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 that Google claims, they send 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

To establish the API connection from your Google Ads account to Adjust, Google uses the Link ID. Google uses only one Link ID per app per platform.

Before creating Link IDs for your apps, it is important to understand your Google Ads account setup.

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're using a manager account to manage the single account as a sub-account, then you need to import all conversions that the single account uses (example, website conversions, Firebase conversions, 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 account and an international account, both of which run campaigns for the same app.
• You may have one agency that runs app campaigns, and another agency that runs web campaigns. Each agency has its own Google Ads account, each of 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 of the multiple accounts

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

If you do not own all of the multiple accounts

1. Designate an account that you have access to and can control as the owner account. The owner account should be one that you own. The owner account 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 then 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.

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

Enable cross-account conversion tracking to track conversions across multiple Google Ads accounts. Follow these steps to enable cross-account conversion tracking:

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:
   1. The upper-left shows which account you currently have selected. Now, 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 and select 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

Now, you need to trigger each event at least once so that you can import the event to Google Ads.

If your app is already in the app store with the Adjust SDK, then each event is triggered by users automatically. If your developers are still testing your app with the Adjust SDK, ask them to trigger each of these events at least once 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 have defined as valuable to your business, such as an online purchase. Once imported, Google Ads will begin to send Adjust conversion data for conversion actions. For more information, see Google Ads documentation.

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. Now, Google Ads will display the conversion actions they have received so far. Ensure that the list contains 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 configurations utilize Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversions in addition to Adjust conversions:

• Android app campaigns using Target ROAS bidding - Google Ads requires Google Analytics for Firebase conversions to optimize campaigns using this configuration.
• iOS app campaigns using on-device measurement - Google Ads provides the option to use on-device measurement with the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK for iOS campaigns. Using this option might increase the number of deterministic attributions for your iOS campaigns leading to better bidding optimization.

If you are using 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, ensure that you set each of the Google Analytics for Firebase SDK conversion actions that you want to use for bidding optimization to Primary Action and set the Adjust conversion actions to Secondary Action. Otherwise, set the Adjust conversion actions to Primary 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. Select the Google Ads logo to return to the main 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.