You open a campaign report and see two totals that should match and do not. Conversions says one number, All conversions says a bigger one, and now you are wondering which one is real. It is a fair thing to wonder when the budget is yours and the invoice already arrived.
Neither column is the real one by default, because they answer different questions. Conversions counts the primary actions your campaign is set up to optimize for, such as the leads or sales you chose. All conversions counts those and adds secondary actions and special sources, such as view-through conversions, cross-device conversions, store visits and certain phone calls.
So, which one should you read? That depends on which actions sit in each column, and you can find out in about ten minutes.
Key Takeaways
Conversions counts primary actions the campaign optimizes toward. All conversions adds secondary actions and special sources such as view-through, cross-device, store visits and certain phone calls.
Secondary actions, view-through conversions, cross-device conversions, store visits, some phone calls and goals the campaign does not use can each make All conversions larger.
Goals, Conversions, Summary lists every action with its Primary or Secondary setting. Match those names to your CRM, call log, form notifications and booked jobs.
Make an action Primary when the campaign should optimize toward it and it is a meaningful business outcome. Changing everything to Primary is a way to lose control of bidding.
Conversions counts the primary actions your campaign chases
Google defines the Conversions column as conversions received across primary conversion actions. It may include modeled conversions, which are estimates Google makes where it cannot directly observe every conversion. It is generally the column used for bidding optimization, and Google lays out the definition in its page on understanding your conversion tracking data.
All conversions is broader. Google's definition of All conversions says it includes the data in the Conversions column plus secondary conversion actions and special sources such as view-through conversions, cross-device conversions, store visits and certain phone calls.
The conversions vs all conversions google ads comparison is really a comparison of scope. One is the focused set the campaign steers by. The other is the wider set of everything Google Ads tracked on your behalf.
| Conversions | All conversions | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary actions | Yes, when the campaign uses their goal | Yes |
| Secondary actions | No, unless in a custom goal | Yes |
| View-through conversions | No | Yes |
| Cross-device conversions | No | Yes |
| Store visits | No | Yes, where the account is eligible |
| Certain phone calls | No | Yes |
| Used for bidding | Generally yes | Not generally |
Primary and secondary settings decide which column an action lands in
Every conversion action carries a setting called Primary or Secondary. Google's page on primary and secondary conversion actions says primary actions are reported in Conversions and are eligible for bidding when their goal is used for bidding. Secondary actions are reported in All conversions and are used for observation only, which is why Google labels the setting "observe only".
One detail catches people. A Primary action appears in a campaign's Conversions column only when that campaign is optimizing toward the goal that holds the action. Google's page on conversion goals explains that account-default goals set the standard goals campaigns use, and a campaign can instead use goals chosen for that campaign alone.
So, an action marked Primary can be missing from one campaign's Conversions column and present in another's. Smart Bidding follows the actions in the campaign's selected goals, and Google says secondary actions are not used for bidding unless they are included in a custom goal.
The bigger number is bigger for reasons Google documents
When All conversions runs well ahead of Conversions, Google lists several legitimate causes. You can check each against your own account, and more than one can apply at once.
- Secondary actions: Page views, newsletter signups or other micro-conversions set to observe only.
- View-through conversions: Someone saw your ad, did not interact with it, and converted later. Google covers these in its page on view-through conversions.
- Cross-device conversions: The ad interaction and the conversion happened on different devices or browsers.
- Store visits and store sales: Counted where the account is eligible and has turned those measurements on.
- Certain phone calls: Google includes some calls, such as certain calls from desktop or tablet ads.
Goals the campaign does not optimize toward add to the gap too, and so can modeled or privacy-based measurement, where Google estimates conversions it cannot observe directly. The exact difference depends on your conversion actions, campaign goals, counting settings, attribution, campaign type and account eligibility.
Phone calls deserve their own attention if you run call ads or call extensions. The post on how to track phone calls from Google Ads covers how a call becomes a counted action in the first place.
A ten-minute check in your account shows what each column holds
You do not need an agency to see what is inside either number. In Google Ads, go to Goals, then Conversions, then Summary. You will see each conversion goal and the actions inside it. Write down what Google Ads shows for every action, because the list is the answer to your question.
| Item | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Action name and category | Tells you what is being counted |
| Primary or Secondary | Decides which column it feeds |
| Account-default goal or not | Decides which campaigns use it by default |
| Used by the campaign or not | Decides whether it reaches that campaign's Conversions |
| Source | Website, phone call, imported Analytics event, app, store visit or offline import |
| Counting method | One or Every, which changes how repeat actions add up |
Then open the campaign report, add both Conversions and All conv., and segment by conversion action. Now the two totals break into named actions, and the gap between them points at specific lines.
Match the action names to your own records before you trust either number
A conversion in Google Ads is a tracked action you configured. It can be a form submission, a call, a purchase or a page view, and only some of those are customers. Google's pages define what each column counts. Whether a given conversion was a genuine lead or sale is a separate question, and the answer sits in your own records.
So, make that check yourself. Take the action names from your segmented report and put them next to your CRM records, call logs, form notifications, orders or booked jobs. If the report says 30 form conversions and your inbox holds 12 real inquiries, you have found a question to chase: duplicate tags, repeated events, or an action that fires before a form is actually sent.
The post on how to tell Google Ads which leads became customers covers sending real outcomes back, which is the longer-term fix when raw inquiries and real customers keep diverging.
