Google Ads (AdWords)—Create web-based campaigns

Google Ads uses the campaign type objective and goals you select here to set the right bidding strategy and optimize campaign performance.

1. Log in to Google Ads and create a campaign.

2. Select the campaign objective.

   

   • All objectives are applicable, except "App promotion" (which can only be used for mobile app campaigns).
   • We recommend setting the "Sales" campaign objective for optimization based on specific in-app events.

3. Select the conversion goals.

   

   • By default, you see the predefined account-level campaign goals. You can keep those or remove ones that aren't relevant to your campaign.

   • If you don’t see the goal you want Google to optimize for,

     create a custom conversion action and goal.

   • You can also edit your predefined goals on the Conversions page.

4. Select the campaign type.

   

   • All campaign types are applicable, except "Shopping," which requires a product catalog and is limited to verified domains.

Next, for each in-app event you set in AppsFlyer, you must create a corresponding conversion action in Google Ads. After you complete creating the conversion action, you will need to copy the ID of the newly created action and map it to the AppsFlyer in-app event. 

To create custom Google Ads conversion actions and goals:

1. In your Google Ads account overview page, from the side menu, select Goals > Conversions > Summary.
2. Click + New conversion action.
3. Select Conversions offline as your conversion actions data source.

4. Select Import from the list of conversion types, then select either:

   • Manual import using API or uploads > Track conversions from clicks.

   OR

   • CRM, files, or other data sources > Track conversions from clicks, and under Data source, select Skip this step and set up data source later.
5. Click Continue.
6. In Conversion goal, select a conversion action category.

7. In Enter a conversion name, type the name of the conversion action.

   Important!

   To use the Offline Conversions API with GBRAID/WBRAID (in addition to GCLID), make sure the Count field in the conversion action is set to Every (default) and NOT One.

8. Enter a Conversion name and then click Add. Note: If you only want your campaigns to optimize to a single action, include only that action in this category. For example, if you want your campaign to optimize towards the First open conversion action, make sure that it is the only one in its category. You’ll then be able to select this category as the conversion goal for performance optimization when creating the campaign.
9. Click Save and continue, and then Done without setting up data sources. Your new conversion action may initially appear as “Inactive”, but it will change to “Active” once actual data is sent.

10. To map the new Conversion action to the AppsFlyer postback event, retrieve the new conversion action ID. In the conversion goals Summary page, click the conversion action you created and copy the value of thectid=*query parameter from the conversion action page URL.

    

11. In AppsFlyer, paste the ctid value in the mapped to partner event column of the postback event you want Google to optimize for; see: Set in-app event postbacks.

Google Web Ads campaigns utilize two URLs for each engagement: the Final URL and the Tracking Template URL. These URLs are activated simultaneously when the ad is clicked, a feature Google refers to as Parallel Tracking. More information on Parallel Tracking is available in the Google documentation.

Set the Final URL

Google defines the Final URL as "the URL address of the webpage in your website that people reach after they click your ad. Also known as the 'landing page.'"

To set the Final URL

1. In Google Ads, open the Campaigns > ads page.

2. In the ad row, click the edit icon.

   

3. In Final URL, enter the URL of the web landing page.

    Important!

   The Final URL can't be an AppsFlyer URL—OneLink or a single platform attribution URL—as this may cause your campaign to be rejected. Only use a direct web address with no redirects, such as a web page URL, the Google Play store URL, or the App Store URL.

   This must be the final web location to which you want to redirect your users. It can be either:

   • A landing page URL pointing to a page that prompts the user to click a CTA button to download the app from Google Play, App Store, or any other app store. The landing page includes Smart Script or Smart Banners, which automatically generate the CTA button URLs. To learn how to create the landing page with Smart Script or Smart Banners.

     You can add AF attribution parameters to the Final URL and map them to Google ValueTrack parameters, for example, af_c_id={campaignid}. Once the Google ad is clicked and the landing page is loaded, Smart Script or Smart Banners can copy the parameters to the landing page's outgoing URL. To learn about the available ValueTrack parameters, see the Google documentation.

     For example,

     https://example.com?product=1234&af_c_id={campaignid}

   • A store URL such as the App Store or Google Play.

      Important!

     Suppose you use the store URL as your Final URL. The only way to send attribution and custom parameter information to AppsFlyer is to insert and map AF parameters to the Tracking Template URL.

     https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=.com.app.id&hl=en&gl=US&referrer={gclid}&gclid={gclid}&campaignid={campaignid}

   • A direct download link to the app APK file if you want users to download the app directly without being redirected to a store. 

