How to Link Google Ads to Google Analytics 4
Link your accounts by going to GA4 Admin > Google Ads Links > Link, selecting your Google Ads account, enabling auto-tagging and personalised advertising, and clicking Submit. This lets you see Google Ads campaign data in GA4 reports, import GA4 audiences and conversions into Google Ads, and get a u
Quick Summary
Link your accounts by going to GA4 Admin > Google Ads Links > Link, selecting your Google Ads account, enabling auto-tagging and personalised advertising, and clicking Submit. This lets you see Google Ads campaign data in GA4 reports, import GA4 audiences and conversions into Google Ads, and get a unified view of how paid traffic performs on your site. The link works both ways and takes effect immediately.
Why Link Google Ads and GA4?
Linking Google Ads and GA4 unlocks several capabilities that neither platform offers alone.
See Google Ads data in GA4: View campaign, ad group, keyword, and ad-level performance alongside your site engagement metrics (bounce rate, pages per session, events) in GA4's Acquisition reports.
Import GA4 conversions into Google Ads: If you track conversions in GA4 (form submissions, purchases, etc.), you can import them as conversion actions in Google Ads for use in smart bidding and reporting.
Share GA4 audiences with Google Ads: Build audiences in GA4 based on user behaviour (e.g., users who viewed 3+ pages but did not convert) and export them to Google Ads for remarketing campaigns.
Enable auto-tagging: Google Ads auto-tagging appends a gclid parameter to your landing page URLs, which GA4 uses to attribute sessions to specific campaigns, ad groups, and keywords.
Prerequisites
You need Editor or Admin access to the GA4 property and Admin access to the Google Ads account. Both must be accessible from the same Google account (or the Google account must have permissions on both).
Common Issues
Google Ads account not appearing in the link flow: Ensure you are signed into a Google account that has Admin access to the Google Ads account. If using an MCC, you may need to link at the MCC level.
No data appearing in GA4 after linking: Check that auto-tagging is enabled in Google Ads (Settings > Auto-tagging). Also verify that your Google Ads campaigns are active and receiving clicks. Data may take up to 24 hours to appear.
Conversion counts differ between GA4 and Google Ads: This is normal. GA4 and Google Ads use different attribution models and counting methods. GA4 defaults to cross-channel data-driven attribution, while Google Ads uses ads-preferred attribution.
Audiences not populating in Google Ads: Audiences need at least 1,000 users to be used for Search remarketing and 100 for Display. New audiences take 24-48 hours to start populating. Also confirm that personalised advertising is enabled in the link settings.
Process Flow
Interactive diagram — drag to pan, scroll to zoom
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these 5 steps to complete this guide
Link from GA4
1. Open GA4 and go to Admin (gear icon in the bottom left)
2. Under Product links, click Google Ads Links
3. Click Link
4. Click Choose Google Ads accounts
5. Select the Google Ads account(s) you want to link. If you do not see your account, ensure you have Admin access to it
6. Click Confirm
Configure Link Settings
Enable personalised advertising: This allows GA4 audience data to be shared with Google Ads for remarketing. Disable this only if privacy regulations in your market prevent it.
Click Submit to complete the link.
Verify the Link
Go to Admin > Google Ads Links. You should see your linked account with a status of "Active."
Go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition. Select "Session Google Ads campaign" as a dimension. If you are running active campaigns, you should see campaign data appearing.
In Google Ads
Go to Tools & Settings > Linked accounts > Google Analytics (GA4). Your linked property should appear with a "Linked" status.
Import GA4 Conversions into Google Ads
1. In Google Ads, go to Goals > Conversions > Summary
2. Click the "+" button and select Import
3. Choose Google Analytics 4 properties
4. Select your linked GA4 property
5. You will see a list of GA4 key events. Select the ones you want to import (e.g., form_submit, purchase)
6. For each imported conversion, configure whether it is Primary or Secondary, the counting method, and the conversion window
7. Click Import
Imported conversions will appear alongside any native Google Ads conversion actions. You can use them for smart bidding just like any other conversion.
Export GA4 Audiences to Google Ads
1. In GA4, go to Admin > Audiences
2. Click New audience
3. Define your audience conditions (e.g., users who viewed the pricing page but did not submit a form)
4. Give the audience a name
5. Under Audience destinations, the linked Google Ads account should appear automatically
6. Click Save
The audience will populate in Google Ads within 24-48 hours and can be used for remarketing campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this topic
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