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

Google’s native integration automatically imports Meta campaign data, including ad spend, clicks, and impressions, into GA4 on a daily schedule.

How to connect Meta Ads to GA4

Follow these steps:

1. Open your GA4 property.
2. Click Admin (the gear icon).
3. Under Product links, select Meta Links.
4. Click Link.
5. Create an import source and select Campaign data.
6. Choose Meta as the import source.
7. Sign in to your Meta account and select your Business Center and Ad Account.
8. Configure your traffic sources and mediums to match the UTM parameters in your Meta ads.
9. Review your settings and click Finish.

You’ll need Editor access to your GA4 property and a Meta Business account with an advertising account.

Setup instructions:  ⁠Google's official guide to connecting Meta to GA4