FAQ
How is conversion rate calculated in Google Ads?
Melvin Salas1 min read
Short answer
Google says conversion rate ('Conv. rate') tells you how often, on average, an ad click or other ad interaction leads to a conversion, and that it's calculated by dividing 'Conversions' by the total eligible interactions (e.g. ad clicks or video ad views).
A worked example, ours and made up: 40 in the Conversions column over 1,000 eligible clicks is 40 divided by 1,000, so a conversion rate of 4%.
The top of the sum is the Conversions column, so the rate only counts the actions that column counts. Google says the data in the Conversions column is used for your bidding strategies, and describes All conversions as the comprehensive view of all actions tracked, regardless of whether they're used directly for bidding.
Google gives All conversion rate ('All conv. rate') as a separate column, one of the related columns with metrics calculated based on your All conversions column instead of Conversions. Our reading: when a campaign tracks secondary actions, the two rates can differ for the same month, so check which one a report is quoting.
The bottom of the sum is eligible interactions, not every click. Google says that for cost per conversion, any clicks that can't be tracked for conversions are removed from the calculation, which is its explanation of eligible interactions there. Our reading: a rate you work out yourself from every click in a report can therefore differ a little from the column.
We check this on every account we run
Riibon ties Meta and Google Ads back to outcomes measured outside the platforms, payments and bookings, so the number a decision rests on is one the business would recognise. When the platform and the business disagree, we show both and say which one we trusted.
Ask the Riibon app what your own account is counting as a conversion. Access starts with a short call: we look at your ads together, then run them for you or set the app up with you.