Google Ads Conversion Goals

Google Ads organizes conversion tracking around three concepts: account-default goals, primary conversion actions, and secondary conversion actions. How you configure these settings directly controls what appears in your Google Ads reporting columns and in the Attributed Results column of your AnyTrack Campaign Report.

How Google Ads Conversion Goals Work

Google Ads groups individual conversion actions (like “Purchase” or “Add to Cart”) into conversion goals (like “Purchase” or “Add to shopping cart”). Each goal can be set as an account-default goal or not.

Within each goal, individual conversion actions are classified as either primary or secondary.

Account-Default Goals

When you mark a conversion goal as an account-default, its primary conversion actions apply to all campaigns in your account automatically. Any campaign that does not use campaign-specific goals will use these account-default goals for bidding and reporting.

If a conversion goal is not set as account-default, its conversion actions stay out of your campaigns until you apply that goal to a campaign yourself. You do that with campaign-specific goals in the campaign settings, where you can apply a standard goal, a custom goal, or both. A goal that no campaign applies does not reach the Conversions column at all.

Primary Conversion Actions

Primary conversion actions are your main optimization targets. They appear in the Conversions column in Google Ads and are used for Smart Bidding strategies like Target CPA or Target ROAS.

For a primary conversion action to count in reporting and bidding, two conditions must be met:

1. The conversion action is set as Primary
2. The campaign uses the goal that contains that action, either through account-default goals or through campaign-specific goals

Secondary Conversion Actions

Secondary conversion actions are for observation only. They appear in the All Conversions column, but not in the Conversions column. Google Ads does not use them for bidding, even when the goal that contains them is used for bidding.

One exception applies. Google Ads uses every conversion action inside a custom goal for reporting and bidding. Inside a custom goal, the primary or secondary setting does not matter.

Account-Default Goal With a Secondary Action

This setting combination causes the most reporting confusion, so here is the direct answer.

If you set the goal as account-default but leave the action as secondary, that action reports 0 in the Conversions column. Its data appears in the All Conversions column instead. Smart Bidding ignores it.

The two settings do different jobs:

• Account-default — decides which goals a campaign uses by default.
• Primary or secondary — decides which actions inside those goals count and drive bidding.

Treat primary and secondary as the bidding switch. A campaign that optimizes for account-default goals counts only the primary actions inside those goals. Google Ads applies this rule even when the goal drives bidding.

Goal setting	Action setting	Conversions column	All Conversions column	Used for Smart Bidding
Account-default goal	Primary	Counted	Counted	Yes
Account-default goal	Secondary	0	Counted	No
Standard goal applied through campaign-specific goals	Primary	Counted	Counted	Yes, in that campaign
Standard goal applied through campaign-specific goals	Secondary	0	Counted	No
Goal no campaign applies	Primary or Secondary	0	Counted	No
Custom goal applied to the campaign	Primary or Secondary	Counted	Counted	Yes, in that campaign

To move an action into the Conversions column:

1. Open the conversions summary in Google Ads.
2. Find the goal that contains the action.
3. Click Edit goal.
4. Change the action from Secondary (observe only) to Primary.
5. Click Save.

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Before you switch an action to primary

Every action you set as primary adds its own conversions to the Conversions column and to your bid signal. If you switch AddToCart or ViewContent to primary, Google Ads counts one customer journey several times. Set one action as primary: the action that carries business value, such as Purchase or Lead.

Google Ads Reporting Columns

Column	What It Includes
Conversions	Primary conversion actions from the goals the campaign uses for bidding, plus every action inside an applied custom goal
Conversion Value	Revenue from those same actions
All Conversions	Primary and secondary conversion actions combined
All Conversion Value	Revenue from all conversion actions combined

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Important

The Conversions column in Google Ads counts primary actions from the goals a campaign applies. If you set a conversion action as secondary, it disappears from the Conversions column even though Google Ads still tracks it. The one exception is a custom goal: every action inside an applied custom goal counts, primary or secondary.

