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Google Ads Tracking In Lytical

Google Ads Tracking in Lytical

How auto-tagging, UTM parameters, and ValueTrack work together

TL;DR

For best results, use both Google Ads auto-tagging (gclid) AND manual UTM parameters with ValueTrack macros. This gives you channel classification, conversion attribution, AND campaign/keyword-level insights.

Two Tracking Methods

Method What It Does Lytical Uses It For
Auto-tagging (gclid) Google automatically appends an encrypted click ID to every ad click Channel classification Conversion attribution
Manual UTM tagging You define URL parameters with campaign, ad group, keyword info Campaign-level reporting Keyword insights

1. Auto-Tagging (gclid)

What is gclid?

When auto-tagging is enabled in Google Ads (it's on by default), Google appends a gclid parameter to every ad click URL:

https://yoursite.com/landing?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5tXh7rXY...

The gclid is an encrypted string that Google uses internally. It cannot be decoded to reveal campaign or keyword information.

How Lytical Uses gclid

Channel Classification If gclid is present, session is automatically classified as "Google Ads" → "Paid Search". No UTM parameters needed.
Conversion Attribution When a user submits a form, Lytical links the conversion back to the Google Ads click using the stored gclid.
Campaign Details Cannot be determined from gclid alone (it's encrypted)
Limitation

With gclid alone, Lytical knows traffic came from Google Ads, but not which campaign, ad group, or keyword drove the click. For that level of detail, you need UTM parameters.

2. Manual UTM Tagging with ValueTrack

What is ValueTrack?

ValueTrack parameters are dynamic placeholders that Google Ads replaces with actual values at click time. They look like {campaign} or {keyword}.

Recommended Tracking Template

Add this to your Google Ads account, campaign, or ad group settings under Tracking Template:

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={_campaign}&utm_content={_adgroup}&utm_term={keyword}

Or with more detail:

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={_campaign}&utm_content={creative}&utm_term={keyword}&matchtype={matchtype}&network={network}&device={device}

ValueTrack Parameters Reference

Parameter What It Returns Example Value
{lpurl} Landing page URL (required at start) https://yoursite.com/landing
{_campaign} Campaign name (custom parameter) Spring_Sale_2024
{campaignid} Campaign ID number 12345678
{_adgroup} Ad group name (custom parameter) Running_Shoes
{adgroupid} Ad group ID number 987654321
{keyword} Keyword that triggered the ad running shoes
{matchtype} Keyword match type b (broad), p (phrase), e (exact)
{creative} Ad creative ID 555555555
{network} Network where click occurred g (Google), s (Search Partner), d (Display)
{device} Device type m (mobile), t (tablet), c (computer)
{placement} Display/YouTube placement youtube.com
{loc_physical_ms} User's location (geo target ID) 1014221 (New York)
Custom Parameters

Parameters starting with underscore (like {_campaign}) are custom parameters you define at the campaign/ad group level. Set them under "Campaign URL options" → "Custom parameters".

3. How Lytical Processes Google Ads Traffic

Step-by-Step Flow

1
User clicks Google Ad

URL includes gclid (auto) + your UTM parameters (if configured)

2
lyt.js captures parameters

Extracts gclid, utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, utm_content from URL

3
Channel classification

gclid present → "Google Ads" (Paid Search). No UTMs needed for this step.

4
Session created with full context

Stores: channel, gclid, utm_campaign, utm_term (keyword), and all other UTMs

5
User browses site

All pageviews, clicks, scroll depth, time on page tracked under this session

6
Conversion happens (form submit)

Lytical attributes conversion to Google Ads using gclid, enriches with campaign/keyword from UTMs

4. What You Can See in Lytical

With gclid Only (Auto-tagging)

✓ Traffic classified as "Google Ads"
✓ Conversions attributed to Google Ads
✓ Session behavior (pages viewed, time on site, scroll depth)
✗ Which campaign drove the visit
✗ Which keyword triggered the ad
✗ Which ad group or ad creative

With gclid + UTM Parameters

✓ Everything above, plus...
✓ Campaign name in session data and reports
✓ Keyword that triggered the ad (via utm_term)
✓ Ad group/creative info (via utm_content)
✓ Filter Quincy queries by campaign/keyword
✓ Link conversions to specific campaigns in attribution reports

5. Setup Instructions

Step 1: Verify Auto-Tagging is Enabled

  1. Go to Google Ads → Admin (gear icon) → Account settings
  2. Find Auto-tagging
  3. Ensure "Tag the URL that people click through from my ad" is checked

Step 2: Add Tracking Template (Account Level)

  1. Go to Google Ads → Admin → Account settings
  2. Expand Tracking
  3. In Tracking template, paste:
    {lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={_campaign}&utm_content={_adgroup}&utm_term={keyword}
  4. Click Test to verify
  5. Click Save

Step 3: Set Custom Parameters per Campaign

  1. Go to each campaign → Settings
  2. Expand Campaign URL options
  3. Under Custom parameters, add:
    • {_campaign} = Your campaign name (e.g., "Spring_Sale")
  4. Optionally set {_adgroup} at the ad group level
Pro Tip

Use underscores instead of spaces in custom parameter values (e.g., "Spring_Sale" not "Spring Sale"). This prevents URL encoding issues.

6. Google Ads Data in Lytical

In addition to website tracking, Lytical imports data directly from the Google Ads API. This includes:

Data Type What It Shows
Campaign Stats Impressions, clicks, spend, conversions, CTR, CPC
Ad Group Stats Performance breakdown by ad group
Keyword Stats Keyword performance + Quality Score
Search Term Stats Actual queries that triggered your ads
Ad Stats Individual ad creative performance
Video Stats (YouTube Ads) Views, view rate, completion rates, CPV

This data is synced from Google Ads API independently of website tracking, giving you a complete picture of both ad performance AND on-site behavior.

7. Ask Quincy

With proper tracking in place, you can ask Quincy questions like:

"How much did we spend on Google Ads last week and what was the ROAS?"

"Which keywords are driving the most form submissions?"

"Compare Google Ads traffic behavior vs organic search - which has better engagement?"

"How are my YouTube Ads performing? Show me view rates and completion rates."

Summary: Recommended Setup

Best Practice Configuration

  1. Keep auto-tagging ON - gclid ensures reliable channel classification
  2. Add UTM tracking template - for campaign/keyword-level insights
  3. Set custom parameters - {_campaign} and {_adgroup} for human-readable names
  4. Connect Google Ads in Lytical - for spend/conversion data from the API
  5. Install lyt.js - captures everything and tracks on-site behavior

This gives you the complete picture: ad spend from Google, on-site behavior from Lytical, all connected through gclid and UTM parameters.