Setting up conversion actions: primary, secondary and value rules

Conversion tracking is the backbone of every high-performing Google Ads account. Yet setting up conversion actions is far more than a technical checklist. The way you configure primary and secondary conversion actions, and whether you apply value rules, directly determines how well the Smart Bidding algorithm can do its job. A misconfiguration leads to distorted bid signals, inflated CPAs and missed growth opportunities. A correct setup, reinforced with Enhanced Conversions and server-side tracking, gives the algorithm exactly the information it needs to achieve your campaign goals. This article explains step by step how to optimally configure conversion actions, when to use value rules, and how AdBrains AI technology automates this entire process.

What are conversion actions and why do they matter so much?

A conversion action is a specific user behaviour that you consider valuable and want to track via Google Ads. Think of a purchase, a form submission, a phone call, a quote request or an app install. Google Ads uses these conversion signals as input for the Smart Bidding algorithm. The more plentiful and reliable those signals are, the better the algorithm can calibrate its bids to reflect the actual value a click delivers.

The fundamental problem many advertisers encounter is assigning too many or the wrong conversion actions as primary signals. If you set both a micro-conversion (such as a page scroll or video view) and a macro-conversion (such as a purchase or lead form) as primary, the algorithm receives conflicting signals. It starts bidding based on lightly-valuable interactions rather than the actual business objective. The result is higher volumes but lower quality and a worse return on your ad spend.

Primary conversion actions: the engine behind Smart Bidding

Primary conversion actions are the conversions that feed directly into the Smart Bidding algorithm. When you set a Target CPA or Target ROAS, Google Ads optimises exclusively for the conversions marked as primary. This makes your choice of primary conversions the single most impactful setting in your entire account.

For an e-commerce store like Elletens.nl, the logical primary conversion action is the completed purchase, triggered on the thank-you page or via a purchase event in the dataLayer. For ToetsJeKennis.nl, which sells online courses and exams at an average order value of around 50 euros, the primary is likewise the completed transaction, including the actual order value per conversion. For lead generation purposes, such as Clima-Active.nl which focuses on quote requests for air conditioning and heat pump installations, the primary conversion action is the submitted contact form or confirmed quote request.

Best practices for primary conversion actions:

• Choose only macro-conversions that directly contribute to your revenue or business goal.
• Set a maximum of two to three primary conversion actions per campaign to avoid signal confusion.
• Pass the actual transaction value with the conversion tag when using Target ROAS.
• Avoid setting micro-conversions (button clicks, scroll depth, newsletter signups) as primary.
• Regularly check whether your primary conversions contain duplicate counts from multiple tags firing on the same action.

A common mistake is enabling account-level conversion goals without considering the campaign-specific context. If all conversions are set as primary at account level, but a particular campaign has a different objective, bidding can go completely off track. Google Ads offers the option to override account settings at campaign level, an option that should be used in most situations.

Secondary conversion actions: reporting without bidding noise

Secondary conversion actions are conversions you want to measure and report on, but that should not influence the Smart Bidding algorithm. They appear in your conversion columns as additional context but have no effect on your bids. This makes secondary conversions ideal for tracking intermediate steps in the customer journey, micro-conversions and interactions that provide valuable insight without representing direct business value.

Examples of suitable secondary conversion actions:

• Visit to a specific category page (e.g. "View e-bike product page" for E-4motion.com)
• Page scroll exceeding 75% on a blog or landing page
• Video view of more than 30 seconds
• Add to cart without completed purchase
• Newsletter signup or e-book download
• Live chat started or chatbot interaction
• Test ride request viewed but not submitted (for E-4motion.com lead gen)

Tracking these interactions as secondary gives you a more complete picture of how users move through your funnel, without confusing the Smart Bidding algorithm. You can also use secondary conversions to decide whether a micro-conversion could eventually be upgraded to primary, for example once you have collected enough data to demonstrate a statistically significant correlation with your macro-conversion.

How AdBrains automates conversion action setup

Most Google Ads agencies configure conversion actions once at account launch and leave them unmanaged thereafter. AdBrains takes a fundamentally different approach. Our own AI technology continuously monitors the quality and integrity of every conversion signal in the account, and intervenes automatically when anomalies are detected.

Our multi-agent verification system works as follows for conversion actions: four independent AI agents evaluate every change to the conversion setup before it is applied. If an agent detects that a micro-conversion has accidentally been set as primary, or that a tag is firing twice on the same page causing duplicate counts, the system blocks the change and automatically generates a remediation recommendation. This prevents the classic mistake where an agency employee or inexperienced advertiser inadvertently corrupts the bidding signals of an entire campaign.

