Connect Google Ads to Nevian

Time needed: about 5 minutesLast updated:

Add Nevian's parameters to your Google Ads campaigns as a final URL suffix, so every click and every sale shows its campaign, ad group and ad.

What you need

  • Access to the Google Ads account with permission to edit campaigns.
  • A Nevian workspace where you are the owner, an admin or a member. Viewers can't add ad platforms or tracking links.
  • The Nevian tracking script on the page your ads send people to. See Connect your website to Nevian.
  • Auto-tagging on in Google Ads (Admin › Account settings › Auto-tagging, box Tag the URL that people click through from my ad), so each click also carries Google's click ID, gclid. New accounts have it on.

Steps

  1. In Nevian, open Ad platforms and click Google Ads. In the Connect Google Ads window, choose Add tracking parameters, click Next twice and then Done. The parameters it shows are the Google part; the tracking link you create next puts its own btc= in front.

    The Connect Google Ads window in Nevian on its last step, with the Done button highlighted.

  2. Open Tracking links and click New tracking link. Give it a name, choose Google Ads as the Ad platform, keep Direct as the tracking mode, enter your page in Landing page URL and click Create tracking link.

    The New tracking link form with Google Ads as the ad platform, Direct tracking and a landing page URL, and the Create tracking link button highlighted.

  3. In the tracking link's Setup, step 2 Paste the URL parameters in Google Ads shows a string that starts with btc=. Click Copy.

    The Setup of the tracking link, with the URL parameters string starting with btc= and its Copy button highlighted.

  4. In Google Ads, go to Campaigns in the Campaigns menu and select the Settings tab. Hover over your campaign and click the pencil icon in the Tracking template column.

    The Settings tab of Campaigns in Google Ads, with the pencil icon of the Tracking template column highlighted.

  5. Paste the string in Final URL suffix and click Save. Leave the tracking template as it is: the suffix adds the parameters to your page's address with no extra redirect.

    The campaign's tracking settings in Google Ads, with the Nevian string in the Final URL suffix field and the Save button highlighted.

  6. Back in Nevian, open Logs › Clicks after the first clicks. Each click shows the tracking link and, under it, the ID of the ad it came from.

    Logs, Clicks in Nevian, with a new click showing the tracking link and the Google ad ID under it.

Check that it works

  • In Logs › Clicks, click a row: UTM parameters shows the campaign and ad group IDs Google filled in.
  • Live view shows each visitor the moment they land, with the tracking link.
  • Using the same tracking link in every campaign? You can paste the string once at the account level instead: Admin › Account settings, Tracking Template, field Final URL suffix, Save.

Problems

Clicks arrive without a campaign or ad

Check that the whole string, starting with btc=, is in the campaign's Final URL suffix. A suffix set on an ad group, ad or keyword takes the place of the campaign's, so remove those or paste the same string there too. Don't add ? or & before the first parameter.

Reports show numbers instead of campaign names

Google's ValueTrack parameters send IDs only, such as {campaignid} and {adgroupid}. Nevian shows the ID until Google campaign names can be synced.

The page shows an error after turning on auto-tagging

Google notes that a few sites refuse unknown URL parameters. Ask whoever runs the site to accept extra parameters, because the btc= and utm_ values need the same. Google explains auto-tagging in About auto-tagging.

Still stuck? Write to [email protected].

Images are drawings of Google Ads' and Nevian's screens, not screenshots; the real screen may look a little different.