Missing Conversions in Google Ads? Here's How to Fix It

Quick Diagnosis: Is Your Tracking Actually Broken?

Before diving into fixes, let's confirm there's actually a problem. Sometimes what looks like missing conversions is just normal behavior.

The most common issue: your tracking tag simply isn't executing on the conversion page.

How to Diagnose:

1. Install the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension
2. Complete a test purchase on your store
3. On the thank-you page, check if the Google Ads tag fires
4. Look for red or yellow warnings in Tag Assistant

How to Fix:

• Verify GTM container is installed on all pages including checkout
• Check that your trigger is set correctly (page URL or event-based)
• Ensure no JavaScript errors are blocking tag execution

Your tag might be firing, but the conversion action in Google Ads is misconfigured.

Common Mistakes:

• Conversion action set as "Secondary" instead of "Primary"
• Wrong Conversion ID or Label in your tag
• Conversion action accidentally deleted or paused

How to Fix:

Go to Tools → Conversions in Google Ads. Verify your purchase conversion is set as "Primary" for the relevant campaign goals, and double-check the Conversion ID and Label match your tag exactly.

Shopify's checkout and thank-you page behavior can cause tracking problems, especially after recent platform updates.

Common Issues:

• Redirect before tag fires (page loads too fast)
• Multiple thank-you page URL variations
• Shopify Checkout Extensibility migration breaking existing setup

How to Fix:

Instead of page-based triggers, use event-based tracking. Fire your conversion tag when the purchase event occurs in the Data Layer, not when a specific URL loads. This is more reliable and survives platform changes.

This is increasingly the biggest cause of missing conversions. Browser privacy features, ad blockers, and iOS restrictions can prevent your tracking from working.

How to Fix:

Enable Enhanced Conversions. This uses hashed first-party data (customer email) to match conversions even when cookies are blocked. It's Google's recommended solution for privacy-era tracking.

Google automatically filters duplicate conversions if you don't pass unique transaction IDs. This can look like missing conversions.

How It Happens:

If a customer refreshes the thank-you page or visits it again, and you're not passing the order ID, Google might count it as a duplicate and filter it out.

How to Fix:

• Always include the Shopify order ID as your transaction_id
• Enable "One conversion per click" in conversion settings if appropriate

Sometimes conversions aren't "missing"—they're attributed differently than you expect.

Understanding Attribution:

• Last-click: Only the final ad clicked gets credit
• Data-driven: Google's AI distributes credit across touchpoints
• Time decay: Recent interactions get more credit

With data-driven attribution (now the default), a single conversion might be split across multiple campaigns, making it look like you have fewer conversions per campaign.

Shopify uses a different domain for checkout (checkout.shopify.com) than your store. If cross-domain tracking isn't configured, you'll lose the connection between ad clicks and purchases.

How to Fix:

• Ensure your Google tag is configured for cross-domain tracking
• Add Shopify's checkout domain to your linked domains
• Consider using Shopify's native checkout tracking methods

If you've implemented a cookie consent banner (required in EU/GDPR regions), conversions from users who decline consent won't be tracked.

How to Fix:

• Implement Google Consent Mode v2 for compliant tracking
• Enable conversion modeling to estimate conversions from non-consenting users
• Use Enhanced Conversions to improve accuracy

The Permanent Fix: Automated Tracking

Manual tracking setups are prone to breaking. Shopify updates, Google changes, browser privacy features—there's always something that can go wrong.

The reality is: maintaining accurate conversion tracking is a continuous effort. That's why many Shopify merchants use dedicated tracking apps that handle the technical complexity and stay updated with platform changes.

How to Verify Your Fix Worked

After applying fixes, verify everything is working:

1. Complete a test purchase (use a real payment method, refund after)
2. Check Google Tag Assistant shows the conversion tag firing
3. Wait 24-48 hours and verify the conversion appears in Google Ads
4. Compare Shopify orders to Google Ads conversions over a week
5. Set up a monitoring routine to catch issues early