One of the most important parts of using Google Adwords is being able to track conversions accurately. After you’ve made your selection of keywords, created a compelling ad, and then implemented your Google Adwords campaign, the next step is to start tracking conversions and reviewing the results.

You have the option of simply using your landing page hits and number of sales from a link to analyze your conversions. But it’s also worth looking at the tools Google provide its Adwords users for acquiring conversion data. Here are some tips and guidelines for using Google’s conversion tracking tools.

First, you’ll need to embed your conversion link using JavaScript. If you are using a shopping cart or other type of setup where the buyer receives a confirmation as part of their checkout process, your best bet is to use some JavaScript code that gets sent back to the Google Adwords tracker.

This tool does not show the number of visitors to your site; but it tracks click-throughs on your ads that resulted in a conversion. Once you place the simple code into your website, you can then access the data in the Reports Center of Google Adwords under ‘Campaign Summary’.

The only requirements for installing conversion tracking on your website is that you are running approved Adwords ads on the site, and that the code snippet is placed only on your conversion page. If you’re missing either of these elements, you will not be able to generate accurate data about your Adwords campaign.

You might want to check if the code works by completing a conversion. Just remember that you cannot click on your own ads, as this is a violation of your contract with Google. The conversion tracking reports would be available within 24 hours after a user has clicked your ad and gone through the whole process.

You can still track your conversions if you are using a payment checkout system, like PayPal. PayPal and most other systems offer a conversion confirmation webpage wherein you can insert your Adwords tracking code. You will have a record of all conversions or sales once a customer successfully completes the checkout process.

Authors Sarah Milstein, J.D. Biersdorfer and Mathew McDonald of the book “Google: The Missing Manual”, emphasize the importance of determining your total cost-per-conversion for every campaign at any given time.

This information will tell you the actual costs of generating a sale with your campaign. To calculate this, match the number of conversions with the total cost of campaign for a certain period.