Why it happens
The action is secondary
The action is secondary
Secondary actions are recorded and reported under All conversions, but never counted in Conversions or used for bidding. Imported GA4 key events often land as secondary.
The campaign uses a goal that leaves it out
Campaign-specific conversion goals or a custom goal can exclude the action, so it never reaches that campaign's Conversions column.
Conversion delay
Google reports conversions against the day of the click, and they can take days to arrive. The last few days always look thin.
You are reading a different column
Conversions (by conv. time) dates conversions to when they happened, not when the ad was clicked. The two disagree on any short date range.
How to fix it, step by step
Add All conversions to the table
In Campaigns click Columns, then Modify columns, open Conversions and add All conv. If it shows conversions where Conversions does not, the action is secondary or excluded.
Make the action primary
Go to Goals, then Conversions, then Summary, open the action, click Edit settings and set Goal and action optimization to Primary action. Save.
Check the campaign goal
Open the campaign, go to Settings, then Goals, and confirm it uses account-default goals that include this action, or a custom goal that contains it.
Compare like with like
Add Conversions (by conv. time) next to Conversions, and judge the last 3 to 7 days only after the delay has passed.
Steps checked against Google Ads Help: About primary and secondary conversion actions; Google Ads Help: About campaign-specific conversion goals; Google Ads Help: Understand your conversion tracking data.
Sprites fixes this
Or let Sprites fix it
Sprites finds which action is missing from Conversions and why, then makes it primary for your approval.
What Sprites does
- Puts Conversions and All conversions side by side per action, so the excluded one is obvious.
- Reads which conversion actions each campaign actually optimizes for, custom goals included.
- Switches an action between primary and secondary, and corrects its counting, value and lookback window.
- You approve every change before it goes live, and Sprites reads the action back afterward to confirm it landed.
What it doesn't do
- It does not edit custom conversion goals or a campaign's goal settings.
Questions
Why do conversions show in All conversions but not Conversions?
The action is secondary, or the campaign's goals exclude it. Only primary actions in the campaign's goals count toward Conversions.
Why are my Google Ads conversions not showing up yet?
Conversion delay. Google credits the conversion to the click date and can take several days to report it, so recent days fill in over time.
What is Conversions (by conv. time)?
The same conversions dated to when the conversion happened instead of when the ad was clicked. It lines up more closely with your CRM and analytics dates.
Will making an action primary change my bidding?
Yes. Smart Bidding optimizes toward primary actions in the campaign's goals, so promoting one changes what the campaign chases.
Let Sprites fix it
Connect the account. Sprites finds the cause, stages the change and waits for your approval.