Conversion Architect

Teach the bidding AI what 'success' looks like for your business

The Problem: Google Ads Doesn't Know What You Care About

Google Ads is a bidding AI. It needs to be explicitly told:

What is a 'good' outcome? (A $200 purchase? A newsletter signup? A phone call?)

How much is each outcome worth? (Dynamic transaction value? Static lead value?)

Should the algorithm actively optimize for it? (Primary vs. Secondary)

Without this configuration, Smart Bidding either:

1. Optimizes for the wrong thing (e.g., maximizing Page Views instead of Purchases)

2. Doesn't optimize at all (if no Primary conversion action exists)

The Conversion Architect is the Rosetta Stone between what happens on your website (GA4 events) and what Google Ads bids for (conversion actions).

The Event Scanner

The Conversion Architect automatically scans your GA4 property every 24 hours for trackable events.

Standard E-Commerce Events:

purchase (completed transaction)

add_to_cart (product added to cart)

begin_checkout (checkout process started)

view_item (product page viewed)

Standard Lead Gen Events:

generate_lead (form submission)

sign_up (account creation)

contact (phone call or email click)

Custom Events:

If you have custom events (e.g., calculator_used, quote_requested), the scanner detects them too.

The Dashboard Shows:

Event Name (e.g., 'purchase')

30-Day Count (how many times it fired)

Status:

- Verified (Green): Event is firing AND imported to Google Ads

- Detected (Yellow): Event exists in GA4 but NOT in Google Ads yet

- Missing (Red): Event configured in Ads but NOT firing in GA4

The Matcher: GA4 ↔ Google Ads Sync

The Matcher compares your GA4 events to your Google Ads conversion actions and identifies one of three states:

1. Perfect Sync (Green)

The GA4 event (e.g., 'purchase') is firing correctly, imported into Google Ads as a conversion action, and tagged as Primary or Secondary. No action needed.

2. Detected But Not Imported (Yellow)

The GA4 event is firing, but Google Ads doesn't know about it yet.

What to do: Click the "Import to Ads" button. The system creates a new conversion action in Google Ads via API, names it after the GA4 event, sets the tracking source to GA4, and asks you to tag it as Primary or Secondary. Takes about 5 seconds.

3. Configured But Not Firing (Red)

You have a conversion action in Google Ads, but the corresponding GA4 event hasn't fired in 30+ days.

Common causes: The event tag was removed from your website, the event name changed (e.g., 'purchase' was renamed to 'transaction'), or the tracking code is broken.

What to do: Check your GA4 event configuration. Verify the event name matches exactly (case-sensitive). Use the GA4 DebugView to test if the event fires on your site.

Primary vs. Secondary: The Most Critical Configuration

Every conversion action has a goal type that tells Google Ads how to treat it.

Primary Conversion:

"Bid for this. Spend money to get more of these."

Examples: Purchase, Lead Form Submit, Phone Call

What happens: Smart Bidding (Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions) uses this as the optimization signal. Budget allocation favors campaigns driving Primary conversions.

Secondary Conversion:

"Track this for reporting, but don't optimize for it."

Examples: Page View, Add to Cart, Video Watch

What happens: Counted in reports, but does NOT influence Smart Bidding decisions or budget allocation.

The Rule: Only set high-value, bottom-of-funnel actions as Primary. Everything else is Secondary.

Common Mistake:

Setting Page View as Primary and Purchase as Secondary. Result: Google maximizes cheap Page View clicks and ignores actual sales.

Correct Configuration:

Primary: Purchase (E-Commerce) or Lead Form Submit (B2B). Secondary: Add to Cart, Begin Checkout, Page View. Google optimizes for revenue and leads while you still track micro-conversions for funnel analysis.

Value Assignment: Revenue vs. Static Value

Every conversion needs a value so Smart Bidding can calculate ROAS.

For E-Commerce (Dynamic Value):

If the event is 'purchase', the Conversion Architect automatically uses the transaction value from GA4. Example: User clicks ad → buys a $150 product → GA4 sends 'purchase' event with value=$150 → Google Ads records 1 conversion worth $150.

For Lead Gen (Static Value):

If the event is 'generate_lead', there's no transaction amount. You assign a static value based on your lead economics.

