Spotahome, a fast-growing online property rental platform, faced critical tracking issues that affected its ability to measure the true impact of its Google Ads campaigns. Despite improvements in business performance, Spotahome observed a decline in Google Ads-attributed conversions, alongside a rise in “unattributed” and “direct” conversions in Google Analytics. This pattern suggested that valuable conversions were either going unattributed or being misattributed to the direct channel, ultimately obscuring the actual ROI from Google Ads.

This attribution gap limited Spotahome’s ability to evaluate the effectiveness of its media spend and hindered smart bidding efforts by reducing the volume of conversion signals required for optimised bidding. Spotahome’s tracking setup relied on importing conversions from Google Analytics, which, while convenient, lacked the comprehensive insights needed to meet their ambitious growth goals. 

We implemented a robust solution, helping Spotahome adopt Google Ads’ advanced tracking products and technologies to enhance measurement attribution. This solution uses a future-proofed conversion tracking system aligned with Spotahome’s performance objectives. Our approach focused on a four-step measurement framework that prioritised data accuracy and long-term growth:

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1. Server-Side Tagging with Google Tag Manager 

We transitioned Spotahome’s tracking to a server-side setup, which provided a more reliable and privacy-compliant data collection framework. This setup improved data quality and page load performance while enabling data capture in a first-party context, essential for accurate tracking in today’s privacy-conscious environment

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2. Implementation of the Google Ads Conversion Tracking Tag

By replacing the Google Analytics import data with the Google Ads conversion tag, we achieved more precise attribution, capturing conversions across devices and view-through interactions. This foundational change also allowed us to access advanced data features, further refining our measurement approach.

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3. Enhanced Conversions for Improved Attribution

We introduced Enhanced Conversions to strengthen attribution. This tool securely sends hashed first-party data at the conversion point, helping capture conversions that might otherwise be missed by traditional cookie-based tracking. Enhanced Conversions enriched our understanding of conversion impact and improved smart bidding accuracy.

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4. Consent Mode to Address Privacy Gaps

Finally, we enabled Consent Mode, which adapts conversion tracking based on each user’s consent preferences. For consenting users, Google Ads tags collect data as usual, while for non-consenting users, Consent Mode fills data gaps with modelled conversions, preserving overall accuracy and respecting privacy choices. 

Our strategic implementation delivered a +122% increase in conversions attributed to Google Ads over a two-year period. This uplift was driven by various improvements: +67% from the Google Ads conversion tag, +29% from Server-Side Tagging, +7% from Enhanced Conversions, and +20% from Consent Mode. 

These changes resulted in three critical outcomes for Spotahome. Firstly, Spotahome increased its Google Ads investment by +68%  over the same period, driven by greater confidence in the accuracy of conversion tracking and the use of reliable data. Secondly, smart bidding performance was enhanced, as the improved quality and volume of conversion signals allowed campaigns to target high-intent audiences with greater precision. Lastly, Spotahome strengthened its international reach, advertising in over 50 markets, with significant improvements in smaller but strategic markets. The increased conversion signals supported smarter, data-driven investment decisions across regions.

By leveraging Google Ads’ advanced tracking tools, Spotahome not only achieved a clearer view of ad performance but also unlocked new opportunities for scalable growth across international markets. This case highlights the power of future-proofed tracking in the ever-evolving digital advertising landscape and serves as a roadmap for advertisers facing similar challenges.

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“We've been working with Prospect Knight since 2020 and with their help, we have increased our ROAS 40% while growing our business by double figures per year. They understood the intricacies and complexities of our funnel and have assisted us with our paid marketing strategy taking all the nunances of our business into account. Throughout these years we have developed a very close-knit relationship, and we consider Prospect Knight as an extension of our own team rather than an external partner.”

Jorge Alonso, Spotahome

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