. | Assessment is delayed, inconsistent or cannot be attributed reliably. |
| Confirmed sale | It reflects the commercial result. | Sales records arrive too late or too incompletely to be the sole usable signal. |
The table’s labels describe business stages, not necessarily the exact conversion action names in the account. Match the chosen stage to the action that records it. The table sets decision criteria, not a ranking that fits every account. If a later stage is poorly recorded, improve its records while observing it separately. Do not give leads an invented sale value.
Choosing the right conversion stage for bidding
- PurchaseRepresents a completed online order with dependable tracking and value; best for direct revenue campaigns.
- Form submissionEarly reliable signal for enquiry campaigns; may include spam or duplicates, so not always ideal for bidding.
- Qualified enquiryConsistent acceptance rule applied by team; useful when lead quality is high but assessment may be delayed.
- Confirmed saleReflects actual commercial outcome; often too late or incomplete for timely bidding decisions.
Check the action and the campaign goal
Google Ads has primary and secondary conversion actions, as well as conversion goals. Check whether the campaign uses account-default or campaign-specific goals, then inspect the actions in each selected goal. A primary action informs bidding only when its related goal is used for bidding.
Primary conversion actions feed the Conversions column and are used for bidding when their related goal is used for bidding. Secondary actions are normally for observation in All conversions. Segment the campaign report by conversion action to see what the total combines; the Conversions column and a primary label alone do not explain the business quality of those actions.
Key facts about primary and secondary conversions in Google Ads
- Primary actions used for bidding
- Only when their related goal is set as the bidding goal
- Secondary actions typically observed in
- All conversions (not used for bidding)
- Conversion counting options
- Must be set per action to avoid duplication
- Bidding relies on reliable data
- Poorly recorded actions should not be used for bidding
Avoid treating several milestones as several customers
One person may submit a form, pass qualification and later buy. Keep lead-funnel stages as separate conversion actions and usually bid to one stage. If a campaign bids towards several stages, decide explicitly whether that serves the objective.
Google Ads has conversion counting options. Set the counting rule to fit each action. This setting does not fix duplicate business records or a tag that fires incorrectly.
Change a goal deliberately
Before changing the bidding signal, record the selected goals, action mix, counting rule and later business outcome you intend to improve. Check that the event is recorded correctly. Date the change and review action-level reports alongside accepted enquiries or sales after allowing for conversion delay.
Avoid frequent goal changes while a strategy adapts. An immediate rise in reported conversions is not proof of better customers; check the later business outcomes against the reason for the change.
