The Conversions number in Google Ads is whatever the account was told to count. A real lead can sit in there right next to somebody opening your contact page, or somebody tapping your phone number by accident and hanging up, and the account counts them all the same. Then you divide your spend by that number, and you could be celebrating a cost per lead that's partly pocket dials.
Our own company spent $92,338 on Google Ads in the 90 days to September 21, 2026, and it works out to $123 per tracked conversion. That's per tracked conversion, not per sale and not per appointment, which is exactly why I want to know what's inside that word.
So here's the whole check: where the list lives, how to read every action on it, the three settings that pad the count, how to line the count up against your sales records, and how to split the tracking stuff from the actions you count as leads without deleting a thing. Reading the list takes about ten minutes. The one change that touches your bidding gets its own stop, because that one moves money. And there's a prompt up top that has ChatGPT or Claude walk you through it.
Start here: paste this into ChatGPT or Claude
Not technical? Start here. Copy this prompt into ChatGPT or Claude (the free versions work) and it walks you through the whole check, one step at a time, in plain English. It asks before it assumes anything, and it stops to check with you before anything that changes what your ads spend, reaches a real customer or deletes something. The rest of the page is the same check, written out, if you'd rather do it yourself.
Hi! Please be my patient guide for this step-by-step guide from Receipts Group: "What your Google Ads conversions count: the ten-minute check"
The guide is here: https://receiptsgroup.com/guides/google-ads-conversion-check (open it if you can; if you can't, everything you need is below).
About me: I run a home-service business and I'm not technical. Use plain words and short sentences.
My goal: find out what my Google Ads account counts as a "conversion", read every action on that list, sort the real leads from the tracking stuff, check the count against my sales records, and then set it up so only real leads count as conversions, without deleting anything.
How to help me:
1. One step at a time. For each step, tell me in a sentence what it's for and exactly what to do (where to click, what to type, who to ask). Then stop and wait until I say "done" or tell you what I see.
2. Ask before you assume anything about my business, my ads account, my team or my numbers. One question at a time.
3. If you use a technical word, explain it in plain English the first time (for example: conversion, conversion action, goal, Primary, Secondary, All conv., Smart Bidding, bid strategy, Target CPA, call length, call reporting, segment, CRM).
4. Stop and check with me before anything that costs money or changes what my ads spend (changing which actions are Primary, the Count setting or the call length while a campaign uses Smart Bidding, turning call reporting off, buying any tool), anything that reaches real customers (calling or texting anyone from the call list) and anything that deletes something (removing a conversion action, a goal or a campaign; this check never needs to remove anything).
5. Use only what I tell you or show you. Never make up numbers, action names, results or claims about my business. If something's missing, ask me.
6. If I paste a screenshot or a list, remind me first to cover my account number (the customer ID at the top of Google Ads) and any customer's name or phone number.
7. If a screen looks different from what you expected, don't guess at button names. Ask me what I see and work from that.
The steps, from the guide:
Part 1. Read the list.
Step 1. Open the list. In Google Ads, click the Goals icon in the left menu, open Conversions, then Summary. (Some accounts show it under Tools, then Measurement, then Conversions.) The actions are grouped into goals, like Contacts, Submit lead forms or Phone call leads, and each goal shows whether each of its actions is Primary or Secondary.
Step 2. Read every action. For each one, have me write down its name, the goal it's in, Primary or Secondary, and its tracking status. Hovering over an action shows its source, value, window, count and attribution model; have me write down the source and the count too.
Step 3. Sort each action into LEAD or TRACKING. A LEAD is something I'd pay for: a form actually sent (counted when the thank-you page loads), a call from an ad that lasted long enough to be a real conversation, a booked appointment or a sale imported from my records. TRACKING is everything else: somebody opening a page (like the contact page), tapping my phone number (Google only tracks the tap, not the call), asking my Google listing for directions, clicking through to my website, scrolling. If you can't tell what an action counts, ask me, and if I don't know, help me write a short note to whoever set up my ads.
