GrowloomGoogle Ads enhanced conversions and consent mode: what they do and how to set them up
In this article 9 sections
If your ad platform reports fewer sales than your store, the gap is rarely a mystery. Cookies are blocked or cleared, visitors decline tracking, shoppers switch devices and some orders are completed where a tag cannot see them. Google offers two settings that address different parts of this: enhanced conversions, which improve how conversions are matched, and consent mode, which makes tags respect each visitor's consent choice. This guide explains both, how they fit together and how to set them up responsibly.
Why conversions go missing
- Browsers and blockers limit cookies and tracking scripts.
- Consent choices mean some visitors decline tracking, which is their right.
- Device switching: someone clicks an ad on a phone and buys on a laptop.
- Offsite steps: payments or form submissions complete somewhere the tag does not run.
Before you add anything advanced, make sure the basics work: correct purchase events, values and currency. Start with our GA4 setup guide and Google's own guide to conversion measurement.
What enhanced conversions do
Enhanced conversions send hashed, first-party customer data from your site to Google when someone converts. The data is things you already collect at checkout or on a lead form, such as an email address, name, address or phone number. It is hashed with SHA-256, a one-way method, before it leaves your site, so it is not sent in readable form. Google uses it to match the conversion to signed-in Google accounts that engaged with your ads. It supplements your existing conversion tag rather than replacing it. Google describes the feature in its guide to enhanced conversions.
In practice this can recover conversions that a cookie alone would miss, which gives bidding more accurate data to learn from.
What consent mode does
Consent mode passes the visitor's consent status from your cookie banner or consent platform to Google, and Google's tags adjust their behaviour to match. It does not provide a banner itself. When consent is denied, tags do not store cookies and can send cookieless signals instead. Google explains this in its page on consent mode.
| Signal | What it controls |
|---|---|
| analytics_storage | Whether analytics cookies are set or read |
| ad_storage | Whether advertising cookies are written or read |
| ad_user_data | Whether user data can be sent to Google for advertising |
| ad_personalization | Whether ads can be personalised |
| ads_data_redaction | Whether ad-click identifiers are redacted when ad storage is denied |
Basic or advanced consent mode?
| Basic | Advanced | |
|---|---|---|
| When tags load | Blocked until the visitor consents | Load first and adjust to the consent choice |
| If consent is denied | No data is sent | Cookieless signals are sent |
| Modelling | Limited, because less data reaches Google | Google can model some conversions from the cookieless signals |
| Best for | Sites that must block tags until consent | Sites that want more complete measurement within their consent rules |
Which one is right depends on the laws that apply to you and your legal advice. Region-specific rules matter: many sites set a restrictive default only for the regions that require it.
How they fit together
Enhanced conversions improve matching, and consent mode respects consent. They are complementary, but neither replaces permission. You still need a lawful basis to collect and use customer data, a privacy policy that explains it and a banner or consent platform that records choices. Your use of customer data must also follow Google's customer data policies.
A setup checklist
- Fix base tracking first. Purchase events, values and currency must be right before you add anything.
- Decide what customer data you are allowed to use, and make sure your privacy policy covers it.
- Choose a setup method: the Google tag or Tag Manager, a server-side setup or the Google tag gateway. Smaller stores often start with Tag Manager.
- Turn on enhanced conversions for your purchase and lead conversion actions, and map the email, phone and address fields from your confirmation page or form.
- Check the diagnostics Google shows for the conversion action to confirm data is arriving and matching.
- Set up a consent platform and connect it to consent mode, with defaults that fit each region you serve.
- Test with the preview tools in Tag Manager, once with consent granted and once with it denied, and confirm tags behave as expected.
- Compare over several weeks. Look at reported conversions against store orders. Expect an improvement in matching, not an exact match.
Mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Turning on enhanced conversions with wrong purchase data | You improve matching of bad numbers | Correct the base conversion first |
| Treating consent mode as a banner | No consent is collected, only signals passed on | Use a consent platform that feeds the signals |
| Sending data you have no right to use | Policy and legal risk | Collect and send only what your privacy policy and consent cover |
| Not testing the denied state | Tags may still store cookies or break | Test both consent states |
| Expecting a perfect match with your store | Disappointment and wasted time | Look for a smaller, stable gap |
How Growloom can help
We set up and audit tracking for Google Ads, GA4 and Meta as part of our analytics and tracking service, including consent setups that fit the regions you sell in. For the Meta side, read our Conversions API guide, and see the analytics and measurement guides for the rest of the stack.
Frequently asked questions
What are enhanced conversions in Google Ads?
Enhanced conversions send hashed, first-party customer data such as an email address or phone number from your site to Google when someone converts. Google uses it to match the conversion to signed-in accounts that engaged with your ads, supplementing your existing conversion tag.
Is customer data sent to Google in readable form?
No. The data is hashed with SHA-256, a one-way method, before it leaves your site. You still need a lawful basis to collect and use it, and your use must follow Google's customer data policies.
What is consent mode?
Consent mode passes a visitor's consent choices from your consent banner to Google's tags so they adjust their behaviour. When consent is denied, tags do not store cookies and can send cookieless signals. It does not collect consent itself.
Do I need both enhanced conversions and consent mode?
They solve different problems. Enhanced conversions improve how conversions are matched. Consent mode makes tags respect consent. Many stores benefit from both, but each depends on correct basic tracking and proper consent practices.
Sources and further reading
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