Google Ads Setup Guide
Configure Google Ads with our tracking template to capture Google Click IDs, ValueTrack parameters, and entity details for accurate attribution.
Every paid click then arrives with its campaign, ad group and ad, so SourceTrack can attribute the resulting conversions to the right campaign.
Who This Is For
This guide is for advertisers, agencies, and founders running campaigns on Google Ads. Injecting the SourceTrack ValueTrack template is essential to map campaign names, ad groups, creatives, devices, and networks to conversions.
The SourceTrack ValueTrack Template
Copy and paste this template into your Google Ads Account, Campaign, or Ad Group level tracking settings.
{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_id={campaignid}&utm_content={creative}&utm_term={keyword}&st_campaign_id={campaignid}&st_adgroup_id={adgroupid}&st_ad_id={creative}&st_target_id={targetid}&st_network={network}&st_device={device}&st_matchtype={matchtype}Performance Max & Keywordless Traffic:
For modern Google Ads campaigns like Performance Max (PMax) or Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), Google does not use keywords. Therefore, the {keyword}placeholder will often resolve to a blank value. By capturingst_campaign_id, st_adgroup_id, and st_ad_id directly from Google's ValueTrack macro engine, SourceTrack can still attribute conversions to the exact campaign and asset groups without relying on keyword strings.
How to Install the Tracking Template
Option A: Account-Level Setup (Recommended)
Applying the template at the Account Level automatically covers all current and future campaigns in your Google Ads account:
- Log in to your Google Ads account.
- In the left navigation menu, click Settings → Account settings.
- Expand the Tracking section.
- Paste the SourceTrack tracking template into the Tracking template field.
- Click Save.
Option B: Campaign-Level Setup
If you only want to track specific campaigns with SourceTrack:
- Go to the Campaigns list.
- Select the campaign you want to track, then click Settings.
- Expand Additional settings at the bottom.
- Click on Campaign URL options.
- Paste the template into the Tracking template field and click Save.
Verifying Your Setup
You can verify your setup using the Google Ads Setup Checklist in the SourceTrack dashboard:
- Open theIntegrationspage.
- Look at the Google Ads Setup Checklist card.
- Click your Google Ads links or send test traffic using a GCLID (e.g.
https://yourdomain.com/?gclid=test_gclid_123). - Refresh the checklist or visit the Event Debugger to verify that click IDs and parameters are captured.
Managing and Deleting Your Google Ads Data
This applies when you connect Google Ads to SourceTrack for ad cost import (the 1-Click sync on theIntegrationspage).
What SourceTrack keeps
- The Google authorization for your connection (stored encrypted) and the Customer ID you entered.
- For each day and campaign you sync: campaign name and ID, cost, impressions, clicks and currency.
Google Ads figures shown in SourceTrack are imported when a sync runs and can be more than 24 hours behind Google Ads itself.
Stop syncing
- OpenIntegrationsand expand Google Ads 1-Click Sync.
- Click Disconnect. This deletes the stored Google authorization from SourceTrack. Figures you already imported are kept.
- To also remove SourceTrack's access on Google's side, remove it from the third-party access list in your Google Account settings.
Delete imported figures
The dashboard does not yet have a button to delete Google Ads figures that were already imported. Emailsupport@sourcetrack.aifrom your account address with the site and date range, and ask for them to be deleted.