Part 2. Check the three settings that pad the count (look only, don't change anything yet).
Step 4. Call length. For each call action (like Calls from ads, or calls to the number on my website), have me click its name, then Edit settings, and read the Call length: the shortest call, in seconds, that counts as a conversion. Google's default for Calls from ads is 60 seconds. If call recording is on, Google's AI judges the calls instead, and call length is the backup for calls it can't record.
Step 5. Phone number taps. If there's an action for clicks on a number on my mobile website, explain that it counts the tap, not a call, so an accidental tap counts the same as a real call. That's TRACKING.
Step 6. Count: Every or One. On each LEAD action, have me check the Count setting (click its name, then Edit settings). Google recommends One for leads: one conversion per ad click, so somebody who sends my form twice after one click counts once.
Part 3. Line it up against my sales records (look only).
Step 7. In Google Ads, go to Campaigns, set the date range to the last 30 days, click the Segment icon, choose Conversions, then Conversion action. Have me add the All conv. column if it isn't there (the columns icon, then Modify columns). Have me write down each action's number. Then set the segment back to None and write down the total cost for the same dates (cost shows "--" while a conversion segment is on).
Step 8. From my CRM or sales records, same 30 days: how many leads came from Google Ads, how many appointments were set from them, and how many sales closed. If I don't track where leads come from, help me start asking every new caller how they found us and writing it down.
Step 9. Calls. Help me open the Call details report: Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Report editor, then Call details under Ads and assets. It shows each call's start time, duration, caller area code and status (and the caller's number for most calls over 15 seconds). Help me compare it with my own call log, and remind me not to paste customers' phone numbers into this chat.
Step 10. Do the math with me: my spend divided by tracked conversions, by real leads, and by sales. Then add up only the LEAD actions: that's roughly what my Conversions number turns into after the split. Use only my numbers. Remind me the numbers won't match to the lead, because Google reports call conversions on the date of the ad click and calls on the date they happen.
Part 4. Split tracking from leads (this changes what my ads spend: stop and check with me first).
Step 11. Check how my campaigns bid. In Campaigns, have me add the Bid strategy type column if it's missing (the columns icon, Modify columns, Attributes, Bid strategy type). Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value are all Smart Bidding: Google bids toward my Primary actions, so changing them changes where my money goes. Also check each campaign's goals: Campaigns, the Settings tab, the campaign, then Conversion goals. Tell me Google says Smart Bidding needs a 7 to 14 day learning phase, and changing goals again during it restarts it. If someone else runs my ads, help me write them a short note with my LEAD and TRACKING list first, and wait for my yes before I send it.
Step 12. Only after I say yes, make every change in one sitting. On each LEAD action, set Count to One if I decided to (click its name, Edit settings, Count, One, Save, Done), and fix the call length if I decided to. Then for each TRACKING action: Goals, Conversions, Summary, find the goal it's in, Edit goal, open Conversion action optimization, choose Secondary (observe only), Save. Remind me nothing is deleted: Secondary actions still show in the All conv. column.
Step 13. Check my custom goals (they're at the bottom of the goals page). A Secondary action inside a custom goal still gets used for bidding, so tell me if any TRACKING action is in one.
Step 14. Write down today's date and leave the settings alone for two weeks.
Part 5. First test, one week later (free).
Step 15. Segment by conversion action again for the last 7 days. Put the Conversions number next to my real leads from Google Ads for the same 7 days, and the Call details next to my call log. If Conversions is still much higher than my real leads, find what's still counting: a TRACKING action left Primary, one inside a custom goal, Count still on Every, or a call length that's too short. If it's lower, a real LEAD action may be Secondary or not recording: check its tracking status.
