Set up Google Ads in Adjust

Google is a self-attributing network (SAN) which means it performs its own attribution. Google receives all of your installs from Adjust and then claims installs for which they find engagements from matching devices. Once Adjust receives data for all engagements, we apply the attribution logic (attribution waterfall and attribution settings) that you configured for your campaigns, and display the results in Datascape.

With Adjust’s Google Ads integration, you can measure the performance of your marketing efforts for Google Ads campaigns. If you're running different campaigns, explore the following Google Ads integrations.

You can use Google Ads Offline Conversions to import offline conversion data directly into your Google Ads account. To learn more about it, see Set up Google Ads Offline Conversions campaigns.

Before you begin

Here's what you need to know before getting started.

Requirements

• A Google Ads account
• Admin, Editor, or Custom Editor permissions in Adjust
• Integrate the Adjust SDK
• (Optional) Configure partner parameters in the Adjust SDK
  

iOS | Android | Windows | Unity | React Native | Flutter | Adobe Air | Cordova | Marmalade | Xamarin | Cocos2d-x | Titanium | Corona

• (Optional) Set up in-app event measurement through the Adjust SDK
  

iOS | Android | Windows | Unity | React Native | Flutter | Adobe Air | Cordova | Marmalade | Xamarin | Cocos2d-x | Titanium | Corona

• (Optional) Set up event measurement through the S2S API
  • Events that you link to Google Ads must contain a valid IP address. Make sure you update your S2S event request to include an IP address using the ip_address= parameter.

Get started

As attribution is provided via partner APIs with Google Ads, you don't need to create a link to measure your campaigns. Representative links are automatically created once measurement starts.

To set up Google Ads for your app, follow these steps.

1. Generate Link ID in Google Ads.
2. Enable Google Ads in Campaign Lab.
   • (Optional) Manage your mapped events.
   • (Optional) Map parameters.
3. Import conversions to Google Ads.
4. (Recommended) Set up data collection for ad spend, engagements and SKAN.

Enable Google Ads in Campaign Lab

1. Under Campaign Lab, select Partners.
2. Select New partner.
3. In the Partner selection screen, choose Google Ads, and select Next.
4. In the App selection screen, choose your app or apps, and select Next. Now, set your data sharing options.

Enable data sharing for Google Ads

Google is a self-attributing network. So, sharing installs and sessions from all attribution sources is required. This includes data attributed to Google Ads, data attributed to other networks, and organic data.

1. Under Enable data sharing for Google Ads, select Edit.
2. In the Link ID field, enter your Google Ads Link ID.
   • If you have multiple Google Ads accounts under a Google Ads Manager (MCC) account, you need to create the Link ID at the highest level and share it with your sub-accounts.

Once you enable data sharing, Adjust sends Google Ads install and reattribution data attributed to Google Ads, data attributed to other partners, and organic data.

Set your data sharing options

Additionally, you can share the following data with Google Ads.

Manage your mapped events

All Adjust events are linked to Google Ads automatically. This means that Adjust sends in-app event data, from all sources, to Google Ads. Each event created for the app is mapped to a custom name in Google Ads in the event_{AdjustEventName} format.

To remove a mapped event, select Delete () next to its name. You can also modify the event's name. To do this, select Edit (), and either choose a default name from the list, or enter a custom event name.

If you selected In-app revenue (from in-app purchases) to send detailed revenue data to Google Ads, ensure that you map at least one revenue event to Google Ads. If you had already created revenue events for your app, they are automatically available to Google Ads. Otherwise, create revenue events, and then follow these steps to map your revenue events.

1. Select Map event.
2. In the Adjust event list, select the Adjust event that you want to share with Google Ads.
3. In the Partner event list, select the Google Ads event or enter a custom event name.
4. Select Apply.

Map parameters

Parameters might be useful when you run dynamic or retargeting campaigns, and want to pass additional parameters with your events. For example, a product ID is additional information for a purchase event. Passing parameters for regular campaigns is only relevant if your campaign or creative optimization depends on them.

To map your parameters, follow these steps.

1. Under Set your data sharing options, select Parameters.
2. Under Map your parameters, select Map parameter.
3. Now, map the parameters that you want to share with Google Ads:
   1. In the SDK parameter field, enter the name of your Adjust partner parameter as written in the Adjust SDK.
   2. In the Partner parameter field, enter the name of the corresponding parameter in Google Ads. This is required if the name of partner parameters you integrated into the SDK differs from the values supported by Google Ads.
4. Select Apply.

