Integrations: Google Ads

Activate tracking for every Google Ads campaign and pass event data into GADS for optimization.

Michael Cole avatar
Written by Michael Cole
Updated over a week ago

Updated - Hotfix 3.2.0 (April 2023): This integration has been updated with additional customization configurations, the ability to add multiple tracking parameters, and more.


Table of Contents


Introduction

Here at Everflow, we use this integration for our own Google Ads campaigns. It allows us to achieve:

  • Accurate attribution for conversions and engagement events

  • Keyword, placement, and partner tracking inside Everflow

  • Quick analysis of what is driving results from GADS with a performance-lens.

Optimization in Google Ads should be at the conversion action-level, but their reporting doesn't make it easy make the right decisions. Using this integration, we saw a 91% increase in quality leads with only a 9% increase in budget.


Additional Resources

This integration is also available in the Partner UI. Check out and share our help desk guide, specifically designed for your Partners using the Everflow portal.

Check out this blog post: Our Google Ads Playbook: Capturing 91% More Qualified Leads, for an in-depth look at how we've refined our Google Ads strategy at Everflow and action steps to help you return more quality leads in your own business.


Overview

This integration connects Everflow to your Google Ads accounts, updates the tracking template to pass click data from Google Ads into Everflow, and passes conversions and events data registered by Everflow back into Google Ads for optimization. The specific configurations that you create within this integration provide massive control over your attribution, data, and how Google auto-optimizes around the values that you're passing from Everflow.

This integration is designed for you (the network/advertiser/brand) to track your activity on Google Ads.

Note 1: This setup requires Direct Linking for tracking and attribution.

Note 2: One of the powerful benefits of this integration is the ability to fire attributed Offer Events into Google Ads. We recommend using an offer with Events with this integration, and you can even track CRM pipeline stages (for HubSpot and Salesforce) and fire those events into Google Ads for optimization.

To learn more about Google Ads and sign up for an account - [Click Here]


A Step-By-Step Guide

Step 1: Connect Integration

  • Navigate to Integrations. Click on the Media Buying tab, and then click [Connect Integration] for Google Ads.

  • You will be prompted to sign into your Google account. Sign in and click Allow to authorize the integration.

Step 1A*: Google Ads Setup

  • If you haven't yet created Conversion Actions inside of Google Ads, please go ahead and do this. This feature can be found inside of Google Ads under Tools & Settings > Conversions.

  • Click + New conversion action.

  • Import > Manual Import using API or Uploads > Track conversions from clicks > Continue

Quick setup notes:

  • Choose a Goal category. (the various options are pre-set labels with no other impact)

  • Select 'Use different values for each conversion' to be able to set values inside your integration.
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  • Use the default attribution model - this will be overwritten by your Everflow attribution.

  • Click Create and continue > Finish and your Conversion Action is fully set up.
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Step 2: Configuration

  • Once you have successfully connected your Google Ads account with Everflow, click [Configure] for Google Ads. You can find this button by navigating to Integrations - Media Buying > Configure.

You may configure the integration using the Add Google Ads Configuration form. Your Google Ads credentials are available for selection based on the sign-in authorization you completed in Step 1.

You can configure an integration for each of your Google Ads accounts.

There are four steps to complete the configuration:

  1. General

  2. Account Settings

  3. Campaign Settings

  4. Conversions

General

  • Enter a name for your connection, and enter your Google Ads Manager ID and Google Ads Customer ID.

  • Click [Next] to continue to Account Settings.

Account Settings

  • Please Note: Technically, this section is optional, but it is required in order to receive the gclid in a particular sub parameter, which ultimately allows us to associate a click with its future conversion in Google Ads. If you are choosing not to use it, select Deny.

  • By selecting Allow, the default Google Ads tracking template will be updated to pass the necessary parameters for Google Ads and Everflow to connect on every click.

  • In the Map Default Tracking Parameters section, you will select the parameters used to receive data points from Google Ads.

Technically, there are two levels of tracking templates:

  1. Account level: This one will be updated with the "Default Offer" that you select.

  2. Campaign level: This one will be configured in the next step.

  • Click [Next] to continue to Campaign Settings.

Campaign Settings

This optional section allows you to customize your campaign-level setups inside of Google Ads.

  • As mentioned in the previous section, there are two levels of tracking templates. Here, we will define the Campaign-level setting. If you do not [Enable Campaign Mapping], then the account-level mapping as defined in the previous step will be applied.

  • Click [Next] to continue to Conversions.

Conversions

  • Please Note: This section is optional, but strongly recommended for optimization purposes. If you choose to complete your integration without adding a Conversion, leave the fields blank and click Save.

This section allows for mapping multiple Events within your configuration. Since "campaigns" and "conversion actions" are two totally separate concepts in Google Ads, this section allows us to specify which conversion actions are sent back to Everflow. This section does not affect your tracking templates, whereas the Campaign Settings (previous section) do affect your tracking templates.

For a bit more clarity, you can think of a "Conversion Action" in Google Ads as GADs' version of the combination of an Everflow Offer + Event. We need to map GADs' version to Everflow if we want to track it. Whatever mapping configuration you select here will send postbacks to Google Ads.

  • To add a conversion mapping configuration, click [+ Conversion Mapping].

  • Then, complete the configuration:

  • Select the Conversion Action where you want to receive this data >

  • Select the Offer that you want to pass Event data from >

  • Select the Event that when tracked in Everflow will be fired into Google Ads under the selected Conversion Action.

Apply Traffic Rules

  • Advanced media buyers can use Apply Traffic Rules to have further control over their Conversion Actions and the Values they are passing to them.

For example, you can choose to not fire a Conversion Action whenever there is a Hotmail.com or Yahoo.com email.

You could also fire a different Conversion Action whenever the tracked amount for an Event is more than $500.

  • Click Save.

Every time the selected Event is tracked in Everflow, it will fire into Google Ads using either the default conversion value inside of Google Ads or a custom value by using the Override Linked Event Value toggle setting.


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