Best way to track conversions in Google Ads

XMannekens — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 09:16:31 GMT

What is the best way to track conversions in Google Ads (/Meta/LinkedIn) if you use Hubspot forms?

Do you measure & send to Google the conversions via GTM? (that’s how I do it now)

Or is it possible/better to set it up via Hubspot?

I see you can set up conversions to Google Ads via Zapier aswell, is this the better option to measure more conversions comparing to GTM?

Also does it capture gclid automatically in the forms?

Thanks already, would be nice to get this clear!

Re: Best way to track conversions in Google Ads

VNair5 — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 15:16:53 GMT

Hi! The best way to send conversions for HubSpot forms is if you use ad conversion events with the form submission trigger (only available to Marketing Hub customers with Pro or Enterprise subscriptions). Here is a Knowledge Base article on how to set it up in Google Ads.

Essentially, all you have to do is navigate to Marketing > Ads to be in the Ads tool. Then, click Create > Event in the top right and select your desired ad network and account. To track HubSpot forms, select Form Submission under Event trigger, complete the rest of the process, and then click "Create event". Then you should be all good to go!

Re: Best way to track conversions in Google Ads

marcoperson250 — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 08:40:09 GMT

Hi there,

First, you will install the global site tag, then utilize the event snippet: For more granular tracking, link Google Analytics with your Google Ads account. Verify Tracking Setup and Utilize Google Tag Manager: For a more streamlined approach.

Re: Best way to track conversions in Google Ads

herodotuseduc — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 07:41:05 GMT

you can track them using the attribution report in the ads:

in combination with marking the contacts as customers when they become customers, you can have a clear view of your conversion tracking. the image above is from a starter plan, so not all attributions are available

Re: Best way to track conversions in Google Ads

Sweely — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:22:22 GMT

That’s a fantastic and common question, and you’re on the right track with using Google Tag Manager.

However, for maximum accuracy and long-term viability, especially when dealing with a CRM like HubSpot and multiple ad platforms like Google Ads, Meta, and LinkedIn, the ultimate solution involves a server-side approach leveraging APIs and your CRM data.

Your current method of tracking conversions via GTM client-side (meaning code running in the user's browser) for the form submission is good, but it’s becoming increasingly unreliable.

Browser privacy changes, ITP, and ad blockers frequently block client-side scripts, leading to underreported conversions, which hurts your ad platform’s bidding optimization.

The better and most modern solution is to use a Server-Side Tagging setup combined with a robust API-based approach.

The full tech stack would look like: HubSpot API + Google Ads API + Facebook Conversions API + LinkedIn Conversions API + Google Analytics Data API + Google Tag Manager (for the web container) + a server-side tagging solution like Stape or Google Cloud Platform (for the server container).

Here is why this is superior to client-side GTM or a simple Zapier connection:

Firstly, this moves the conversion reporting off the user's browser, eliminating browser and ad-blocker interference.

When a user submits a HubSpot form, you can configure a HubSpot workflow or a webhook to fire a notification and send the contact data directly to your GTM Server container.

This uses the HubSpot API, ensuring that only successful, validated submissions are reported, which is far more accurate than just a button click or a page view.

Secondly, you get much higher-quality data.

The GTM Server container acts as a central hub.

It receives the form submission data from HubSpot, enriches it with the visitor's original tracking data (which GTM's client-side container can collect and send), and then sends a clean, validated conversion event to each ad platform's API - Google Ads API, Facebook Conversions API, and LinkedIn Conversions API.

These API-based reporting methods are heavily favored by the ad networks and lead to better optimization than purely client-side pixel data.

For Google Ads, this allows you to implement Enhanced Conversions by securely sending hashed customer data (like email or phone number) alongside the conversion, significantly improving the match rate for conversions that can’t be directly attributed with the GCLID alone.

Thirdly, this method future-proofs your tracking and allows for true CRM-to-Ad-Platform feedback.

Once the form submit is a contact in HubSpot, you can track them through the entire sales lifecycle.

When a lead moves to a qualified stage or becomes a customer, you can trigger a new API call from HubSpot back to Google Ads, Meta, or LinkedIn using their respective APIs, marking this later event as a more valuable, offline conversion.

Zapier can do this too, but the combined API-to-Server-Side GTM method gives you centralized control and the ability to send the Standard Events like `purchase` or `lead` with all the necessary parameters and deduplication logic, managed from one place.

Zapier is simpler to set up for basic field-to-field mapping, but it's less flexible for advanced use cases, adds an extra point of failure, and can become costly at high volumes compared to a self-hosted or Stape-hosted server container.

Lastly, to answer your question about the GCLID: Yes, HubSpot automatically captures the Google Click Identifier (GCLID) and stores it as a contact property if auto-tagging is enabled in Google Ads and your tracking template is correct.

You don't need to manually add it as a hidden form field for the primary GCLID capture.

Your API or Zapier connection would then use this stored GCLID value when reporting the conversion back to Google Ads to correctly attribute it to the original ad click.

The use of a server-side setup with the HubSpot API and GTM makes retrieving and using this GCLID value for accurate conversion reporting highly reliable.

This comment was generated with the assistance of an AI tool, incorporating my expertise in conversion tracking.

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