The problem for lead-gen businesses
If you sell through enquiries, Google Ads usually counts a conversion the moment someone submits a form. That is where its knowledge stops. It does not know whether the lead was a real buyer, a student, a competitor or spam, and it never hears about the sale that closes three weeks later.
Smart Bidding then does exactly what it is told. It finds more people who fill in forms, which is not the same as finding more people who become customers. The fix is to send better information back into the platform. Two Google features do that: enhanced conversions and offline conversion imports.
What enhanced conversions do
Enhanced conversions add first-party data to your conversion tracking. When someone converts, details they have given you, such as email address, phone number, name or address, are hashed with SHA256 before they are sent. Google matches the hashed data against signed-in Google accounts that interacted with your ads.
The result is more complete measurement, because conversions can still be matched when cookies are blocked or the person switches devices. Google says it only reports privacy-safe conversions from this matching. There have been two versions:
- For web. Improves measurement of conversions that happen on your site, such as a purchase or a form submission.
- For leads. Captures hashed details when a form is submitted, so a sale that happens later, offline, can be matched back to the ad.
What offline conversion imports do
Offline conversion imports let you tell Google Ads what happened after the click: a qualified lead, a booked appointment, a signed contract. The classic method relies on the Google Click ID, or GCLID, a code added to your landing page address when auto-tagging is on.
Google's GCLID setup guide asks you to add a hidden form field that captures the GCLID, and to store it in your CRM against the lead. When the lead progresses, you upload the GCLID with the outcome. Timing matters: Google's offline import FAQs say it keeps the GCLID for only 90 days, and conversions matched with personal data must be uploaded within 63 days.
How they fit together
Google now treats enhanced conversions for leads as the upgraded version of offline imports. Instead of relying only on the GCLID, you upload the same hashed details captured on the form, and Google matches the two. Google's upgrade guide still says to include GCLIDs whenever possible, and Google reports a median 10% increase in conversions for advertisers who combined first-party data with GCLIDs, compared with standard offline imports.
| GCLID-only import | Enhanced conversions for leads | |
|---|---|---|
| Matches on | The click ID stored with the lead | Hashed email or phone, plus the click ID where available |
| Weak point | Lost or broken click IDs, short window | Needs the form data captured and stored consistently |
| Setup | Hidden field, CRM field, regular uploads | Tag set to capture hashed data, CRM connection, regular uploads |
| Google's position | Still supported | Recommended |
What changed in 2026
Google has simplified this area this year. Its update to enhanced conversions settings sets out three changes:
- From April 2026, Google Ads accepts user-provided data from website tags, Data Manager and API connections at the same time, rather than one method.
- From June 2026, enhanced conversions for web and for leads are combined into a single on and off setting, at account or conversion action level. Existing users are migrated automatically.
- From 15 June 2026, offline conversion and enhanced conversions for leads uploads move to the Data Manager API and are blocked in the Google Ads API, apart from temporary access for some existing users, as PPC Land reported.
For most businesses the practical route is Google Ads Data Manager, found under Tools in Google Ads. It lists connections for HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, ActiveCampaign, Shopify, Google Sheets, BigQuery and others. If a developer or tool built your uploads on the old Google Ads API, check they still work.
A practical setup sequence
- Define your lead stages. For example, enquiry, qualified lead, opportunity and won. Agree what each one means with sales.
- Turn on auto-tagging and capture the GCLID. Add the hidden field to every form and a matching field in your CRM.
- Turn on enhanced conversions. Make sure forms collect an email address or phone number, and accept Google's customer data terms.
- Connect the CRM. Use Data Manager or a supported integration to send stage changes back.
- Upload at least daily. Google recommends daily uploads for Smart Bidding, and suggests running them for one to two conversion cycles before making the new action primary.
- Add values. Give later stages higher values that reflect what they are worth to you. Values can be restated for up to 55 days if they change.
- Shift bidding gradually. Move from optimising on form fills to qualified stages once the data is flowing. If you move to Target ROAS, Google suggests allowing about six weeks of value data first.
Choosing what to send back
There is a trade-off between quality and volume. A closed sale is the truest signal but may be too rare for bidding to learn from. A qualified lead happens more often and still filters out junk. A sensible middle ground for many lead-gen accounts is to bid on a qualified stage with values attached, while still tracking raw enquiries as a secondary action.
The Meta equivalent
Meta offers something similar through the Conversions API for CRM. It sends lead stages from your CRM back to Meta so campaigns can optimise for a deeper stage using the Conversion Leads performance goal. Meta's documentation notes it currently works with Meta's Lead Ads (Instant Forms), recommends at least 200 leads a month and daily uploads, and expects the target stage to happen within 28 days of the lead.
Privacy and consent
Hashing protects the data in transit, but you are still sharing information about your customers with an ad platform. Make sure your privacy policy covers it, that your forms tell people how their details are used, and that you have accepted each platform's customer data terms. If you are unsure of your obligations, get advice before switching it on.
Sources
- About enhanced conversions - Google Ads Help
- About enhanced conversions for leads - Google Ads Help
- About offline conversion imports - Google Ads Help
- Set up offline conversions using Google Click ID (GCLID) - Google Ads Help
- Offline conversion imports FAQs - Google Ads Help
- Your guide to upgrading offline conversion imports - Google Ads Help
- Updates to your enhanced conversions settings - Google Ads Help
- About Google Ads Data Manager - Google Ads Help
- Google blocks new offline conversion imports via Ads API from June 15 - PPC Land
- Conversions API for CRM integration - Meta for Developers
Frequently asked questions
Do I need both enhanced conversions and offline conversion imports?
For a lead-gen business, usually yes. Enhanced conversions improve how many conversions Google can match, and offline imports tell Google which leads became customers. Enhanced conversions for leads combines the two by matching hashed form data with the results you upload from your CRM.
How long before it improves performance?
Google recommends uploading at least daily and running uploads for one to two conversion cycles before using a new action for bidding. If you switch to Target ROAS, it suggests waiting about six weeks so campaigns have enough value data. Plan for a gradual change rather than an overnight one.
Can I connect HubSpot or Salesforce?
Yes. Google Ads Data Manager lists connections for HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM and ActiveCampaign, along with Google Sheets, BigQuery and other sources. Since June 2026, Google directs offline uploads through Data Manager and the Data Manager API rather than the Google Ads API.
Is customer data safe when it is sent to Google?
Details are hashed with SHA256 before they are sent, so Google receives a scrambled version rather than readable data, and Google says it only reports privacy-safe conversions. You still need to cover this use in your privacy policy and accept Google's customer data terms.
Written by the Arche Digital Media team
Senior performance marketers in Melbourne, running paid media, SEO, analytics and lifecycle marketing for ambitious brands. About us