Why it happens
Counting every fill vs one contact
Counting every fill vs one contact
A Google Ads lead action set to Every counts each form submit. HubSpot keeps one contact per email, so the same person filling two forms is two Ads conversions and one HubSpot lead.
Original source is first touch
HubSpot files a contact under the source of their first tracked visit. Someone who first came from organic search and later converted from an ad stays Organic Search in HubSpot.
Lost gclid or UTMs
Forms embedded from another domain, redirects or a missing HubSpot tracking code drop the click data, and the contact lands as Direct Traffic or Offline Sources. See gclid missing.
Different dates
Google Ads reports on the click date. HubSpot reports on the contact create date.
How to line them up, step by step
Set lead actions to One
In Google Ads go to Goals, Conversions, Summary, open each lead action and set Count to One. Leads should count once per click.
Report HubSpot by original source
In HubSpot build a contacts report on Create date for the same 30 days, broken down by Original Source and Original Source Drill-Down 1, filtered to Paid Search.
Check what lands as direct
Filter new contacts with Original Source set to Direct Traffic or Offline Sources, and check whether their first page URL carried a gclid or UTMs.
Compare on conversion time
In Google Ads add Conv. (by conv. time) so both sides count by the day the lead happened.
Steps checked against HubSpot Knowledge Base: Understand the original source and latest source properties; HubSpot Knowledge Base: Create custom reports; Google Ads Help: About conversion counting options.
Sprites diagnoses this
Sprites diagnoses it
Sprites lines up your HubSpot leads and Google Ads conversions and shows where they split.
What Sprites does
- Reads HubSpot contacts, deals and lifecycle stages by source for any date window, read-only.
- Pulls Google Ads conversions per campaign and per conversion action for the same dates.
- Follows the funnel past the form, from lead to SQL to closed deal by source, so Google Ads is judged on pipeline.
What it doesn't do
- It does not write to HubSpot.
- It does not upload HubSpot deals back to Google Ads as offline conversions.
Questions
Why does Google Ads show more leads than HubSpot?
Google Ads counts conversions, including repeat fills when counting is set to Every. HubSpot counts unique contacts and puts each under one original source.
Why are my Google Ads leads showing as direct in HubSpot?
The click data did not reach the form. Common causes are a form on another domain, a redirect that drops the query string, or a page without the HubSpot tracking code.
Which number should I report?
Report SQLs and pipeline from HubSpot. Keep Google Ads conversions for bidding, ideally on a lead action that matches what sales accepts.
Can Google Ads bid on HubSpot SQLs?
Yes, with an offline conversion import that sends the gclid and stage change back to Google Ads. Sprites can read the pipeline but does not run that import.
See where it breaks
Connect your accounts. Sprites reads them side by side and shows you exactly where the numbers split.