How to Get Enhanced Conversions and First-Party Data Right
Google Ads features that send hashed first-party data, such as the email address or phone number a customer entered, to match conversions to ad clicks more accurately.
Samir Haddad
Where most projects go wrong
The usual mistakes:
- Sending unhashed personal data
- Enabling it without checking consent requirements
- Double-counting conversions from both web and offline imports
- Ignoring match-rate warnings in the diagnostics
What good looks like instead
- Confirm your privacy policy and consent flow cover this use of data
- Normalize email addresses and phone numbers before hashing
- Test the setup with the diagnostics in Google Ads
- Upload offline conversions promptly for lead-based businesses
- Compare conversion counts before and after enabling
Why it matters
Cookie restrictions and consent choices leave gaps in conversion tracking, and enhanced conversions recover part of that measurement using data the customer already provided.
The specs that matter
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Data sent | hashed first-party data such as email address, phone number or name and address |
| Hashing | SHA-256, applied before the data is sent to Google |
| Enhanced conversions for web | supplements existing conversion tags on the site |
| Enhanced conversions for leads | matches offline sales to ad clicks using hashed lead data |
| Policy | use must follow Google's customer data policies and applicable law |
Knowing when to hand it over
Tip: Bring in help when conversion tracking has dropped after consent changes, when leads close offline, or when legal review of data sharing is needed.
Where this comes from
- Google Ads Help — About enhanced conversions
- Google Ads Help — About enhanced conversions for leads
The figures and practices above come from the sources listed.
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