Cordt Digital
Conversion tracking tells your ad platforms what counts as success: a sale, a form fill, a phone call. If it is missing or wrong, the platforms optimise for the wrong thing and your reports mislead you. Checking it is one of the most valuable things you can do.
Know what you are counting
Write down every action that matters to the business. For an online shop that is usually purchases, but you may also want enquiries, bookings or calls. Each should be tracked separately so you can see which ones your ads actually produce.
Check for double counting
A common fault is a conversion firing twice, for example on the thank-you page and again when someone refreshes it. This inflates your results and encourages the platform to chase the wrong traffic. Test each conversion yourself and make sure it records once.
Make sure the values are right
For online shops, pass the real order value to the platform rather than a fixed amount. This lets bidding focus on higher-value customers and gives you honest return figures.
Compare against your own records
- Match the number of sales in your ad account with your shop or CRM.
- Expect small gaps because of privacy settings and consent choices, but investigate big ones.
- Check the numbers every month, not once a year.
Respect consent and privacy
Tracking must follow UK data rules and the consent choices your visitors make. A properly set-up consent banner and consent mode keep you compliant and help the platforms model the conversions they cannot see.
Where to start
If you are not sure your numbers are right, a tracking audit is a sensible first step. It can save a great deal of wasted spend and gives you a solid base for growth.
PPC freelancer based in Norwich, running Cordt Digital. Jay helps businesses get better results from Google Ads, Meta Ads and Shopping campaigns.
