Stop Tracking the Wrong Conversions: How to Measure What Really Counts in PPC

Marketer reviewing a split PPC dashboard highlighting the difference between vanity metrics like clicks and true conversions such as leads and purchases.

The Problem with Fake Conversions

One of the biggest mistakes I see when auditing PPC accounts is the way conversions are set up. On the surface, it looks like the campaigns are working. Reports show hundreds, sometimes thousands, of conversions. But when you dig deeper, you realise those “conversions” are nothing more than clicks, page views, or time spent on a website.

Here’s the hard truth: clicks and visits are not conversions. They’re signals of interest, not proof of action. Unless your business model relies on page views to sell advertising space, tracking visits as conversions does nothing for your bottom line.

The risk is huge. If you are feeding Google Ads with the wrong conversion data, you are not just misreporting performance. You are telling the system to optimise towards meaningless goals. That wastes budget, confuses reporting, and hides the real picture of ROI.

Let’s cut through the noise and look at how to make sure your conversions actually matter.

What Counts as a True Conversion

A true conversion is an action that directly impacts your revenue or moves a lead closer to becoming a customer. It is a tangible outcome that reflects progress against your business goals.

For example:

  • e-commerce purchase

  • lead form submission

  • booked appointment

  • phone call from an ad

  • newsletter sign-up if your strategy nurtures subscribers into paying customers

The quick test is simple: if the action happened, would it move you closer to making money? If the answer is no, it is not a true conversion.

That does not mean other metrics are useless. Video views, downloads, and time on site can all be valuable indicators of engagement. But they should remain events or micro-conversions. They belong in reporting as supportive data, not in the headline numbers that drive campaign optimisation.

Related: PPC Management Service

Common Mistakes Businesses Make

When I look at new client accounts, I often see the same conversion errors repeated. Here are the biggest ones:

1. Counting page views as conversions - Every time someone loads a page, it fires as a conversion. This inflates numbers but does not prove any business outcome.

2. Tracking button clicks with no commercial value - For example, clicking “read more” on a blog post. Useful for engagement reporting, meaningless as a conversion.

3. Counting video views - Great for brand awareness, but unless watching that video is a proven step in your funnel, it should not be a conversion.

4. Importing all conversions into Google Ads - Google lets you import both “all conversions” and “primary conversions.” If you treat everything as primary, you lose clarity on what really matters.

These mistakes happen because “conversion” sounds impressive. It looks good in a dashboard. But if you are celebrating vanity metrics as conversions, you risk making bad business decisions.

How to Define Conversions That Actually Matter

So how do you set the right ones? Start by asking: what is the goal of this campaign? 

If your goal is:

  • Sales - Your conversions should be purchases.

  • Lead generation - The conversion you should track are completed forms, calls, or booked consultations.

  • Pipeline building - Newsletter sign-up or gated download might qualify as your conversion. However, this is only true if you have a nurture path in place.

The point is alignment. Your conversions must reflect the outcomes you are paying for. Everything else can stay in GA4 as events for analysis, but do not elevate them to conversion status.

Related: Marketing Metrics Hub

How to Set Up Conversions in GA4

Now let’s walk through the practical steps to clean up your GA4 conversions.

Step 1: Check what’s marked as a conversion.

    • In GA4, go to Admin > Events.

    • You will see a list of all tracked events. Anything with the “Mark as conversion” toggle switched on is being counted.

    • If you see items like page_view, scroll, or session_start marked as conversions, switch them off. These are engagement events, not revenue drivers.

Step 2: Identify Growth Drivers

    • E-commerce: purchase

    • Lead generation: form_submit, generate_lead, or phone call events set up via Google Tag Manager

    • Bookings: book_appointment or similar custom events

    • Nurturing: sign_up for newsletter or content downloads (only if part of a defined funnel)

Step 3: Add missing events

    • If the action you care about is not being tracked, you will need to add it.

    • Some events come recommended by Google, such as add_to_cart or generate_lead. Follow Google’s event naming guide for consistency.

    • For unique actions, set up custom events in Google Tag Manager or through your developer.

Step 4: Mark relevant events as conversions

    • Once the right events are flowing into GA4, go back to Admin > Events.

    • Toggle the “Mark as conversion” switch for the events that match your goals.

Step 5: Test your setup

    • Use the Realtime report in GA4. Complete the action yourself (fill in a form, make a test purchase) and check that it fires as a conversion.

    • Allow a day or two, then review Reports > Engagement > Conversions to ensure the data is coming through consistently.

Step 6: Connect GA4 to Google Ads

    • In Google Ads, go to Tools & Settings > Conversions and import your GA4 conversions.

    • Select only the ones that reflect true business outcomes as “primary conversions.” Keep engagement actions marked as “secondary” if you want them for context but not for optimisation.

Once this is done, your campaigns will start learning and optimising based on real customer actions rather than vanity signals.

Related: How to use GA4 to track conversions

Why This Matters for PPC Performance

Google’s bidding strategies rely on the data you feed them. If your conversions are simply clicks or visits, the algorithm will optimise to get you more of those. That means more traffic, more cost, and still no guarantee of sales.

If your conversions are properly set up to reflect purchases, leads, or bookings, Google will optimise to find more people likely to take those actions. The machine learning only works as well as the signals you provide. Give it junk signals and you get junk results. Give it meaningful signals and you get smarter targeting, stronger ROI, and campaigns that scale.

Beyond Vanity Metrics: Smarter Marketing

Clicks and visits will always have a place in reporting. They tell you about interest and engagement. But they are not conversions unless your business model is built on selling advertising space.

For everyone else, the path is clear:

  • Stop tracking the wrong conversions.

  • Define outcomes that truly matter to your business.

  • Set up those conversions in GA4.

  • Import them into Google Ads as your primary goals.

Do this and your PPC spend starts working harder. Campaigns optimise to drive revenue, not empty numbers.

Plan Smarter

Not sure how much you should spend on PPC? Use our free PPC Budget Calculator to test different scenarios and find a budget that matches your goals.

Try it Yourself

Find out what each lead is worth to your business with our Revenue per Lead Calculator.  It instantly shows the value and helps you benchmark campaigns with confidence.

If you want expert support to get your tracking and optimisation right, explore our PPC Management Service. Or visit our Marketing Metrics Hub for calculators and guides to help you measure what really matters.

Further Reading

Author

Hope Varnes is a Chartere Marketer with over 15 years experience in digital marketing. She is specialises in Google Ads, PPC, content marketing, and marketing strategy. She has a Master’s in Digital Marketing and eCommerce and is Google Certified. She is an expert in leveraging digital platforms to drive brand awareness, lead generation, and revenue growth.