Then, if I want, help me plan the bigger step: sending my sales back into Google Ads (Google calls it enhanced conversions for leads). It needs changes to my website and my CRM, so it's a job for whoever built my site.How the pieces connect
Before anything shows up in your Conversions column, it goes through a few stops. The count gets padded at the action and the settings, and the sale at the end is the one thing the count doesn't see unless you send it back.
- 1The clickSomebody clicks your Google ad, or calls from it→ an ad interaction
- 2The actionWhat they do next: send a form, call, tap your number, open a page→ a conversion action fires, if one is set up for it
- 3The settingsPrimary or Secondary, Count one or every, call length→ which column it lands in, and whether it counts at all
- 4The columnsConversions (Primary actions only) and All conv. (everything)→ the number in your report, and what Smart Bidding chases
- 5The saleYour CRM, your calendar, your sales records→ the real result: check the count against it
Steps 1 and 2 check the action and the settings. Step 3 lines the columns up against the sale. Step 4 fixes what counts.
Words you'll see
- Conversion: something the account counts as a win after somebody interacts with your ad. It's only a lead if you told it to count leads.
- Conversion action: one thing being counted, like a form, a call or a page view. Your list can have a lot of them.
- Goal: Google groups your actions into goals by category, like Contacts, Submit lead forms or Phone call leads.
- Primary: counted in the Conversions column, and used for bidding when the campaign uses that goal.
- Secondary (observe only): still recorded, shown in the All conv. column, not used for bidding (one exception, in step 4).
- All conv.: the column that includes everything, Secondary actions too.
- Smart Bidding: Google setting your bids to get more conversions. Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value are all Smart Bidding. It chases the Primary actions in the goals your campaign uses.
- Call length: the shortest call, in seconds, that counts as a conversion.
- Segment: splitting a table's rows by something, like by conversion action.
- CRM: wherever you keep your leads and jobs: a CRM app, a calendar, a spreadsheet.
Step 1: open the list and read every action
Open the conversion list
WhereGoogle Ads: the Goals icon in the left menu, then Conversions, then SummarySome accounts show it under Tools → Measurement → Conversions. The actions are grouped into goals by category, like Contacts, Submit lead forms or Phone call leads, and each goal shows whether each of its actions is Primary or Secondary.
Read every action, top to bottom
For each one, write down its name, the goal it's in, Primary or Secondary, and its tracking status. Hover over an action and Google shows its source, value, window, count and attribution model: write down the source and the count too. Don't skip the ones you don't recognize. I'd start with those, because if you don't know why an action is there, you don't know what it's counting.
Sort each one: LEAD or TRACKING
One question for every action: would I pay for this? A form somebody actually sent, yes. A call that turned into a real conversation, yes. Somebody opening your contact page, no. That's tracking: worth seeing, not worth paying for as a lead. The table below has the kinds you'll run into.
If you can't tell what an action counts from its name and source, write ASK next to it and ask whoever set up your ads. Don't guess.
Put it on a score sheet
Wherea note, a Google Sheet, or the back of an invoiceOne row per action. Filling in the last column is step 4, so leave it blank for now.
THE CONVERSION CHECK: one row per action on your list Action its name, as Google Ads shows it Goal the goal it sits in (Contacts, Submit lead forms...) Primary? Primary / Secondary Source from the hover: website, phone calls, Analytics... Count One / Every Call length call actions only: the seconds it takes to count Status its tracking status Last 30 days its number (All conv. column, segmented by action) LEAD or TRACK would I pay for this? yes = LEAD Change what you'll change in step 4, if anything At the bottom, same 30 days: Spend total cost (segment set to None) Real leads leads from Google Ads in your own records Sales sales closed from those leads Changed on the date you made the step 4 changes
| What the action counts | LEAD or TRACKING | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A form sent, counted when the thank-you page loads | LEAD | Somebody gave you their details and asked for something. |
| A call from your ad that lasted past the call length | LEAD | A real conversation, if the call length is set right (step 2). |
| An appointment or sale imported from your own records | LEAD | It came from your records, so it's as real as they are. |
| A tap on the phone number on your mobile site | TRACKING | Google's own help page says this tracks the tap, not the call. |
| Somebody opening your contact page, or any page loading | TRACKING | Opening a page isn't asking you for anything. |
| Local actions: Directions, Clicks to call, Website visits | TRACKING | Taps on your Google listing. Google creates these on its own once your location assets are running and one gets recorded. |
| Events imported from Google Analytics (scrolls, page views, engaged visits) | TRACKING, unless the event is a sent form | Check what the event is in Google Analytics before you decide. |
Got a long list? Copy the names, goals, Primary or Secondary, sources and counts (not your account number) into ChatGPT or Claude with this:
Here's the list of conversion actions in my Google Ads account: each one's name, the goal it's in, Primary or Secondary, its source and its count setting. I've taken out my account number.
