How to check if your Google Ads conversion tracking works in 10 minutes

Submit your own enquiry form, then check whether Google Ads records it within a day. If it doesn't, your tracking is broken, and every bidding decision in the account is built on missing data.

Here is the short version of the test I run at the start of every audit. You need access to your Google Ads account and about ten minutes.

1. Look at the conversion list

In Google Ads, open Goals, then Conversions. Every action should show a status. “Active” is good. “Inactive”, “Misconfigured” or “No recent conversions” means that action is not counting anything right now.

2. Check which actions are Primary

Only Primary actions train your bidding. If page views or directions clicks are Primary, Google optimises for them. Your real enquiries, such as a form submit or a phone click, should be the Primary ones.

If an action doesn’t mean money or a real conversation, it shouldn’t steer your budget.

3. Send a test enquiry

Open your site in a private window, click one of your own ads or add a test parameter, and submit the form. Use Google Tag Assistant to see whether the conversion tag fires on the thank-you step.

• The tag fires once, not twice
• It fires after the form is sent, not when the page loads
• Accepting the cookie banner doesn’t stop it working

Short FAQ