Google Ads Tracking

Use this section to set up tracking for Google Ads accounts that do not already use a tracking template. Clarivoy uses campaign and UTM parameters to classify inbound website traffic and categorize it correctly in reporting.

If your account already has a tracking template and you only need to add the required UTM campaign tag, skip to Adding Additional Tags to Existing Templates.

Set Up Tracking in Google Ads

1. Confirm auto-tagging is enabled. In Google Ads, open Admin → Account settings → Auto-tagging and confirm that auto-tagging is turned on.

2. Add the Clarivoy tracking template. Open the account's tracking settings and paste the following into the Tracking template field:

{lpurl}?keyword={keyword}&matchtype={matchtype}&placement={placement}&target={target}&network={network}&loc_physical_ms={loc_physical_ms}&loc_interest_ms={loc_interest_ms}&campaign={_campaigndetail}&dealer_vendor=agencyname

3. Create the campaign custom parameter. For each campaign, create a custom parameter named _campaigndetail. Set the value to the campaign name, using no spaces or replacing spaces with %20. Repeat this for each campaign that should be included in Clarivoy reporting.

4. Test the tracking setup. Use Google Ads' tracking test to confirm the landing page resolves correctly and the tracking parameters are being passed as expected. If the test is successful, save the changes.

Link Google Ads to GA4

To link Google Ads to GA4, you need Editor or Administrator access in GA4 and administrative access in Google Ads.

1. In GA4, open Admin.
2. Under Product links, select Google Ads links.
3. Select Link.
4. Select Choose Google Ads accounts, choose the account you want to connect, then select Confirm.
5. Select Next.
6. Review the available settings. Personalized Advertising is enabled by default, and you can also enable auto-tagging or leave the existing auto-tagging setting unchanged.
7. Select Next, review the settings, then select Submit to complete the connection.

Google Ads data may take up to 48 hours to appear in GA4 after the accounts are linked.

Source: Google Analytics: Connect Google Ads to Google Analytics ↗

Adding Additional Tags to Existing Templates

If your Google Ads account already uses a tracking template, leave the existing template in place. In the Final URL suffix field, add: utm_campaign={_campaigndetail}. If the Final URL suffix already contains other parameters, append the new parameter using: &utm_campaign={_campaigndetail}.
 
For each campaign, create a custom parameter named _campaigndetail and set its value to the campaign name, using no spaces or replacing spaces with %20. Save the changes, then use Google Ads' Test option to confirm the landing page resolves correctly and the parameter is being passed as expected.

UTM Tracking for Other Campaigns

Use UTM parameters on destination URLs to identify where traffic came from and how a campaign should be categorized. For manually tagged campaigns, use utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign together. UTM values are case-sensitive, so use a consistent naming convention.

Source (utm_source) identifies where the traffic came from, such as Google, Meta, a CRM, or an email provider.

Medium (utm_medium) identifies the marketing channel, such as cpc, email, social, display, or video.

Campaign (utm_campaign) identifies the campaign or promotion. Use a consistent name that makes the campaign easy to recognize in reporting.

Examples:

Email

https://www.example.com/?utm_source=vendor&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign-name

Social

https://www.example.com/?utm_source=meta&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=campaign-name

Video

https://www.example.com/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=campaign-name

GA4 can import campaign data directly from Meta Ads, including cost, clicks, and impressions. Before creating the connection, confirm that your Meta ad destination URLs include utm_source and utm_medium. Google also recommends including utm_campaign and utm_id.

The Source and Medium values entered during setup must exactly match the utm_source and utm_medium values used in your Meta ad URLs.

How to Locate UTM Parameters in Meta Ads

In Meta Ads Manager, open the ad you want to review and check the destination URL or URL parameters used for that ad. Confirm that the URL includes utm_source and utm_medium. Google also recommends including utm_campaign and utm_id.

These values should match the Source and Medium values used when configuring the Meta import in GA4. If your Meta campaigns use different utm_source values for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network, or Threads, make sure the corresponding values are entered in the appropriate GA4 Source fields.

Step 1 of 4: Create a New Import Source

1. In GA4, open Admin.
2. Under Data collection and modification, select Data import.
3. Select Create import source.
4. Enter a name for the import source.
5. Select Campaign data as the data type.
6. Under Upload data for import, select Meta.
7. Select Next.

Step 2 of 4: Set Up the Connection

1. On the Set up connection screen, select Connect.
2. Sign in using your Meta credentials.
3. Select Log in to authorize the connection.

Step 3 of 4: Configure the Data

1. Select the Meta Business Center and Ad Account that contain the campaign data you want to import.
2. Enter the Source values that match the utm_source values used in your Meta ad URLs. GA4 provides separate fields for Facebook, Instagram, Audience Network, Messenger, and Threads. If all paid Meta traffic uses the same utm_source value, enter that same value in each applicable Source field. If each Meta platform uses a different utm_source, enter the corresponding value for each platform.
3. Enter the Medium value that matches the utm_medium value used in your Meta ad URLs. The Source and Medium values must match the UTM parameters used on the destination URLs exactly.
4. Select Next. GA4 will automatically map the available campaign fields.

Step 4 of 4: Review and Complete the Import

1. Review the connection details, including the import source name, schedule, filters, and fields to be imported.
2. Select Finish.
3. After GA4 confirms that the import source has been created, select Done.

Imports can take up to 30 minutes to complete and up to 24 hours to appear in GA4 reporting.

After the connection is created, settings such as the Ad Account, Source, and Medium cannot be edited. To change those settings, delete the existing connection and create a new one.

Google Analytics will attempt to pull at least 24 months of historical Meta Ads data into the property. If overlapping Meta campaign data has already been imported through another source, delete the overlapping dataset before creating the new connection to avoid duplicate data.