Decimals, Analytics gaps and a larger total are not reasons to panic
Seeing 0.5 conversions can look like a glitch. Google explains that attribution models can assign fractional credit across interactions, so a conversion may be split. A decimal is not automatically an error.
A gap between Google Ads and Analytics is not automatically a tracking failure either. The two platforms can use different time, attribution, counting and source rules, so their totals can differ even when both are working. Google's page on creating conversions from Google Analytics events is useful if you import Analytics events into Google Ads.
The larger All conversions number is not fake, and the smaller Conversions number is not automatically more accurate. Neither column proves the ads are profitable. Profit shows up in revenue and booked work, which sit in your own records.
Making an action Primary is a bidding decision, so make it on purpose
When you change an action from Secondary to Primary, it can enter the Conversions column and become eligible for bidding, provided the campaign uses its goal. Changing it to Secondary takes it out of the bidding signal while keeping it in All conversions. Google's page on managing conversion goals from the conversions summary shows where. Go to Goals, Conversions, Summary, find the goal, choose Edit goal, and use the Action optimization setting under Conversion action optimization.
The rule of thumb is short. Make an action Primary when you want the campaign to optimize toward it and it represents a meaningful business outcome, such as a booked estimate or a purchase. Leave useful but low-value actions, like page views or newsletter signups, as Secondary so you can still watch them.
Switching every action to Primary makes the Conversions number bigger and the bidding signal vaguer. The campaign will then chase whatever is easiest to produce, and that is rarely what pays your bills. Change one setting at a time and give the account time to settle before you read the results.
Some findings mean the tracking needs repair before the spend can be judged
Sometimes the check turns up something larger than a setting. A low-value action marked Primary is a small job, though it can change bidding. A real lead set to Secondary is also small, followed by a period of monitoring.
Duplicate or wrongly counted events take more, with tag, event and testing work that may need developer access. Matching Google Ads to Analytics means aligning attribution, counting and time rules. Sending qualified leads or closed sales back from a CRM is a larger project, with click identifiers, data handling and an upload process to set up.
A vendor who presents All conversions as the headline result because it is the bigger number is reading the wrong column for a business decision. A useful engagement starts with an audit of actions, goals, tags, counting and CRM matching. That audit may lower the headline count, because low-value actions move to Secondary. A lower number tied to real inquiries is worth more than a bigger one that is not.
Which column are you reading?
Pick an answer to begin.
1. Where does a Secondary conversion action show up in the reports?
2. A form action is marked Primary, but one campaign's Conversions column never shows it. What is a likely reason?
3. A report shows 0.5 conversions. What does Google say can explain it?
Frequently Asked Questions About Conversions vs. All Conversions in Google Ads
Which Google Ads column should I use?
Use Conversions to see how the campaign performs on the primary actions it optimizes toward. Use All conversions to inspect the broader set of tracked actions and special sources. Which matters more depends on which actions your business counts as worth tracking.
Does Smart Bidding use All conversions?
Google says bidding generally uses the actions in the Conversions column for the campaign's selected goals. Secondary actions are not used for bidding unless they are included in a custom goal.
Why is All conversions higher than Conversions?
It can include secondary actions, view-through conversions, cross-device conversions, store visits, certain phone calls and other sources beyond the focused Conversions set. Segment the report by conversion action to see which ones add the difference.
Should every conversion action be Primary?
No. Make an action Primary when you want the campaign to optimize toward it and it represents a meaningful business outcome. Use Secondary for actions you only want to observe.
What does 0.5 conversion mean in Google Ads?
Google explains that attribution models can assign fractional credit across interactions. A half conversion means credit for one conversion was split. It is not automatically a tracking error.
Does a Google Ads conversion equal a sale?
No. A conversion is the tracked action you configured, such as a form submission, a call or a purchase. A form or call may still need qualifying, so compare it with your CRM or booked jobs.
What This Means for You
Conversions shows the actions your campaign optimizes toward, and All conversions adds secondary actions and special sources such as view-through, cross-device, store visits and certain phone calls. Which of those counts are real customers is something only your own records can show. The check takes about ten minutes: list the actions, note Primary or Secondary, see which goals each campaign uses, and match the names to your CRM, calls and bookings.
Once the right actions are Primary and the rest are Secondary, the report starts to read like your business instead of like Google's tracker. Budget calls get easier, agency reports get easier to question, and the campaign gets a clearer target. If you also want more calls from the account, getting more phone calls from Google Ads picks up where the tracking leaves off.
If you would rather have someone audit the account with you, Web Leveling can go through your conversion actions, goals, tags and CRM matching as part of our Google Ads management. If the audit shows tracking needs repair before the spend can be judged, we will say so and fix that first. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas. Contact us about your Google Ads conversion numbers, and we will help you read them.
Terms
Google Ads conversion words in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
Conversion action. A specific action Google Ads tracks, such as a form submission, a phone call or a purchase.
Primary action. A conversion action reported in Conversions and eligible for bidding when its goal is used by the campaign.
Secondary action. An observe-only action reported in All conversions and not used for bidding unless it is in a custom goal.
View-through conversion. A conversion by someone who saw an ad, did not interact with it, and converted later.
Cross-device conversion. A conversion where the ad interaction and the conversion happen on different devices or browsers.
Account-default goal. A standard conversion goal that campaigns use by default unless they are set to use their own goals.
Smart Bidding. Google's automated bidding, which optimizes toward the conversion actions in a campaign's selected goals.
