Google Ads

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What Gets Synced

• Campaign, ad group stats
• Spend, impressions, clicks
• Cost per click, conversions
• ROAS metrics

• Purchase events with revenue
• Lead gen conversions
• Signup/registration events
• Add to cart events
• Custom conversions you configure

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How It Works

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Conversion Flow

User clicks Google ad
Google appends gclid to URL
URL: https://yoursite.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQ...

DATALYR tracking script captures:
- gclid: Cj0KCQ...
- gbraid: (for iOS 14.5+ app installs)
- _gcl_aw cookie (Google Ads)
Stores in visitor profile: anon_abc123

User completes purchase: $149.99
DATALYR tracks conversion event

DATALYR sends offline conversion:
- Conversion Action: Purchase
- Value: $149.99
- gclid: Cj0KCQ... (from Day 1)
- Enhanced data: email, phone (hashed)
- Order ID for deduplication

Google receives conversion
Matches gclid to original ad click
Attributes $149.99 to Google Ads campaign
Updates Smart Bidding with conversion data

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Setup

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1. Connect Google Ads Account

1. Navigate to Settings → Sources in DATALYR
2. Click “Connect” next to Google Ads
3. Log in to Google account
4. Select Google Ads account
5. Grant permissions:
   • View ad performance
   • Upload conversions
   • View and manage conversion actions
6. Click “Allow”

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2. Select Primary Ad Account

1. DATALYR shows all accessible ad accounts
2. Select your primary Google Ads customer ID
3. DATALYR fetches existing conversion actions
4. Click “Save”

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3. Create Conversion Actions

1. Go to Tools → Conversions
2. Click ”+” to create conversion action
3. Select “Import” → “Other data sources”
4. Name: “Purchase” (or your event name)
5. Category: Purchase
6. Value: Use different values for each conversion
7. Count: One (recommended)
8. Conversion window: 30 days (default)
9. Save conversion action

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4. Map Events in DATALYR

1. Go to Settings → Conversion Rules
2. Map your events to Google conversion actions:
   • purchase → Purchase conversion action
   • lead → Lead conversion action
   • signup → Signup conversion action
3. Configure conversion values:
   • Dynamic (use order total)
   • Fixed value per conversion

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5. Verify Integration

1. Click Google ad with gclid parameter
2. Complete conversion on your site
3. Wait 3-4 hours (Google processing time)
4. Check Google Ads → Tools → Conversions
5. Verify conversion appears with “Upload” source

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Enhanced Conversions

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What Are Enhanced Conversions

{
  "gclid": "Cj0KCQ...",
  "conversion_value": 99.99,
  "conversion_currency": "USD"
}

{
  "gclid": "Cj0KCQ...",
  "conversion_value": 99.99,
  "conversion_currency": "USD",
  "user_identifiers": [{
    "hashed_email": "sha256_hash",
    "hashed_phone_number": "sha256_hash",
    "address_info": {
      "hashed_first_name": "sha256_hash",
      "hashed_last_name": "sha256_hash",
      "city": "san francisco",
      "state": "ca",
      "postal_code": "94102",
      "country": "us"
    }
  }]
}

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Benefits

• Higher match rates: 15-30% improvement
• Better Smart Bidding: More accurate conversion data
• Cross-device attribution: Match users across devices
• iOS 14+ recovery: Improve attribution despite tracking limits

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Click IDs

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gclid (Google Click ID)

URL: https://example.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw...

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gbraid (Google SKAN Identifier)

URL: https://example.com/?gbraid=1234567890...

• User clicks ad on iOS device
• Privacy-preserving attribution needed

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wbraid (Web-to-App Identifier)

URL: https://example.com/?wbraid=abcd1234...

