Connecting Google Ads to Alpha Insights

Connecting your Google Ads account allows Alpha Insights to automatically track search, display, and shopping campaign spend and calculate true ROAS alongside your Facebook Ads. This guide covers complete Google Ads setup.

Why Connect Google Ads?

• Automatic spend tracking- Import campaign costs without manual entry
• Complete ROAS picture- See profitability across all ad platforms
• Campaign comparison- Compare Google vs Facebook performance
• Search campaign insights- Understand which keywords drive profit
• Shopping feed analysis- See which products perform best in Google Shopping

Before You Begin

Requirements

Active Google Ads account with campaigns

Admin access to the Google Ads account

Google account email that manages the ads

Alpha Insights Pro license activated

Google Ads vs Google Analytics

Note: This integration connects to Google Ads(the advertising platform), not Google Analytics. You'll connect using your Google Ads account, not Analytics.

Step-by-Step Connection

Step 1: Access Google Ads Settings

1. Go to Alpha Insights → Settings
2. Click the Google Ads tab
3. Click Connect Google Ads

Step 2: Sign In with Google

1. A Google sign-in popup appears
2. Select the Google account that manages your ads
3. Or enter email and password if not listed

Tip: Use the same email you log into Google Ads with

Step 3: Grant Permissions

Google will ask to allow Alpha Insights to:

• View your Google Ads campaigns
• View performance data and reports
• View your customer information (account name, ID)

Alpha Insights CANNOT:

• Create, modify, or delete campaigns
• Change bids or budgets
• Access payment methods
• See billing information beyond spend amounts

1. Review permissions
2. Click Allow

Step 4: Select Google Ads Account

You'll see a list of Google Ads accounts you manage:

• Individual accounts: Single accounts (xxx-xxx-xxxx)
• Manager accounts: MCC accounts managing multiple sub-accounts (not recommended for API data collection)

For single account:

1. Select your account from the list
2. Click Connect Account

Important: Manager (MCC) accounts cannot be used for API data collection. You must select a client ad account, not the manager account itself.

Step 5: Fetch All Historical Data

After successful connection, you'll see a confirmation screen:

1. A success message showing "Successfully Connected!" with your account name
2. A Fetch All Data button
3. Information explaining this will load all historical ad spend data
4. Click Fetch All Data to begin importing your data

Note: This initial data fetch loads all available historical data based on your "Account Age" setting (default: 10 years). After this, data will automatically sync on your configured schedule.

Alternative: Fetch Data Later

If you prefer to configure settings first before fetching data:

1. You can skip the "Fetch All Data" step by closing the modal
2. Go to Settings → Google Ads
3. Configure your sync settings (described below)
4. Click Refresh All Campaign Data when ready

Step 6: Configure Sync Settings

Sync Frequency

• Every 6 hours(recommended) - Balanced frequency
• Every 12 hours- Good for stable campaigns
• Daily- Minimal API usage

Recommendation: Every 6 hours for active campaigns

Historical Import

• Last 7 days
• Last 30 days (recommended)
• Last 90 days
• Last year
• All time

Note: Large imports take 10-45 minutes to complete in background

Campaign Types to Sync

Select which campaign types to track:

• Search campaigns
• Display campaigns
• Shopping campaigns
• Video campaigns (YouTube)
• Performance Max campaigns
• App campaigns (usually not relevant for eCommerce)

Currency Settings

• Auto-detect (recommended) - Uses your Google Ads account currency

Note: Currency is automatically detected from your Google Ads account settings and cannot be manually overridden.

Step 7: Data Fetch Complete

If data fetch is successful:

1. You'll see an "All Set!" message
2. The success message shows campaign data has been loaded
3. The page will automatically reload to show your updated connection status
4. You can also click Done to reload immediately

If Data Fetch Fails

In case of large ad accounts or temporary API issues, you may see:

• A warning message: "Connection Successful - However, we couldn't fetch your data at this time"
• Your account IS connected (authentication worked)
• Helpful suggestions for next steps:
  • Try fetching data again later from the Google Ads settings page
  • For large ad accounts, adjust the "Account Age" setting to fetch a smaller date range
• Click Done - the page reloads to show your active connection
• You can manually fetch data anytime using the "Refresh All Campaign Data" button in settings

Important: A data fetch failure does NOT mean your connection failed. Your Google Ads account is connected and you can fetch data later from the settings page.

