Set up Google Ads account

Adjust uses the Google Mobile Apps Conversion Tracking and Remarketing API for Google Ads. Using this API, Adjust sends Google app installs, sessions, and post-install events. Google uses this data for its own attribution and optimization of Google Ads campaigns.

In response to the Adjust app activities, Google sends its attribution data to Adjust. For each activity it claims, Google sends either an ad impression timestamp or ad click timestamp, as well as campaign information associated with the ad engagement. Adjust uses this information to perform its own cross-channel attribution and reporting.

Before you set up Google Ads in Adjust, you need to complete the following steps in your Google Ads account:

1. Check Google Ads account setup
2. Create Link ID
3. Import conversions
4. Set campaign optimization

Check Google Ads account setup

Google uses the Link ID to establish the API connection between your Google Ads account and Adjust. There's one Link ID per app per platform.

Before you create Link IDs for your apps, read about the difference between single and multiple Google Ads accounts.

Single Google Ads account

With a single Google Ads account, you run all campaigns for the app from the same account. For a single Google Ads account, you need to set up the Link ID at the account level.

If you use a manager account to manage the single account as a sub-account, you need to import all the conversions it uses (including website, Firebase, and Adjust conversions) at the same account level.

• Importing conversions from all sources at the sub-account Google Ads account level - Create the Link ID for Adjust at the sub-account Google Ads account level.
• Importing conversions from all sources at the manager account level - Create the Link ID for Adjust at the manager account level.

Multiple Google Ads accounts

With multiple Google Ads accounts, you run campaigns for an app from different accounts.
For example:

• You may have a domestic and an international account, both run campaigns for the same app.
• You may have one agency that runs app campaigns, and another that runs web campaigns. Each agency has a Google Ads account, which runs campaigns for the same app.

If you have campaigns for your app in multiple Google Ads accounts, you can set up your accounts using either of the following methods:

If you own all the accounts

1. Create a manager account and link all the accounts to it as sub-accounts.
   • If a sub-account has more than one manager account, the sub-account can use conversions from only one of the manager accounts.
2. Create the Link ID for Adjust at the manager account level.

If you don't own all the accounts

1. Select an account that you own and control, and set it as the owner account. It can be a manager or non-manager account, and may or may not contain campaigns for the app.
2. Create the Link ID in the owner account and share the Link ID with a maximum of 20 accounts.
   • Sharing the Link ID doesn’t grant access to other accounts to view or make changes to the owner account. It only allows other accounts to use the Link ID to connect Adjust to their accounts.

Example

You may use both methods when setting up your Google Ads account. For example, you may have your own single account for the app and work with an agency that has multiple accounts for the same app. In this case:

1. The agency’s manager account manages multiple accounts for the app as sub-accounts.
2. You can set the single account as the owner account.
3. You create the Link ID in the owner account and share it with the agency’s manager account. All the accounts that manage this particular app and platform use this Link ID to connect to Adjust.

Create Link ID

Each of your apps should have only one Link ID associated with it on Google Ads. To avoid confusion, you can use one ad account to generate a single Link ID and share this Link ID with all other accounts. For more information, see Google Ads documentation.

Create Link ID in your Google Ads account

Follow these steps to create the Link ID in the Google Ads dashboard:

1. Log in to Google Ads as an admin.
2. Verify that you're logged into the correct account.
   • If you’re not using a manager account, the upper-right displays the Customer ID for the account in which you want to create the Link ID.
   • If you are using a manager account, the upper-right displays the manager Customer ID. Towards the upper-left, you can see the account that you currently have selected (manager or sub-account). Ensure that you have the Customer ID selected for the account in which you want to create the Link ID.
3. Select Tools > Data manager.
4. Scroll down to Third-party app analytics, and select Details on the right if you've never created a Link ID before. Otherwise, select Manage & Link.
5. If you’ve never created a Link ID before, select Create Link ID. Otherwise, click the + sign to create a new Link ID.
   1. Select Adjust as the App Analytics Provider.
   2. Select the correct mobile app platform.
   3. In the Look up your app search box, enter the name of your app, and then select your app from the menu.
      • Ensure that the app ID displayed matches the app ID in the app store.
   4. Select Create Link ID.
   5. Select Done.

Select Tools > Data manager. And then select Manage & link next to Third-party app analytics.

Select + to create a link ID.

1. Select Adjust as the App Analytics Provider.
2. Select the correct mobile app platform.
3. In the Look up your app search box, enter the name of your app, and then select your app from the menu.

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Share Link ID with Google Ads accounts

Follow these steps to share the Link ID from an owner account in the Google Ads dashboard:

1. Log in to Google Ads as an admin in the Google Ads owner account.
2. Select Tools > Data Manager.
3. Scroll down to Third-party app analytics, and select Manage & Link.
4. Find the Link ID that you created and select Options > Share with Another Account.
5. Enter the Customer ID for the account that you want to share the Link ID with, and select Next. The Customer ID could be a manager or a non-manager account.
6. Select Send Invite.
   • In the Shared Link Request section, you can see the request with this status - Invited. Request sent: <today’s date>.

For more information, see Google Ads documentation.

