Click Performance Report via API > Call Extension gCLID > import to Analytics > Link and attribute to Adwords

[Alan Johnson]

Hi all,

We have an Google Adwords account linked up to a Google Universal Analytics account and we are trying to attribute call extension conversions to the Adwords via Analytics using only the gCLID. We are getting the gCLIDs via the Google Adwords API.

In other words, we get these Google click IDs (gCLID) from the Google click metrics report every time there is a click to call on our ad. However, since the user never actually goes to the site, it is impossible to grab the Google Analytics CID to identify an Analytics session.

We would like to import these gCLIDs to Analytics and have them attributed to our Adwords account by sending events using the measurement protocol. These are the parameters that we are sending with MP so far but with no success as of yet.

v: "1", tid: "UA-xxxxxxx-x", cid: "555", gclid: CMvmjrWWvdECFQONaQodh, t: "event", ec: "SEM Call", ea: "Call Placed", cn: "NADA Event", ci: "xxxxxxxxx", cs: "google", cm: "cpc", ev: 27, kc: +nada




The event source / medium turn out to be correct but Analytics doesn't seem to realize that we are trying to import conversions to attribute and link with our Adwords account.

We know that importing directly to Adwords is a possibility, but we would rather import directly to Analytics if possible, due to other tracking issues.

Can anyone help me attribute my gCLIDS (conversions) to my Adwords account and specifically, to Adwords keywords, in this way?

Thanks!

Alan

[Shwetha Vastrad (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Alan,

If you have set up conversion trackers to track calls from call-only ads or ads using call extensions, these conversions are already attributed to the corresponding keyword in your AdWords account. This information is available in the Click Performance Report as well. You can use the Call Metrics Call Details report to get details for calls to Google forwarding numbers, if you are using them in call extensions and to track website call conversions. The AdWords metrics listed here are the the ones available in the linked Analytics account if you have enabled auto-tagging.

I'm afraid the issue of importing these conversions into your Analytics account is not in scope for this forum. I would suggest that you post your query in the Google Analytics API forum.

Regards,

Shwetha, AdWords API Team.

[ajoh...@themorangroup.net]

Thank you for that info, Shweta.

I would like to kindly ask you if you could confirm one thing, if possible. The GCLIDs that I obtain from the click_metrics_report via AdWords API, which are generated from call extension or click_to_call "clicks", can I still import them to AdWords as either "import from clicks" or "import from calls" conversions even if the ad never takes them to the landing page? 

We do not intend to use Google forwarding numbers because we have a third party call tracking service that needs to use specific numbers. We would like to be able to attribute these GCLIDs to the proper keyword/campaign as conversions. Thanks so much.

Best,

Alan

[Shwetha Vastrad (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Alan,

Yes, you can still import the GCLIDs from the Click Performance Report into your AdWords account as either "import from click" or "import from calls". These conversion types are used so that a user can get a measure of what happens offline when an ad results in a click or call. Please see this guide for more information on offline conversion tracking. 

Please note that the same conversion won't be imported more than once. So, if you try to upload a conversion with the same combination of same GCLID, name, and time, AdWords will ignore it. But if you want to upload multiple conversions of the same type, for the same click, you can. AdWords will record them as separate conversions as long as they have different times (the GCLIDs and conversion names can be identical).

[ajoh...@themorangroup.net]

Hello Swetha,

The agency I work for is a premier AdWords partner and I personally attended the AdWords API workshop in Google NYC last year. It would mean more than you know if you could help us resolve this issue we are having.

We've tried to upload offline conversions, using the template CSV as a model, as both "import from click" and "import from calls" and the only time we have been successful is when the click type of the GCLID  from the click_metrics_report is not "Phone Call". For example, we try to import the GCLIDs that are generated from our call extension calls or click-to-call clicks, which show a click type of "Phone Call", and the conversions do not register in AdWords. When we import a GCLID that has a click type of "Headline", the conversion registers successfully. Again, we are not using Google Forwarding Numbers as we have a third party service that provides specific phone numbers for us to use, but we would still like to import these calls as conversions and attribute them correctly via the GCLID. 

Thanks for providing your feedback and, again, the resolution of this issue is worth quite a bit to us. 

Best,

Alan Johnson

[Shwetha Vastrad (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Alan,

Could you enable logging and try to import your phone call conversions using the example provided here and provide the SOAP request and response logs generated? This will help me in further troubleshooting why you are unable to import your conversions as required. Please use Reply privately to author when responding. 

[Brian C]

Hi Shwetha,

Is there a way after uploading offline conversions via "import from calls" to see the keyword responsible for generating that call?

[Nadine Sundquist (AdWords API Team)]

Hi Brian,

This looks like a slightly different question from what is on this thread. Could you please start a new thread on this? Someone on my team will get back to you on that new thread once you've posted it.

Thanks!

Nadine, AdWords API Team