Is enhanced conversions for leads the same as offline conversion import?

It is an upgrade of it. Offline conversion import matches sales by click ID. Enhanced conversions for leads adds hashed email, phone or address to improve accuracy.

Do I still need the GCLID?

Google recommends sending it whenever you have it. It is required if no tag collects the customer's details on your site.

Can I upload through the Google Ads API?

Only if your API access sent offline conversion uploads between 17 December 2025 and 15 June 2026. Otherwise, use the Data Manager API.

What goal should the imported action use?

Google recommends "Qualified lead" or "Converted lead".

What are enhanced conversions for leads?

By Tom Claydon, Co-founder, Nudge · Updated 3 Nov 2026

Enhanced conversions for leads lets Google Ads count sales that happen after the click, such as a signed contract or a qualified lead. Your website form collects an email or phone number. When the lead later becomes a sale, you import it with the same email or phone. It is hashed before Google matches it. Google matches the two and credits the right campaign. Google calls it "an upgraded version of offline conversion import".

How is it different from enhanced conversions for web?

	Enhanced conversions for web	Enhanced conversions for leads
Measures	Sales and events that happen on your website	Sales that happen off your website, from website leads
Data sent	Hashed details at the moment of conversion	Hashed details from the form, then again with the offline import
Typical use	Online shop checkout	Enquiry form, then a sale by phone or in person

What changed in 2026?

April 2026: Google said Google Ads would accept customer data "from website tags, Data Manager and API connections" at the same time, so you no longer pick one method.
June 2026: Google said web and leads would be combined into "a single feature with a simple on/off switch". Most of Google's Help pages now say the two "are now combined into a single on/off setting", though its update page still says "will soon be combined". Existing users who had accepted the customer data terms are to be moved over automatically.
15 June 2026: Google moved these uploads to the Data Manager API. Google Ads API uploads fail for API access (developer tokens, since replaced by Google Cloud projects) that sent no offline conversion uploads between 17 December 2025 and 15 June 2026. New setups should use the Data Manager API.

What do you need before you start?

A lead form that collects an email address, a phone number, or both. Google recommends email because it is unique and "isn't prone to being reformatted in your CRM". A phone number needs a country code.
Auto-tagging switched on.
A CRM or spreadsheet that records which leads became sales, with the same email or phone.
Acceptance of Google's customer data terms. If a manager account tracks your conversions, the terms must be accepted there.

How do you set it up?

Turn on form capture in the Google tag. Open the Google tag settings, then Manage automatic event detection, and enable "Form interactions".
Create an offline conversion action. Goals, then Summary, then Create conversion action. Tick "Conversions offline", add your data source (a CRM, file or other source, then Track conversions from clicks), and choose "Qualified lead" or "Converted lead" as the goal. Then tick the box to turn on enhanced conversions for leads.
Accept the customer data terms. Goals, then Settings, then Customer data terms.

Then import your sales. Google Ads Data Manager connects to sources including Salesforce, HubSpot, Google Sheets, BigQuery and file uploads. Google says file sources such as SFTP and Google Sheets import conversions "from 90 days ago in every run".

What should each imported sale include?

Required:

Email, phone number or address (at least one)
Conversion action name, for example "lead qualified"
Conversion time

Recommended:

Google click ID (GCLID). Google says it is required "if you are not using a tag to collect user-provided data", and recommends sending it either way
Order ID, to help control duplicates
Conversion value and currency
Consent. Google says leaving it empty "may result in conversions that are not attributable"

How do you know it is working?

Check the conversion action's status in Goals, then Summary, and the enhanced conversions diagnostics report. Google says common problems are "missing or incorrectly formatted user-provided data, or incorrect in-page code implementation".

Why does this matter for bidding?

Our rule: don't let Smart Bidding chase raw form fills, which include spam and poor leads. Import qualified leads or sales and make that the primary goal, so bidding learns which searches bring real business. Check the imported action is set to primary before you rely on it. See Google Ads conversions not tracking.

How do you check this across accounts?

With Google Ads connected to Claude, ask: "List every conversion action with its status, category, primary or secondary, and source, and flag accounts that bid only to form submissions." Nudge reads conversion actions on any connected account when you ask in Claude. It cannot install a tag or set up an import.

Questions

Is enhanced conversions for leads the same as offline conversion import?: It is an upgrade of it. Offline conversion import matches sales by click ID. Enhanced conversions for leads adds hashed email, phone or address to improve accuracy.
Do I still need the GCLID?: Google recommends sending it whenever you have it. It is required if no tag collects the customer's details on your site.
Can I upload through the Google Ads API?: Only if your API access sent offline conversion uploads between 17 December 2025 and 15 June 2026. Otherwise, use the Data Manager API.
What goal should the imported action use?: Google recommends "Qualified lead" or "Converted lead".

Sources

All read on 3 November 2026, Google Ads Help:

Configure the Google tag for enhanced conversions for leads: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/11021502
Updates to your enhanced conversions settings: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16884284
Your guide to upgrading offline conversion imports: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15479486
About enhanced conversions: support.google.com/google-ads/answer/9888656

Google Ads API documentation:

Upload offline conversions: developers.google.com/google-ads/api/docs/conversions/upload-offline