Sort each one into LEAD (something I'd pay for: a form actually sent, a real call from an ad, a booked appointment, a sale from my records) or TRACKING (everything else: page views, taps on my phone number, directions, website visits from my Google listing, scrolls). Give me one line on why for each.
If you can't tell from the name and source what an action counts, don't guess: put it under ASK and tell me what to check. Use only what I pasted.
<paste your list here>Step 2: the three settings that pad the count
Look only, for now. Every change goes in at once in step 4, after you check how your campaigns bid. I'd rather make every change once than keep poking at it, because Google says changing your goals during its learning phase restarts it.
Call length, on every call action
Whereclick the action's name, then Edit settingsCall length is the shortest call, in seconds, that counts as a conversion. Google's default for Calls from ads is 60 seconds. A shorter call still shows up as a call, just not as a conversion: Google's example is a 26-second call on a 30-second setting, which reports as 1 phone call and 0 conversions.
If yours is set to a few seconds, your hang-ups are leads. I'd look at real call durations in the Call details report (step 3) before I'd pick a number.
One more thing: if call recording is on (it only works when both phones are in the US or Canada), Google's AI listens and counts only the calls it judges qualified, and call length becomes the backup for calls it can't record.
Taps on your phone number
If there's an action for clicks on a number on your mobile website, here's Google's own sentence about it: it “only tracks clicks on your phone number, not actual phone calls.” That's the pocket dial. Somebody taps it by accident, hangs up, and boom, it's a conversion. Mark it TRACKING.
If you want real calls from your website counted, Google's version is calls to a phone number on your website, which counts calls past a call length you set. It needs a change on your site, so it's a job for whoever built it.
Count: Every or One, on every LEAD action
Whereclick the action's name, then Edit settings, then CountEvery counts every conversion after an ad click. One counts one per ad click, and Google recommends One for leads. On Every, somebody who sends your form twice after one click is two leads. Sales, sure, count every one. Leads, I'd count once.
Step 3: line the count up against your sales records
Still nothing changes. This is where you find out how big the gap is between what the account counts and what your business actually got.
Get each action's number for the last 30 days
WhereCampaigns, then the Segment icon above the table, then Conversions, then Conversion actionSet the date range to the last 30 days. Each campaign splits into a row per action. Add the All conv. column if it's not there (the columns icon, then Modify columns): Conversions only shows Primary actions, and All conv. shows everything, Secondary included. Write each action's number on your score sheet.
Get the spend for the same dates
Cost shows “--” while a conversion segment is on, so click the Segment icon, choose None, and write down the total cost.
Pull the same 30 days from your own records
Whereyour CRM, your booking calendar, your sales sheetThree numbers: leads that came from Google Ads, appointments set from them, and sales closed. If you don't track where leads come from, start today: ask every new caller how they found you and write it down. A month of that beats a guess.
Check the calls one by one
WhereCampaigns → Insights and reports → Report editor → Call details (under Ads and assets)Every call from your ads, with its start time, duration, caller area code, status (missed or received) and campaign, plus the caller's number for most calls over 15 seconds. Put it next to your own call log and look hard at the short ones.