Our AI also manages server-side signal enrichment via our own sGTM infrastructure. This enriches conversion signals with first-party data, such as logged-in user data or CRM information, ensuring that Smart Bidding always has access to the most complete and reliable signal set. Advertisers using Enhanced Conversions combined with server-side tracking see on average 34% more tracked conversions compared to standard client-side tagging, a direct effect on Smart Bidding algorithm quality.

For clients like Clima-Active.nl, where the quality of a quote request matters more than raw volume, our AI feeds CRM data back into the conversion actions. This ensures that only leads above a certain quality threshold count as full primary conversions. The same technique is applied for E-4motion.com to filter test ride requests by genuine purchase intent. This level of continuous, data-driven control is simply not achievable with manual management, even with an experienced team.

Value rules: the next level of conversion measurement

Once you have correctly configured your primary and secondary conversion actions, the next step is applying conversion value rules. Value rules allow you to dynamically adjust the value of a conversion based on specific characteristics of the user, device or location. This is particularly powerful for e-commerce and lead generation campaigns where not every conversion has the same actual business value.

Consider ToetsJeKennis.nl running a campaign for both individual and corporate customers. The average order value for a corporate client purchasing multiple course licences is significantly higher than that of an individual buying a single exam prep. Without value rules, the Smart Bidding algorithm treats both segments as equally valuable. With a value rule, you can automatically multiply the conversion value for business users (identifiable via a corporate email domain or a CRM-based audience list), so the algorithm bids more aggressively for this higher-value segment.

Value rules can be applied across three dimensions:

1. Location: Adjust conversion value based on the user's geographic area. For Clima-Active.nl, leads from regions with higher installation volumes or a higher quote-to-job conversion rate can receive a higher value.
2. Device: Mobile conversions sometimes carry a different actual value than desktop conversions, for example due to a higher bounce rate or a lower average order value. Value rules compensate for this difference automatically.
3. Audience: Users who have previously made a purchase (remarketing audiences) or belong to a specific customer segment can be assigned a higher or lower conversion value.

The power of value rules lies in their combination with Target ROAS. When the algorithm knows that a certain user group structurally represents higher actual value, it automatically adjusts its bids accordingly. You pay more for the right user at the right moment and less for lower-value clicks. This is the essence of a well-configured, data-driven Google Ads campaign in 2026.

Overview: conversion action types and their application

This overview makes it immediately clear why splitting conversion types across primary and secondary is so crucial. Every conversion action has a specific role, and mixing those roles disrupts the bidding signals across your entire campaign.

The conversion signal quality funnel

The concept of a quality funnel helps illustrate why not every measured conversion is equally valuable as Smart Bidding input. Of all the conversions technically tracked, only a smaller proportion is genuinely usable as a high-quality bid signal. That proportion increases as you refine your setup: from correctly splitting primary and secondary, through Enhanced Conversions, to applying value rules based on margin and customer type.

The implication is that conversion setup is not a one-time task. It is an ongoing optimisation process that requires continuous attention. New products, revised landing pages, seasonal promotions or shifts in your customer base can all be reasons to revisit your conversion actions and value rules. Neglecting this means paying too much for the wrong clicks and leaving real growth opportunities on the table.

Frequently asked questions about conversion actions

What is the difference between a primary and secondary conversion action in Google Ads?

A primary conversion action feeds directly into the Smart Bidding algorithm. Google Ads optimises your bids based on these conversions when using Target CPA or Target ROAS. A secondary conversion action is tracked and reported but has no influence on your bids. Secondary conversions are ideal for micro-conversions and customer journey touchpoints you want to monitor without disrupting bidding.

How many primary conversion actions should I set per campaign?

Google Ads technically allows multiple primary conversion actions, but best practice recommends a maximum of two to three per campaign. Each additional primary dilutes the signal and can lead to bidding on less valuable interactions. For most campaigns, one clear macro-conversion as primary is most effective. Only for low-volume campaigns might it be worth activating a second, closely related primary to give the algorithm sufficient data.

When are value rules worth implementing?

Value rules are worthwhile when you observe meaningful differences in the actual value of conversions across audience segments, locations or devices. If your data shows that business customers spend three times as much as individuals, or that leads from certain regions convert to actual jobs at a significantly higher rate, value rules are justified. Without them, Smart Bidding treats all conversions as equal, leading to suboptimal budget allocation. With value rules, you actively steer the algorithm toward your most valuable segments.

How do I know whether my conversion tracking is reliable?

Reliable conversion tracking has several characteristics: no duplicate conversions for the same user action, tags firing consistently at the right moments, data reasonably matching your webshop or CRM transaction records, and no large unexplained fluctuations in tracked conversion numbers. Useful tools include Google Tag Assistant, the diagnostic columns in the Google Ads conversion overview, and a comparison between Google Ads conversions and Analytics goals. Enhanced Conversions and server-side tracking further increase reliability, particularly for users employing ad blockers or cookie restrictions.