Google Ads conversions not showing is one of the most common problems we find on contractor accounts. When it happens, Google cannot tell which searches bring you calls and jobs, so your ads keep spending while the bidding guesses. The cause is almost always on a short list, and most of the causes can be found in 15 minutes.
Short answer: open Goals → Conversions → Summary in Google Ads and read the status next to each conversion action. “Unverified” or “Tag inactive” means Google is not seeing your tracking. “No recent conversions” means the tracking works but nothing was recorded lately. Then work through the 7 causes below, starting with the most common one: phone calls that are never tracked.
- Someone clicks your ad
- They call you or send your form
- Your website or call tracking records it
- Google Ads counts one conversion
In our own check of 258 home-service websites running Google Ads, 84% had at least one tracking problem. The causes below are the ones we see again and again on roofing, garage door, plumbing and HVAC accounts.
First, read the status Google gives each conversion action
Every conversion action in Google Ads has a status. It is the fastest clue you will get, whether the problem is Google Ads not recording conversions at all, a tag marked inactive, or a message such as “This conversion action wasn’t detected”.
| Status | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Unverified | Google has not seen this tag fire yet | Check the tag is installed, then test it |
| Tag inactive | Google stopped seeing the tag on your site | Look for a website change that removed it |
| Needs attention | Part of the setup is wrong | Open the action; Google says what to fix |
| No recent conversions | The tag works, but nothing was counted lately | Check the causes below, then test a real inquiry |
| Recording | Working | Still check that it counts the right things |
Google’s own fix tool is Tag Assistant. You can start it from the Summary page with the Troubleshoot option. Google says a conversion action checked this way updates in your account after about 30 minutes (Google’s guide).
The 7 causes we find most often
1. Phone calls are never tracked
For most contractors the job starts with a phone call. In our study, 65% of sites had no way to count calls made from their website. If calls are your main lead and they are not tracked, Google Ads will show almost no conversions, even on a busy week.
How to spot it: your conversion list has a form conversion but nothing for calls.
How to fix it: add a “Calls from ads” conversion for people who call straight from the ad, and set up calls to a phone number on your website. Google then shows a free forwarding number to visitors who came from an ad. A call tracking tool such as CallRail or WhatConverts can do the same job. Set a minimum call length, so hang-ups and wrong numbers don’t count.
2. The tag is missing or broke after a website change
A new theme, a page builder update or a new contact page can remove your tracking code without anyone noticing. The status then changes to “Tag inactive”, and conversions stop.
How to spot it: conversions stopped on a date that matches a website change. Google’s Tag coverage report shows pages where the tag is missing. Find it in Tools → Data manager: click Manage on your Google tag, then Admin → Tag coverage (Google’s guide).
How to fix it: put the Google tag back on every page, in one place only: through Google Tag Manager or through one plugin, not both.
3. Auto-tagging is off, or the click ID gets lost
Google Ads adds a click ID (called GCLID) to the address when someone clicks your ad. Your tracking needs it to connect the inquiry to the click. If auto-tagging is switched off, or a redirect strips the end of the address, conversions can go missing.
How to spot it: in Google Ads, check that auto-tagging is on in your account settings. Then open your landing page with ?gclid=TeSter-123 added to the end of the address. If the test code is gone once the page has loaded, a redirect is dropping it (Google’s test). Don’t click your own ads to test this; you pay for every click.
How to fix it: turn auto-tagging on in your account settings, and remove redirects that drop the end of the address.
4. The form or booking page sits on another website
Many contractors send people to a quote tool, a booking calendar or a CRM form hosted on another domain. If that page has no tracking, the lead never reaches Google Ads. In our study, 51% of sites tracked only part of the ways customers get in touch, and this was a common reason.
How to fix it: count the lead on a thank-you page on your own website, or use the booking tool’s own Google Ads connection. Then test it with a real booking.
5. A GA4 key event was never imported into Google Ads
If you track leads in Google Analytics 4, marking an event as a key event is not enough. Google Ads only counts it after you link the two accounts and import it as a conversion action.
How to fix it: link GA4 and Google Ads, import the key event from Goals → Conversions → Summary, and use either the GA4 import or the Google Ads tag for each lead type, never both. GA4 imports can also appear later than the Google Ads tag, and the two tools count credit differently, so their numbers will never match exactly.
6. The conversion is set as “Secondary”
Only primary conversion actions show in the main Conversions column and guide your bidding. A secondary action is recorded but stays out of that column (Google’s guide to conversion goals).
How to fix it: set the actions that are real leads, such as calls, sent forms and bookings, as primary. Keep things like page views as secondary or delete them.
7. You are looking too soon, or on the wrong date
Google Ads reports a conversion on the day of the ad click, not the day of the call. A customer who clicks on Monday and calls on Thursday shows up under Monday. The last few days in your report keep filling in.
How to fix it: judge tracking over a week or more, not a single day.
What if Google Ads shows more conversions than you really got?
That is the opposite problem, and it is just as costly. In our study, 34% of sites loaded the same kind of tag twice, and 14% counted a page view or a button press as a lead. Google then hunts for more people who look, not people who call. Set each lead conversion to count One per click; Google itself suggests “One” for leads (counting options).
A 15-minute check you can do today
- Write down the real calls, forms and bookings you got last month.
- Open Google Ads, go to Goals → Conversions → Summary, and compare the same month.
- Read the status of each conversion action using the table above.
- Open your homepage and contact page with Google Tag Assistant and check that each tag loads once.
- Make sure calls are tracked, and that each lead counts “One”.
If the numbers are far apart, start with causes 1 and 4. They explain most missing leads we see.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Google Ads say “No recent conversions”?
The tracking is installed and Google can see it, but no conversion has been recorded recently. Check that calls and forms are really tracked, then test one real inquiry from your website.
Why are my GA4 conversions not showing in Google Ads?
Usually the key event was never imported, the accounts are not linked, or the imported action is set as secondary. Imported GA4 conversions can also show up later than the Google Ads tag.
How long do Google Ads conversions take to show?
Conversions from the Google Ads tag usually appear within hours. They are reported on the date of the ad click, so recent days keep changing. Google says an action checked with Tag Assistant updates after about 30 minutes.
Should I count taps on my phone number as conversions?
Not as your main lead. Google says that for these taps it can “only track these clicks, not the phone calls themselves” (source). Count real calls by call length instead.
Want a second pair of eyes?
Send us your website and we’ll run the checks from this article on it, free. You get a short list of what’s missing and what to fix first, usually within one business day, and we never ask for passwords. Get a free tracking check or book a short call. You can also see how we set up Google Ads conversion tracking for contractors.
Written by Burhan Abdul Basit, co-founder of Xmerge Solutions. He has worked on Google Ads and conversion tracking for small businesses for five years. Facts checked against Google’s help pages on 29 October 2026.