Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up..

berlin87 · 21st Jul 2014, 10:02 AM

Hello fellow marketeers,

Our website only offers one way to be converted: signing up for a trial account. Today, we measured 4 clicks, each on a seperate keyword, that lead to a sign up = 4 converted clicks. Yet, in the column Conversions, AdWords counted 1 extra conversion for Keyword C..

Keyword A 1 Converted Click, 1 Conversion
Keyword B 1 Converted Click, 1 Conversion
Keyword C 1 Converted Click, 2 Conversions
Keyword D 1 Converted Click, 1 Conversion

What could cause the difference?

dburk · 21st Jul 2014, 10:36 AM

Hi berlin87,

Improperly implemented conversion tracking snippet is a likely cause. For example, if a user reloads the thank you page, does that fire the conversion script more than once for the same session? That could cause the same conversion to be counted multiple times if not properly implemented.

Are you storing leads in a database, or are they simply sent to an email account? Email is not 100% reliable, I have seen instances where the emails failed to be delivered on occasion, which would account for a discrepancy.

Another thing I have seen is Adwords Conversion tracking being used simultaneously with Google Analytics accounts that are linked and set to import goal completions as conversions. That can lead to over-reported conversion numbers inside your AdWords account.

Yet another possibility is delayed reporting due to time differences in your AdWords account where a conversion in the last hours of the day gets reported on the following day's reports.

Please rule those possibilities out, and if you are still having discrepancies let us know and we'll try to help.

berlin87 · 23rd Jul 2014, 09:48 AM

Dear dburk,

Thank you for your response!
Those are quite some parameters to check.. Let me provide you with a better picture:

1. Reloading the confirmation page does not trigger the snippet to count it as another conversion
2. Leads are stored in Zoho (equivalent SalesForce)
3. It DOES track simultanously with Analytics: would you recommend me to turn that off? It's linked with AdWords.
4. Delay: I checked for the aforementioned results a few days later: still a double conversion for Keyword C

dburk · 25th Jul 2014, 07:47 AM

Hi berlin87,

To confirm whether or not it is double reporting by counting conversions from both the AdWords conversion tracking snippet and Analytics snippet try this:

In your Adwords account menu click on the Tools -> Conversions, Make sure you have selected All Conversions in the left column, and All is selected in the Right Column. This should display a table of Conversion sources. Check the column labeled "Source" if you see conversions being tracked for both "Webpage" and "Analytics" then that is the reason you are seeing double reporting of conversions.

When using AdWords conversion tracking snippet I usually disable/remove the Analytics sources to prevent the conversions data from being double counted. That is easily done from this screen by clicking the green status button in the first column and switching it from Enabled to Remove.

HTH.

berlin87 · 29th Jul 2014, 04:29 AM

Hello dburk,

Checked it: only web page is being tracked.

It gets weirder and weirder.

dburk · 29th Jul 2014, 06:57 PM

Hmm... that is a bit of a mystery.

Next step... try checking the tag implementation using the Google Tag Assistant extension.

It has to be either the tag implementation, or something weird happening on your web page. Lets try to narrow it down a bit.

berlin87 · 30th Jul 2014, 04:32 AM

Done that:

On the comfirmation page, which isn't mentioned anywhere in the navigation, there are two tags implemented:

AdWords Conversion Tracking Tag
Google Analytics Tag

Now I am wondering if I should disconnect the AdWords link from Analytics?
Also: could it be that the difference between Converted Click and Conversion is as follows:

A Converted Click means that somebody signed up after he landed on the landing page through an AdWords ad
A Conversion means that somebody clicked on the ad, landed on the page - then came back within 30 days to sign up.

dburk · 30th Jul 2014, 02:14 PM

Hi berlin87,

There is no reason that you would need to remove the Google Analytics Tag from the confirmation page.

However, you should not see the AdWords Conversion Tracking Tag when simply visiting the confirmation page directly. If you do, then this is likely why you are seeing over-reported conversions. Your confirmation page should only load the conversion tracking tag when the page loads from a redirect referral after an actual conversion, otherwise every time a visitor hits the back button to return to the page it will count it as another conversion when it actually wasn't.

berlin87 · 6th Aug 2014, 10:01 AM

Well.. According to Google:

The Conversions (many-per-click) column counts all conversions that occur within 30 days of an ad click.

What it means: This column counts all conversions (purchases, key views of a page etc.) that occur

So.. a page view because of someone clicking on my ad, on his iPad; is counted as a Conversion?

dburk · 6th Aug 2014, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by berlin87

Well.. According to Google:

The Conversions (many-per-click) column counts all conversions that occur within 30 days of an ad click.

What it means: This column counts all conversions (purchases, key views of a page etc.) that occur

So.. a page view because of someone clicking on my ad, on his iPad; is counted as a Conversion?

Hi berlin87,

Since a customer may return and make additional purchases after the initial purchase. The "Many per click" conversion stat counts each purchase as a conversion, not just the initial purchase (or other goal). The Conversions (one-per-click) stat only counts the initial conversion goal and not subsequent purchases made by the same user.

Another way of looking at it is the many-per-click counts each purchase made by a user that clicked your ad, while the one-per-click counts each user that made one or more purchases after clicking your ad.

berlin87 · 8th Aug 2014, 06:21 AM

Hello dburk,

Totally understandable - except for the fact that there is really nothing else to do or to buy, but signing up for a trial period..

