Google Ads Conversions Not Recording? 6 Causes and How to Fix Them

Last checked 3 October 2026 against Google's documentation. By Muhammed Abdul Kalam. Data loss

Quick fix

Google Ads conversions not recording usually comes down to the tag. Open Summary in the Goals menu and read the conversion action's status: Misconfigured means a setup error or broken tag. Run a test conversion with Tag Assistant, make sure the Google tag is on every page, then allow 3-24 hours for reporting.

Read the status of the conversion action under Summary in the Goals menu.
Check the Google tag is on every page, including any new domain or thank-you page.
Run a test conversion with Google Tag Assistant.
Check the action is set to Primary.

Can't fix it yourself? Send me the details

What this error means

Google Ads records a conversion when the conversion tag fires on your site after someone clicks an ad. If the tag is missing, broken or misconfigured, or nobody has converted yet, the count stays at zero. The status column tells you which.

Google uses Misconfigured when conversions have stopped recording entirely because of a setup error or a broken tag.

Why it happens

1The tag is missing or broken

The Google tag isn't on every page, or it was lost when you moved to a new domain or thank-you page. Google marks the action Misconfigured when a broken tag stops recording entirely.

How to tell if this is you: The status is Misconfigured, or Tag Assistant finds no tag on the conversion page.

2Tag Manager is set up wrong

The conversion linker or conversion tags aren't firing on the right triggers. Auto-created goals also can't be mapped to Tag Manager conversion tags.

How to tell if this is you: You use Google Tag Manager and can't find a Conversion Label for the action.

3It's too new or too quiet

Awaiting conversions means none in the last 7 days, usually because the action is under 48 hours old, campaigns are paused or traffic is too low.

How to tell if this is you: The status is Awaiting conversions.

4The action isn't primary

Conversion actions need to be set to Primary to count in the Conversions column used for bidding.

How to tell if this is you: The action shows Secondary, or only appears in All conversions.

5Call conversions have too high a threshold

If the minimum call length is set too high, short calls won't count as conversions.

How to tell if this is you: You track calls and the minimum call length is long.

6Your test conversion bypassed an ad click

Test conversions in Tag Manager preview mode, or by going straight to the conversion page without an ad click, may not show in Google Ads.

How to tell if this is you: You tested by visiting the thank-you page directly.

How to fix it

Read the status

Open the conversions summary.Goals then Summary
Click the status of the action to see its alerts and next steps.

Fix the tag

For: The tag is missing or broken, Tag Manager is set up wrong, Your test conversion bypassed an ad click

Hover over the status and select Troubleshoot to open Tag Assistant.
Enter a landing page or home page URL, not the conversion page, then click through to complete the conversion.
Make sure the Google tag is installed on every page, including new domains and thank-you pages.
In Tag Manager, check the conversion linker and conversion tags fire on the correct triggers.
If the action was created automatically, create a manual conversion action so you get a Conversion ID and Label for Tag Manager.
Test properly: click one of your ads, then complete the conversion on your site.

Fix settings

For: The action isn't primary, Call conversions have too high a threshold, It's too new or too quiet

Set the conversion action to Primary if it should count for bidding.
For call conversions, lower a minimum call length that is set too high.
Make sure campaigns are active and sending traffic to the conversion pages.

How long it takes

Tag Assistant updates verified actions in Google Ads after approximately 30 minutes, and conversion reports can take 3-24 hours to catch up.

How to stop it happening again

Check the tag after every site change, domain move or new thank-you page.
Review conversion statuses under Summary in the Goals menu regularly.
Use manual conversion actions when you track through Tag Manager.

From my desk

The first question I ask is what changed on the site, such as a theme update, a new checkout, a consent banner or a plugin. Tracking tends to break at those points. Then I check the tag still fires on the thank you page and that the right conversion action is in use.

Muhammed Abdul Kalam

When to get help

Smart Bidding is optimising on conversion data you no longer trust.
The tag is installed through a platform, theme or tag manager setup you did not build and cannot safely change.
You've followed the steps and the status still won't change.

Stuck on this? Send me the details.Tell me what the platform shows and what you've tried so far.

Send me the details

FAQs

Why are my Google Ads conversions showing zero?

Either the tag isn't firing (status Misconfigured) or there haven't been conversions yet (Awaiting conversions, usually a new action, paused campaigns or low traffic).

How long do Google Ads conversions take to show?

Reports can take 3-24 hours to catch up. Google Ads also attributes conversions to the date of the click, not the date of the conversion.

Why don't my test conversions show in Google Ads?

Test conversions in Tag Manager preview mode, or made by going straight to the conversion page without an ad click, may not appear. Test by clicking one of your ads.

Why are my Google Ads conversions in decimals?

Fractional conversions are expected with the data-driven attribution model.

What does Misconfigured mean on a conversion action?

Conversions have stopped recording entirely because of a setup error or a broken tag. Hover over the status for the steps to fix it.