Hi all,

How you doing?

Okay I want to put the Google's AdWords conversion tracking JS on my site pages, but I'm confused about a few things...

1. On one board someone said that Google is just doing this to get our information. What do you think?

2. Am I supposed to put this on every page, or just my index page?

3. How do I put it on my shopping cart since a 3rd party handles that?

4. If I put it on my pricelist page, people who go to that page may not buy, they may just be looking for the prices.

5. Even if it goes onto the shopping cart page, how do we know it's for the AdWords & not for free Google listings?

Thanks so much for any help or opinions you may have.

Have a great night !


Michelle :)

Dani AI

Generated

Short answers tied to the original points (for , and expanding on ):

Google isn’t “just” trying to harvest data — conversion tags exist so advertisers can measure which ad clicks produce real business outcomes and so Google can offer optimization features (Smart Bidding, ROAS/CPA bidding). That said, you are sending Google valuable performance signals; enhanced conversions let you supply hashed first‑party identifiers under Google’s customer‑data terms to improve matching and measurement. ()

Where to put the code: put the sitewide Google tag (gtag / Google tag) in your site <head> so the click ID and cookies persist, but only fire the conversion (event) snippet on the confirmation/“thank‑you” page after the desired action. Don’t place conversion code on index or price pages (those aren’t final conversions) — if you want to measure interest, track a separate micro‑conversion. ()

If a third party runs your cart: ask the vendor to add your event snippet to their order‑confirmation page or configure the flow to return customers to a confirmation page you control. If you cannot add client‑side code, capture the Google Click ID (gclid) when visitors land and store it with the order; later import that order (with order ID, time, value) into Google Ads via offline conversion upload or API. That server‑side path is the supported workaround for hosted/outsourced checkout flows. (developers.google.com)

How Google distinguishes paid vs. free listings and how to avoid errors: paid clicks append a gclid when auto‑tagging is enabled, so organic/free listings won’t have that parameter. Add a unique transaction_id/order_id to your event to prevent duplicate counting, test end‑to‑end with Tag Assistant or GTM Preview, and confirm the conversion action status in Google Ads. Quick checklist: enable auto‑tagging, install the global tag in <head>, fire event only on the real confirmation page, include order_id/value, test. ()

Example (place on your confirmation page — replace placeholders):

<script>
gtag('event','conversion',{
  'send_to':'AW-CONVERSION_ID/CONVERSION_LABEL',
  'value': ORDER_TOTAL,
  'currency':'USD',
  'transaction_id':'ORDER12345'
});
</script>

Cautions: watch for duplicate tags (don’t load the same snippet multiple ways), preserve query strings/redirects so gclid isn’t stripped, and obey applicable consent/privacy rules before sending user data. ()

>1. On one board someone said that Google is just doing this to get our information. What do you think?

they can certainly learn how to target and sell ads better if they know the results of them. its not a completely free offer. you are giving them valuable ad data back.

>2. Am I supposed to put this on every page, or just my index page?

just your action pages. the page after they buy or the page after they sign up for your newsletter. after whatever actionable item you are trying to track

>3. How do I put it on my shopping cart since a 3rd party handles that?

have to talk with them about that, or you could put it on the return page on your site if it returns to your site after they click.

>4. If I put it on my pricelist page, people who go to that page may not buy, they may just be looking for the prices.

put it on a page after the desired action has occured.

>5. Even if it goes onto the shopping cart page, how do we know it's for the AdWords & not for free Google listings?

thats what the java tracks.

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