Step 8: Verify Connection

Check for:

• Status:Connected(green badge)
• Account ID displayed
• Last sync time showing
• "Initial sync in progress" message

What Data Syncs?

Campaign Information

• Campaign names and IDs
• Campaign type (Search, Display, Shopping, etc.)
• Campaign status (Active, Paused, Ended)
• Date ranges campaigns ran
• Currency code from your Google Ads account

Performance Data

• Daily cost/spend per campaign
• Clicks
• Impressions
• Average CPC
• Conversion data (if tracking enabled)

NOT Synced

• Keywords (for privacy/volume)
• Ad copy or creative
• Audience targeting details
• Billing information
• Payment methods

Attribution Setup

Alpha Insights automatically attributes orders from Google Ads using multiple methods:

Automatic Detection Methods

• GCLID (Primary Method): Google Click Identifier stored in landing page URL - most accurate method
• UTM Campaign ID: Custom parameter google_cid={campaignid} added to your ad URLs
• UTM parameters: utm_source=google or utm_medium=cpc
• Traffic source: Referrer = google.com with specific parameters

Recommended Setup: Add UTM Parameter to Ads

For most accurate campaign tracking, add this parameter to your Google Ads destination URLs:

google_cid={campaignid}

Example URL: https://yourstore.com/product?google_cid={campaignid}

This allows Alpha Insights to precisely match orders to specific campaigns.

Attribution Window

Orders are attributed to campaigns based on when the customer first clicked the ad. The attribution uses the order creation date and looks back through stored GCLID and campaign data.

Attribution Model

Last click attribution (default, recommended)

How Campaign Data is Stored

Google Ads campaigns are stored as WordPress custom post types (google_ad_campaign) with all performance data stored as post meta. This allows for:

• Fast querying and reporting
• Historical data preservation
• Integration with WordPress admin interface
• Data backup with standard WordPress backup tools

Verifying Everything Works

Check Campaign List

1. Go to Alpha Insights → Google Ads Campaigns
2. Should see list of your campaigns
3. Verify campaign names match Google Ads interface
4. Check spend amounts look reasonable

Check Dashboard

1. Go to Dashboard
2. "Ad Spend" should now include Google Ads spend
3. Filter by platform to see Google vs Facebook separately

Run Test Report

1. Go to Reports → Ad Campaign Performance
2. Filter to Google Ads only
3. Should show campaigns with spend and ROAS

Troubleshooting Connection

"No Google Ads accounts found"

Cause: Google account has no associated ad accounts

Solutions:

• Verify you're signing in with correct Google account
• Check you have at least "Standard" access to a Google Ads account
• If using Manager account, ensure it has linked client accounts

"Permission denied"

Cause: Insufficient access level to Google Ads account

Solution:

1. Go to Google Ads → Tools → Account access
2. Verify your email has "Admin" or "Standard" access
3. If "Read-only", request upgrade from account owner
4. Wait 5 minutes after permission change, then reconnect

"Connection failed"

Common causes:

• Popup blocked - allow popups for your site
• Didn't complete all Google permission screens
• Temporary Google API issue

Solution: Try again in incognito mode, allowing all permissions

"Ad spend not appearing"

Check:

1. Connection status is green (Connected)
2. Last sync time is recent
3. If you skipped the "Fetch All Data" step during connection, you need to fetch data manually:
   • Go to Settings → Google Ads
   • Click Refresh All Campaign Data button
   • Wait for data to load (may take several minutes for large accounts)
4. Date range in reports includes days with ad spend
5. Campaigns are actually active and spending in Google Ads
6. For very large accounts, reduce the "Account Age" setting to fetch a smaller date range

