Enhanced Conversion Tracking: How to Use First-Party Data to Improve Your Google Shopping Performance
- Adnan Agic
- Jun 26
- 3 min read
In a privacy-first world where third-party cookies are fading fast, relying solely on traditional conversion tracking is no longer enough—especially for e-commerce businesses running Google Shopping campaigns. That’s where Enhanced Conversions come in.
Enhanced Conversion Tracking helps you recover lost attribution, improve bidding accuracy, and gain deeper insights by using first-party data, like email addresses and phone numbers, to match conversions back to ads—securely and privately.
In this blog, we’ll break down how enhanced conversions work, how to implement them, and why they’re essential for improving your Google Shopping performance.
What Is Enhanced Conversion Tracking?
Enhanced Conversions allow Google to augment your standard conversion tracking by sending hashed first-party customer data when a conversion occurs. This data includes:
Email address
Phone number
First and last name
Home address
Once received, Google hashes this data using SHA256 and matches it back to signed-in users who interacted with your ads, even if standard cookies weren’t available.
Why Enhanced Conversions Matter for Google Shopping
Your Google Shopping campaigns rely heavily on accurate conversion data to optimize bidding and targeting. But without Enhanced Conversions, you're likely missing attribution due to:
Users switching devices
Safari and iOS limitations
Cookie restrictions or ad blockers
By sending hashed first-party data, Enhanced Conversions help you:
Increase conversion attribution accuracy
Improve Smart Bidding performance (like Maximize Conversions or Target ROAS)
Maintain measurement integrity in a cookieless environment
Recover up to 15% more conversions (based on Google internal studies)
How to Set Up Enhanced Conversions for Google Shopping
There are two main ways to implement Enhanced Conversions:
1. Using Google Tag Manager (Recommended)
This method works well for platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, or custom websites using GTM.
Steps:
Ensure your website collects customer data on the thank-you page.
In GTM, enable “Enhanced Conversions” in your Google Ads Conversion Tag.
Map variables like email, phone, and name to the tag using Data Layer or CSS selectors.
Preview & debug to confirm values are being passed correctly.
Submit for verification inside Google Ads.
How to Set up Enhanced conversion tracking in Google Ads.
How to Set up settings for Enhanced Conversion Tracking in the conversion Settings.
2. Using Google Ads Tag (Gtag.js) - Not Recommended
If you're not using GTM, you can hardcode enhanced conversions directly via the gtag.js snippet.
Steps:
Modify your global site tag to include enhanced conversion parameters.
Use JavaScript to pull values from your form or page.
Hash data client-side (or let Google do it via gtag).
Follow Google’s Enhanced Conversions setup guide for correct implementation.
Best Practices for First-Party Data Usage
To get the most out of enhanced conversions, follow these best practices:
Collect data at checkout: Always collect emails and phone numbers during the conversion process.
Be transparent: Update your privacy policy to disclose data usage for advertising purposes.
Avoid duplication: Ensure the same conversion isn’t recorded twice (e.g., once via standard tag, once via enhanced).
Test thoroughly: Use GTM’s debug mode or Google Tag Assistant to confirm the tag fires correctly and data is present.
Measuring Success: What to Expect
Once implemented, Google will start showing the status of Enhanced Conversions in your Ads account:
“Recording (unverified)” – Tag is active but not yet verified
“Recording (verified)” – Tag is functioning correctly and Google is matching user data
“Not recording” – No enhanced conversions detected; recheck setup
You’ll typically see better data consistency, especially across mobile, iOS, and multi-device journeys—leading to more accurate reporting and smarter bidding.
Conclusion
Enhanced Conversions aren’t just a nice-to-have—they're a must-have for e-commerce brands relying on Google Shopping. By feeding Google first-party data, you can close the attribution gap, strengthen your bidding strategies, and protect your performance as cookie-based tracking fades.
Need help implementing Enhanced Conversions for your store? Contact Us at Flomaticx—we’ll help you track smarter, bid better, and grow faster.
About the Author
Adnan is a digital marketing specialist with expertise in e-commerce optimization. With a bachelor's degree in Business Psychology focused on online customer behavior and analysis, he brings a unique perspective to understanding shopping behaviors and conversion patterns.
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