• User clicks web ad
• Converts in mobile app

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Attribution

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Cross-Device Attribution

User clicks Google ad on mobile
gclid captured: Cj0KCQ...
Visitor ID: anon_mobile_123

User purchases on desktop
Email: [email protected]
Order: $149.99

DATALYR links:
1. Desktop visitor → [email protected]
2. Mobile visitor → [email protected]
3. Finds gclid from mobile click
4. Sends conversion with original gclid

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Attribution Windows

• 30-day click attribution (configurable)
• 1-day view attribution (optional)

• 30-day default attribution window
• Customizable per workspace
• Matches Google’s conversion window setting

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Conversion Tracking

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Offline Conversions

Google Ads API v21
Endpoint: OfflineConversionUploadService
Method: uploadClickConversions

{
  "conversions": [{
    "gclid": "Cj0KCQ...",
    "conversion_action": "customers/123/conversionActions/456",
    "conversion_date_time": "2025-09-29 10:30:45-07:00",
    "conversion_value": 149.99,
    "currency_code": "USD",
    "order_id": "ORDER_789", // Deduplication
    "user_identifiers": [{
      "hashed_email": "...",
      "hashed_phone_number": "...",
      "address_info": {...}
    }]
  }]
}

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Deduplication

// Same order won't be counted twice
Conversion 1: order_id = "ORDER_123"
Conversion 2: order_id = "ORDER_123" (duplicate, ignored by Google)

• Always include order_id for purchases
• Use unique IDs for each conversion
• Google deduplicates within 24 hours

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Event Mapping

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Standard Conversions

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Custom Conversions

// Track free trial starts
datalyr.track('trial_started', {
  plan: 'pro',
  value: 99 // Monthly plan value
});

// Maps to Google conversion action: "Trial Started"

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Advanced Features

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Cart Data

{
  "cart_data": {
    "items": [{
      "product_id": "SKU123",
      "quantity": 2,
      "unit_price": 49.99
    }]
  }
}

• Better product-level insights
• Improved Performance Max optimization
• Product feed matching

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User-Provided Data

{
  "user_identifiers": [{
    "hashed_email": "sha256_hash",
    "hashed_phone_number": "sha256_hash",
    "address_info": {
      "hashed_first_name": "sha256_hash",
      "hashed_last_name": "sha256_hash",
      "city": "san francisco",
      "state": "ca",
      "postal_code": "94102",
      "country": "us"
    }
  }],
  "user_identifier_source": "FIRST_PARTY"
}

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Troubleshooting

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Conversions Not Appearing

1. Integration is connected and active
2. Conversion action exists in Google Ads
3. Event has gclid parameter
4. Within attribution window (30 days)
5. Wait 3-4 hours for Google processing

• Missing gclid: User didn’t click Google ad
• Wrong customer ID: Verify ad account selected
• Conversion action not set up: Create in Google Ads first

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Low Conversion Volume

1. Send all conversion events (not just purchases)
2. Include enhanced data (email, phone)
3. Map more events to conversion actions
4. Verify gclid is captured on all entry pages

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Match Rate Issues

1. Send email with every conversion
2. Include phone number (E.164 format)
3. Send full address data (city, state, zip)
4. Use consistent data formatting

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Smart Bidding

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How Conversions Improve Bidding

• Target ROAS: Maximize revenue at target return
• Target CPA: Get conversions at target cost
• Maximize Conversions: Get most conversions in budget
• Maximize Conversion Value: Maximize revenue

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Best Practices

1. Send all conversions: Including micro-conversions
2. Accurate values: Use actual order values
3. Timely uploads: DATALYR sends immediately
4. 30+ conversions/month: Minimum for Smart Bidding

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Data Privacy

• All emails, phones, names are SHA-256 hashed
• No plaintext PII sent to Google
• GDPR compliant
• E.164 phone formatting for accuracy

// Before
Email: "[email protected]"
Phone: "+14155551234"

// After (sent to Google)
hashed_email: "b4c9a289323b21a01c3e940f150eb9b8c542587f1abfd8f0e1cc1ffc5e475514"
hashed_phone_number: "8c2b7e9e4e7e3f7a5d0c5f6e4e7e3f7a5d0c5f6e4e7e3f7a5d0c5f6e4e7e3f7a"

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Next Steps

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Need Help?