Conversion goal

How it works

Google Ads groups conversion actions into goals by category and source: website purchases form one goal, calls from ads another. An action drives a campaign’s bidding only if it is a primary action and the campaign uses its goal. Only these show in its Conversions and Conv. value columns.

Goals reach a campaign in two ways:

• Account-default goals apply to every campaign set to use them; new campaigns get them preselected.
• Campaign-specific goals are set in one campaign, and later changes to account defaults no longer reach it. A new category and source usually still reaches it, switched on, unless the campaign has that category off. A campaign can also use one custom goal of hand-picked actions.

The trap for a store: a new category and source usually becomes an account-default goal at once. Add call tracking, and every campaign on account defaults, Performance Max and Shopping included, counts calls, and Smart Bidding bids for them. Google advises one account-default goal per funnel: Purchase, for an online shop. Campaign-specific conversion goals shows how to keep product campaigns on purchases.

Where you see it

• Google Ads: campaign Settings → Conversion goals. The Conversion category segment splits conversions by goal.
• The portal’s conversion check shows whether a campaign learns on a purchase or a lead, or on several goals at once.

Example

Example store, not client data.

The tableware shop starts tracking calls from ads; its Performance Max campaign uses account-default goals. Next month brings 300 orders and 60 calls on 40,000 of spend. Conversions shows 360, so cost per conversion reads 40,000 ÷ 360 = 111 instead of 40,000 ÷ 300 = 133 per order. With campaign-specific goals limited to Purchase, the campaign counts and bids on the 300 orders again.

Not to be confused with

• New customer acquisition goal — a customer lifecycle goal that changes how much a campaign bids for new customers, not which actions it counts.

Right and wrong readings

• Wrong: “An action set to Primary always drives bidding.” Right: only in campaigns that use its goal. In Google’s example, a primary action in an unused goal does not affect bidding.

Sources

• About conversion goals — goal types, bidding conditions, the Purchase advice. Checked 2 October 2026 (archived copy of 24 August 2026).
• Customer goals — Google Ads API: defaults for new goals. Checked 2 October 2026.
• Campaign goals — Google Ads API: campaign-level goals, goals for new actions. Checked 2 October 2026.