How do I set up effective tracking for lead generation in a post-cookie world?

All answers to this question.

You should absolutely prioritize Enhanced Conversions first because it's easier to implement via the standard Google Tag. It uses hashed first-party data (like email addresses) to match conversions even when cookies are missing. Server-Side GTM is more robust and offers better data security, but it requires a much higher technical lift and monthly hosting costs. In our agency, we saw a 12% lift in reported conversions just by enabling Enhanced Conversions, which gave the Google Ads algorithm much better signals to optimize our bids.

   Answered 2025-02-14 by Margaret Robinson

Are you using GA4's "Consent Mode" to help model the data for users who opt out of tracking, or are you just accepting the data loss as it is?

   Answered 2025-02-22 by Joseph Lewis

• Joseph, we’ve been hesitant to use Consent Mode because of the "modeling" aspect—it feels like we're guessing. But after seeing the gaps in our reports lately, we're realizing that modeled data is probably better than no data at all for the machine learning to function.

     Commented 2025-03-01 by Daniel Walker

Don't forget Offline Conversion Imports (OCI). If you have a CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot, feeding the actual sales back into Google Ads is the "gold standard" for tracking

   Answered 2025-03-15 by Dorothy Young

• Absolutely. OCI is the only way to prove true ROI. We stopped optimizing for "leads" and started optimizing for "qualified sales" thanks to CRM integration.

     Commented 2025-03-18 by Margaret Robinson