Thread: Conversion Tracking / Multiple Conversions - Which One Will Be Recorded?

Hi Everyone,

I have currently set up conversion tracking on a website with multiple goals. We have 3 separate goals in place:

1.) User Registration
2.) User Placing an AD for Free
3.) User Placing an AD with Cash Value

Another words there is conversion tracking at each point.

New users will need to register an account with us. This is considered a conversion with $0 value.

Existing users will just login with their account.

They can either sell something for Free with us, at which point conversion tracking code is placed on the "thank you" for your listing page.

Or they can place a cash value ad with us which is tracked with the € value placed in a variable and sent back to Google.

I am wondering which conversion will be tracked?

Will it be?

Only the first conversion (user sign up).
Only the second value (listing an ad).

Or will it track both?

From memory it will only record the first conversion, but since Google recently changed it to set up multiple conversions I'm not sure.

I finally got the answer I needed to this question.

In Adwords, you have a conversion and a transaction.

Conversion is when a user clicks on an ad and visits a page that has the Google conversion code placed on it. 1 conversion is recorded.

If a visitor returns to your website later (through a bookmark) or types your domain in etc.. (Anything but clicks on your ad) and returns to another conversion page.

Say for example: A user buys an IPOD from your store, then returns 7 days later to buy one for their partner this will be recorded as a transaction. So the user will have recorded 1 conversion, but made 2 transactions.

You can easily report on transactions and conversions with Google's report feature.

Only problems that exist are:

- Adwords Cookie Expires in 30 days.
- Some users do not accept cookies (Approx 5% in Ireland).
- If a user clicks on another Ad this will record another conversion instead.

Hope that helps someone.

I've just been playing with adwords and conversion tracking this week. Interesting about it recording conversions and transactions, I didn't know about transactions. I'm using PayPal and it's a bit of a pain with tracking conversions as a lot of visitors don't return to the website after paying through PayPal. There's an auto return but it only seems to work with existing PayPal members, new members have to click a button to return after the payment and many don't use it. Probably not much point tracking conversions with PayPal but I guess it will give some of the picture if not all of it.

Originally Posted by Tom

I've just been playing with adwords and conversion tracking this week. Interesting about it recording conversions and transactions, I didn't know about transactions. I'm using PayPal and it's a bit of a pain with tracking conversions as a lot of visitors don't return to the website after paying through PayPal. There's an auto return but it only seems to work with existing PayPal members, new members have to click a button to return after the payment and many don't use it. Probably not much point tracking conversions with PayPal but I guess it will give some of the picture if not all of it.

Not being that familiar with the PayPal checkout I'm not sure what to suggest. You obviously can't insert your own page with PayPal? or own HTML?

Javascript is stripped out, no doubt?

I guess your other best bet is to try Google Analytics? Is there a specific funnel users go into before purchasing? Might give some indication?

I'm pretty sure you can't add any pages or code on paypals side, just custom header images. You have to rely on a return to your own website after the payment, but unfortunately they don't seem to auto return new sign ups. I am using goals and funnels with analytics but it suffers from the same problem of new paypal users not returning to the final thank you page. I've added some text beside the pay now button to try and encourage people to click the return button but it's not the best really

I know many people working with PayPal with no problems. However, you can find out about other available optins with your bank manager!