to track offline conversions in Google Ads

Conversion tracking is a must and a challenge. Recent changes in the digital ecosystem such as iOS updates and Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention(ITP) or Enhanced Tracking Protection(ETP), together with the ongoing debate around cookie deprecation have made it difficult to understand the impact of ads online on offline conversions.

Google Click Identifiers (GCLID) are one of the most popular methods for tracking offline conversions. This method is limited by iOS updates that strip ad clicks from crucial parameters and identifiers. Marketers are now searching for a solution with more durability and robustness.

We’ll look at a GCLID alternative enhanced conversions for leads today, which provides a way to track conversions offline without relying on parameters that are affected by the changes.

Table of Contents

• 
  What is offline conversion?
  
• 
  Why track off-line conversions?
  
• 
  Lead conversions can be tracked offline with the enhanced conversions feature
  
  • 
    Set up enhanced conversions of leads
    
  • 
    Enhance conversions of leads for Google Ads
    
  • 
    Create form-tracking methods
    
  • 
    Create the data event tag using user-provided information.
    
  • 
    Notify Google Ads about offline conversions
    
• 
  Tracking offline conversions in more ways
  

What is offline conversion?

Online conversions that are not online conversions.

We’ll explore the concept of offline conversions within the context of a loan company. Imagine that this company uses online ads to attract prospective homebuyers. These ads attract people who are actively searching for mortgages. Curios, they click the ads to find out more about the company. To stay in touch with the company, interested people often fill out a contact form, including their phone number and email address, on its website.

These prospects can then take the next steps by visiting the local mortgage company to speak with a loan officer and discuss their mortgage options. They may also begin the application process. Some of them eventually secure mortgages to purchase their dream home.

The initial interaction between the customer and the mortgage company was online, through clicks on the ads. However, the final conversion, the home purchase, took place offline.

Source

Why track offline conversions

It is important to track these offline conversions because they are so significant.

data on online conversion is not enough to understand how online ads lead to real-world actions such as mortgage applications and home purchase.

Businesses must measure offline conversions to gain a comprehensive understanding of their advertising campaigns.

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Lead conversions can be tracked offline with the enhanced conversions feature

Businesses have historically used the Google Click Identifier to track offline conversions. This unique identifier was embedded in the URL of ads and allowed businesses to track offline conversions.

Due to the changing digital landscape and challenges, GCLID’s reliability for tracking offline conversions has been questioned, leading marketers to look for more robust alternatives, such as enhanced leads.

Prepare for enhanced conversions of leads

Let’s first get our ducks lined up before we dive into lead conversions. What you will need is:

1. Website with lead form:First, you have to create a site. On that site, you will need a form. Here is where the action begins. These forms are filled out by people, and we track them.
2. Google Tag Manager is installed. If Google Tag Manager is not already running on your site, it’s time to get started. GTM is the wizard behind the curtains. It allows you to manage all your tracking without having to pull out your hair.
3. Google Ads Account: And last but not least, a Google Ads Account. This is where the magic happens. You tell Google what it should be looking for and how you want to track your ads.

Why are these things important? Google Ads helps you to make sense of all the data. Your website is the hub for user interaction, GTM allows you to collect it, and Google Ads makes the most out of the information. These two are like a dream team when it comes to tracking the impact of your ads on offline conversions. Make sure you have them in place before we start.

Google Ads: Enhanced conversions for leads

We’ll break the process down into simple steps to set up a conversion in Google Ads:

1. Google Ads has a conversions section:
   • Login to your Google Ads Account.
   • Click “Tools and Settings”, located in the upper-right corner.
   • Select “Conversions” under “Measurement.”

2. Click on “New conversion actions” once you are in the Conversions area.

3. Choose the type conversion (Import). Select “Import”, as the type conversion, on the “Conversion actions” page.

4. Select the “Goal and Action Optimization” category. Next, choose “Other Data Sources or CRMs”, and then “Track Conversions from Clicks”. Then click “Continue.”

5. Name the conversion and specify its value. Set conversion counting rules.
   • It’s now time to name your conversion action. Make sure it makes sense to YOU.
   • This value can be a monetary amount or a value that represents the importance of this conversion to your business. It can be a monetary value or an important value to your business.
   • Decide on the number of conversions per click or interaction.

6. Create the conversion action.
   • Click “Create” and then click “Continue.”
   • Click “Enable enhanced conversions of leads.”

• • You can now use Google Tag Manager or your existing Google Tag. Select Google Tag Manager for the purposes of this demonstration.

You’ve created a conversion action that defines what you wish to track. This could be an action such as a completed sale, a form submission or anything else that is valuable for your business. Google Ads now tracks this specific action so you can measure its performance and optimise your ad campaign accordingly.

Form tracking: how to set it up

It is important to capture user data such as email and phone numbers in order to improve conversions, because you can connect online interactions with off-line actions.

