Growth: Google Ads and tracking
Know which ads bring the sales.
If you can’t see which ads bring sales, bookings or calls, you’re paying for clicks and hoping. We set up tracking first, test every conversion (the action that counts, such as a sale, booking, call or form), then run your ads against it.
We review your setup and confirm the scope and next steps in writing before work starts.
Check first
Can you tell which ads make money?
Often the account was set up years ago and nobody checks it. If two or more of these sound familiar, a tracking check is the place to start.
Three terms, in plain words. You’ll see them on this page:
GA4
Google Analytics 4, Google’s free analytics: who visits and what they do.
Tag Manager
Where tracking codes live, so the site doesn’t need editing each time.
Consent mode
Asking visitors for tracking permission and respecting their choice.
Conversions aren’t set up. Google Ads shows clicks, but not which of them became a sale, booking or call.
GA4 doesn’t match the till. Analytics shows more or fewer sales than your till or booking system, and nobody knows why.
Ads run on “maximise clicks”. Google is told to win as many clicks as it can, not customers.
Nobody has checked the search terms. Those are the words people actually typed before your ad showed. Some may have nothing to do with you.
No cookie banner, or tracking ignores it. Tags fire before visitors have said yes, or carry on after they’ve said no.
Calls from ads aren’t counted. People ring or tap WhatsApp after seeing an ad, and nothing records it.
Tracking first
Tracking before spending
More budget on top of broken tracking just buys more guesswork. So we don’t raise your ad spend until conversions are measured properly and tested.
Site not stable yet? If backups, updates or security need work first, we’ll say so on the call and point you to Rescue.
We measure before you spend more.
Conversions are agreed, set up and tested with a real test action first. Until then, we won’t suggest a bigger budget.
Ad spend goes to Google directly.
It’s paid from your card, in your Google Ads account. It never passes through us, and we never add a margin to it.
You own the accounts.
Google Ads, GA4 and Tag Manager stay in your name. We’re added as users, and you can remove us at any time.
Consent comes first.
Tracking follows the visitor’s choice on your cookie banner. That keeps you within the rules and keeps your numbers honest.
Service options
Measure it, then advertise against it
Most owners start with Tracking setup. Once conversions are tested, the ads plans spend against something real.
01
Recommended first step
Tracking setup
GA4, Tag Manager and conversions, set up with consent and tested, so you can see what works.
- Conversions agreed with you and written down
- GA4 set up, or repaired if it’s already there
- Tag Manager set up, with consent mode
- Every conversion tested with a real test action
- Taps to call and WhatsApp clicks counted
- Optional: Meta tracking, if you run Facebook or Instagram ads
- A tracking map in writing
- Not included: changes to your campaigns
02
Ads setup with tracking
Tracking first, then your campaigns reviewed or built to chase conversions, not clicks.
- Everything in Tracking setup, plus:
- Campaigns reviewed, or built from scratch
- Search terms checked, and words you don’t want blocked
- Bidding set to your conversions, not to clicks
- Ads matched to the page they send people to
- Areas, hours and daily budget set with you
- A start report: what’s set up and what we’ll compare
03
Ads management
We run the account each month, one change at a time, and report against the same conversion.
- An ongoing scope can cover tracking and campaign reviews, including:
- Search terms reviewed and unwanted ones blocked
- Bids, budgets and ads adjusted, one change at a time
- Conversions re-checked, so tracking stays honest
- Monthly report: same conversion, same length of period
- A change log of everything we touched
- The next change agreed with you before we make it
We review your setup and confirm the scope and next steps in writing before work starts.
Ad spend stays in your own Google account. Management work is scoped and agreed separately.
Logos belong to their owners. Listing a tool doesn’t mean a partnership.
How it works
How tracking and ads work
Six steps, in this order. Measurement comes before money, and every comparison is like for like.
Tracking setup covers steps 01 to 03. Steps marked Ads plans come with Ads setup with tracking, and with Ads management.
01
We agree what counts as a conversion.
A paid order, a booked appointment, a call or a form, whatever matters to your business. We write down what counts, and what doesn’t, such as a newsletter sign-up.
02
We set up GA4 and Tag Manager, with consent.
All tracking codes go into Tag Manager, in your name. Consent mode makes them follow each visitor’s choice on your cookie banner.
03
We test every conversion with a real test action.
A test order, a test booking, a tap on your phone number. We check each one arrives in GA4 and in Google Ads, once, before anything is reported.
04
We review or build the campaigns.Ads plans
Search terms, areas, hours, ads and the pages they lead to. Bidding is set to your conversions rather than to clicks.
