There are two methods for setting up conversions in Google Ads:
GA4 Import Method (recommended)
Manual Setup using the conversion ID and label.
Both methods are supported and can be effective. However, we strongly recommend the GA4 Import Method for its simplicity, resilience, and future-proof design.
GA4 Import Method
This recommended method is fairly simple, especially if you use revenue tracking in GA4 as this provides centralized tracking with a single source of truth for all your website data. This method also ensures that the data in GA4 will match the data in Google Ads. To get started, follow these steps:
Link Accounts: Link your Google Ads account to your GA4 account through the Admin section in GA4. Ensure you have Admin permissions for both accounts.
Cross-Domain tracking: Enable cross-domain tracking in the GA4 Admin section. Add both your website domain and the
thinkreservations.comdomain to the list of domains.Unwanted Referrals: Add your website domain and
thinkreservations.comto the unwanted referrals list in GA4.Check Site Tracking Code: Ensure your own website contains the GA4 tracking code. You can do this via Google Tag Manager with a Google Analytics tag set with your GA4 Measurement ID or by directly embedding the script code from GA4's admin section.
Check Measurement ID: Ensure your GA4 Measurement ID or "G-ID" is in the Business Settings in ThinkReservations > Settings > Business Settings.
Typically, you’ll assign one primary goal per conversion action for your campaigns, ensuring the conversion action is applied to all relevant campaigns. In some cases, you may assign multiple primary goals to different campaigns.
For detailed instructions on setting up a conversion action using the GA4 import method, visit this link: Import Google Analytics conversions into Google Ads
Note: After a conversion occurs, it may take up to one day to appear in both GA4 and your Google Ads account.
Manual Setup with Conversion ID and Label
This method is slightly more complex and higher maintenance, relies on Google Tag Manager, and lacks the sophisticated data modeling and machine learning capabilities that GA4 has. This method is more complex as it requires a correctly configured Conversion Linker Tag within Google Tag Manager to handle cross-domain tracking. However, it's still supported by ThinkReservations. To get started, follow these steps:
In Tag Manager, configure a Google Analytics tag with your GA4 Measurement ID.
Add a Conversion Linker Tag in Tag Manager. For setup instructions, refer to this link: Conversion Linker Tag Setup
Ensure your own website has the Tag Manager script installed.
Set up a manual conversion action in Google Ads. For the conversion goal, use Purchase. It's recommended to select Data-driven as the attribution model. Use Method 2 in the guide: Google Ads Manual Conversion Setup
After setting up the conversion action, retrieve the conversion ID and conversion label following these steps: Get Conversion ID and Label
Add the Conversion ID, including the AW- prefix, and the Conversion Label, to the Business Settings in ThinkReservations > Settings > Business Settings.
Excerpt of Business Settings
Setup GA4 Purchase Tracking
While not required for Google Ads tracking, it's highly recommended that GA4 purchase tracking be set up for comparison purposes between Google Ads and GA4. Keep in mind that tracking results may differ slightly between the two platforms but should align closely.
To do this:
Set up cross-domain tracking in GA4 Admin by adding both your website domain and
thinkreservations.comto the domain list.Add your website domain and
thinkreservations.comto the unwanted referrals list in GA4.Enter your GA4 Measurement ID in the Business Settings of ThinkReservations PMS.
If you are not a ThinkMarketing client, you can explore our marketing services at https://www.thinkreservations.com/products/marketing, or contact Sales to discuss our options. 877-736-4195 x1 or sales@thinkreservations.com