If you run Google Ads, your conversion tags tell Google when a sale or lead happens on your site. Enhanced conversions are an add-on to those existing tags: they send hashed customer details so Google can match a conversion back to an ad interaction.
Enhanced conversions add hashed first-party data (email, name, address, phone) to your conversion tags, and Google matches it to signed-in Google accounts that engaged with your ads[1]. You set it up through the Google tag, Google Tag Manager or the Google Ads API, then check that the data is arriving[2][3][4].
One thing before we start. Google says the settings for enhanced conversions are changing in 2026[1]. So this post describes the options and requirements, not click paths. Check the live Google Ads screen for where things sit today.
What enhanced conversions send
A normal conversion tag tells Google Ads that something happened on your site, such as a purchase or a lead form. Enhanced conversions add customer data that you already collect when the conversion happens[1].
The data types Google lists are:
- Email address
- Name
- Home address
- Phone number
Google then matches the hashed data against signed-in Google accounts that engaged with your ads[1]. It’s your own first-party data, meaning information customers gave you directly, rather than something bought or inferred.
How hashing works
Hashing turns a value into a scrambled string using a one-way function. Google’s enhanced conversions use SHA256[2][3]. You can’t reverse it to read the original email. Google calls this approach privacy safe[5]. That’s Google’s wording, so don’t describe it to customers or colleagues as anonymisation.
Before hashing, the data has to be tidy, because two slightly different versions of the same email produce completely different hashes. Google normalises it: it trims whitespace, lowercases text and expects phone numbers in E.164 format[2][3]. E.164 is the international format, with a plus sign, country code and number and no spaces or brackets.
You have two choices on how the data arrives[2][3]:
- Send it unhashed and let Google hash it for you.
- Hash it yourself with SHA256 before sending.
If you hash it yourself, do the cleaning first. Trim and lowercase, then hash. Hashing messy data gives you a valid-looking string that matches nothing.
Which data you need to send
You don’t have to send everything. Google sets some pairing rules[2][3]:
- Email is the preferred field.
- At least one of email or address is required.
- A phone number must be paired with an email, or with a name and address.
- An address needs first name, last name, postal code and country.
In practice, if your checkout collects email, send it. Add name and address if you hold them in full. A phone number on its own won’t do the job, and an address missing a postal code won’t count as an address.
Tip
Look at what your checkout or form actually captures before you plan the setup. If you only ask for a phone number on a lead form, enhanced conversions won’t work until you also collect an email.
The setup methods Google lists
Google documents three routes. Which one fits depends on how your site and tracking are built.
Google tag
If your conversion tracking runs on the Google tag directly, Google has a dedicated setup guide for enhanced conversions[2]. It’s the simplest route when you don’t use a tag manager.
Google Tag Manager
If you manage tags through Google Tag Manager, Google has a separate guide for that setup[3].
Google Ads API
The API route is for developers who send the data from their own systems rather than from a tag on the page[4]. It works differently, so it has its own section below.
How the data is collected on your site
For the tag-based methods, Google lists several ways to collect the customer data[2][3]:
- Automatic detection: Google looks for the customer data on your page for you.
- CSS selectors or JavaScript variables: you point Google at the exact fields or values that hold the data.
- Code snippet: you add code that passes the data to the tag.
Automatic detection is the lowest effort, but it only works as well as your page structure allows. If your checkout is built in an unusual way, or the confirmation page doesn’t show the email, selectors, variables or a snippet give you more control. Pick the option that matches how reliably your page exposes the data, then test it (more on that below).
The API route in plain terms
With the Google Ads API, the order of events matters[4]. First, you record the conversion with a normal tag. Then you send the hashed customer data over HTTPS, up to 24 hours later. Use the transaction ID to avoid duplicates[4]. The transaction ID is the unique order reference you pass with each conversion, so Google can tie the follow-up data to the original conversion.
For personal data sent this way, or by file upload, you hash it with SHA256. Geographic fields such as country and postal code should not be hashed[5]. That’s an easy mistake to make when you hash every field in a loop.
Watch out
Always include the transaction ID with the follow-up data. It’s what ties the data to the original conversion instead of leaving room for a duplicate[4].
Consent, terms and privacy
Collection only starts after you accept the terms for enhanced conversions[2][3]. If you’ve been waiting for data to show up and nothing has, check that someone has accepted them.
Consent is its own topic. If you use Consent Mode, the ads cookie follows the ad_storage setting[2][3]. Consent Mode is Google’s mechanism for adjusting tag behaviour based on the choice a visitor makes in your cookie banner. For the EEA and UK, Google recommends using a consent framework that works with Consent Mode[6].
On what Google does with the data: Google says it won’t share your enhanced conversion data with other advertisers[5]. This isn’t legal advice. Whether your privacy notice, consent banner and data collection meet the law is a question for whoever advises you on data protection.
What to check before you switch it on
- Your data. Does your confirmation page or form actually capture email, or a full address with first name, last name, postal code and country?
- Your tag setup. Know whether conversions run through the Google tag, Google Tag Manager or the API, and follow the matching guide.
- Your collection method. Decide between automatic detection, CSS selectors or JavaScript variables, or a code snippet.
- Your consent setup. Check your banner and Consent Mode settings, especially if you advertise in the EEA or UK.
- The terms. Make sure they’ve been accepted in Google Ads.
- The current screen. Settings are changing in 2026[1], so work from what you see in your account, not an old screenshot.
How to check enhanced conversions are working
Don’t trust that it works because the setting is on. Test it.
Open your confirmation page in a browser with the developer tools open and go to the Network tab. Complete a test conversion and look for a request that carries an em parameter whose value starts with tv.1~em[2][3]. That tells you hashed email data is being sent along with the tag.
Then check diagnostics in Google Ads. Google’s pages mention about 48 to 72 hours for diagnostics to appear, and the two pages word this a little differently[2][3]. If the reports are empty after a day, that’s normal. Wait for the window before you change anything, then fix whatever the diagnostics flag.
Tip
Run your test with a real-looking email in the correct format. A typo such as a missing @ won’t produce the data you expect to see.
FAQs
What are enhanced conversions in Google Ads?
They’re an addition to your existing conversion tags that sends hashed first-party customer data, such as email, name, address and phone, to Google. Google matches it to signed-in Google accounts that engaged with your ads[1]. Your ordinary conversion tracking stays in place.
Is the data hashed before it’s sent?
Which customer data do I have to send?
Should I use the Google tag or Google Tag Manager?
Do enhanced conversions work with Consent Mode?
Does Google share my enhanced conversion data with other advertisers?
Google says it won’t share your data with other advertisers[5]. Read Google’s policy page for the full wording of how it uses the data.
Where to go from here
Check what data your checkout or lead form really captures, pick the method that matches your tag setup, and test with a real conversion before you trust the reports. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on your conversion tracking, you can see how we work on Google Ads at https://oxfordimpulse.com/google-ads/ .
Sources
- Google Ads Help: About enhanced conversions for web support.google.com
- Google Ads Help: Set up enhanced conversions for web using the Google tag support.google.com
- Google Ads Help: Set up enhanced conversions for web using Google Tag Manager support.google.com
- Google Ads Help: About enhanced conversions for web in the Google Ads API support.google.com
- Advertising Policies Help: How Google uses enhanced conversion data support.google.com
- Google Ads Help: Enhanced conversions best practices support.google.com