05
We run them for an agreed period.Ads plans
Long enough to compare fairly, agreed with you up front. No daily tinkering that makes the results impossible to read.
06
We compare like with like, then agree the next change.Ads plans
Same conversion, same length of period, spend taken from your Google Ads account. Then one next change, agreed with you, so we can see what it did.
BearStackGoogle Ads and tracking
Know what brings the sale.
See which ads bring enquiries before you spend more.
Access
What we need from you
Once you’ve agreed the fee, we’ll ask for these. Nothing more.
User invites, never a password.Google lets you invite us to Google Ads, GA4 and Tag Manager by email address. We never need your Google password, and you can remove us with one click.
Admin access to Google Ads.Sent as a user invite from your account. If you don’t have an account yet, we help you create one in your own name.
Admin access to GA4 and Tag Manager.Also by user invite. If they don’t exist, we set them up with you as the owner.
An admin login for your site, to add Tag Manager.A separate account for us, which you delete when we’re done. For any login, we send a one-time secure link that expires once it’s opened.
What counts as a sale, booking or call.Which actions matter, the areas you serve, and the hours you can take calls.
Your cookie banner, if you have one.Which tool it is and who set it up, so tracking follows it. If there isn’t one, we’ll talk you through the options.
Proof, not promises
What you get in writing
Plain-language documents you keep, whoever runs your ads next.
Tracking setup gives you the tracking map. Ads setup adds a start report. The monthly report and the change log come with Ads management.
Tracking map, report and log
01 Tracking map
Every conversion, listed: what counts, where it’s recorded, which tag sends it, and how we tested it.
02 Consent
How tracking follows your cookie banner, and what that means for the numbers you see.
03 Monthly report
Spend, conversions and cost per conversion, with spend taken from your Google Ads account.
04 Compared
Same conversion, same length of period, with anything unusual noted, such as a holiday or a stock gap.
05 Change log
Every change we made, when it went live, why, and what we’ll compare it against.
06 Search terms and next
What people searched before clicking, what we blocked, and the next change we suggest, for you to agree.
Related Growth services
SEO and local search
Ads stop when the budget does. Get found on Google and Maps without paying per click, measured against the same conversions.
See SEO and local search
Speed and Core Web Vitals
Every click you pay for lands on a page. If it’s slow on a phone, people leave before they buy. We measure and fix it against a baseline.
See speed and Core Web Vitals
Let’s talk about your website
Let’s check where your ads lead.
Tell us the action you want to measure and what is running today. We’ll use that to discuss the tracking your website needs.
- 01 Share your website
- 02 Tell us your goal
- 03 Agree the next step
FAQ
Ads and tracking questions, answered
Something not covered here? Ask it in the form and we'll answer it on the call.
How much should I spend on ads?
It depends on your area, how many others bid on the same searches, and what a new customer is worth to you. On the call, we’ll suggest a test budget for an agreed period, and you decide. Whatever you choose is paid to Google directly, and you can change it at any time.
Do you take a percentage of spend?
Ad spend is paid to Google from your own account. Any management fee and the work it covers are agreed separately before work starts.
Who owns the account?
You do. Google Ads, GA4 and Tag Manager are in your name, with your card on the Google Ads account. We’re added as users. If you stop working with us, the accounts, the campaigns, the tracking and their history all stay with you.
Why don't my numbers match?
Usually a mix of reasons. Some visitors decline cookies or use ad blockers. Google Ads and GA4 count conversions in slightly different ways. Tags get duplicated over the years. And refunds or phone orders never reach the website at all. They’ll rarely match your till exactly. We find the causes, fix what can be fixed, and write down the gap that’s left, so each month is compared fairly.
Do I need cookie consent?
We review your consent setup and configure analytics and advertising tags to follow visitor choices. We record the setup and checks in the tracking handover.
Can you track phone calls and WhatsApp clicks?
Yes, for taps on your phone number and WhatsApp buttons on your site. Each is counted as a conversion in GA4 and Google Ads. Calls placed straight from an ad can be counted too, where Google supports it in your country. A customer who writes your number down and rings later can’t be tracked, and the tracking map says so.
What about Meta and Instagram ads?
If you already run Meta campaigns, we can review the tracking alongside Google tracking. Any additional setup is agreed as part of the scope; campaign management is discussed separately.
How soon will I know if it works?
For tracking, as soon as the tests pass: you’ll see test conversions arrive, and real ones after that. For ads, it depends on how many conversions you get. Fewer conversions need a longer period before a comparison means anything. We agree the period and the review date up front, and we won’t call a result before then.
What happens when ongoing work ends?
Your accounts, data and written reports stay with you. We agree the terms for ongoing work before it starts and document the handover when it ends.