What are enhanced conversions?
It works by adding customer details the business already collects. When someone converts, such as making a purchase or filling in a form, the site sends first-party customer data like an email address, phone number, or name and address along with the conversion.
That data is hashed, a one-way scrambling method, before it's used. Google matches the hashed values to signed-in Google accounts, which lets it connect conversions to ad interactions even when cookies aren't available.
How do enhanced conversions work?
- A customer converts. They complete a purchase or form and provide details such as an email address.
- The data is hashed. Customer details are hashed using a standard algorithm before being used for matching.
- Google matches it. The hashed data is compared with hashed data from signed-in Google accounts.
- The conversion is attributed. Matched conversions are connected to the ads the person interacted with.
| Version | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Enhanced conversions for web | Conversions that happen on a website, such as online purchases |
| Enhanced conversions for leads | Leads captured online that convert later, such as in a CRM or sales process |
What is an example of enhanced conversions?
Recovering a cross-device sale
A shopper clicks a search ad on their phone, then buys later on a laptop. Without a shared cookie, the sale may not be connected to the ad.
Because the shopper is signed in to Google and enters the same email at checkout, enhanced conversions can match the hashed email and credit the sale to the ad that drove it.
Enhanced conversions vs. server-side Conversions APIs
| Enhanced conversions | Server-side Conversions APIs | |
|---|---|---|
| What it adds | Hashed customer data on the conversion | A server-to-server path for events |
| Platform | Google Ads | Each ad platform has its own |
| Main benefit | Better matching of conversions to ads | Events reach platforms despite browser limits |
| Relationship | Complementary | Complementary |
Why do enhanced conversions matter?
As cookies become less reliable, platforms rely on first-party data to connect conversions to ads. Enhanced conversions is Google's first-party approach to that problem.
- More observed conversions. Fewer conversions go unattributed because a cookie was missing.
- Better bidding. Google's automated bidding learns from the conversions it can see, so recovering missed ones gives it a fuller picture to bid on.
- Lead quality. The leads version connects ad clicks to outcomes that happen later in sales.
- Consent still matters. Customer data should only be sent in line with consent and privacy policies.
How does Alli do this?
Enhanced conversions is a Google Ads setting configured within a brand's own Google Ads and tagging setup.
Alli Audience Gateway addresses the same underlying problem, signal loss, more broadly. It captures first-party conversion events once and sends them server-to-server to ad platforms' Conversions APIs from one managed implementation, with platform API changes handled for you, so signal holds up across platforms rather than one at a time.
Explore Alli Audience GatewayEnhanced conversions FAQ
Are enhanced conversions privacy safe?
Customer data is hashed before it's used for matching, and Google states it is used only for measurement and matching. Businesses should still send it only in line with consent and their privacy policies.
What is the difference between enhanced conversions and enhanced conversions for leads?
Enhanced conversions for web improves measurement of conversions on a website. Enhanced conversions for leads helps connect online leads to sales that happen later, such as in a CRM.
Do enhanced conversions replace a Conversions API?
No. Enhanced conversions improves how Google matches conversions to ads. Server-side Conversions APIs give each platform a server-to-server path for events. Many advertisers use both approaches.
What data do enhanced conversions use?
First-party customer details collected at conversion, such as email address, phone number, or name and address, hashed before matching.
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