How Enhanced Conversions work
When a conversion happens, your site captures first-party data the user already gave you, most often an email address, and hashes it using a one-way algorithm before sending it to Google. Google hashes the logged-in data it holds the same way and looks for a match. When the hashes line up, the conversion is confirmed and attributed even if the cookie that would normally have carried it was blocked or expired. The raw data never leaves in readable form, only the hash does.
Why they matter now
Browser tracking prevention, cookie expiry, and consent choices mean a growing share of real conversions go unseen by cookie-based measurement alone. Under-reported conversions are not a cosmetic problem, because Smart Bidding learns from the conversions it can see. When measurement misses sales, the algorithm optimises against an incomplete picture and bids too conservatively. Enhanced Conversions close part of that gap, which is why they often improve not just reporting but automated bidding performance.
Setup and privacy
Enhanced Conversions can be implemented through the Google tag, Google Tag Manager, or the API, and they require the same consent discipline as any first-party data use. The hashing is one way, meaning the original email cannot be reconstructed from what is sent, which is what lets the feature improve accuracy while respecting privacy expectations. The practical work is ensuring the right first-party field is captured reliably at the moment of conversion, which is where most setups succeed or fail.
How iClick uses Enhanced Conversions
iClick treats Enhanced Conversions as foundational measurement plumbing rather than an optional extra, because recovered conversions feed the bidding models that run the account. Setup is validated at the point of capture so the first-party field is present and hashed correctly, and the recovered volume is watched as a sign of how much cookie loss was quietly distorting the account. Better inputs, not clever bidding, are usually what move a stalled Smart Bidding account.
