Google Ads (AdWords)—Integration setup for advertisers

Creating a link ID requires Google administrative access to the account. Follow the steps below or the Google documentation.

1. Log in to your Google Ads admin account.
2. From the top menu, click Tools and settings.
3. Under the Setup menu, select Data manager and click + Connect Product.
4. In the Data sources search bar, type "Third-party app analytics", select it, and click Continue.
5. Click Create link ID.
6. Select AppsFlyer as your app analytics provider.
7. Select the platform, Android or iOS.
8. Find your app and select it.
9. Click Create link ID.

(Any member in AppsFlyer's account)

1. In AppsFlyer, from the side menu, select Collaborate > Partner Marketplace.
2. Search for Google Ads and select it.
3. Click Set up integration. You’re directed to the integration setup page. 
4. From the Integration tab, turn on Activate partner.
   Note: The toggle must stay on (activated) for as long as you work with the partner.
5. Paste the Link ID you copied in the previous step.
6. Decide whether or not to turn on Non EU users.
   
7. Configuring Install attribution:
   1. Set the Install click-through lookback window.
      Select the lookback window units (hours or days) and set the slider to the desired value. We recommend setting the lookback window to 30 days to match with Google Ads.
   2. [Optional] If you run pre-registration campaigns for Android apps, set the Pre-registration campaign lookback window (default is 90 days). This slider determines the lookback window for attributing installs to pre-registration campaigns.
   3. Enable Install view-through attribution.
   4. Select the lookback window units (hours or days) and set the slider to the desired value. We recommend setting the view-through lookback window to 1 day to match with Google Ads.
      Note: Google doesn't send claims for iOS app impressions. The install view-through attribution toggle and the lookback window slider are no longer relevant for iOS apps.
      
8. To enable reinstall attribution, turn Reinstall attribution on.
   No need to configure lookback windows for reinstall attribution, as the values are taken from install attribution settings.
    

    Important!

   A reinstall conversion data is presented as a session_start on Google Ads dashboard. In AppsFlyer, it is attributed and seen as a re-attribution.

9. Configure Re-engagement attribution:
   1. Enable retargeting in App Settings.
   2. Enable re-engagement attribution in Google Ads integration settings
   3. Set the Re-engagement click-through lookback window, which is the period of time, starting from an ad click, during which the app must be launched for the click to be recorded as a re-engagement. Select a lookback window in hours or days and set the slider to the desired value.
   4. Enable Re-engagement view-through attribution.
      Note: Google doesn't send claims for iOS app impressions. The install view-through attribution toggle and the lookback window slider are no longer relevant for iOS apps.
   5. Set the Re-engagement view-through lookback window, which is the period of time, starting from an ad impression, during which the app must be launched for the impression to be recorded as a re-engagement. Select a lookback window in hours or days and set the slider to the desired value.
   6. Set the Re-engagement window. This is the period when the user's in-app events are attributed to the retargeting media source, following either a click or an impression. You can set the value in days (1-90), hours (up to 23), or even lifetime. The default is 30 days.
      
10. If you have a Google Ads iOS app asset (formerly known as app extension):
    To get attributions from the ad link, go to the Attribution link tab, create an AppsFlyer single-platform attribution link, and insert it into the Google Ads app asset.
    Note: Make sure to add a static campaign name (mandatory).
    
11. Go to the Cost tab.
12. Turn on Get cost, clicks and impressions data.
13. Click the Connect Google Ads button, and log into your Google account to get all your Google Ads campaign costs on AppsFlyer. More details here.
14. Click Save.

This step requires Google administrative access to the account to create a link ID.

Follow the steps described in the Google Ads Help documentation. Take note of the following:

• In Step 7, check the box next to the first_open event for all your apps (required for install measurement). Then, if you plan to measure re-engagements with Google, also import the session_start event, and, lastly, do the same for each in-app event you wish to measure with Google. Note: If the Partner Event identifier in Google Ads has been changed or is labeled as CUSTOM, while the corresponding event name has been modified in AppsFlyer, you will need to re-import the data.
• After finishing the process, you can see your third-party conversion events on the Conversions > Summary page. If an event doesn't appear in the list or it has been removed from the Google Ads conversion list
  1. Click View all conversion actions. The Status filter appears.
  2. Click Status and select All to see all events, including disabled and removed events.
• Ensure your "include in conversions" setup is aligned with your campaign goals in Google Ads. For more information, consult with your Google representative or refer to the Google documentation here.

Congratulations! You're now measuring Google Ads mobile campaigns with AppsFlyer!

(Any member attached to the AppsFlyer's account)

1. Go to the Integration tab and scroll down to the In-app event postbacks section.

    Note

   When enabling the Google Ads in-app events mapping for an app for the first time:

   • The af_app_opened event is automatically defined and mapped to session_start (if not, add it manually).
   • Under for users from, you must select All media sources, including organic for each event to enable Google Ads to receive these events. After the integration was set successfully, you are able to change this selection for any event.
2. Turn on In-app event postbacks.
3. Click Add event to add an SDK or server-to-server event to the list.
4. Complete the following parameters:

   Parameter Name	Description
   AppsFlyer event	The name of the event, as received by AppsFlyer either from the SDK integrated into your app or from server-to-server events. Tip: Don't see the event you are looking for? Make sure to activate the event on a device with a non-organic installation and recheck. Type it in AppsFlyer event, then click Create custom. Read more about custom event mapping.
   mapped to partner event	The unique name or ID of each event, as defined in Google Ads. Select the most suitable pre-defined AppsFlyer event from the drop-down box.
   for users from	Select the sending option for the event: This partner only: Send postbacks only when this event is attributed to Google Ads. All media sources, including organic: Send postbacks for events attributed to any partner and organic events.
   including	No data (default): Send only the event itself without the event value. Values and revenue: Send all the event parameters, including the revenue value (if exists in the event). Values without revenue: Send all the parameters excluding the revenue value.

5. Click Save integration.
6. After saving the integration, while remaining on the configuration page, you can integrate more of your apps with the partner.
   1. From the top-left corner, under the partner name, click the app name to open the list of apps. 
   2. Select a different app from the drop-down list.
   3. Repeat the integration steps for the selected app.