Shopify and Google Ads Example with AnyTrack

When you connect Shopify to AnyTrack, AnyTrack receives all conversion events from your store and sends them to Google Ads via the Conversion API. The standard events AnyTrack sends from Shopify include:

• ViewContent — Product page views
• AddToCart — Items added to the shopping cart
• InitiateCheckout — Checkout started
• AddPaymentInfo — Payment details entered
• Purchase — Order completed

Each of these events maps to a separate conversion action in Google Ads through Event Mapping. How you classify each conversion action in Google Ads determines what shows in your reports.

Scenario 1: All Events Set as Primary Conversions

If you set ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, AddPaymentInfo, and Purchase all as primary conversion actions within account-default goals:

Google Ads Column	What It Shows
Conversions	Sum of all five events (ViewContent + AddToCart + InitiateCheckout + AddPaymentInfo + Purchase)
Conversion Value	Combined value from all five events
All Conversions	Same as Conversions (no secondary actions exist)

The problem: Your Conversions column inflates dramatically. A single customer who views a product, adds it to cart, checks out, enters payment, and completes a purchase counts as 5 conversions. Smart Bidding optimizes toward all five actions equally, which dilutes your bidding signal.

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Warning

Setting all Shopify events as primary conversions inflates your Google Ads Conversions column and confuses Smart Bidding. Google optimizes for all events equally instead of focusing on the action that matters most to your business.

Scenario 2: Only Purchase Set as Primary

If you set Purchase as the only primary conversion action and move ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, and AddPaymentInfo to secondary:

Google Ads Column	What It Shows
Conversions	Purchase events only
Conversion Value	Purchase revenue only
All Conversions	All five events combined
All Conversion Value	Combined value from all events

This is the recommended setup for most eCommerce advertisers. Your Conversions column reflects actual sales. Smart Bidding focuses on driving purchases. You still see the full funnel in the All Conversions column for analysis.

How This Affects the AnyTrack Campaign Report

The AnyTrack Campaign Report fetches data from Google Ads and displays it alongside your actual conversion data. Two columns pull directly from Google Ads:

• Attributed Results — Maps to the Google Ads Conversions column (primary actions from the goals the campaign applies, plus every action inside an applied custom goal)
• Attributed Revenue — Maps to the Google Ads Conversion Value column (value from those same actions)

What Controls Attributed Results

The Attributed Results number depends entirely on how you configure Google Ads conversion goals:

1. Which conversion actions are set as Primary — Primary actions count in Attributed Results; secondary actions do not, unless they sit in an applied custom goal
2. Which goals are set as Account-Default — Account-default goals apply to all campaigns unless overridden
3. Campaign-specific goals — If a campaign selects its own goals, only actions in those goals count, and the account-default goals no longer apply to it
4. Attribution window — Google Ads applies its own attribution model (data-driven by default) and attribution window (30-day click and 1-day view by default)
5. Conversion modeling — Google Ads estimates additional conversions that could not be directly observed, which inflates the count above what AnyTrack tracks server-side

Why Attributed Results Differ from AnyTrack Conversions

The AnyTrack Campaign Report shows both Attributed Results (from Google Ads) and actual conversion counts (from your integrations like Shopify). These numbers almost always differ for several reasons:

Factor	How It Affects the Numbers
Multiple primary actions	If more than Purchase is set as primary, Attributed Results includes non-purchase events
Attribution model	Google uses data-driven attribution which splits credit across touchpoints. AnyTrack uses last-click attribution.
Post-view conversions	Google Ads counts conversions from users who saw but never clicked your ad. AnyTrack only counts click-based conversions.
Conversion modeling	Google estimates conversions that could not be observed due to privacy restrictions. AnyTrack only reports confirmed server-side events.
Attribution window	Google applies a 30-day click window by default. AnyTrack attribution depends on your cookie duration settings.
Cross-device attribution	Google attributes conversions across devices using signed-in user data. AnyTrack attribution is limited to the device where the click occurred.

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Note

There is no fixed “normal gap” percentage between Attributed Results and AnyTrack Purchase counts — the factors above mean the two numbers usually differ. If a large gap persists, check your Google Ads conversion settings, verify your UTM parameters are correctly installed, and confirm no other system sends conversions to the same conversion actions.

