Google Ads 'No Recent Conversions': How to Fix It

What this means

In 2026 Google updated conversion tracking statuses. The old gray "No recent conversions" status became Awaiting conversions, defined as no conversions recorded in the last 7 days. Google lists three normal reasons: the conversion action was created less than 48 hours ago, the campaigns are paused, or traffic is too low to produce a conversion.

It's different from Misconfigured (formerly "Inactive"), which means recording has stopped because of a setup error or broken tag. In practice, though, a store that's selling every day and still sees Awaiting conversions almost always has a tracking problem, not a traffic problem.

Why it matters: Smart Bidding (Maximize conversion value, Target ROAS, Performance Max) depends on these conversions. With nothing coming in, the bid strategy has no signal, and campaigns can overspend on low-value traffic or stall.

Why it happens

Ask first: did you get orders from Google Ads traffic in the past week? If yes, the usual causes are:

• Shopify's Thank you and Order status page upgrade. Scripts in the old "Additional scripts" box and script tags on the Order status page stopped running (August 28, 2025 for Plus stores and August 26, 2026 for all other stores). If your Google Ads purchase tag lived there, it stopped firing.
• Theme or checkout changes that removed the tag, or a new theme that never had it.
• Duplicate tracking setups where you removed one (for example, uninstalled an app) and the conversion action you're watching belonged to it.
• Wrong conversion action. Google Ads is using a different conversion action as primary, and the one showing this status is an old or test action.
• WooCommerce plugin updates or caching. A tracking plugin deactivated, or a caching/optimization plugin delaying or removing scripts on the order-received page.
• Consent banners. A consent setup that blocks the Google tag entirely, rather than using Consent Mode, can reduce recorded conversions sharply.
• Low volume. Genuinely no conversions: new store, paused campaigns, or a high-ticket product that sells a few times a month.

How to fix it

1. Check the status detail. In Google Ads, go to Goals > Conversions > Summary and hover the status. Note the conversion action name, its source (Website, Google Analytics, Shopify, etc.) and when it last recorded a conversion.
2. Compare with real orders. Pull orders from the last 7 days in Shopify or WooCommerce. If there are orders attributed to Google (UTMs or gclid in landing page data), tracking is broken.
3. Shopify stores:
   • Use the Google & YouTube app connection, which tracks purchases through Shopify's Customer Events, or a custom pixel under Settings > Customer events.
   • Remove any old Google Ads tag code from the former Additional scripts and theme files to avoid duplicates later.
   • In Settings > Customer events, confirm the pixel is Connected and test with Shopify's pixel helper or a test order.
4. WooCommerce stores:
   • Confirm your tracking plugin (or Google Tag Manager container) is active and the purchase event fires on the order-received page.
   • Exclude the Google tag and Tag Manager scripts from delay/defer settings in caching plugins.
   • Make sure the event sends value, currency and transaction_id.
5. Test a purchase. Use Google Tag Assistant, place a real or test order, and verify the conversion event fires with a value. Tag Assistant shows whether the Google Ads conversion is detected.
6. Verify the conversion action settings. It should be set as a Primary action in the right goal (Purchase), with "Include in conversions" enabled, and the correct counting (Every for purchases).
7. Check consent configuration. If you use a consent banner, implement Consent Mode so Google can still model conversions when users decline cookies.
8. Wait for data. After fixing, it can take a few hours for conversions to appear, and up to 48 hours for statuses to update.

For a full walk-through of a clean setup, see our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking for e-commerce.

How long until it's resolved

Once a conversion is recorded, the status typically returns to Active within a day or two. If you changed tracking or bid strategy significantly, expect Smart Bidding to go through a learning period afterward.

How to prevent it

• Use one purchase conversion source as primary, and keep the others secondary.
• Re-test tracking after every theme change, checkout change, plugin update or app uninstall.
• Set a weekly check. Compare Google Ads conversions to orders weekly; a sudden drop to zero is easy to spot early.
• Create an automated rule or alert for conversion drops if you manage several campaigns.

Broken tracking quietly wastes budget because bidding loses its signal. Mercantads can rebuild your Shopify or WooCommerce tracking and verify every event. Contact us or see how we run Performance Max for stores.