Accept a Link ID sharing request

Follow these steps to accept the Link ID sharing request from an account in the Google Ads dashboard:

1. Log in to Google Ads as an admin.
2. Select Tools > Data Manager.
3. Scroll down to Third-party app analytics, and select Manage & Link.
4. Find the Link ID in the list and select Accept Link.
   • The request status of the Link Id changes to Sharing in the owner account.

Enable cross-account conversion tracking

Follow these steps to enable cross-account conversion tracking in multiple Google Ads accounts:

1. Log in to the Google Ads manager account.
   • The upper-right displays the manager Customer ID. Towards the upper-left, you can see the account that you currently have selected (manager or sub-account). Ensure that you select the Customer ID for the manager account.
2. Select Settings > Sub-Account Settings.
3. For each sub-account that has campaigns for the app, select the dropdown menu in the Google Ads Conversion Account column, and select This Manager.
4. Now, repeat the following steps for each sub-account that has campaigns for the app. The upper-left shows which account you currently have selected.
   1. Choose the sub-account that has campaigns for the app.
   2. Select Tools.
   3. Under Measurement, select Conversions.
   4. Select Settings.
   5. Select Conversion Account.
   6. Select the manager account, then Save.

Link Adjust events to Google Ads

When you integrate the Adjust SDK in your app, Adjust automatically links installs and sessions to Google Ads. If you are using any post-install events to optimize your Google Ads campaigns, you need to manually link these events. For more information, see Set up Google Ads account.

Trigger Adjust events

To import events to Google Ads, you need to trigger each event at least once.

If your app is already in the app store with the Adjust SDK, events are triggered by users automatically. If your developers are still testing it, ask them to trigger the following events in the Adjust sandbox:

• install
• session (Close the app, wait 30 minutes, and then open the app again)
• each post-install event that you linked to Google Ads in Adjust

Import Adjust conversions into Google Ads

In Google Ads, a conversion action is a specific user action that you defined as valuable to your business, such as an online purchase. Once imported, Google Ads sends data for conversion actions to Adjust. For more information, see Google Ads documentation.

If you created the Link ID in a single account or a manager account, follow the instructions to import the conversions in the same account in which you created the Link ID. If you created the Link ID in an owner account and shared the Link ID, ask an admin to import conversions into each account you invited.

Follow these steps to import Adjust conversions into Google Ads:

1. Log in to Google Ads as an admin.
2. Verify that you are logged into the right account.
   • If you’re not using a manager account, the upper-right displays the Customer ID for the account in which you are importing conversions.
   • If you are using a manager account, the upper-right displays the manager Customer ID. Towards the upper-left, you can see the account that you currently have selected (manager or sub-account). Ensure that you have the Customer ID selected for the account in which you are importing conversions.
3. Select Goals > Summary.
4. Select + New conversion action.
5. Select Import.
6. Select Third-party app analytics, and select Continue.
7. Google Ads will display the conversion actions it received so far. The list should display the following conversion actions:
   • first_open (“install” on Adjust)
   • session_start (“session” on Adjust)
   • each post-install event you linked to Google Ads in Adjust

If any of the above conversion actions are missing from the list, check if you've triggered the Adjust events correctly.

1. Select each conversion action, and select Import and Continue.

Select + New conversion action.

Select Import.

Select Third-party app analytics, and select Continue.

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Import Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversions into Google Ads

The following configuration uses Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversions, in addition to Adjust conversions:

• Android app campaigns that use Target ROAS bidding: Require Google Analytics for Firebase conversions to optimize campaigns with this configuration.
• iOS app campaigns that use on-device measurement: Can use on-device measurement with the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK for iOS campaigns. This option could increase deterministic attributions for your iOS campaigns, leading to better bidding optimization.

If you use either of these configurations, ask your developers to follow these steps:

1. Add the Firebase SDK to your app.
2. Add the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK to your app.
3. Define events that you will use for bidding optimization. Use automatically collected events, recommended events, and/or custom events.
4. Link your Google Ads account to Firebase.
   • You need to link the account at the same level that you imported your events (single account, manager account, or accounts that you shared your Link ID with).

Set campaign optimization

On the Conversions page, Google Ads groups all conversion actions by conversion goal.

1. At the upper-right of each conversion goal, select Edit Goal.
2. Under Account-default Goal Settings, you have two options:

Use conversion goal as an account-default Goal

Select this option to use conversion actions in the conversion goal for bidding optimization on all your campaigns.

1. Under Conversion Action Optimization Options, set each conversion action that you want to use for bidding optimization to Primary Action.
   • If you are using one of the configurations under the Import Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversions into Google Ads section, set each of the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversion actions to Primary Action and set the Adjust conversion actions to Secondary Action.
2. Once your campaigns are actively using your Adjust / Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversion actions, you should set the conversion actions for your previous MMP (if applicable) to Secondary Action.
3. Select Save Changes.

Do not use conversion goal as an account-default Goal

Select this option if you want to apply different conversion goals to different campaigns. In this case, you need to manually set the conversion goals on each of your campaigns.

1. Return to the main Google Ads page.
2. Select Campaigns.
3. Select the name of the campaign.
4. Select Settings.
5. Select Goals.
6. Select Use Campaign-specific Goal Settings, and then select Choose Campaign Goals.
7. Select the campaign goals that you want to use for bidding optimization for the campaign, then select Save.
8. Select Save.
9. Select Save again.