How Do You Set Up Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads?

Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads works by collecting first-party customer data — a hashed email address, phone number, name, or mailing address — at the moment someone converts, then sending it back to Google to match against signed-in Google accounts. Setup requires turning on a single account-level toggle under Goals, then Settings, then Customer data use, plus having either the Google tag (gtag.js) or Google Tag Manager installed on the site to actually capture and send that data.

What Data Enhanced Conversions Actually Uses

The system relies on customer information already being collected somewhere in the conversion flow — typically an email address entered at checkout, or a phone number and name captured on a lead form. That data is hashed (converted into a one-way, non-reversible code) in the browser before it's ever sent to Google, so raw personal information doesn't leave the advertiser's own systems. Google then matches the hashed value against its own hashed records of signed-in users to attribute a conversion, even when a cookie-based click record was lost.

Account-Level Setup

The core toggle lives in one place: within the Goals menu, open Settings, expand Customer data use, and check the box to turn on enhanced conversions. From there, each individual conversion action can also be configured with its own data source settings, but the account-level switch is what actually activates the feature.

• Confirm the base tag is installed: Either the Google tag (gtag.js) directly on the site, or Google Tag Manager configured to fire the Google Ads conversion tag.
• Turn on the account-level toggle: Goals > Settings > Customer data use > Turn on enhanced conversions.
• Configure how customer data reaches Google: Through the website tag automatically capturing form-field or checkout data, through Google's Data Manager, or through a server-side API connection for accounts with more custom setups.

2026 Changes: One Unified On/Off Switch

Google has simplified this feature over 2026. Starting in June 2026, enhanced conversions for web and for leads were combined into a single feature with one simple on/off switch, replacing the earlier setup where advertisers had to pick between separate method selections. Accounts that had already agreed to Google's customer data terms were migrated automatically, with no action required. Separately, starting in April 2026, Google Ads began accepting user-provided data from website tags, Data Manager, or API connections without forcing advertisers to choose a single implementation method upfront — all three can now feed the same enhanced conversions setup.

Why This Matters More Than It Used To

As cookie-based tracking has gotten less reliable across browsers and devices, the gap between conversions Google Ads can see and conversions that actually happened has widened. Enhanced Conversions is Google's primary answer to that gap for advertisers still using first-party data collected directly through their own site or forms, rather than relying entirely on browser-based signals.

Bottom Line

If a Google tag or Google Tag Manager is already installed, turning on Enhanced Conversions is a five-minute account-level change — the bigger lift is making sure customer data (email, phone, name) is reliably captured at the conversion event so there's something for the feature to actually send.