Set the Tracking Template URL

Since Google Ads, by default, uses Parallel Tracking, the Tracking Template URL—an AppsFlyer attribution link in our case—is loaded in the background, and the click is registered at AppsFlyer. It is not mandatory to use tracking template URLs, especially when using Smart Banners or Smart Script, see Using the Tracking Template URL with Smart Script or Smart Banners in this article.

1. In Google Ads, open the Campaigns > Campaigns page. In the campaign row, click the settings icon

   

2. Expand the Settings > Additional Settings > Campaign URL options

   

3. In Tracking template, use the following (BaseURL + Redirection parameters):

   • Base URL: Set the Base URL according to the ad click destination:
     • Single platform attribution link if the ad click destination is either Google Play or the App Store (see example below).
     • A OneLink attribution link if the ad click destination is a Web page (see example below).

   • The PID parameter: Add the mandatory pid=googleads_int parameter.

      Tip

     To simplify campaign analysis, include the campaign type, web or mobile, as a prefix or suffix in the campaign name (e.g, campaign-name_web)

   • The site ID  parameter: Add the mandatory af_siteid parameter. You can manually assign any value to it.
   • The campaign name parameter: Add the mandatory c parameter and assign manually it's value (There is no ValueTrack parameter for this parameter).
   • The force transparent parameter: Add the mandatory af_force_transparent=true parameter. This parameter is designed to enhance security in redirection behavior, ensuring compliance with Google’s requirements. Please note that if you do not add the required parameter, Google may disapprove your ad.
   • Redirection parameters for a OneLink attribution link: For parallel tracking to function as intended, set the AF redirection parameters in one of the following combinations:
     • The parameters af_android_url, af_ios_url, and af_web_dp must be set to the {lpurl} Google ValueTrack parameter. Important: Ensure all three are populated to guarantee the attribution link works in all scenarios.
       Or
     • The af_r parameter must be set to the {lpurl} Google ValueTrack parameter.

   • Redirection parameter for a single platform attribution link: For parallel tracking to function as intended, set the af_r parameter to the {lpurl} Google ValueTrack parameter.

      Important!

     To comply with Google requirements, ensure that the {lpurl} value is a valid redirect URL:

     • It uses the HTTPS protocol.
     • It must be encoded.
     • The URL domain is included in your redirect allowlist.
   • AppsFlyer attribution parameters mapped to Google ValueTrack parameters, for example, af_c_id={campaignid}. To learn about the available ValueTrack parameters, see the Google documentation.
   • Don't include any of the following parameters. Requests that contain these parameters are not supported in the Parallel Tracking flow and will be rejected:
     • af_dp
     • af_android_store_csl
     • af_ios_store_cpp
     • af_og_title
     • af_og_description
     • af_og_image
   • Don’t include any parameters that alter the value of the redirection parameter {lpurl}. This includes af_base_params_forward and af_param_forwarding.

    Note

   For additional limitations relating to the tracking template URL, see the Traits and limitations section in this document

Google Tracking Template URL examples

An example of a OneLink in a Google Tracking Template URL:

https://subdomain.onelink.me/aAB1?pid=googleads_int&af_force_transparent=true&af_android_url={lpurl}&af_ios_url={lpurl}&af_web_dp={lpurl}&c=summer_sale24&af_siteid=123456&af_c_id={campaignid}&af_adset=sum24A&af_adset_id={adgroupid}&af_sub1={gclid}&af_sub2={gbraid}

An example of a single platform link in a Google Tracking Template URL:

https://app.appsflyer.com/id1510557250?pid=googleads_int&af_force_transparent=true&c=examplecamp&af_siteid=123456&af_adset=exampleadset&af_adset_id={adgroupid}&af_c_id={campaignid}&af_ad_id={creative}&af_click_lookback=7d&af_r={lpurl}

Using the Tracking Template URL with Smart Script or Smart Banners

You don't need to populate the Tracking Template URL with an AppsFlyer attribution link when the ad redirects to a landing page that uses a Smart Script or Smart Banners. This is because these tools automatically create an attribution link that gets registered in AppsFlyer when the user clicks the landing page CTA button. However, there are considerations for and against leaving the Tracking Template URL field empty:

• If you don’t populate the Tracking Template URL with an attribution link, you run the risk of missing installs that occur when the user clicks the ad but does not click any of the landing page CTA buttons. If the user goes directly to the app store to download the app within the lookback window, the subsequent install will not be attributable.
• If you populate the Tracking Template URL with an attribution link and the user clicks the ad and subsequently clicks the landing-page CTA buttons, two clicks will be registered instead of one, which may impact conversion-rate data.