Google Ads Connector

The Google Ads Connector is used to send data to the Google Ads API.

Watch a Video Walkthrough

Prerequisites

You will need the following to complete the setup of the connector successfully:

• Access to Google Ads account with relevant user rights
• Google Ads Customer ID
  

Google Ads Connector Setup

Choose the Google Ads Connector from the "Connectors" section on your Tracking Container's main page.

Press "Add" or  "Edit" and you will be forwarded to the next page. Connect your account by adding your Google Ads account ID and granting permission. This step is crucial as it allows Tracklution to create Conversion Action lists and upload conversions to it.

Once access is granted, you can create a new conversion list in the Tracklution UI for the conversion actions you wish to track on Google's end. Please note that it may take up to 6 hours for Google to prepare the list for receiving conversions. Tracklution will automatically start sending conversions as soon as the lists are ready.

When these steps are completed, your Connector is live, and your collected data will be sent to Google Ads.

Two conversion lists in Google Ads

Tracklution generates two conversion lists in Google Ads for a single conversion action:

• Click conversions: Google Ads connects the conversion to an ad-click that belongs to the connected Google Ads account. This conversion is sent to Google Ads via API (server-to-server). Google Ads will use either a Click ID or Enhanced Data to connect the conversion to an ad-click.
• View-Through / Engagement Conversions: Google Ads connects the conversion to when a user did not click any ad but recently viewed or engaged with an ad that belongs to the connected Google Ads account. This conversion is sent to Google Ads via the Google Tag (browser-to-server). Google Ads will only use Enhanced Data to connect the conversion to a view-through / engagement.

These two conversion types allow advertisers to have more transparency in attribution for their conversions between click conversions and view-through / engagement conversions, offering a clearer picture of campaign performance. Both Conversion Action lists should be set as 'Primary' for most benefits. Typically, click-conversions account for ~90-95% of total conversions, with the remaining ~5-10% coming from view-through / engagement conversions.

If you compare the amount of delivered conversions in Google Ads from Tracklution with your old set up - the amount of conversions in both lists should be summed together, as web tagging usually only give you one list that contain both click and view through / engagement conversions.

In the example below, the bottom conversion action is for a web tag, while top and middle are for Tracklution conversions. To compare the web tag to Tracklution, you should compare the number of conversions: 20 web, compared to 31 Tracklution (24+7).

A/B Testing Tracklution Google Ads Connector

To ensure the Tracklution Google Ads Connector performs as well as or better than your legacy setup, we recommend running Tracklution-created Conversion Action lists in parallel as a "Secondary" target for about two weeks. This allows you to compare performance directly. When satisfied, simply switch the conversion action lists created by Tracklution to "Primary" and relegate the legacy setup to "Secondary" (and eventually remove it).

When you compare the amount of delivered conversions in Google Ads from Tracklution with your old setup, remember to sum up the two conversion action lists (click conversions + view through / engagement conversions) created by Tracklution together. 

Enhanced Conversions Extending Click-based Conversion Tracking

To make the most out of your Google Ads campaigns, ensure Tracklution's ContactInfo tag is correctly implemented in your site. This enables capturing first-party data in your website and attributing view-through and engagement-based conversions to your Google Ads campaigns, enabling Google to attribute on view and engagement-based actions even when a click ID is not available. Here's instructions on how to collect ContactInfo from you site.

To enable Enhanced Conversions, you also need to enable Enhanced Conversions in your Google Ads settings. Change the settings in your Google Ads account: Conversions, Settings, Turn on enhanced conversions and select Google Ads API as a method, then Turn on enhanced conversions for leads and choose Google tag as a method.

Consent Mode v2 and Advanced Consent Mode

Consent Mode v2 is required in EEA from March 2024 onwards. Tracklution provides full support for this. Read more here: Compatibility with Cookie Banners and Consent Mode (v2).

Troubleshooting

Issues with a connector? Visit our Troubleshooting and FAQ to find answers to most common issues for each connector.

Are you missing an event that should be delivered to Google Ads? Find your missing event by going through the Tracklution Debug Quest.