Hello Polona, dealing with conversion tracking issues, especially on a crucial page like the purchase confirmation, is frustrating, but we can look at a more robust, long-term solution.
The issue you're seeing where the Google Ads conversion tracking tag isn't firing on the confirmation page, while it works elsewhere, is often due to how certain e-commerce platforms like Square handle the final checkout step and the data layer on that page.
Sometimes, security measures or single-page application (SPA) behaviors prevent standard code injection or execution at that moment.
The standard approach suggested by Square, which involves adding the code via Dashboard > Settings > Tracking Tools, is a basic method for non-sensitive tracking across most pages.
However, for purchase confirmation events, which require sending dynamic values like order ID and revenue, this method is often limited or prone to failure because of the platform's security and architecture.
A more reliable and powerful solution is to move away from direct browser-side tracking using the classic Google Ads tag and instead implement server-side tracking combined with a robust setup involving the Square API, the Google Ads API, and a tool like Google Tag Manager (GTM) with a service like Stape or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for server-side hosting.
The problem with client-side tracking, which is what you're currently trying to do, is that it relies on the user's browser successfully loading and executing the conversion tag on the final page.
This is susceptible to issues like ad-blockers, browser restrictions, and network failures.
By contrast, a server-side solution works like this: when a purchase is made, the Square platform itself sends the purchase data (like the `purchase` Standard Event, order total, and customer ID) to your own secure server (hosted on Stape or GCP) using the Square API.
Your server then uses Google Tag Manager Server-side container to process this data and forward it directly to the Google Ads API.
This approach offers several major advantages.
Firstly, it is more accurate because the data transmission is controlled entirely by your server, bypassing client-side limitations and ad-blockers.
Secondly, it is more secure because sensitive customer information is not exposed in the browser's data layer.
Thirdly, it is more resilient to future changes in browser tracking restrictions, as the information is sent directly from server to server.
Finally, this setup is necessary for using Enhanced Conversions, which improves matching rates and reporting accuracy by securely hashing and sending customer data along with the conversion.
While the initial setup is more technical than simply pasting a code snippet, it provides enterprise-level tracking accuracy that will ensure you don't miss valuable conversion data from your Google Ads campaigns.
