Aviary Conversion Tracking & Testing Strategy

Overview

Aviary's Google Ads account spent ~$800 with zero recorded conversions. The root cause is unconfirmed: conversion tracking infrastructure (GTM, HubSpot forms, Calendly) appears to be in place, but no one has validated that it actually fires. Until tracking is confirmed, the account cannot move beyond "Maximize Clicks" bidding, and all performance data is unreliable.

This article documents the tracking setup, the testing protocol assigned to Sebastian, and the decision logic for what comes next.

Conversion Events Being Tracked

Two primary conversion actions are configured in Google Ads:

Both are set as primary conversions, meaning Google uses them for bidding optimization. If neither fires, the account is effectively bidding blind.

The audit identified two likely failure modes:
1. GTM triggers not firing on form submit — the tag may be configured but not actually executing.
2. No one converting — traffic is sent to the homepage, which is not conversion-oriented, so real users may simply be bouncing.

Testing Protocol

Sebastian is responsible for manually triggering and verifying both conversion types.

Step 1 — Test from a Direct Website Visit

1. Open an incognito window (to avoid polluting analytics with a known session).
2. Navigate to the Aviary website directly (not via an ad).
3. Book a meeting via the Calendly embed. Use a name like "Sebastian Test" so Aaron can identify and cancel it.
4. Wait ~10 minutes.
5. Submit the HubSpot lead form with test data.
6. Repeat each action 3 times total.
7. Notify Aaron that these are test submissions — not real leads.

Step 2 — Test from an Ad Click

1. In an incognito window, search for one of Aviary's active keywords.
2. If the ad appears, click the ad (this sets the Google Click ID cookie needed for ad-attributed conversion tracking).
3. Complete a form fill or meeting booking from that session.
4. This validates the full attribution path: ad click → landing → conversion → Google Ads.

Step 3 — Verify in Google Ads & GA

After completing the above, check:
- Google Ads → Conversions — look for the test events appearing within 24–48 hours.
- Google Analytics — confirm the events are firing in GA as well.

If conversions appear: tracking is working. The zero-conversion problem is a traffic/landing page issue.
If conversions do not appear: GTM is broken. Escalate to fix tag configuration before spending more on ads.

Why This Matters for Bidding Strategy

The account is currently on Maximize Clicks because Google requires a minimum conversion history before allowing performance-based bidding strategies (Target CPA, Maximize Conversions). Once conversions are confirmed and accumulating, the account can graduate to a smarter bidding strategy.

Current state:   Maximize Clicks (bidding blind)
Target state:    Maximize Conversions → Target CPA
Blocker:         Zero verified conversions

Related Context

• The Discovery campaign was paused during this review session — it was generating consumer traffic (e.g., "voice AI generator" queries) rather than B2B leads, wasting ~$169 in 90 days. See ^[1] for full campaign history.
• All ad traffic was previously pointed at the homepage, which is not conversion-optimized. Landing pages are in development; ad destination URLs must be updated once they go live. Sebastian is responsible for that update.
• A Display Remarketing campaign ($5/day, 680-visitor audience) was launched in this session. It also depends on conversion tracking to eventually optimize toward converters.
• The advertiser verification (Blessing's driver's license, front and back) must be completed separately — this is a Google account-level requirement unrelated to tracking but blocking full account functionality.

Action Items

• [ ] Sebastian — Complete 3 form fills + 3 meeting bookings (at least 1 of each via ad click); notify Aaron; verify results appear in Google Ads and GA.
• [ ] Sebastian — Once landing pages are live, update all campaign destination URLs away from the homepage.
• [ ] Sebastian — Request Blessing's driver's license (front + back) for advertiser verification.

See Also

• ^[1]
• ^[2]
• ^[3]