Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads: what’s new?

Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads are going through one of their most significant updates in recent years.

Google is simplifying the structure that previously separated Enhanced Conversions for Web and Enhanced Conversions for Leads, while allowing data to come from multiple sources at the same time.

The core principle remains the same: using user-provided first-party data to recover conversion signals that standard tracking may not observe correctly.

What changes in 2026 is mainly how this data is configured, collected and sent to Google Ads.

For performance teams, this is a good time to review the current setup.

What are Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads?

Enhanced Conversions supplement standard conversion tracking with first-party information collected directly from customers, such as an email address or phone number.

For web conversions, this information is hashed using SHA-256 before being sent to Google and matched against signed-in Google users, helping improve the attribution of conversions to previous ad interactions.

For lead generation, the same logic can connect later offline events with the original interaction. A lead submitted online, for example, may become a customer after a sales conversation or CRM process.

The benefit is a more complete conversion signal, giving Google Ads more information that can also support campaign optimisation and bidding.

Web and lead now converge into a single setting

The most visible change concerns the setup itself.

Starting in April 2026, Google Ads began accepting user-provided data simultaneously from website tags, Google Ads Data Manager and API connections.

Enhanced Conversions for Web and Enhanced Conversions for Leads are also being combined under a single on/off setting.

Existing users are automatically migrated to the unified setup, provided the relevant customer data terms have already been accepted.

For new implementations, Enhanced Conversions can be enabled at account level or for individual conversion actions.

The new structure makes the choice of implementation method more flexible and allows multiple data sources to coexist within the same measurement ecosystem.

What changes with Google Ads Data Manager

The second major development matters particularly for advertisers importing offline conversions or using Enhanced Conversions for Leads.

From 15 June 2026, Google moved these uploads towards the Data Manager API, which becomes the route for current and future offline conversion and Enhanced Conversions for Leads data uploads.

Google Ads Data Manager provides a central place to connect and manage different first-party sources, including CRM and database integrations.

This becomes especially relevant for businesses with longer sales cycles.

Consider someone who submits a form after clicking a Google Ads campaign. The lead enters the CRM and becomes a customer several weeks later.

With the right data connection, Google Ads can also receive the final conversion signal and better understand which campaigns are generating commercial value, beyond the initial form submission.

Why first-party data matters even more

Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads sit within a broader change in digital measurement.

Cookies, browsers, consent requirements and multi-device journeys make it increasingly difficult to observe every conversion through standard tracking alone.

Data collected directly by the brand therefore becomes a more valuable signal.

Email addresses, phone numbers and other information provided by users can help reconnect some conversions to previous advertising interactions, within the methods supported by the platform.

A stronger set of observable conversion signals can also provide Google’s automated systems with better inputs for measurement, modelling and bidding.

This makes data quality particularly important.

An outdated CRM, poorly configured conversion actions or incomplete information can feed weak signals into a platform where bidding and automation increasingly rely on the quality of those inputs.

Enhanced Conversions and bidding: what is the connection?

The update also matters for Smart Bidding.

Strategies such as Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximise Conversions and Maximise Conversion Value use conversion data to make decisions at auction time.

Better visibility into which interactions generate results gives the system a more complete foundation for optimisation.

The technical setup is only one part of the process.

Advertisers also need to decide which conversions should guide bidding, how different actions should be valued and whether the imported signal actually represents the commercial objective.

For a lead generation business, for example, a form submission and a signed contract represent very different levels of value.

Bringing the second event into Google Ads helps optimise towards lead quality alongside volume.

What to check in your account

The update is a useful opportunity to audit the tracking already in place.

In particular, check:

• whether Enhanced Conversions are active and correctly diagnosed;
• which conversion actions receive user-provided data;
• whether tags, Data Manager, CRM and APIs are sending consistent information;
• which conversions are being used as primary bidding goals;
• whether offline uploads follow the new Data Manager API flow.

Accounts that have already been migrated may not require a manual change.

The audit still matters because it shows which data is actually reaching the platform and whether those signals are reliable enough to support optimisation.

Privacy and consent remain part of the setup

Using first-party data also requires careful management of privacy and consent.

Google allows Enhanced Conversions to use information customers have shared directly with the business and requires advertisers to comply with applicable privacy laws, obtain consent for third-party sharing where required and follow the EU User Consent Policy where applicable.

There are also specific restrictions.

Conversions connected to sensitive categories, including health or medical information, political affiliation, religious beliefs, sexual orientation and other protected information, cannot be used for Enhanced Conversions measurement.

Privacy therefore needs to be considered from the design stage of the tracking setup, alongside tags, CRM and data infrastructure.

Enhanced Conversions and server-side tracking

Enhanced Conversions also fit into a broader first-party measurement strategy.

For businesses with more complex setups, they should be considered alongside technologies such as server-side tracking, Google Tag Manager and Data Manager.

Each tool covers a different part of data collection and activation, while the shared goal is to build measurement that is more stable and controllable.

The setup should therefore start with a clear conversion map: which events are collected, where the data originates, which systems receive it and which signals ultimately reach Google Ads for campaign optimisation.

In summary: a simpler setup, with more attention required on data quality

The 2026 updates make Enhanced Conversions in Google Ads easier to manage at account level and more flexible in accepting data simultaneously from tags, Data Manager and APIs.

The convergence of web and lead reduces some of the previous fragmentation, while the move towards the Data Manager API strengthens the role of first-party integrations and CRM data.

For advertisers, the value depends heavily on implementation quality.

Consistent conversions, accurate first-party data and clearly defined goals give the platform stronger signals for measurement, attribution and bidding.

The key check in 2026 therefore starts with tracking and reaches all the way to the business objective: understanding which conversions are being sent to Google Ads.

And whether they truly represent the value the campaigns should optimise towards.