Conversion tracking in Google Ads relies on a JavaScript tag you install on specific pages of your website. When someone clicks your ad and lands on your site, Google drops a cookie in their browser. If that user completes a target action within your conversion window (default is 30 days for search, 1 day for display), the conversion tag fires and sends data back to Google Ads, attributing that conversion to the original ad click. The setup involves two components: the global site tag (gtag.js) that goes on every page, and event snippets that fire on conversion pages like thank-you pages, order confirmations, or form submissions. For phone calls, you use Google forwarding numbers or track clicks on your number. For offline conversions, you can upload data via the API or import files manually. Google offers multiple attribution models. Last-click gives 100% credit to the final ad interaction. Data-driven attribution (available if you have 3,000+ ad interactions and 300+ conversions in 30 days) uses machine learning to distribute credit across the path. Position-based and time-decay are middle options that weight touchpoints differently. At Ottawa SEO, we typically track 4-6 conversion actions per client: form submissions, phone calls, chat initiations, and for ecommerce, purchases with revenue values. Assigning dollar values to lead-gen conversions lets Google optimize for actual business value, not just volume. A contact form might be worth CAD $50 if your close rate and average deal are known, while a demo request could be $200. The biggest mistake is tracking thank-you page views without filtering out direct traffic or page refreshes, which inflates numbers. Use Google Tag Manager for cleaner deployment and easier debugging. Check your conversion tracking status weekly in the first month because broken tags cost you optimization data. If Google says zero conversions but your CRM shows leads, your tag either isn't firing or isn't on the right page. Verify with Tag Assistant and cross-reference GA4 events to diagnose discrepancies.