Question from Reddit:
So, I’m handling an google ads account for lead generation, where the campaign have custom conversion goals instead of default account
Let me break down the conversions, 2 are primary; submit lead form and calls from ads & 2 are secondary WhatsApp from Landing page and calls from landing page.
Now, all 4 are grouped and created a custom conversion ( using all 4 conversion actions), and currently active on campaigns.
Now, I’m more into knowing that, does it creates any difference in term of conversions?
Do we get to see more secondary conversions in the campaigns or it would be equal as when we only focusing by default goals? Lead form submissions and calls from ads!
Answer from Nabil:
The short answer is:
No, Google Ads does not prioritize your Secondary conversion actions over your Primary ones simply because you grouped them into a Custom Goal.
The distinction between Primary and Secondary only determines which conversion actions are used for Bidding and which are included in the Conversions column for reporting.
When you create a Custom Goal and assign it to a campaign, Google Ads uses all conversion actions marked as Primary within that Custom Goal for bidding and for populating the main Conversions column.
Any conversion actions marked as Secondary are excluded from the main Conversions column and therefore are not used for bidding in Smart Bidding strategies, regardless of whether they are in a Custom Goal or not.
To ensure your campaign accurately optimizes for your highest-value leads, you should use the Google Ads API alongside a server-side solution like Stape to control exactly which conversion actions are marked as Primary/Secondary, and even assign custom conversion values to each lead type.
The long answer is:
This is a nuanced but crucial point in Google Ads: the functionality of a Custom Goal is primarily to control which specific conversion actions are used by a particular campaign, but it does not override the fundamental Primary vs. Secondary setting for each individual conversion action.
The Primary/Secondary setting is the master switch that dictates reporting and bidding behavior.
Since your Custom Goal includes both your two Primary actions (submit lead form, calls from ads) and your two Secondary actions (WhatsApp from Landing page, calls from landing page), the campaign’s main Conversions column and any Smart Bidding strategy will only include the two Primary actions.
You will not see an increase in the reporting or bidding focus on the Secondary conversions unless you manually change their setting from Secondary to Primary.
If your goal is for the campaign to optimize for all four lead types, all four must be marked as Primary conversion actions within your account.
If your goal is simply to see all four in a single reporting column, you must use the All conversions column or create a Custom Column.
To gain true control and avoid the limitations of the Google Ads interface, the best long-term solution is to implement a server-side tracking and management system using the Google Ads API and a tool like Stape or Google Cloud Platform.
You would use Google Tag Manager on the client side to capture the initial lead data for all four conversion types.
Instead of relying on the standard GA4-to-Google Ads import or GTM’s web container, you send the lead data (the event) to your server container.
From the server, you then use the Google Ads API to fire each lead type as a distinct conversion event, allowing you to bypass the manual interface settings.
More importantly, you can use the Google Ads API to dynamically set a Conversion Value for each event.
For instance, you could assign submit lead form a value of $50 and calls from ads a value of $80.
By assigning values, you transform your optimization from a simple count of all Primary conversions to a Smart Bidding strategy focused on maximizing Conversion Value, ensuring the algorithm naturally prioritizes your higher-quality leads without needing to manually toggle Primary and Secondary labels.
This approach provides the flexibility and granular control necessary for sophisticated lead generation management.
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