How to set up offline conversions in Google Ads

Updated December 21, 2022

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How to set up offline conversions in Google Ads: Advertisers are expected to set up Google Ads conversion tracking. The expectation for offline conversion tracking and value-based bidding is lower. The only part of the story is that conversion pixels are only placed when form submissions are completed.

What happens to these leads once they are in the company? These leads can be converted into customers and generate revenue. Your account will reach the next level by understanding the value of these conversions and taking optimization decisions based on backend data. You should aim to provide Google with multiple OCT events unique to each campaign’s objectives so you can bid on a target ROAS.

How to set up offline conversions in Google Ads: How Offline Conversion Tracking Works

Google click ID (GCLID) is the primary method to track offline conversions. This ID is added to each ad click and linked with the lead. The GLID can be captured by making modifications to the website code. The GCLID is sent to Google when the lead converts offline. A person may click on an ad to fill out a contact form. The person becomes a customer ten days later. Google will send a GCLID back that includes the offline conversion action (let’s call it “sale”) and the revenue associated with that conversion. The sale is associated to the relevant campaign, ad group keyword, and ad.

Uploading OCT can be done either automatically or manually. There are four methods to convert offline, including:

Upload via Google Ads Conversion Import
Salesforce conversion import
Zapier offline conversion tracking
HubSpot’s Google Ads optimization tools tool

Here’s an example of a Salesforce Import:

All conversion actions for “Marketing On Point”, “MQL [BOFU]” and “Sales On Point” are imported back to Google.

Another way to get offline data back to Google is through enhanced conversions for leads. You don’t have to modify lead forms or CRMs. Instead, you identify a variable like an email address or phone number that uniquely identifies a lead. This first-party data can be sent back to Google by adjusting the global website tag or Google Tag Manager.

Why Offline Conversions Matter

The number of customers generated by your PPC efforts should be a measure of how effective you are. Filling out a form only is the beginning. Performance is often evaluated after this step has been completed. An advertiser that spends $10K on 100 leads will pay $100 per lead.

The cost per lead for this advertiser is $100. However, it does not tell me how much.

How many leads made it to the next step of the conversion process (i.e., sales-qualified lead, marketing-qualified Lead, etc.)
What are the conversion rates and average values for each part of the funnel?
How many leads did you turn into customers?

We are optimizing your account without the correct answers to these questions. We don’t know the program’s actual return without offline conversion data.

Your goal is to include offline conversion data in your bid strategies. Below is data that shows how to maximize conversions bid strategies perform. The first strategy optimizes for all conversions while the second strategy only targets MQLs.

How to set up offline conversions in Google Ads-bid-strategy-for-all-conversions-google-ads

Optimizing for all conversions with maximizing conversions bid strategy performs better. 60 conversions are seen at a cost per conversion of $150 lower than the strategy optimizing to MQLs. These numbers look fantastic on their own.

Let’s look closer at the MQLs generated by each strategy.

How to set up offline conversions in Google Ads: These data provide a better picture. Optimizing for MQLs generated 20 additional leads at a third of the cost. While total conversions are higher when optimizing all conversions, we get more leads when optimizing MQLs. We’re leaving MQLs behind if we don’t take action on the first chart, but we will continue optimizing for all the conversions.

An experiment is a great first step for advertisers who want to switch to optimizing offline conversion data. While the original campaign can still optimize for all conversions and the trial campaign can optimize for offline conversion(s), To see which type of conversions you are seeing, segment your data by conversion action. The trial will probably see fewer conversions overall than the control. The trial is a success as long as it sees offline conversions at a higher cost than the control.

Give Your Conversions a Value

How to set up offline conversions in Google Ads: To calculate the return on advertising spends, e-commerce accounts must give conversions dynamic value. This thinking should be applied to lead generation accounts, but it is often not. For several reasons, all online and offline conversions need to have values. First, prioritize each conversion in your bid strategies. You may use a maximize conversion price bid strategy to tell the system that it should optimize for conversions with a value greater than $20. Keep in mind that not all conversions will be equal.

The target ROAS or (Return on Ad Spend) (tROAS), option is the second reason. You must specify your target number for Google to calculate it. Google cannot accurately reach your goal if you don’t provide values. A MQL could be worth $200, but the return must be at least 300%. Google divides conversion value by ad spend to calculate ROAS. This is how the formula looks and the sample figures that could be used to get the 300% return.

Optimizing for sales would be possible, but it would reduce traffic significantly. Google recommends converting at least 15 times (with values) in the past 30 days to use the tROAS feature. It is possible to create conversion actions based on multiple bottom-of-the-funnel goals. You can, for example, include MQLs, SQLs and sales in a conversion action.

Google has a great calculator that will help you assign values for your conversions. This calculator requires you to know the steps of the conversion funnel and the average dollar value (usually the sale) of each step. This is an example of a lead-to-sale process.

The average conversion value for sale in this example is $20,000. Here is how the flow looks when I input the expected conversion rates for each step (these figures are not real for this example).

Bonus: Add Value Rules

Conversion value rules are another way to give Google more information for its bid strategies. You can adjust your values by using location, device, and audience. You can create a rule if you know that Massachusetts conversions have an order value that is three times your standard “sale”, for example.

Key Takeaway

It is easy to set up OCT or value-based bidding. Although it takes some planning and time, the rewards are well worth it. Google will give you accurate conversion data so your bid strategies can optimize your preferred conversions. This will ensure that you get the best return on your Google Ads investment.

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