This needs call reporting on (Admin → Account settings → Call reporting). Don't turn it off: Google says if you do, it stops counting Calls from ads as conversions.
PermissionsThis report has your customers' phone numbers in it. Keep it off screen shares, and don't paste it into ChatGPT or Claude.Do the math three ways
Divide your spend by tracked conversions, by real leads, and by sales. Then add up only your LEAD actions: that's roughly what your Conversions number turns into after step 4. I'd rather see a small real number than a big one that's mostly page views.
Don't expect it to match to the lead. Google reports call conversions on the date of the ad click and calls on the date they happen, so compare the month, not the day.
| Example (made up) | Count | Spend divided by it |
|---|---|---|
| Spend, last 30 days | $6,000 | |
| Tracked conversions (all Primary actions) | 60 | $100 each |
| Only the LEAD actions | 25 | $240 each |
| Leads from Google Ads in your records | 20 | $300 each |
| Sales from those leads | 6 | $1,000 each |
Step 4: split tracking from leads, without deleting anything
Check how your campaigns bid
WhereCampaigns → the Bid strategy type columnIf the column's missing: the columns icon → Modify columns → Attributes → Bid strategy type. Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value are all Smart Bidding. Then check which goals each campaign uses: Campaigns → the Settings tab → the campaign → Conversion goals.
If a campaign bids to a target cost per conversion, that target was probably picked off the old, bigger count, so it needs a look too. That's a conversation with whoever runs the account, not a click.
Set your LEAD actions to count once
Whereclick the action's name → Edit settings → Count → One → Save → DoneOnly if you decided to in step 2. The call length lives in the same Edit settings, if that's on your list too.
Set your TRACKING actions to Secondary
WhereGoals → Conversions → Summary → the goal it's in → Edit goal → Conversion action optimizationChoose Secondary (observe only) for each tracking action, then Save. They still show in the All conv. column, so you can still see how many people opened your contact page or tapped your number. They just stop counting as leads, and stop being what Google bids toward.
Check your custom goals
They're at the bottom of the goals page. Here's the one exception: a Secondary action inside a custom goal still gets used for bidding. If a tracking action is in one, click that custom goal to change its actions, or ask whoever made it.
Write down the date and leave it alone
Two weeks, at least. Your Conversions number is going to drop. That's the point: the drop is the stuff that was never leads.
First test: one week after the split (free)
Before you move budget off the new number, prove it. A week after step 4, segment by conversion action again for the last 7 days, and put the Conversions number next to the leads from Google Ads in your records for the same 7 days. Put the Call details report next to your call log too. It costs nothing and changes nothing.
Here are two numbers for the same 7 days: my Google Ads Conversions number (I set my tracking actions to Secondary on <date>) and the leads from Google Ads in my own records. I've taken out my account number and every customer's name and phone number.
Conversions: <number>
Leads from Google Ads in my records: <number>
Compare them. If Conversions is higher, list what could still be counting, from this list only: a tracking action left Primary, a tracking action inside a custom goal, Count still on Every, a call length that's too short. If it's lower, list what could be missing, from this list only: a lead action set to Secondary, a lead action whose tracking status isn't active, call conversions landing on the date of the ad click instead of the call. Ask me what I see before you decide which one it is.Good: Conversions sits close to your real leads, and the calls Google counted are calls your office remembers. Too high: something tracking is still counting: a tracking action left Primary, one inside a custom goal, Count still on Every, or a call length that's too short. Too low: a lead action may be set to Secondary or not recording, so check its tracking status. A few calls landing on a different day is normal (the date-of-click thing from step 3).
What it costs
| What | Plan | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| The check in Google Ads | Reading and changing conversion settings | $0. Google Ads has no flat fee or monthly subscription; you pay for the ads themselves |
| Claude | Free | $0 |
| Claude | Pro, only if you want more use | $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front) |
| ChatGPT | Free | $0 |
The cost that isn't on the table: the split itself is free, but if your campaigns use Smart Bidding, changing what counts changes what Google bids toward, and so where your budget goes. That's why step 4 has a stop.
