How to set up Enhanced Conversions
Symptom: Conversions are being lost to iOS and cookie limits, understating ROAS
Enhanced Conversions recover conversions lost to privacy limits by matching hashed first-party data against signed-in Google users. This workflow enables the feature, maps email and phone into the tag, respects Consent Mode, and verifies the recording state. It is one of the highest-return measurement fixes available, and most of it is achievable without heavy engineering.
A 47-point written audit of your Google, Meta or Shopping account, back in five business days.
Get your auditBook a call- Google Ads access with conversion settings permission
- Google Tag Manager access, or the tag setup on your site
- Confirmation that checkout or lead forms capture email or phone
- A documented consent mechanism for first-party data use
- 1
Enable Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads
In Google Ads, open Tools, then Conversions, then Settings, and turn on Enhanced Conversions for web. Accept the terms and choose the implementation method, usually Google Tag Manager for most sites.
This switch alone does nothing until the first-party data is actually mapped in the next steps.
- 2
Identify the first-party fields
Confirm where email and, if available, phone, name, and address are present at the moment of conversion. On a purchase this is usually the order confirmation, and on a lead it is the form submission.
The single most common failure is the email field not being present in the data layer when the conversion event fires, so verify timing carefully.
- 3
Map the data into the tag
In Google Tag Manager, configure the conversion tag or the dedicated Enhanced Conversions setup to read the first-party fields. Google hashes the values in the browser before they are sent, so raw personal data never leaves as plain text.
Use the tag's user-provided data variable to point at the correct data-layer keys.
- 4
Respect Consent Mode
Ensure Consent Mode is configured so first-party data is only sent for users who consented. Enhanced Conversions must operate within your consent framework, not around it.
Validate that declined users do not have their data passed, and that consented users do.
- 5
Verify the recording state
In the Enhanced Conversions diagnostics in Google Ads, confirm the status reaches Recording, usually within a couple of days. Use the tag debugger to inspect that the hashed fields are populated when the event fires.
A status stuck on not recording almost always means a missing or mismapped field.
- 6
Confirm the uplift and reconcile
After a week or two, compare reported conversions before and after, and reconcile against your backend. Enhanced Conversions should recover a portion of previously lost conversions.
Hold other variables steady during this window so the recovery is attributable to Enhanced Conversions and not a coincident change.
- The email field is missing from the data layer when the conversion event fires
- Sending first-party data without respecting Consent Mode
- Mapping the wrong data-layer key, so the hashed field is empty
- Assuming the feature works after enabling it, without verifying the Recording state
- Not reconciling, so you cannot confirm the recovery actually happened
Common questions
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