Connecting Manager (MCC) Accounts

If you manage multiple Google Ads accounts through an MCC:

Benefits of MCC Connection

• Connect once, manage multiple accounts
• Sync all client accounts simultaneously
• Centralized reporting across all accounts

Setup Process

1. Connect using your MCC account credentials
2. Select the Manager account
3. • Select all (sync all current and future clients)
   • Select specific accounts only
4. Configure settings (applied to all selected accounts)
5. Save

Managing Client Accounts

After connection:

• Add new client: Go to settings, click "Manage Accounts", select new client
• Remove client: Uncheck client in settings (historical data preserved)
• View separately: Filter reports by specific client account

Managing Google Ads Connection

View Connection Details

Go to Settings → Google Ads to see:

• Connection status
• Connected account name and ID
• Account type (Individual or Manager)
• Number of campaigns syncing
• Total spend synced
• Last sync time
• Next scheduled sync

Manual Sync

1. Click Sync Now
2. Wait 10-60 seconds depending on campaign count
3. Last sync time updates

Use when: Just launched new campaign, want immediate data

Refresh Connection

If seeing errors or stale data:

1. Click Refresh Token
2. Re-authenticate with Google
3. Connection restored

Note: Unlike Facebook, Google tokens last longer but may still need refresh occasionally

Change Campaign Selection

1. Click Manage Campaigns
2. Check/uncheck campaign types
3. Or select specific campaigns to sync
4. Save changes

Disconnect

1. Click Disconnect
2. Confirm disconnection
3. Choose whether to keep historical data

Google Ads + Facebook Ads Together

With both connected, Alpha Insights provides:

Combined Reporting

• Total ad spend: Across all platforms
• Blended ROAS: Overall return across Google + Facebook
• Platform comparison: Which platform is more profitable?
• Campaign comparison: Best campaigns regardless of platform

Multi-Touch Attribution

When customer interacts with both platforms:

• Track full customer journey
• See which platform typically converts first
• Understand assisted conversions

Budget Allocation Insights

• Compare cost per order: Google vs Facebook
• Compare ROAS by platform
• Optimize budget split based on profitability

Privacy & Security

Data Access

• Read-only access to campaign data
• Cannot modify campaigns or settings
• Cannot access billing/payment info
• Encrypted token storage
• HTTPS-only communication

Data Storage

• Campaign data stored in your WordPress database
• Only campaign-level aggregates (no keyword details)
• No personal customer data shared with Google

Compliance

• GDPR compliant
• Google Ads API Terms of Service compliant
• Data retained according to your settings

Advanced Features: Conversion Action Tracking

Profit Conversion Action

Alpha Insights can create and manage a custom conversion action in your Google Ads account that tracks the actual profit value of each order (not just revenue). This allows Google Ads to optimize for profit, not just revenue.

How it works:

1. Go to Settings → Google Ads → Conversion Action for Tracking Order Profit Value
2. Click "Create Conversion Action"
3. Alpha Insights creates a conversion action named "Alpha Insights - Order Profit"
4. When orders are placed with a GCLID, the profit value is automatically sent to Google Ads
5. View the conversion action in Google Ads under Goals → Summary

Benefits:

• Google's Smart Bidding can optimize for profit instead of just revenue
• More accurate performance tracking in Google Ads interface
• Better bid optimization for high-margin products

Add to Cart Conversion Action

Similarly, Alpha Insights can track Add to Cart events as conversion actions in Google Ads:

1. Go to Settings → Google Ads → Conversion Action for Add To Cart
2. Click "Create Add To Cart Conversion Action"
3. Alpha Insights creates a conversion action for tracking cart additions
4. Useful for tracking customer journey and optimizing top-of-funnel performance

Technical Details

These conversion actions use the Google Ads API v20 and are uploaded using the Enhanced Conversions format with GCLID matching. Data is sent immediately when orders are created in WooCommerce.