Why it is important

1. Match offline and online interactions: If a user clicks your ad on the web and then converts offline, (e.g. makes a purchase in-store), having their contact details helps you match both interactions. This gives you a full picture of how your ad has impacted.
2. Follow-ups customized: By using user data you can more effectively follow up with customers. You can, for example, send customized emails, or text messages to improve conversion rates.
3. Accurate Measurement:Tracking data from users ensures accurate measurement for offline conversions. This allows you to optimize your advertising campaigns.

You can use a variety of methods to grab data from the lead forms on your website, including

• CSS selectors: Identifying HTML element by class or ID attributes.
• Data layer variables: Leveraging the data stored in your site’s data layers.
• Custom JavaScript variables:Writing a custom JavaScript to extract required data.

This guide will focus on CSS Selectors.

Follow these steps to create a DOM element variable (phone number or email) in Google Tag Manager.

Phone Number:

• Visit your website and locate the lead form.
• Open the developer tools by right-clicking on the field for phone numbers and selecting “Inspect”.
• The phone number field in the “Elements tab” of the developer tool should be highlighted.
• Click on “Copy” and then “Copy Selector” by right-clicking the highlighted element.
• Click “New” under “Variables,” in your Google Tag Manager account.
• Name the variable.
• Choose “DOM Element” for “Variable Configuration.”
• In the “Selection Method”, select “CSS Selector.”
• Copy the CSS selector and paste it into the “Element Selector”.
• You can optionally provide an attribute name.
• Save the variable.

Email:

• Copy the CSS selector from the email field of your lead form.
• Create a variable in Google Tag Manager (e.g. “Email DOM Element”)
• Configure the variable as a DOM element using the CSS selector of the email field.

These DOM Element Variables will capture your phone number and email from your lead form, based on CSS selectors that you provide. These variables can be used to send this data directly into your Google Ads Account, which will allow you to track enhanced lead conversions.

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Create the User-provided Data Event Tag

It is important to create a Google Ads User Provided Data Event Tag in order to capture user data and track offline conversions. This is a simple guide on how to do it:

• Login to Google Tag Manager Access the GTM container
• Create new tags:In GTM go to “Tags”, and then click “New.”
• Select Tag Configuration:Select “Google Ads User Provided Data Event” under “Tag Configuration.”

• Configure tag:Provide Conversion ID (Tools and settings > Under Setup > Google Tag > Installation Instructions > Manually > Grab number after “AW-“) and create an “User Provided Data” Variable to capture user information like phone numbers and email addresses.

• Configure the User-Provided data Variable: Configure this variable to capture users’ data based upon DOM element variables (e.g. “Phone number – DOM element”).

• Create triggers: Click on “Triggering”, and then create a new “Form Submission” trigger.
• Configure a form submission trigger. Use conditions such as “Some Forms”, “Page URL”, “contains”, and “your-formpage-url” in order to specify the time the tag should be fired.
• Name your tag and save it: Give the tag a name, and then save it.
• Preview: Test the tag using GTM preview mode by submitting a web form.
• Publish changes: When everything works as it should, click on “Submit” to publish container changes in GTM.

Don’t forget the Conversion Linker Tag in GTM. Configure it to fire across all pages. This tag is essential for accurate conversion measurements and click data.

Notify Google Ads about offline conversions

After you have tracked your offline conversions, notify Google Ads. It is important to accurately measure the effectiveness of your campaign.

How to:

1. To access the conversions section of Google Ads, click “Tools and settings” then “Measurement”, and finally “Conversions”.
2. Upload data conversion: While you can upload the file manually, it is best to automate this process directly from your CRM, which contains customer information, such as phone numbers and email addresses. If you choose to upload a CSV or Excel file, be sure to check out the available templates.

3. Hash data: When providing conversion data it is extremely important to hash the data using SHA256 encryption. SHA-256 is the Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit, which is used to provide cryptographic security. This is done to ensure the integrity and security of data while it’s being transferred.

Automating this process in your CRM not only makes it more efficient, but is also more secure.

Measure School has a detailed guide that includes a Google Sheets Template and a Hashing Script embedded.

Tracking offline conversions is easier than ever

Google Ads offers other ways to track offline conversions. Here are some other options.

Call tracking numbers

Call tracking numbers can be used to track how people found your company if phone calls are your main conversion. Call tracking numbers can be generated automatically based on the way a prospect accessed your website. This allows you to track their source.

If, for example, a visitor clicked on your website via an organic search, the generated number would be different than if they clicked through a paid advertisement. The reporting would reflect this, so that you can see that the caller came to your number via organic searches.

You can track offline conversions, and which channels are driving calls .

Track conversions in store

You may be able track offline conversions, such as visits to a physical location. You can do this by using UTMs, QR code or UTMs that your customers bring into the store to use.

Google Ads may also allow you to set up conversions for store visits. Find out more here.

Easy tracking of offline conversions

It’s simple to use enhanced conversions for lead tracking. Simply capture the user’s data, create an Ads User Provided Data Event Tag and upload your conversions or send them to Google Ads.

Don’t hesitate to implement it, and you will see your advertising insights skyrocket. Your campaigns will be grateful!

The article Easy Guide for Offline Conversion tracking in Google Ads first appeared on WordStream.