B2B Lead Generation with Google Ads: Track Every Lead, Calls Included

In B2B, many leads do not come through the contact form. A buyer clicks an ad, downloads a white paper, signs up for a webinar, then phones three days later. If only the form is tracked, Google Ads sees a fraction of what it produces: automated bidding underinvests in the campaigns that generate calls and quotes, and the reported cost per lead is wrong.

The method has three steps: track every type of lead, including indirect ones, rank those conversions, then link each lead to its sales outcome with enhanced conversions for leads. That is what lets Google optimise towards your real customers rather than the easiest forms.

Map every lead, direct and indirect

Before touching the campaigns, list every way a prospect can get in touch, and how to measure it in Google Ads:

Lead	How to track it	Suggested role
Quote request, contact form	Google tag on the confirmation page or form submission	Primary
Call from the ad	Call asset with call reporting, minimum call length set	Primary
Call from the website	Google forwarding number shown to visitors who came from an ad	Primary
Click on the number (mobile)	Click event: measures the click, not the call	Secondary
Sign-up (newsletter, webinar, trial)	Tag on the sign-up confirmation	Secondary, or primary with a low value
Download (white paper, data sheet)	Tag on the thank-you page or download event	Secondary, or primary with a low value

Calls: the most often forgotten lead

In B2B, many buyers prefer to call, especially for urgent or complex needs. Google Ads offers several complementary methods (About phone call conversion tracking, Google FAQ):

Calls from ads: with a call asset, a call counts as a conversion if it exceeds the minimum length you set. Choose a length that filters out dead-end calls, for example 60 to 90 seconds.
Calls from the website: a Google forwarding number replaces your number for visitors who came from an ad, linking the call to the original click (Set up Tracking calls to a phone number on a website, Google FAQ).
Clicks on the number on mobile: useful as a signal, but Google then measures only the click, not the call itself (About phone call conversion tracking, Google FAQ).
Importing qualified calls from your telephony tool or CRM, to count only calls that led to a meeting or a sale (About importing call conversions, Google FAQ).

Ranking: primary and secondary conversions

Not all conversions are equal. Google Ads separates primary actions, which feed the « Conversions » column and are used for bidding, from secondary actions, visible in « All conv. » but used for observation only (About primary and secondary conversion actions, Google FAQ).

The practical rule: primary for what expresses a project (quote, qualified call, demo request); secondary for signals of interest (download, sign-up, click on the number). If a download often leads to a sale, keep it primary but give it a lower value than a quote: value-based bidding will then tell them apart.

Example values (to be calculated from your conversion rates): quote €150, qualified call €120, webinar sign-up €30, download €15.

Enhanced conversions for leads: linking each lead to its outcome

The tracking above counts leads; it does not say which ones become customers. That is the role of enhanced conversions for leads, which Google presents as the upgraded version of offline conversion import (About enhanced conversions for leads, Google FAQ).

The principle:

when the prospect submits a form, the Google tag collects data they provided themselves, usually their email address, in hashed form (Configure the Google tag for enhanced conversions for leads, Google FAQ);
the lead enters your CRM and progresses: qualified, opportunity, customer;
you import these stages into Google Ads with the same hashed data, and Google matches them to the original ad click (About enhanced conversions for leads, Google FAQ).

Why it matters:

no need to store the click identifier (GCLID) in every form to make the link, although Google advises continuing to import it when you have it (About enhanced conversions for leads, Google FAQ);
more complete measurement, because matching on user-provided data copes better with cookie loss and cross-device journeys;
bidding on quality: once the qualified lead is imported as a primary conversion, Smart Bidding optimises towards the profiles that actually become customers (About Smart Bidding, Google FAQ).

This data is subject to consent: the set-up must respect the user’s choice and Google’s customer data terms.

Importing CRM stages

Whether through enhanced conversions for leads or classic offline import (About offline conversion imports, Google FAQ), import several stages, not just the signature:

qualified lead: quick to obtain, the best signal for bidding;
opportunity: signals a real project;
customer, with the contract value: measures final profitability.

B2B cycles are long: a September lead may sign in January. If only the signature is imported, bidding waits months for a signal that comes too late. Qualified calls can follow the same path through call conversion import (About importing call conversions, Google FAQ).

Attracting the right prospects

Complete tracking only helps if the traffic is relevant:

favour solution and evaluation queries (« quote », « pricing », « provider », « alternative to ») over generic terms;
exclude jobs, training and free terms from day one with a negative keyword list (About negative keywords, Google FAQ);
offer on the page an action that matches the intent: quote or demo for an advanced buyer, a downloadable guide for earlier-stage research (see Optimising Google Ads Ads and Landing Pages: RSAs, Testing and Metadata);
test Google lead form assets with a qualifying field, and retrieve leads regularly: Google only keeps them for 60 days (Create lead form assets, Google FAQ).

Common mistakes

Tracking only the contact form, and ignoring calls, sign-ups and downloads.
Making every conversion primary with the same value: a download then weighs as much as a quote.
Counting a click on the number as a call.
Optimising on form volume without ever importing CRM qualification.
Not calling leads back quickly: in B2B, response time matters as much as the campaign.

Conclusion

Google Ads can only optimise what it sees. Track every lead, direct and indirect, rank them by value, then link them to the CRM with enhanced conversions for leads: bidding then works for your customers, not your forms. Cost per lead sometimes rises a little; cost per customer almost always falls (see our article on cost per lead).

Want a complete tracking plan for your account? Request an audit.

Frequently asked questions

How do I track calls generated by Google Ads?

With call reporting on call assets, the Google forwarding number on your website, and importing qualified calls from your telephony tool or CRM (About phone call conversion tracking, Google FAQ).

Is a white paper download a conversion?

Yes, but usually a secondary one, or primary with a lower value than a quote (About primary and secondary conversion actions, Google FAQ).

What is the difference between enhanced conversions for leads and offline import?

Classic offline import links a CRM stage to the click through its identifier. Enhanced conversions for leads also rely on user-provided data, such as the hashed email; Google presents them as the upgraded version of import (About enhanced conversions for leads, Google FAQ).

Updated 28 October 2026. Sources: Google’s official documentation, checked on that date.

About the author: Alain Vanhee is an independent paid search consultant based in Lille, France. He has managed Google Ads and Search Ads 360 accounts for more than fifteen years, with budgets from 1 to 20 million euros a year, in e-commerce and lead generation. Request an audit