The problem we solve
Google Ads tracks the click. Your website starts the conversation. But the sale happens somewhere else — on WhatsApp, over email, on the phone — often days or weeks later. Google Ads can't see any of it. Smart Bidding optimises blind.
Tagless bridges that gap. Here's exactly how.
Step 1: Script installation
You paste one script tag in your website's header:
<script src="https://app.tagless.ai/cv.js" data-domain="YOUR_DOMAIN"></script>
This script runs on every page of your site. It does three things on each page load.
Step 2: GCLID capture
When a visitor arrives from a Google Ad, their URL contains a GCLID (Google Click ID) — a unique identifier for that specific ad click. The Tagless script reads this GCLID from the URL and stores it in a first-party cookie on your domain.
This means even if the visitor navigates to other pages on your site before converting, the GCLID is preserved. The cookie lasts for 90 days, covering long sales cycles.
Step 3: Conversion point detection
The script scans your page and detects every conversion point automatically:
Forms — any HTML form element, plus embedded forms from Typeform, Fillout, JotForm, Google Forms, HubSpot, Gravity Forms, and others. The script injects a hidden reference field into each form. This field contains a unique reference code that links the submission back to the visitor's GCLID.
WhatsApp links — any link using the wa.me or api.whatsapp.com URL pattern. Tagless modifies the link to include a unique reference code in the pre-filled message text (the ?text= parameter). When the visitor taps the link, their WhatsApp opens with a message that includes this reference. When they send it, the reference travels with the message to your WhatsApp inbox.
Email links — any mailto: link. When clicked, Tagless injects a unique reference code into the email subject line. When the email arrives in your inbox, that reference connects the enquiry back to the ad click.
SMS links — any sms: link. Same pattern as email — the reference is captured at the moment of the tap.
Phone links — any tel: link. The tap event is captured with GCLID attribution.
Step 4: Webhook matching (for forms)
When a visitor submits a form, the hidden reference field travels with the form data to your form builder. You connect your form builder to Tagless via a webhook — a URL that receives the form data when a submission happens.
If your form builder supports webhooks natively (Typeform, Fillout, JotForm, Calendly, Gravity Forms), you paste the Tagless webhook URL into the form builder's settings. One step.
If it doesn't (Google Forms, Contact Form 7, WPForms, Wix, HubSpot), create a one-step Make.com scenario: trigger on form submission, HTTP module calls the Tagless webhook URL. Two minutes.
Either way, when the webhook fires, Tagless receives the form data including the hidden reference. It matches the reference to the GCLID stored from the visitor's session. The lead appears in your dashboard with full attribution: which campaign, ad group, and keyword drove the visit.
This is a one-time setup per form. Every future submission is automatically matched.
Step 4b: WhatsApp message matching
When a visitor taps your WhatsApp link, the pre-filled message includes the unique reference. The message arrives in your WhatsApp platform — whether that's the standard WhatsApp Business App, respond.io, WATI, Zoko, SleekFlow, or any other provider.
You route incoming messages to Tagless's universal endpoint via a webhook from your WhatsApp platform (or a one-step Make.com scenario). Tagless scans the message for the reference. When it finds one, it matches the reference to the GCLID and associates it with the customer's phone number.
From that point, Tagless can follow the entire conversation thread on that phone number.
Step 5: Lead qualification
This is where Tagless differs fundamentally from GTM. GTM counts events. Tagless determines whether those events are real leads.
Every interaction — form submission, WhatsApp message, email click — appears in your dashboard. What happens next depends on your plan:
Free plan: Any interaction containing a valid reference is auto-qualified as a conversion and synced to Google Ads. If they sent the message or submitted the form, they're counted as a lead.
Paid plan: Tagless AI listens to the conversation and makes a determination on lead quality based on your qualification prompt. It can distinguish a genuine enquiry from an accidental tap, a real prospect from a salesperson pitching their services, or a patient seeking treatment from someone asking for directions. Only genuinely qualified leads sync to Google Ads.
This means Smart Bidding trains on real customers, not noise. The AI qualification is especially powerful for WhatsApp, where the ongoing conversation gives Tagless enough context to make an accurate judgement.
Step 6: Google Ads sync
When you qualify a lead, Tagless pushes the conversion to Google Ads via the offline conversion import API. The data includes the original GCLID, the conversion timestamp, and optionally the conversion value (if you've entered revenue data).
This happens automatically. No CSV exports. No manual uploads. No Zapier chains.
Google Ads receives the conversion and credits the campaign, ad group, and keyword that generated the original click. Smart Bidding uses this data to optimise future bidding.
Step 7: Revenue sync (optional)
For high-ticket businesses, the initial lead is just the start. The real value comes when the deal closes — which might be weeks or months later.
Tagless maintains the GCLID association for 90 days. When a deal closes, you can update the conversion value in the dashboard or via the API. The updated value syncs to Google Ads, enabling tROAS (target Return on Ad Spend) bidding.
This means Google Ads can learn that a keyword generating 5 leads worth £50,000 is more valuable than a keyword generating 50 leads worth £5,000.
What Tagless doesn't do
We're transparent about the boundaries:
Tagless doesn't read your WhatsApp messages. It tracks that an interaction occurred and lets you attribute it. The content of conversations stays between you and your customer.
Tagless doesn't replace your CRM. It's a conversion tracking tool, not a customer management system. It integrates with your CRM via webhooks if you need it.
Tagless doesn't track everything on your website. It's not a website analytics tool. It doesn't measure scroll depth, heatmaps, or session recordings. For that, use Google Analytics or a dedicated analytics tool.
Tagless doesn't work for e-commerce checkout tracking. If your conversions happen in a website checkout flow, GTM or Google's native tracking is the right tool. Tagless is built for service businesses where leads convert off-site.
The full picture
Google Ad Click → Your Website → Tagless captures GCLID
↓
Visitor interacts with:
• Form → hidden ref → webhook (native or Make.com) → matched
• WhatsApp → ref in pre-filled text → message sent →
webhook from WhatsApp platform → Tagless scans for ref → matched
• Email → ref in subject line → matched
• Phone → tap captured → matched
↓
Lead appears in dashboard
↓
Free plan: auto-qualify on reference match
Paid plan: AI listens to conversation, qualifies based on your prompt
↓
Verified conversion → Google Ads → Smart Bidding optimises
No tags. No triggers. No debug panels. Just a clear line from ad click to customer.