Primary vs secondary actions
- Calls, forms, bookings, purchases
- Used for bidding
- Shown in the Conversions column
- Tied to revenue
- Page views, video plays, clicks
- Not used for bidding
- Shown for reference only
- Helpful for diagnosis
Google Ads lets you mark each conversion action as primary or secondary. Keep only real business actions as primary.
Count leads once
Google offers two counting options. "Every" counts each conversion after a click, which suits sales. "One" counts a single conversion per click, which Google recommends for leads. A person who submits the same form three times is still one lead.
Good conversions for local businesses
- A call longer than a set length, like one minute
- A quote or contact form that reaches your inbox
- A booked appointment or estimate
- A purchase, with its value
Watch the conversion window
Google counts conversions that happen within a set time after the click. The default for search is 30 days, and you can choose between 1 and 90. Match it to how long customers take to get in touch.
Good example. A roofer sets calls, quote forms and booked inspections as primary conversions, each counted once per click.
Bad example. A roofer sets "visited the gallery page" as a primary conversion. Bidding fills the account with browsers who never call.
See how conversion tracking works. In our PPC management, every primary conversion ties to revenue.