--- title: "Google Ads conversions dropped to zero? 9 causes to check · MetricDeck" description: "When Google Ads conversions suddenly stop, it's usually measurement, not demand. Nine causes in the order to check them, and how to tell them apart." url: https://metricdeck.app/blog/google-ads-conversions-dropped-to-zero updated: 2026-10-12 --- # Google Ads conversions dropped to zero? 9 causes to check Conversions in Google Ads fall to zero, spend keeps going, and the client asks what happened. In most cases demand didn't disappear overnight: the way conversions are counted broke. Here are the usual causes, in the order worth checking, with how to tell each one apart. ## First: is it the ads or the measurement? Open Google Analytics for the same days and look at **key events** (or the sessions that reach the thank-you page). - **Analytics key events also dropped at the same time:** something changed on the website or in the tags. Start with causes 1 to 4. - **Analytics looks normal, only Google Ads dropped:** the problem is in how Google Ads records conversions. Start with causes 5 to 8. - **Both dropped, and so did traffic:** it may be real (a paused campaign, a budget cut, a disapproved ad). Check cause 9. ## 1. The website changed A redesign, a new form plugin or a new booking system is the most common cause. The conversion was firing on a thank-you page or a form submission that no longer exists in the same form. Ask the client (or their developer) what changed on the day conversions stopped, then submit a test enquiry and watch whether it's recorded. ## 2. The Google tag or Tag Manager container is gone If the site was rebuilt or moved to a new theme, the tag may simply not be on the page any more. Use Tag Assistant (tagassistant.google.com) on the page where the conversion should fire, or view the page's source and search for the tag or the GTM container ID. ## 3. A Tag Manager change Someone published a new container version: a trigger was renamed, a tag paused, or a variable now returns nothing. In Tag Manager, open **Versions** and compare the version published around the day conversions stopped with the one before it. ## 4. Consent banner changes A new or reconfigured cookie banner can stop tags from firing until a visitor accepts, and with consent mode set up the wrong way, conversions from visitors who decline aren't modelled either. If conversions fell when a banner went live, check how the banner and consent mode are configured. ## 5. The conversion action's status In Google Ads, **Goals → Conversions → Summary** shows each action's status. "Inactive" or "No recent conversions" on the action you count is the clue. Also check whether someone switched which actions are **primary**: if the action that counts real enquiries became secondary, the Conversions column stops including it. ## 6. A changed conversion source If conversions are imported from Analytics, a renamed or deleted key event in GA4 breaks the import. If they come from offline uploads or a CRM, check that the upload is still running. ## 7. Attribution and delay Conversions are recorded against the day of the click, and some arrive days later. The last two or three days always look low. Compare complete days only, and look again in three days before deciding anything. ## 8. Conversion window or counting settings Shortening the conversion window, or switching counting from "every" to "one", lowers the numbers from that day on. Check the account's **Change history** for edits to conversion actions. ## 9. Real causes: campaigns, budgets and ads If traffic and conversions fell together, look in **Change history** for paused campaigns, budget cuts or bid strategy changes, and at ads disapproved by policy. A billing problem stops the whole account. ## A two-minute habit that catches this early Every week, compare Google Ads conversions with Analytics key events for each client. If the ratio between them suddenly changes, measurement broke somewhere, usually days before anyone notices in a report. [MetricDeck](https://metricdeck.app/features/alerts) does that comparison every night for every client. It alerts you when spend keeps flowing with no conversions, when conversions stop, and when Google Ads and Analytics stop agreeing, and lists the account changes made around that time. It only reads your accounts. Try it on [the demo](https://metricdeck.app/demo), no sign-up.