Google Ads Conversion Tracking Not Working? How to Test & Fix It

Step 1: Open a Fresh Browser Session

Open your website in a new incognito or private window. Chrome: Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+N (Mac). Edge: Ctrl+Shift+P. This simulates a new user with no cookies and no prior consent. Testing in a normal window where you already accepted consent will not show you real behavior.

Step 2: Open DevTools Network Tab

Press F12 (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Option+I (Mac). Click the Network tab. Check the box for Preserve log. Without this, requests disappear when you navigate and you will miss conversion calls.

Clear existing requests (trash icon or right-click → Clear) so you start fresh.

Step 3: Filter for Google Ads Requests

In the filter box at the top of the Network tab, type one of these:

• pagead – catches google.com/pagead and conversion requests
• doubleclick – catches stats.g.doubleclick.net (GA4/Ads)
• gtag – catches gtag/js and collect calls
• google.com/g/collect – GA4/Ads measurement hits

Conversion requests often go to google.com/pagead/conversion or appear as google.com/g/collect with en=conversion in the payload.

Step 4: Accept Consent

Click "Accept" or "Allow" on your consent banner. Watch the Network tab - you should see new Google Ads requests appear after accepting consent. If no requests appear, conversion tracking might not be firing.

Step 5: Trigger a Conversion

Navigate to a page where conversions should fire (e.g., thank-you page, checkout completion). Watch the Network tab for conversion tracking requests.

What to look for:

• Requests containing your conversion label (e.g., AW-123456789/AbC-dEfGhIj)
• Requests with event=conversion parameter
• Requests sent to google.com/pagead/conversion

If you see these requests after accepting consent, conversion tracking is firing. If you don't see them, conversions aren't firing - which could be due to consent configuration, timing issues, or the conversion tag not being installed correctly.

Step 1: Click on a Conversion Request

In the Network tab, click on a request that looks like a conversion (contains your conversion label or "conversion" in the URL).

Step 2: Check Request Headers and Parameters

Go to the "Payload" or "Query String Parameters" tab. Look for:

• label - Your conversion label (e.g., AW-123456789/AbC-dEfGhIj)
• value - Conversion value (if configured)
• currency_code - Currency (if configured)
• gclid - Google Click ID (if from a Google Ads click)

If these parameters are present, the conversion request is being sent. However, this doesn't guarantee it will be attributed - Google Ads also needs proper consent signals.

Step 3: Verify Consent Signals (gcs and gcd)

Click a conversion request and open the Payload or Query String Parameters tab. Look for:

• gcs – Google Consent State. This is the key one.
• gcd – Google Consent Default (legacy format).

What gcs values mean:

• G100 – ad_storage and analytics_storage granted. Good. Google Ads will attribute.
• G111 – all denied. Conversion may be modeled but not fully attributed.
• G110 – mixed (e.g. ad_storage granted, analytics denied). Check your setup.
• Missing gcs – Consent Mode may not be sending signals. Google may suppress attribution.

If you accepted consent and the conversion request shows gcs=G111 or no gcs at all, Consent Mode is not updating when users accept. See why consent state never updates.

Step 1: Enable GTM Preview

In GTM, click Preview. Enter your site URL. A new tab opens with the GTM debug panel. Use a fresh incognito window for this so you test the consent flow.

Step 2: Trigger Conversion and Check Tags

Accept consent, then go to your conversion page. In the GTM Preview panel, expand the conversion page view. Look for your Google Ads Conversion tag. If it shows Fired, the tag ran.

GTM Preview does not show: (1) whether the request reached Google, (2) whether gcs was sent, (3) whether Google Ads will attribute. Always confirm with the Network tab. See GTM Consent Mode setup if your conversion tag is not firing.

For Consent Mode v2 implementation details, use the manual Consent Mode v2 implementation guide.

Test 1: Before Accepting Consent

Fresh incognito. DevTools open. Filter: pagead. Do not click Accept. Go straight to your thank-you or conversion page (you may need to complete a test purchase or use a direct URL).

Expected: No conversion requests. If you see conversion requests before consent, that is a violation. See tracking before consent.

Test 2: After Accepting Consent

Same session. Click Accept on the banner. Then go to your conversion page.

Expected: You should see conversion requests. If not, check: (1) Consent Mode v2 not updating when users accept, (2) conversion tag not gated by consent in GTM, (3) timing (tag fires before consent update completes).

Test 3: After Rejecting Consent

In a fresh session, reject/decline consent, then navigate to a conversion page.

Expected behavior (with Consent Mode v2): You might see conversion requests, but they should include consent signals indicating 'denied'. Google can model these conversions if Consent Mode v2 is properly configured. Without Consent Mode v2, you shouldn't see conversion requests at all (tracking should be blocked).

Check 1: Conversion Actions

Go to Google Ads → Tools & Settings → Conversions. Check if your conversion actions are set up correctly and have the right conversion labels.

Check 2: Recent Conversions

In the Conversions section, look for recent conversions. Note that conversions can take 24-48 hours to appear in Google Ads, so don't expect immediate results.

Important: If you see conversion requests in the browser but no conversions in Google Ads after 48 hours, there's likely a consent or attribution issue.

Check 3: Conversion Value and Attribution

Verify that conversion values are being recorded correctly (if you're tracking value) and that attribution windows are set appropriately. Remember that attribution windows can be 30-90 days, so conversions might be attributed to clicks from weeks ago.