How to calculate static value:

Determine your Lead-to-Customer close rate (e.g., 20%)

Determine your Average Order Value (e.g., $500)

Multiply: $500 × 20% = $100 per lead

Set this value in Google Ads → Tools → Conversions → Edit the conversion action's value settings

*Note: The Conversion Architect displays and tracks these values, but editing the monetary value of a conversion action is done directly in Google Ads.*

Why This Matters: Without conversion values, Smart Bidding can't optimize for ROAS. It will just chase the highest conversion volume regardless of quality — which often means cheap, low-value actions.

One-Click Import

If the Matcher detects a GA4 event that isn't in Google Ads, you'll see a "Import to Ads" button.

What happens when you click it:

Step 1 (API Call): The system creates a new conversion action in Google Ads with the event name, appropriate category, GA4 as the tracking source, data-driven attribution model, 30-day click-through window, and 1-day view-through window.

Step 2 (Tag as Primary or Secondary): A modal appears asking whether Google Ads should optimize for this conversion. Select Primary for purchases, leads, and calls. Select Secondary for page views, video plays, and micro-conversions.

Step 3 (Verification): The system waits for Google's API confirmation. Once confirmed, the status changes from Yellow to Green.

Total time: 5-10 seconds. No need to open the Google Ads interface, navigate through multiple menus, or manually configure attribution settings.

Understanding Conversion Windows

Every conversion action has two attribution windows:

Click-Through Window:

How long after someone clicks your ad can a conversion still be credited to that click? Default: 30 days. Range: 1-90 days.

Scenario Lab

Live Case Study

"User clicks your ad on Day 1. Returns directly on Day 15 and purchases. If the window is 15+ days, Google Ads gets credit. If it's shorter, the conversion goes unattributed."

View-Through Window:

How long after someone sees your ad (without clicking) can a conversion be attributed? Default: 1 day. Range: 0-30 days.

Scenario Lab

Live Case Study

"User sees your Display ad on Day 1 but doesn't click. Searches your brand on Day 2 and buys. If the view-through window is 1+ day, the Display ad gets partial credit."

Recommended Settings by Business Type:

E-Commerce (short sales cycle): 7-day click, 1-day view

B2B SaaS (long sales cycle): 30-day click, 7-day view

Brand awareness campaigns: 1-day click, 1-day view (to avoid over-attribution)

Technical FAQ

Q: What's the difference between a GA4 event and a Google Ads conversion action?

A GA4 event is what happens on your website (e.g., 'purchase' event fires when someone completes a transaction). A Google Ads conversion action is what the bidding AI optimizes for. The Conversion Architect maps the first to the second so Google knows what to bid for.

Q: Why would I ever set a conversion to Secondary instead of Primary?

Because you don't want Google wasting money optimizing for low-value actions. If 'Page View' is Primary, Google will bid for cheap clicks with minimal engagement. Set only high-value actions (purchases, leads) as Primary so the algorithm focuses on revenue, not volume.

Q: How do I know what static value to assign to a lead?

Calculate: (Average Order Value) × (Lead-to-Customer Close Rate). Example: $500 AOV × 20% close rate = $100 per lead. This value is set directly in Google Ads under Tools → Conversions.

Q: What if my GA4 event is firing but Google Ads shows zero conversions?

Check the Matcher status. If Yellow ('Detected but not imported'), click 'Import to Ads' to create the conversion action. If Red ('Configured but not firing'), verify the event tag is correctly installed and the event name matches exactly (case-sensitive).

Q: Can I have multiple Primary conversions?

Yes, but be careful. If both 'Purchase' and 'Lead' are Primary, Smart Bidding will optimize for whichever is cheapest to acquire — often not what you want. Best practice: One Primary conversion per campaign or account goal.

Q: What's a good click-through conversion window for my industry?

E-Commerce impulse buys: 7 days. Considered purchases: 14-30 days. B2B SaaS: 30-60 days. Local services: 7 days. Adjust based on your actual sales cycle as reported in GA4.

Q: Why does the Conversion Architect show 'purchase' as both a GA4 event AND a Google Ads action?

Because they're two separate systems. GA4 'purchase' is the website event that fires when someone buys. Google Ads 'purchase' is the bidding signal the algorithm optimizes for. The Architect ensures they're synced so the AI bids for actual purchases, not just clicks.