Google Ads
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How to Link Google Ads to Google Tag Manager

Google Ads and GTM do not have a formal account linking like Google Ads and GA4. Instead, you use GTM to deploy Google Ads tags (conversion tracking, remarketing) on your website. In GTM, create tags using the built-in Google Ads templates, enter your Conversion ID and Label from Google Ads, set app

Account Setup & Fundamentalslink google ads to google tag manager

Quick Summary

Google Ads and GTM do not have a formal account linking like Google Ads and GA4. Instead, you use GTM to deploy Google Ads tags (conversion tracking, remarketing) on your website. In GTM, create tags using the built-in Google Ads templates, enter your Conversion ID and Label from Google Ads, set appropriate triggers, test in Preview Mode, and publish. This eliminates the need for developers to add Google Ads code to your site.

How Google Ads and GTM Work Together

Unlike the direct account linking between Google Ads and GA4, the relationship between Google Ads and GTM is about tag deployment. GTM is the vehicle you use to install Google Ads tracking code on your website. There is no "link" button — you simply use GTM to deploy Google Ads tags.

The key Google Ads tags you will deploy through GTM are the Google Ads Conversion Tracking tag (fires when a user completes a conversion), the Google Ads Remarketing tag (builds audience lists of your website visitors), and the Google Ads Conversion Linker tag (ensures gclid parameters are preserved across pages).

Enhanced Conversions via GTM

Enhanced conversions improve attribution accuracy by sending hashed first-party data (email, phone, address) alongside the conversion tag. To set this up in GTM, edit your conversion tracking tag, enable "Include user-provided data from your website," and configure the data sources (auto-detect from the page, CSS selectors, or Data Layer variables).

We cover enhanced conversions in detail in our dedicated guide.

Common Issues

Conversion Linker not firing: Ensure it is set to trigger on All Pages with no filters. Without it, your conversion and remarketing tags may not attribute correctly.

Conversion tracking shows "Unverified" in Google Ads: Confirm the tag is published (not just saved in GTM), the Conversion ID and Label are correct, and the trigger fires on the right event. Test with GTM Preview Mode and Google Tag Assistant.

Remarketing audiences not populating: Audiences take 24-48 hours to start populating. They also need minimum sizes (1,000 for Search, 100 for Display) before they can be used in campaigns.

Process Flow

Interactive diagram — drag to pan, scroll to zoom

Step-by-Step Guide

Follow these 6 steps to complete this guide

1

Get Your Google Ads Conversion ID

In Google Ads, go to Goals > Conversions > Summary. Click into a conversion action (or create one if you have not already). Note two pieces of information: your Conversion ID (format: AW-XXXXXXXXXX — this is the same across all conversions in your account) and your Conversion Label (unique per conversion action).
2

Deploy the Conversion Linker Tag

The Conversion Linker tag ensures that the gclid click identifier from Google Ads is stored in a first-party cookie, allowing accurate conversion attribution even if users navigate across pages.

In GTM, click Tags > New. Choose "Conversion Linker" as the tag type. Set the trigger to "All Pages." Name it "Google Ads - Conversion Linker." Save.

This tag must be present on every page. Without it, conversion tracking may not attribute properly, especially in browsers that restrict third-party cookies.

3

Deploy a Conversion Tracking Tag

In GTM, click Tags > New. Choose "Google Ads Conversion Tracking" as the tag type. Enter your Conversion ID and Conversion Label.

For dynamic values (e.g., purchase amounts), create or reference a Data Layer variable that holds the transaction value, and enter it in the Conversion Value field.

Set the trigger to fire on the appropriate event — a thank-you page load, form submission, or purchase event from the Data Layer.

Name the tag descriptively (e.g., "Google Ads - Conversion - Form Submission"). Save.

4

Deploy the Remarketing Tag

The remarketing tag builds audience lists of users who visit your site, which you can target with Display and YouTube campaigns.

In GTM, click Tags > New. Choose "Google Ads Remarketing" as the tag type. Enter your Conversion ID.

For dynamic remarketing (showing users the specific products they viewed), you will also need to configure custom parameters that pass product IDs, page types, and values from your Data Layer.

Set the trigger to "All Pages" for basic remarketing. Save.

5

Test Everything

Click Preview in GTM to enter debug mode. Visit your website and navigate through the conversion flow. In the debug panel, verify the Conversion Linker fires on every page, the Conversion Tracking tag fires only on conversion events, the Remarketing tag fires on all pages, and all tags show "Succeeded" status.

Once verified, go back to GTM and click Submit to publish the container.

6

Verify in Google Ads

After publishing, check your conversion actions in Google Ads. Within 24-48 hours, the status should change from "Unverified" to "No recent conversions" (if no conversions have occurred yet) or "Recording conversions" (if they have).

You can also use the Google Tag Assistant Chrome extension to verify tags are firing correctly on your live site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this topic

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