After you set this up, Adjust sends custom event details directly to Google Ads for any of your linked events.

Review setup

1. In the Setup review screen, review your choices. Make any changes, if required.
2. Select Enable network to enable Google Ads for your app, and enable data sharing, if set up.

You don't need to create a link for Google Ads. The links are created automatically and will start appearing in Adjust after you set up and start a campaign with Google Ads, and Adjust attributes first installs.

Import conversions to Google Ads

Adjust cannot report any Google Ads-driven app installs or in-app events until you import your conversion actions to Google Ads. You need to import the following relevant conversion actions into Google Ads before launching a Google Ads campaign.

• Adjust first_open and Adjust session_start for both Android and iOS apps.
• (Optional) Adjust in-app events linked in your Google Ads setup.

Importing Adjust activities as primary or secondary conversion actions in Google Ads doesn't affect attribution.

If there are no conversions to import to your Google account, try the following:

• Wait 24 hours for Google to send and register some events.
• Install your app with the Adjust SDK, and trigger the events mapped to Google Ads. Try to import the conversions again.

For more information, see our documentation on Importing conversions to Google Ads.

Set up data collection

Google Ads measures certain data points such as ad spend, ad engagements, and so on. You can let Adjust pull this data from Google Ads to display alongside Adjust-recorded data. This gives you a comprehensive view of your data.

Requirements

• Based on the service that you want to connect, you might need to have the correct packages on your account in Adjust. If you want additional packages on your account, reach out to sales@adjust.com.
• Users with Admin, Editor, or Custom Editor permissions in Adjust
• Admin permissions in Google Ads

Add your Google Ads account in Connections

1. Under DataWorks, select Connections.
2. Select New Connection.
3. Select Adwords / Google Ads.
4. Select the services that you want to connect.
5. Use the Google sign-in button to select and link your Google Ads account.
   • Make sure you select the box next to Manage your AdWords Campaigns.
6. Select Connect.

Your Google Ads account is now connected to Adjust, and Adjust can pull data for the services that you selected.

Test your setup

To test the Google Ads integration with Adjust, you need to launch a campaign. Adjust doesn't store engagement data, and can only attribute installs when Google sends us an attribution claim.

Make sure that you've completed the following steps:

• Enabled data sharing with Google Ads with the correct Link ID.
• Imported conversions to Google Ads.
• Have no data sharing restriction at the SDK level, such as COPPA compliance, third-party data sharing.
• Have set the correct attribution settings.
• Waited for 24 hours after campaign launch to see if any installs were attributed.
• Checked correct metrics for your campaigns in reports under the Google Ads channel.

Manage setup in Campaign Lab

After you set up Google Ads in Adjust, you can view or modify the following settings.

Attribution settings

Link overview

Links will not be available until Adjust attributes installs to Google Ads campaigns. To modify attribution settings at the link level, follow these steps.

1. Under Campaign Lab, select Partners.
2. Search for and select Google Ads. The Network level links are listed on the Link overview tab.
3. Select Edit () to view or edit attribution settings at the link level. You can drill-down to the creative-level to change attribution settings at the creative-level.

Attribution comparison

1. Under Campaign Lab, select Partners.
2. Search for and select Google Ads. The Network level links are listed on the Link overview tab.
3. Select the Attribution comparison tab.

You can review your attribution settings for different campaigns. App-level settings are applicable by default.

If you've enabled the 30-day attribution window, it overrides your link-level settings. This isn't visible at the link-level. Check your data sharing settings to verify which attribution rules you applied to Google Ads campaigns.

Data sharing

1. Under Campaign Lab, select Partners.
2. Search for and select Google Ads. You can see the network level links for Google Ads.
3. Select the Data sharing tab. You can view the following information:
   • The name of the app for which data sharing was set up.
   • The sources from which data is shared with the network.
   • The data points shared with the network.
   • The number of mapped events and parameters.
   • The data sharing status (Active or Paused).
4. You can modify the data sharing settings for an app.
   • Select Pause () to pause sharing data with Google Ads.
   • Select Resume () to start sharing data with Google Ads. Once you pause data sharing, Google Ads will not have any attributions.
   • Select Edit () to modify your data sharing settings.