Introduction
With 53% of global Internet users concerned about privacy, how do companies continue to track user information whilst prioritising user safety? This is where Google Ads enhanced conversion comes in.
Google Ads enhanced conversions uses hashed first-party customer data. If a customer interacts with your ad, their information is sent to Google securely in hashed form that’s matched to a customer’s Google account – the ones they were signed in to when engaging in your ads. As a result, user information is protected, and companies improve the accuracy of data reports and conversion tracking.
Google has reported enhanced conversions increase conversions by 5% on Google Search and 17% on Youtube. With this ability to impact a company whilst protecting users, enhanced conversions should be considered by all companies.
In this next article, we will look at Google Ads enhanced conversions and how to introduce them to your company.
What are enhanced conversions?
Enhanced conversions increase the accuracy of your conversion measurement and enable more successful bids. It enhances your current conversion tags by securely sharing hashed first-party conversion data from your website to Google.
Unlike conventional conversion tracking techniques that depend on cookies, pixels, and click IDs, enhanced conversions use Google’s enormous user base to link user activity. This is achieved by requiring advertisers to send Google customer data regarding conversions, which is then linked back to a Google account – securely and safely by hashing the data.
Benefits to your company using enhanced conversions
Here are some benefits to your company using enhanced conversions:
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Improve bidding through better data.
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Prioritise customer safety with hashed data.
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Recover conversions that previously couldn’t be measured.
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Increase data for retargeting campaigns.
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Deepen your understanding of the customer journey.
- Potential increase in return on investment.
A customer example of how enhanced conversions work
A user visits a guitar shop website, browses numerous pages, and watches a video review of a new guitar. They leave the website but return later to purchase an item.
When they first visited the website after clicking an ad, their email was hashed and sent to Google as hashed text. After buying the product and confirming their email address, the info was hashed and sent to Google.
All the hashed data is then matched with conversion events in the Google Ads account. For example, page views, video views and purchase conversions.
These conversions are linked back to the original ad the user clicked on. This provides the company with performance data and proves advertising is paying off.
How to introduce enhanced conversions into your company
Before you start using enhanced conversions, your company must do the following:
- Use sitewide tagging.
- Have Google Ads conversion tracking as your conversion source.
- Have a webpage where users submit their information in clear text.
If your company does the above, there are 3 ways your company can introduce enhance conversions:
- Automatic installation
- Manual installation
- Via an API
Next, we’ll walk you through how to install the easiest option – Automatic.
Step 1: Accept Google’s terms of service
Step 2: ‘Turn on enhanced conversions’ box in Google Ads UI
Step 3: Select Google Site Tag or Google Tag manager
Step 4: Press next, input your website & select ‘Check URL’
Step 5: Select ‘Automatic Setup’ & press ‘Save’
Step 6: Open Google Tag manager to complete the automatic set-up
If you’re looking for more customizable options, try coding in the manual setup option, and please be aware that it takes 75 days for enhanced conversions to fully integrate into Google Ad reports. Google will notify you when this has been completed.
Our final thoughts on enhanced conversions
In an era of increasing privacy concerns and regulations, Google Ads enhanced conversion gives companies a safe and compliant way to monitor conversions. User privacy is maintained when companies track customer conversions across multiple devices and email addresses. As a result, Google Ads enhanced conversions are a win for everyone: user information is protected, and the hashed data improves the accuracy of ad reports and leads to greater data-driven decisions.
