How the Google Ads Integration Works (After Setup)

The Business Goal

The Google Ads integration helps Google Ads learn which ad clicks turn into real Trackdrive conversions. Instead of optimizing only for the original click or form activity, Google Ads can receive the downstream conversion outcome that happens after the lead enters TrackDrive.

This matters because the best ad click is not always the click that creates the most leads. The better signal is the click that creates a lead that later converts with a buyer.

The Conversion Story

A visitor clicks a Google ad and lands on your page. That click includes a Google click id, called gclid. The gclid must be captured before the lead reaches TrackDrive and stored with the lead so TrackDrive can use it later.

The lead then enters TrackDrive carrying that gclid. When the lead converts, TrackDrive uses the configured Google Ads connection to report the offline conversion back to Google Ads.

Google Ads can then connect the reported conversion back to the original ad click. This gives the campaign a clearer signal about which clicks produced real business results.

What TrackDrive Matches

After setup, each conversion tracker row tells TrackDrive which converted leads should be reported to Google Ads. A row connects:

• TrackDrive Offer: the offer whose conversions should be reported.
• Google Click ID Token: the token that stores the gclid.
• Google Ads Customer: the client account that receives the conversion.
• Google Ads Conversion Tracker: the conversion action that receives the result.
• Google Ads Purchase Conversion Tracker: an optional second conversion action that receives the purchase value.

You can use more than one conversion tracker row when different offers need to report to different Google Ads customer accounts or conversion actions.

What Google Ads Receives

TrackDrive reports the conversion so Google Ads can attribute it to the original click. TrackDrive also sends the conversion value from the call revenue. The currency sent to Google Ads is USD.

If the converted call has no revenue, the conversion value is reported as 0.0.

Google Ads records an uploaded conversion only when it is first sent within 90 days of the ad click. TrackDrive dates each conversion at the call, not at the moment it is sent.

Purchase Conversions

A row can also name a Google Ads Purchase Conversion Tracker. When it does, a call with revenue also reports a purchase conversion to that action, carrying the call revenue, and the call conversion is reported with a value of 0.0. The call is still counted, and the revenue reaches Google Ads once,
on the purchase.

Revenue recorded or changed after the call, such as a purchase posted later through the API, is also sent to the purchase conversion action. When a purchase was already reported for the call, Google Ads updates its value rather than counting a second purchase. Google Ads always receives the call's total revenue.

If the call's revenue drops to zero, for example because its conversion is removed, nothing is sent to Google Ads. Google Ads keeps any purchase value it already recorded, and the call log says so.

When a Conversion Is Not Reported

TrackDrive does not report a Google Ads conversion when the required match is missing. Common reasons include:

• The lead does not have a gclid.
• No conversion tracker row matches the offer.
• The Google Ads Conversion Tracker is blank.
• The Google Ads integration is disconnected.
• The call is an off-hook buyer call.

When a conversion is skipped, the call log records the reason so your team can see what was missing.

Related Guides

To get started, read Getting Your Google Ads Integration Set Up on TrackDrive.

For the full technical detail behind this flow, read Google Ads Integration -- Full Technical Guide.