21st Jul 2014, 10:02 AM	#1
berlin87 Warrior Member Join Date: 2014 Posts: 22 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hello fellow marketeers, Our website only offers one way to be converted: signing up for a trial account. Today, we measured 4 clicks, each on a seperate keyword, that lead to a sign up = 4 converted clicks. Yet, in the column Conversions, AdWords counted 1 extra conversion for Keyword C.. Keyword A 1 Converted Click, 1 Conversion Keyword B 1 Converted Click, 1 Conversion Keyword C 1 Converted Click, 2 Conversions Keyword D 1 Converted Click, 1 Conversion What could cause the difference?

21st Jul 2014, 10:36 AM	#2
dburk VIP Warrior Join Date: 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 6,367 Thanks: 333 Thanked 1,621 Times in 1,287 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hi berlin87, Improperly implemented conversion tracking snippet is a likely cause. For example, if a user reloads the thank you page, does that fire the conversion script more than once for the same session? That could cause the same conversion to be counted multiple times if not properly implemented. Are you storing leads in a database, or are they simply sent to an email account? Email is not 100% reliable, I have seen instances where the emails failed to be delivered on occasion, which would account for a discrepancy. Another thing I have seen is Adwords Conversion tracking being used simultaneously with Google Analytics accounts that are linked and set to import goal completions as conversions. That can lead to over-reported conversion numbers inside your AdWords account. Yet another possibility is delayed reporting due to time differences in your AdWords account where a conversion in the last hours of the day gets reported on the following day's reports. Please rule those possibilities out, and if you are still having discrepancies let us know and we'll try to help.
	* Get Results - Outsource Your PPC Management \| * Don Burk Advertising & Marketing - www.donburk.com

23rd Jul 2014, 09:48 AM	#3
berlin87 Warrior Member Join Date: 2014 Posts: 22 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Dear dburk, Thank you for your response! Those are quite some parameters to check.. Let me provide you with a better picture: 1. Reloading the confirmation page does not trigger the snippet to count it as another conversion 2. Leads are stored in Zoho (equivalent SalesForce) 3. It DOES track simultanously with Analytics: would you recommend me to turn that off? It's linked with AdWords. 4. Delay: I checked for the aforementioned results a few days later: still a double conversion for Keyword C

25th Jul 2014, 07:47 AM	#4
dburk VIP Warrior Join Date: 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 6,367 Thanks: 333 Thanked 1,621 Times in 1,287 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hi berlin87, To confirm whether or not it is double reporting by counting conversions from both the AdWords conversion tracking snippet and Analytics snippet try this: In your Adwords account menu click on the Tools -> Conversions, Make sure you have selected All Conversions in the left column, and All is selected in the Right Column. This should display a table of Conversion sources. Check the column labeled "Source" if you see conversions being tracked for both "Webpage" and "Analytics" then that is the reason you are seeing double reporting of conversions. When using AdWords conversion tracking snippet I usually disable/remove the Analytics sources to prevent the conversions data from being double counted. That is easily done from this screen by clicking the green status button in the first column and switching it from Enabled to Remove. HTH.
	* Get Results - Outsource Your PPC Management \| * Don Burk Advertising & Marketing - www.donburk.com

29th Jul 2014, 04:29 AM	#5
berlin87 Warrior Member Join Date: 2014 Posts: 22 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hello dburk, Checked it: only web page is being tracked. It gets weirder and weirder.

29th Jul 2014, 06:57 PM	#6
dburk VIP Warrior Join Date: 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 6,367 Thanks: 333 Thanked 1,621 Times in 1,287 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hmm... that is a bit of a mystery. Next step... try checking the tag implementation using the Google Tag Assistant extension. It has to be either the tag implementation, or something weird happening on your web page. Lets try to narrow it down a bit.
	* Get Results - Outsource Your PPC Management \| * Don Burk Advertising & Marketing - www.donburk.com

30th Jul 2014, 04:32 AM	#7
berlin87 Warrior Member Join Date: 2014 Posts: 22 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Done that: On the comfirmation page, which isn't mentioned anywhere in the navigation, there are two tags implemented: AdWords Conversion Tracking Tag Google Analytics Tag Now I am wondering if I should disconnect the AdWords link from Analytics? Also: could it be that the difference between Converted Click and Conversion is as follows: A Converted Click means that somebody signed up after he landed on the landing page through an AdWords ad A Conversion means that somebody clicked on the ad, landed on the page - then came back within 30 days to sign up.

30th Jul 2014, 02:14 PM	#8
dburk VIP Warrior Join Date: 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 6,367 Thanks: 333 Thanked 1,621 Times in 1,287 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hi berlin87, There is no reason that you would need to remove the Google Analytics Tag from the confirmation page. However, you should not see the AdWords Conversion Tracking Tag when simply visiting the confirmation page directly. If you do, then this is likely why you are seeing over-reported conversions. Your confirmation page should only load the conversion tracking tag when the page loads from a redirect referral after an actual conversion, otherwise every time a visitor hits the back button to return to the page it will count it as another conversion when it actually wasn't.
	* Get Results - Outsource Your PPC Management \| * Don Burk Advertising & Marketing - www.donburk.com

6th Aug 2014, 10:01 AM	#9
berlin87 Warrior Member Join Date: 2014 Posts: 22 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Well.. According to Google: *The Conversions (many-per-click) column counts all* conversions that occur within 30 days of an ad click. What it means:** This column counts all conversions (purchases, key views of a page etc.) that occur So.. a page view because of someone clicking on my ad, on his iPad; is counted as a Conversion?

8th Aug 2014, 06:21 AM	#11
berlin87 Warrior Member Join Date: 2014 Posts: 22 Thanks: 3 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Converted clicks and Conversion don't add up.. Share on: Hello dburk, Totally understandable - except for the fact that there is really nothing else to do or to buy, but signing up for a trial period..