Why and How to link Google Ads (AdWords) with Google Analytics?
Google Analytics is a free tool provided by Google to capture visitor insights from your website. It can track the source of the visitor, pages visited and other activities. If you have setup your GA script on your website, then it sends information to Google Analytics. However not all information originates from your website.
For example, if you are using Google Ads (AdWords) and running some paid ads with some keywords, then you would like to know if a visitor came because of an ad and keyword. You decide to rush to Google Analytics dashboard. You will notice Source Medium as ‘google / cpc’ however Campaign, Ad Group, Ad Content, Keyword as ‘(not set)’.
Let’s look at Google Analytics Data before linking with your Google Ads Account.
Client ID | Channel Grouping | Source/ Medium | Campaign | Keyword | Hit Date | Ad Group | Adwords Creative ID | Adwords Campaign ID | Adwords Customer ID |
1161114442.1575501915 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
1439939662.1575486144 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
1571765461.1575495530 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
1635717406.1575501292 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
2046035806.1575478509 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
2109887207.1575497589 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
741260401.1575516202 | Paid Search | google / cpc | (not set) | (not set) | 2019-12-04 | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) | (not set) |
Google Analytics Data after linking with your Google Ads Account.
Client ID | Channel Grouping | Source/ Medium | Campaign | Keyword | Hit Date | Ad Group | Adwords Creative ID | Adwords Campaign ID | Adwords Customer ID |
1221773022.1575568408 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +api | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401372558294 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
123675702.1575579380 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +Data | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401281660956 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
1464121655.1575600158 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +Data | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401281660956 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
1625302013.1575545796 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +pricing | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401281660956 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
1627570872.1575563146 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +api | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401372558294 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
1695504075.1575530419 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +Data | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401372558294 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
1756108740.1575583019 | Paid Search | google / cpc | Evergreen_GA Hit Data Extractor Cmpgn | +Google +Analytics +Data | 2019-12-05 | Google Analytics | 401281660956 | 8247077736 | 9227698748 |
If you’re curious how I extracted this data with GA ClientID and Hit Date from Google Analytics, then you should try Electrik.AI’s Google Analytics Hit Data Extractor. Just connect your Google Analytics account with Electrik.AI, select a Destination (Database/Datawarehouse/Big Query/File Storage) of your choice and Google Analytics Hit Data Extractor will periodically export raw unsampled Hit Level data from Google Analytics to your Destination.
Along with raw unsampled Hit Level Data you also get:
1. Unique Visitor ID for each user on your website.
2. Unique Session ID for each period a user is active on your site.
3. Client ID created and assigned by the Google Analytics cookie.
4. Order of Pages viewed by a user in a session.
How to Link your Google Ads with Google Analytics.
1. Open Google Analytics.
2. Click Admin and choose which account and property you’d like to manage.
3. Under property, click AdWords linking.
4. Click + New Link Group.
5. Select the accounts you want to link.
6. Enter your Link Group Title.
7. Switch on all sites where you want AdWords data.
8. Click link accounts.