Google Ads
Channel ID: googleAdsClicks
Overview:Onboarding
Google Ads has eight fields:- Sign in (required) - using Google's Oauth allows us to connect your account and authenticate EdgeTag to be able to send data to Google
- Merchant ID (optional) - ID of the merchant center you are using, where you uploaded the product details.
- Identifier Format (optional) - Format of the product identifier that you would like us to use when sending event over to google ads. Make sure this format is matching with format you are using for Item ID in your merchant center.
- Account (required) - Account ID to which we will be sending data. If you are using Google Ads MCC account (Manager account), please select the MCC account id in here.
- Sub-account (optional) - If you are using Google Ads MCC account, and would like to send data to a different sub-account. Please add the sub-account id in here.
- Flow Type (optional) - This would define how you want to receive the data in google ads. Currently, 3 modes are supported Hybrid, Browser and Server. By default it is hybrid mode, where we fire conversions from browser if gtag is not blocked, and if it is we send via server.
- Conversions Mapping (required) - For all events to be tracked for Google ads, they needs to be mapped to conversion actions created in Google Ads dashboard. In here, for any event we ask for two conversion actions to be mapped, i.e. a Browser conversion action and a Server conversion action.
- Enhanced Conversion setting (optional) - This would define how you want to receive user data for tracked conversions. This should be matching with the enhanced conversions option in your google ads account. More info in here
Note: Browser conversion action and Server conversion action are our terms that we use to explain it better and simpler. In case of Google Ads, a single conversion action can't be sourced from both gtag (i.e. Browser) and Google Ads API (i.e. Server), which is why for any event you want to track we recommend to create both browser and server conversion actions for it and map them in our app.
Before starting Authentication for Google Ads, we need to create conversion actions for the events you want to track via Blotout. Please follow these instructions on how to create browser and server conversion actions. Make sure you are creating conversion actions in the correct ads account if you have access to multiple accounts. Once this is done, we can continue with the authentication.
Google SignIn
Once you have started the OAuth process and logged in with your Google account, In the step where you give access to the EdgeTag app, tick the first checkbox (i.e., provide access to see, edit and create Google Ads accounts data). It's a must to send events to your account. Refer to the below image for better understanding.
Setup Merchant ID
If you are not using Merchant Center, you can skip adding this field as this is optional.
Login to Google Merchant Center. Make sure you have selected the correct account if you have multiple in there. You can find the Merchant ID in the top right corner of the page. Please refer to the below image for better reference.
Set Up Identifier Format
If you are using Google Merchant Center, It is recommended to setup this field with the format that you are using for product identifier value in the merchant center. Feel free to skip if you are not using Merchant Center.
Eg: {productId}, {variantId}, {sku} if you are using just ids. shopify_US_{productId}_{variantId} if there is any prefix along with the ids. currently we have 3 standard variables that you can use when setting up identifier format i.e. productId, variantId and sku. Make sure to wrap these in brackets if you are adding them in identifier format input.
To find what is the existing item id value being used in your merchant center, you can go to the Products section in the merchant center and All Products inside it. In the Products table, look for Item ID column and you will find the value that you are using as product id. Refer to the below image for better reference. The value would be shopify_US_{productId}_{variantId} in the below example.
Setup Conversions Mapping
Once the Google Ads account that you want to use is selected, we would need to map conversion actions for the blotout standard events. In the below image i have mapped Purchase browser and server conversion actions with blotout's Purchase event. If you are using sub account in the manager ad account, you need to add the sub account id value in the sub ad account customer field.
Browser Setup
When you are using our SDK via npm package you will need to add additional package for this channel to work correctly. You will need to install @blotoutio/providers-google-ads-clicks-sdk.
After you install it you will need to add it to your init call.
FAQ
1. This app is blocked
If you see an image like this in your process, there is nothing to worry about. Some companies apply more strict rules for Google Workspaces. You will need to add our app to the list of trusted apps. For this process, you need to be the Administrator of your Google Workspace.
First, you will need to go to your Google Admin Console > Security > Access and data control > API controls and click on Manage third-party app access.
Click on Add app > OAuth App Name or Client ID.
In search, enter our App id 235604523012-dnmgkj19ttdnvhqk4tas51ejlicu8pac.apps.googleusercontent.com, click Search and then click on it.
You will need to click on the checkbox and then click Select.
On the next screen, you need to select Trusted: Can access All Google Services and click Configure.
You have successfully added our app to your allowed list. Now you can go back to our app and try adding the Google Ads provider again.
2. Creating conversion actions in Google Ads
In here, we will guide you on how to create both Browser and Server conversion actions.Browser conversion action
- Go to Conversions section in the Google Ads dashboard
- Click on the Create conversion action button on top
- Make sure that Conversions on a website option is checked in. If the website url is not added or configured incorrectly (refer to below screenshot), please click on edit and enter the url and click on scan button and then done button. Once everything looks good, click on Continue.
- In the next step, please select the Conversion category that you want to create a conversion action for. Once the conversion category is selected, please click on Set up.
- Now select the Manual event option and enter the conversion action name (Eg: Purchase browser blotout). Once done, please click on use event button.
- Now the Conversion action is created, but we still need to configure settings. Please click on settings button to configure them.
- The default action optimization will be primary for any conversion action. Please change it to secondary if you are creating these conversion actions for testing. Once testing is done, this should be moved to primary so that they will be used in bidding optimizations etc...
- Make sure to set your preferred values for fields like Value, Count, Click-through conversion window etc... and finally click Done. If you are not sure on what to set, please refer to settings of your existing primary conversion action.
- Once the settings are configured, please click on save and continue button.
- Once you move to the following page, Please click on Finish button at the end and that would take you to conversions summary page and the Browser conversion action setup is finally done.
- Click on Settings in the left section and look for Enhanced conversions setting. Please make sure the same option is selected for the enhanced conversions in our google ads form when filling the data. This is to determine how you want to receive user data for the conversions tracked.
Server conversion action
- Go to Conversions section in the Google Ads dashboard
- Click on the Create conversion action button on top
- Make sure that Conversions offline option is checked in. If the data source option is not selected (refer to below screenshot), please click on add data source and select the option Skip this step and setup a data source later and click on Done button. Once everything looks good, click on Continue.
- Select the Conversion category for which you want to create a server conversion action. Now don't click on setup button directly. we need to select offline conversion source. For that, please click on Add an event to this category, and select the Offline data sources option.
- Now a new conversion action will be added automatically with conversion source Offline data source with the default name offline (Upload). Please click on settings button for it.
- In the settings, please update the conversion action name from offline (Upload) to something like Purchase Server Blotout.
- The default action optimization will be primary for any conversion action. Please change it to secondary if you are creating these conversion actions for testing. Once testing is done, this should be moved to primary so that they will be used in bidding optimizations etc...
- Make sure to set your preferred values for fields like Value, Count, Click-through conversion window etc... and finally click Done. If you are not sure on what to set, please refer to settings of your existing primary conversion action.
- Once the settings are configured, you should see the conversion name updated as well (refer to below screenshot). Finally click on save and continue button.
- Once you move to the following page, please click on Finish button and that would take you to conversions summary page and the server conversion action setup is finally done.
3. Google hasn't verified this app
If you see an image like this in your process, we can still continue the authentication. we just need to click on advanced button, which is highlighted in above image and then click on Go to EdgeTag (unsafe) link. Please refer to below image.
In here, we would need to manually check the first checkbox as shown in below image. Once done, click on Allow button and continue the process.
