Google Ads Linker – How to do Google Ads with 2Performant
Google Ads Linker is a tool for 2Performant affiliates that send traffic from Google Ads directly to advertisers’ websites. This tool will give affiliates all the necessary elements for correct attribution and reporting both in 2Performant and in advertisers’ sites.
This page contains the following information:
2Performant Advertisers and Google Ads
General Google Ads restriction
How does Google Ads Linker work?
Information you get from Google Ads Linker
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) {lpurl} – For advanced Google Ads users
Google Click ID {gclid} – for advanced Google Ads users
Other information you may want to know
2Performant Advertisers and Google Ads
Upon entering the 2Performant ecosystem, advertisers establish their own promotion policy for affiliate marketing, a policy that may also include provisions about search engine advertising. Many advertisers accept promotion through Google Ads.
As an affiliate, you can filter Advertiser Ranking by Promotion Methods – Google PPC and you will easily find advertisers that accept Google PPC. This type of acceptance comes in 2 forms:
Note: Google PPC is another term for Google Ads.
Accepts Google PPC
You can promote this advertiser via Google Ads without any prior discussion.
Only after discussion
Before promoting these advertisers via Google Ads, you will have to talk with them by way of Messages and only after compliance can you promote them via Google Ads.
Doesn’t accept Google PPC
There are advertisers that don’t accept Google Ads campaigns.
General Google Ads restriction in 2Performant
In 2Performant we have one general restriction regarding Google Ads campaigns: it is forbidden to run campaigns on keywords consisting of advertisers’ brands or the domain names of their sites. Thus, brand keywords must be added to the negative keyword group.
How does Google Ads Linker work?
Just input the URL you want to promote on Google Ads and you will get all the specific elements necessary in order for proper and complete conversion attribution and reporting to happen via 2Performant.
Google Ads Linker works similar to quicklink functionality, but you’ll get some specific Google Ads elements.
Final URL mismatch may appear after adding the Tracking template. The AD can be saved and is usable. The error appears because the base URL of the Tracking template isn’t the same as the base URL from Final URL. Also, you should double check that the Final URL and the Tracking template have the same destination.
Information you get from Google Ads Linker
Google Ads Linker gives you all the necessary elements in order for you to generate Google Ads campaigns that have correct attribution and reporting.
In most cases you will receive: Final URL, Tracking template and Final URL Suffix. See details below regarding the 3 elements.
Final URL
- The URL where the end users will get to when they click on an ad.
- Final URL will always appear in Google Ads linker when you use Google Ads Linker.
- Final URL from Google Ads Linker WILL NOT BE USED by users that run Dynamic Search Ads or any other kind of dynamic ads.
Tracking template
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Link necessary for 2Performant conversion attribution.
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Tracking template will always appear in Google Ads Linker when you use Google Ads Linker.
- Tracking template is ESSENTIAL for conversion attribution. You have to add it at all times. Commissions will not be attributed if you do not use it.
Final URL Suffix
- Elements that will be added at the end of the final URL by Google Ads for conversion attribution and reporting.
- Final URL Suffix WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE for all advertisers. You can promote advertisers via Google Ads without Final URL Suffix.
- Final URL Suffix will be necessary for correct advertiser reporting. This will help your relationship with the advertiser as he can better asses your collaboration.
- In the future, when an advertiser will upgrade to Big Bear (first party conversion attribution), then Final URL Suffix will be ESSENTIAL for conversion attribution, besides reporting.
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) {lpurl} – For advanced Google Ads users
Google Ads Linker is set up to work with Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) and all other types of Ads where the Final URL is dynamic out of the box.
Tracking template URLs that Google Ads Linker provides have redirect_to={lpurl} set by default.
{lpurl} → stands for Landing Page URL. It’s a Google Ads variable that delivers the destination URL or the final URL in any Google Ads campaign. Because of the final URL’s dynamic format, this variable is mostly used in Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaigns.
Google Click ID {gclid} – for advanced Google Ads users
Google Ads Linker is set up so you will get Google Click ID {gclid} out of the box.
Tracking template has st={gclid} set up by default. In the future, when an advertiser will upgrade to Big Bear (first party conversion attribution)and Final URL Suffix will also have {gclid} incorporated.
With the set up we’ve made in Google Ads Linker, you will receive the {gclid} as a Click tag in the details of each commission you generate so you can export and match commissions generated via 2Performant with clicks you’ve bought from Google Ads.
Other information you may want to know
You can add other click tags other than {gclid} by selecting Advanced and adding the tags you want, before clicking Create. Take into consideration the length of the Final URL.
In the future, when an advertiser will upgrade to Big Bear (first party conversion attribution), click tags will be visible to the advertisers in the landing page URL.