Google Ads

Setting up Google Ads conversion tracking through the Google Tag Manager server container

This guide shows you how to configure a conversion tag in your Google Tag Manager server container for Google Ads, so your conversions are registered correctly. You need a Conversion ID and a Conversion Label to complete the setup.

This article covers a server-side only setup. You can also run Google Ads Ads client-side, just make sure that the client-side and server-side tagging don't send data towards the same conversionactions.

Before you start

Make sure you have:

• A working GTM server container that receives events (usually via your Google Tag / GA4 client).

• Admin access to the Google Ads account.

Step 1: Set up the Conversion Linker tag

Your server container needs a Conversion Linker tag. The Conversion Linker is what captures the click identifier (the GCLID) and stores it in a first-party cookie. Without it, the conversion tag has nothing to attribute the conversion to, and Google Ads will not connect the conversion to the ad click that caused it.

1. Open the Google Tag Manager server container.

2. Go to Tags and create a new tag.

3. Choose Conversion Linker as the tag configuration.

4. Add the All Pages trigger.

5. Save the tag.

Step 2: Create new conversion actions

When setting up new conversion tracking for Google Ads, you'll need new conversionactions within Google Ads. If you have not set up new conversionactions within Google Ads yet, follow these steps to set them up: Where to find the Google Ads Conversion ID and Conversion Labels.

Step 3: Set up the Conversion tag

1. Go to Tags and create a new tag.

2. Choose Google Ads Conversion Tracking as the tag configuration.

3. Fill in the configuration fields:

   • Conversion ID — the conversion ID from your Google Ads account.

   • Conversion Label — the conversion label of the conversion action in Google Ads.

4. If the value and currency are available in the incoming server container event, fill in the remaining fields with the matching variables:

   • Conversion Value

   • Currency Code

   • Provide product-level sales data (if the items-array is present in the event data)

5. Add a trigger to the tag so the tag fires on the correct incoming event.

6. Save the tag.

Step 4: Testing

Use the server container preview mode to check that the tag fires when the GA4 event arrives.

Conversions can take a few hours to appear in Google Ads, so preview mode is your fastest confirmation that the tag is working. In Google Ads you can check the status of the conversion action itself after a couple of hours: it stays inactive until it has recorded its first conversion.