Olga Minibaeva Paid Advertising & Lead Generation
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Google Ads Case Study

Conversion Data Was Inflated

Google Ads reported significantly more conversions than the client’s CRM, making campaign performance difficult to trust.

IndustryLocal Services
Focus AreaTracking / GA4
The signal gap Google Ads vs. CRM
282Reported actions 147Qualified leads −48%Fewer in CRM
The Challenge

The account looked healthier than the business reality

Google Ads reported significantly more conversions than the client’s CRM. The campaign looked stronger in the ad account than it did in real business records, which made optimization decisions harder to trust.

Duplicate pathsGA4 imports and direct Google Ads actions were both contributing to reporting.
Optimization signal was unclearThe account could not clearly separate useful lead actions from secondary activity.
Performance looked inflatedReported conversions were higher than the real lead records used by the business.
Data Interpretation

The campaign needed enough conversion data before automated bidding could make informed decisions

The ad account was showing a stronger performance story than the CRM could confirm. Before using the data for optimization, the conversion paths had to be separated and checked against real lead records.

Ad platform totals included actions from more than one tracking path. CRM records gave the cleaner business view of real lead volume. Optimization decisions became safer only after the signal was cleaned up.
Decision rule Only CRM-confirmed qualified leads should guide bidding
Reported vs. Real Two systems were telling different stories. Before cleanup

Google Ads reported significantly more conversions than were actually recorded as qualified leads in HubSpot CRM.

Google AdsReported Conversions
282 Reported
HubSpot CRMActual Qualified Leads
147 Actual
GA4Imported conversion Google AdsWebsite conversion Duplicate reportingSame lead counted twice HubSpot CRMActual qualified leads
What Was Happening

Two conversion paths were counting the same lead

Duplicate conversion paths

The same lead was being counted through more than one conversion path.

A GA4 imported conversion and a direct Google Ads conversion action were both contributing to reporting, creating inflated performance data.

The Result

  • Conversions looked better than reality
  • Bidding optimized toward inflated signals
  • Unclear which actions truly mattered
  • Hard to make confident decisions
What Was Reviewed
GA4 Conversion Events
Google Ads Conversion Actions
Google Tag Manager Setup
Duplicate Conversion Signals
Primary & Secondary Conversion Settings
CRM Lead Counts vs. Ad Platform Reporting

What Was Changed

  • Reviewed and cleaned up conversion actions
  • Separated primary and secondary conversion signals
  • Reduced duplicate or misleading conversion paths
  • Clarified which actions should guide optimization
  • Improved the reporting foundation for future campaign decisions

Results

  • Cleaner reporting between Google Ads and real lead records
  • More reliable bidding data
  • Reduced risk of optimizing toward inflated signals
  • Clearer understanding of which conversions mattered most
Marketing analytics dashboard on a laptop during a tracking review
Key Takeaways

Accurate tracking comes before optimization

Smart bidding is only as strong as the data it receives. If conversion data is inflated, campaign optimization can move in the wrong direction. Accurate tracking is essential before scaling budgets or relying heavily on automation.

Check your tracking before scaling
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