When it breaks
Conversions dropped after the split
An action I set to Secondary still shows up in Conversions, or still drives bidding
An action says Unverified, Tag inactive or Needs attention
Calls from ads are counting hang-ups
Call details is empty, or the caller numbers are missing
The numbers don't match my records day by day
Actions from Google Analytics I don't recognize
Directions, Clicks to call or Website visits showed up on their own
I can't change anything
That's the check
The counter was never lying: it counts what somebody told it to count, and now you're the one telling it.
Checked on Oct 25, 2026 against
Every claim about a third-party tool in this guide (plans, prices, menu paths, commands, limits) was checked against these official pages on Oct 25, 2026. These screens change often: if something looks different, trust the page over this guide.
- Google Ads Help: About primary and secondary conversion actionsPrimary in Conversions, Secondary observe-only in All conversions, the custom-goal exception, Edit goal → Conversion action optimization, the 7-14 day learning phase (checked 2026-10-25).
- Google Ads Help: About conversion goalsGoals menu → Conversions → Summary (or Tools → Measurement → Conversions), actions grouped by category, a campaign's Conversion goals in its settings.
- Google Ads Help: Manage conversion goals from the conversions summaryHovering an action shows its source, value, window, count and attribution model; custom goals and how to change their actions.
- Google Ads Help: About conversion counting optionsEvery vs One, One recommended for leads, and the Edit settings → Count steps.
- Google Ads Help: About phone call conversion trackingThe kinds of call conversions and the minimum call length.
- Google Ads Help: Measure phone number clicks on a mobile website“Only tracks clicks on your phone number, not actual phone calls.”
- Google Ads Help: Measure calls from adsCalls from ads, calls from website visits, calls via uploads.
- Google Ads API: Conversion action categoriesCalls from ads: “The default is 60 seconds.”
- Google Ads Help: About AI-qualified call leadsWith call recording on, AI judges calls and call length is the fallback; recording only when both numbers are in the US or Canada.
- Google Ads Help: Analyze call reporting dataCalls reported on the date they happen, call conversions on the date of the ad click; the 26-second call example.
- Google Ads Help: View details of each callInsights and reports → Report editor → Call details, its fields, caller numbers for most calls over 15 seconds, the Performance Max note.
- Google Ads Help: Manage call reporting for your campaignsAdmin → Account settings → Call reporting; turning it off stops Calls from ads conversions.
- Google Ads Help: Use segments in your tablesThe segment icon, Conversion action under Conversions, cost columns showing “--” with a conversion segment.
- Google Ads Help: About “All conversions”All conversions includes actions left out of Conversions; segment it by conversion action.
- Google Ads Help: How to find your bid strategy reportsThe Bid strategy type column: columns icon → Modify columns → Attributes.
- Google Ads Help: About Smart BiddingTarget CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value are Smart Bidding.
- Google Ads Help: About local actions conversionsDirections, Clicks to call, Website visits; created automatically once location assets are active.
- Google Ads Help: Create conversions from Google Analytics eventsKey events imported from Google Analytics; ones created there come in as Secondary; category and Primary or Secondary change only in Google Ads.
- Google Ads Help: Troubleshoot unverified or inactive conversion actionsHover the status → Troubleshoot → Continue opens Tag Assistant.
- Google Ads Help: About enhanced conversions for leadsSending CRM sales back to Google Ads, with Data Manager as the recommended path.
- Google Ads: How much does Google Ads cost?“Google Ads has no flat fees or monthly subscriptions” (checked 2026-10-25).
- Claude: Plans and pricingFree at $0; Pro $20 a month billed monthly or $17 a month billed yearly at $200 (checked 2026-10-25).
- OpenAI Help: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQWhat ChatGPT's free tier includes (checked 2026-10-25).
