Conversion tracking in Google Ads requires two components: defining what counts as a conversion in your account, and placing code on your site to record when it happens. Start in your Google Ads account under Tools & Settings > Measurement > Conversions, then click the plus button to create a new conversion action. Choose your source (website, app, phone calls, or import from Analytics), then specify the conversion category like purchase, lead, or signup. Google provides two code snippets: the global site tag (gtag.js) that goes on every page, and the event snippet that fires only on your conversion page (thank-you page, confirmation page). If you already have the global tag from Analytics, you only need to add the event snippet. Most agencies including Ottawa SEO use Google Tag Manager instead of hardcoding tags. In GTM, create a new tag with Google Ads Conversion Tracking type, paste your Conversion ID and Conversion Label from the Ads interface, and set a trigger for when the conversion occurs (page view on /thank-you, form submission event, etc.). For ecommerce, pass transaction value using the value and currency parameters so Google can calculate ROAS. For leads, assign a consistent value based on your average customer lifetime value or close rate. Phone call conversions require either Google forwarding numbers or importing call data from your phone system. Common mistakes: installing only the global tag without the event snippet, firing the conversion tag on every page instead of just the goal page, or not testing with Google Tag Assistant before launching campaigns. Always verify conversions appear in your Google Ads account within 24 hours and cross-reference totals with your actual sales or leads. If numbers don't match, check for duplicate fires, missing triggers, or users who abandon before the thank-you page loads. For lead gen campaigns in Ottawa, we typically see 15-30% of form submissions never reach the confirmation page due to validation errors or impatience, so form-submit event tracking often captures more conversions than page-view tracking alone.