In Google Ads, the Conversions column credits each conversion to the day of the ad click. Conversions (by conv. time) credits it to the day the conversion actually happened. Totals over a long period are similar, but daily, weekly and monthly numbers differ. Use by conv. time to match your CRM or sales reports, and the standard column to judge campaigns.
- Standard Conversions are dated by the click. By conv. time columns are dated by the conversion.
- Recent days in the standard column always look low, because clicks from those days have not converted yet.
- Google recommends ending reports at least 30 days back, or longer if your conversion window is longer.
- Use by conv. time to reconcile with your CRM. Use standard columns to judge campaigns, keywords and ads.
What is the difference between Conversions and Conversions (by conv. time)?
Both columns count the same conversions. They just put them on different days.
- Conversions: the conversion is reported on the date of the ad click (or interaction) that led to it.
- Conversions (by conv. time): the conversion is reported on the date the person actually converted.
Say someone clicks your ad on Monday, March 2, and books a consultation on Friday, March 13. In the standard column, that booking shows on March 2. In the by conv. time column, it shows on March 13. Same booking, different day.
Google added these columns because, as its help page puts it, Google Ads had always reported conversions by the date of the ad click. That made it hard to compare ad results with sales reports, which are dated by when the sale happened.
| Conversions | Conversions (by conv. time) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date used | Date of the ad click | Date the conversion happened |
| Question it answers | What did the spend on this day produce? | How many conversions did we get on this day? |
| Recent days | Look low, still filling in | Closer to final quickly |
| Matches your CRM or sales report? | Usually not by day or week | Much closer |
| Best for | Judging campaigns, keywords, ads, bids | Reconciling with sales, monthly reporting to owners |
Which by conv. time columns exist?
Google lists six columns with the "(by conv. time)" label. You add them from the Columns menu, in the Conversions section:
- Conversions (by conv. time)
- Conv. value (by conv. time)
- Value / conv. (by conv. time)
- All conv. (by conv. time)
- All conv. value (by conv. time)
- Value / all conv. (by conv. time)
The "All conv." versions include every conversion action you track, including secondary actions that are not counted in the main Conversions column.
Why do my recent conversions look so low?
This is the most common reason owners panic about Google Ads. The cause is conversion delay: the time between the click and the conversion.
Cost is reported right away. Conversions from those same clicks trickle in over the following days or weeks. So in the standard column, the last 7 to 14 days almost always show a higher cost per conversion than they will end up with.
If you sell a $40 product online, most of your delay might be a few hours. If you are a law firm, a roofer or a B2B service, people may compare options for weeks. The longer your sales cycle, the bigger the gap.
How the conversion window affects both columns
The conversion window is how long after a click Google will still count a conversion. If you do not customize it, the default click-through window is 30 days. Depending on the conversion source, you can set it as short as 1 day or as long as 90.
A longer window means more late conversions get counted, and they keep landing on old click dates in the standard column. A shorter window cuts off slow buyers entirely. Google also notes that changing the window only affects future conversions, not past ones.
| Your business | Typical delay | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce, low price | Hours to a few days | Small gap between columns |
| Local services (HVAC, dental, med spa) | Same day to 2 weeks | Last week always looks weak in the standard column |
| High-ticket services (legal, remodeling) | Weeks | Large gap, judge on 30+ day old data |
| B2B, long cycles | Weeks to months | Consider offline conversion imports and a longer window |
When should you use each column?
Use the standard Conversions column to judge performance
When you ask "did this campaign, keyword or ad work?", you want conversions tied to the click that caused them. That is the only way cost and results line up. Spend happens on the click date, so results should be counted there too.
- Comparing campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads.
- Checking cost per conversion or ROAS against your target.
- Evaluating a bid strategy change or a new landing page.
Use Conversions (by conv. time) to reconcile and report
When you ask "how many leads did we get from Google last month?", use by conv. time. It lines up with your CRM, your booking system and your revenue reports, which are all dated by when things happened.
- Monthly reports for owners or partners.
- Matching Google Ads to your CRM, Shopify or bookkeeping.
- Seeing the real daily volume of leads arriving, for staffing calls and follow-up.
How to check your own conversion lag
- 1In Google Ads, open Campaigns and set a date range of the last 90 days.
- 2Click Segment, then Conversions, then Days to conversion.
- 3Read how conversions split between "less than 1 day", "1 to 2 days" and longer buckets. Google shows up to 19 rows.
- 4Note the day count by which most of your conversions have arrived. That is your working lag.
- 5From now on, ignore the most recent lag period when judging campaigns in the standard column.
- 6Add Conversions (by conv. time) next to Conversions in a saved column set, so you always see both.
If you use Smart Bidding, the bid strategy report also shows how many conversions Google predicts have not been reported yet. That is a useful sanity check before you change targets.
How long should you wait before judging results?
Google’s guidance for Smart Bidding is to evaluate over at least two full conversion cycles, ideally a month or at least 50 conversions. After a big bid or budget change, give the system one to two conversion cycles to settle before changing anything else.
For a small business with 20 to 40 leads a month, that usually means looking at 30 to 60 day windows, not week by week.
What about conversion value and ROAS by conv. time?
The same logic applies to revenue. Conv. value (by conv. time) puts each sale’s value on the day the sale happened. That is the column to compare with your Shopify, WooCommerce or bookkeeping totals for a given month.
For ROAS, be careful. Spend is always reported on the click date. If you divide by conv. time value by spend for the same short period, you are mixing sales from older clicks with this period’s spend. In a growing account that can make ROAS look better than it is. In a shrinking one, worse. For decisions about campaigns and bid targets, compute ROAS from the standard Conv. value column on data older than your lag. Google’s own advice is to leave the most recent conversion delay period out of any ROAS evaluation.
Why your Google Ads numbers still do not match your CRM
Even with by conv. time columns, the numbers rarely match exactly. Common reasons:
- Attribution: Google gives credit across several ad clicks using your attribution model, so a conversion can be split into fractions.
- Duplicates: a form fired twice, or a thank-you page was reloaded.
- Leads from other channels: your CRM counts every lead; Google only counts leads it can tie to an ad.
- Privacy and consent: some conversions cannot be observed and are modeled or missing.
- Conversion windows: a lead that converted after the window ended is not counted in Google Ads.
Frequently asked questions
Because last week’s conversions include people who clicked earlier and converted last week. In the standard column, those conversions sit on the older click dates, and last week’s own clicks have not finished converting yet.
The by conv. time columns are reporting columns. Google’s bidding works from the auction and the click, so judge bid strategies with the standard Conversions column and allow for conversion delay.
Over a long, older date range the totals get close, because most conversions have arrived and fall inside the range in both views. Day by day and week by week they will usually differ.
For "how many leads did we get last month", use by conv. time, since it matches sales and CRM reports. For "is this campaign profitable", use the standard column on data that is at least one conversion window old.
In the Campaigns view, click Columns, then Modify columns, open Conversions, and check the columns labeled (by conv. time). Save the column set so you see it every time.
