Import Google Analytics goals and transactions into Google Ads

30/11/2019

When it comes to analyzing customer activity on your website, Google offers two features to help you: Google Analytics goals and transactions, and Google Ads conversion tracking. You can use both at the same time, or just one. Click the link below to see a quick comparison.

Compare Google Analytics goals and Google Ads conversion tracking

Google Analytics goals

  • Ideal if you're interested in the entire flow of customers through your site, not just conversions.
  • Can include conversions from non-Google Ads sources, so it's good for tracking all customer traffic on your website.

Google Ads conversion tracking

  • Ideal if you're interested only in conversions.
  • Tracks conversions only from Google Ads sources.

Benefits of importing Google Analytics goals

Importing your Google Analytics goals into Google Ads conversion tracking offers a few benefits. They include:

  • Access your Google Analytics conversions and data related to your Google Ads clicks.
  • See Google Analytics conversion data in Google Ads.
  • Give Conversion Optimizer access to data that helps optimize bids, potentially increasing conversions and lowering costs.

Keep in mind

You might not need to import Google Analytics transactions if you already use Google Ads conversion tracking on a particular page. (Using both could cause conversions to be double-counted.)

Before you begin

To start importing data, you'll need the following:

Instructions for importing Analytics goals and transactions into Google Ads

  1. After you've linked your accounts, sign in to your Google Ads account, click the Tools tab, and select Conversions. Note: Your import could take up to 30 minutes to appear. 
  2. Click Imports.
  3. Click the Google Analytics radio button.
  4. Click Continue. 
  5. On the next page, select the goals and transactions you’d like to import, then click Import and continue.
  6. Click Done.

Google Ads will begin importing the data from your Analytics account. Historical data from before the import won't be included.

Keep in mind

It can take up to 9 hours before goal and transaction data is available in Google Ads. Once it is, your imported conversions data will appear alongside your existing conversion data on the Conversions page, and you'll be able to customize columns on the Campaigns tab to include this data.

Once Analytics data (for example, goals) has been imported to Google Ads, it is subject to the Google Ads terms of service.

Edit conversion settings for imported goals

Once you've imported your Analytics goals, you can edit them the same way you edit conversion actions created in Google Ads.

  1. Sign in to your Google Ads account.
  2. Click the Tools tab, then select Conversions.
  3. Click the name of the imported goal you want to edit.
  4. In the bottom right corner, click Edit Settings.
  5. Make any changes and click the Save button.

 

Data discrepancies

You might see discrepancies in the conversion statistics between Google Analytics and Google Ads conversion tracking. You can Troubleshoot discrepancies in goals, transactions, and Google Ads conversions. 

If you've double-checked that your setup is correct, here are some possible reasons for why you might see this:

Date of transaction

Google Ads reports conversions from the date and time of the click that led to the successful action, not from the date of the successful action itself.

For example, let's say someone saw your ad and clicked it on July 19, but did not make a purchase on your site until the next day, July 20. In Google Ads, the conversion would be attributed to July 19, the day of the click. In Google Analytics, however, the conversion is attributed to July 20, the day the conversion actually occurred.

Counting method

In Google Ads, you can choose to count either all or unique conversions by setting the counting method for each conversion action (including Analytics goals and transactions imported into Google Ads). The "Conversions" column in Google Ads will display conversions that happened within your chosen conversion window, according to your selected counting method. Analytics, however, counts all goals and transactions, which can cause discrepancies.

Example

You've defined an Analytics goal for filling out a lead form. Someone fills out 2 lead forms (in different sessions) after an ad click, and Analytics shows them as 2 goal completions. You import this goal in Google Ads and set your counting method to "Unique," so you only see 1 conversion.

Invalid clicks

Some goals that are reported in Analytics might be filtered out when they're imported into your Google Ads account because of our invalid clicks technology, which doesn't record what seems like suspicious or invalid click activity.

Cookie expiration dates

Google Ads cookies expire 90 days after a customer's click, while Analytics uses a cookie that lasts for up to 6 months. Google Ads conversions can have a conversion window between 1 and 90 days. That means if a customer completed a conversion after the specified conversion window, the conversion wouldn't be recorded in Google Ads but it would still be recorded in Analytics if it occurred within 2 years of the click date.

Imported goal delays

Analytics conversions data is imported into conversion tracking up to 9 hours after the conversions have occurred.

Goal or view name changes in Analytics

If you change the name of a goal or a view containing your imported Analytics goals, these new names will be reflected in Google Ads after the goal was completed by a customer. The changes can take up to 24 hours to be reflected in your Google Ads account.

* Nguồn: Google