Recommended Google Ads Setup for AnyTrack Users

For the cleanest reporting and most effective bidding:

1. Set Purchase as the only primary conversion in your account-default goals
2. Move all other Shopify events to secondary — ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, AddPaymentInfo
3. Map all events in AnyTrack Event Mapping — Google Ads still receives all events for audience building and funnel analysis, regardless of primary/secondary status
4. Use the All Conversions column in Google Ads to analyze your full funnel
5. Review Attributed Results vs. Purchase counts in the AnyTrack Campaign Report to spot discrepancies early

This setup keeps your Conversions column accurate, gives Smart Bidding a clear signal, and preserves full funnel visibility in All Conversions.

If conversions still do not appear after you set the action to primary, work through Google Ads troubleshooting to check the conversion action type, the Event Mapping, and the processing windows Google Ads applies.

Playbook

• Webhook
• Google Ads

Feed Offline Lead Status to Google Ads

Closes happen in your CRM. Google never finds out. Webhook each stage change back to the click, so Smart Bidding learns from deals, not raw leads.

• Advanced
• ~45 min
• Personal and up

Read the playbook

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ was last reviewed on 2026-10-05

If a goal is account-default and the action is secondary, what shows in the Conversions column?

Nothing from that action. The Conversions column counts the primary actions from the goals the campaign applies. A secondary action reports 0 there even when it sits inside an account-default goal, and Smart Bidding does not use it. Its data appears in the All Conversions column instead. Google Ads applies this rule even when the goal itself is used for bidding. The one exception is a custom goal, where every action counts regardless of primary or secondary. To make the action count in a standard goal, edit the goal and change the action from Secondary (observe only) to Primary.

What is the difference between an account-default goal and a primary conversion action?

They control two different things. The account-default setting decides which goals a campaign uses when the campaign does not select its own goals. The primary or secondary setting decides which actions inside those goals count in the Conversions column and drive bidding. A campaign that optimizes for account-default goals only counts the primary actions inside those goals. Setting a goal as account-default does not promote its secondary actions.

What happens if I set all Shopify events as primary conversions in Google Ads?

Every event AnyTrack sends from Shopify counts in the Google Ads Conversions column. A single customer journey from product view to purchase could count as 5 conversions. Smart Bidding treats all events equally, which dilutes optimization and inflates your reported conversion numbers.

Can I still see secondary conversion data in the AnyTrack Campaign Report?

The Attributed Results column in the AnyTrack Campaign Report maps to the Google Ads Conversions column, which includes the primary actions from the goals a campaign applies, plus every action inside an applied custom goal. To see secondary actions, check the All Conversions column directly in Google Ads, or use the individual event columns (AddToCart, Purchase, and so on) in the AnyTrack report. Those columns show actual data from your integrations, independent of Google Ads settings.

Why are my Attributed Results higher than my actual Purchase count?

Three common causes: (1) You have non-purchase events set as primary conversions in Google Ads. (2) Google applies conversion modeling that estimates additional conversions. (3) Google counts post-view conversions where users saw but never clicked your ad. Check your Google Ads conversion settings first.

Does changing a conversion from primary to secondary stop AnyTrack from sending it?

No. AnyTrack sends all mapped conversion events to Google Ads regardless of whether they are primary or secondary. The primary/secondary classification only affects how Google Ads uses the data for bidding and which reporting column it appears in.

How do campaign-specific goals affect my reporting?

When a campaign selects its own goals, it ignores your account-default goals and reports only the actions in the goals it applies. You can apply a standard goal, a custom goal, or both. For an applied standard goal, the normal rule still holds: primary actions count in the Conversions column and secondary actions do not. For a custom goal, Google Ads uses every action for reporting and bidding, whether you set it as primary or secondary, so this is the one case where a secondary action reaches the Conversions column. The Attributed Results in AnyTrack for that campaign then reflect the applied goals only, not your account-wide primary conversions.

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