Connect GA4 to Google Ads

GA4 and Google Ads are powerful on their own. Connected, they’re exponentially better.

Without the integration, your Google Ads account is partially blind. It doesn’t know what happens after someone clicks your ad — not at the depth that GA4 captures. With the integration, you unlock smarter bidding, richer audiences, and data that directly improves your campaigns.

This guide walks you through connecting GA4 to Google Ads, importing conversions, building remarketing audiences, and making the most of the integration.

Why Connect GA4 to Google Ads?

4 Key Benefits

1. Import GA4 conversions into Google Ads

GA4’s conversion tracking is often more flexible and accurate than Google Ads‘ native tracking. By importing GA4 conversions, you can:

• Use GA4’s event-based tracking as Google Ads conversion actions
• Leverage Enhanced Conversions and cross-device data
• Have a single source of truth for all conversions

2. Access GA4 audiences for remarketing

GA4 can build audiences based on user behavior — not just „visited your site,“ but:

• Added to cart but didn’t purchase
• Viewed 5+ products in a category
• Spent more than 3 minutes on pricing page
• Visited from organic search, then came back

These audiences are gold for remarketing.

3. See Google Ads data in GA4

With the link, GA4 shows:

• Campaign-level performance alongside website behavior
• Which campaigns drive engaged users (not just clicks)
• Full user journey from ad click to conversion

4. Enable Smart Bidding optimization

Smart Bidding strategies (Target ROAS, Target CPA, Maximize Conversions) work better with more data. GA4 provides richer signals than Google Ads tracking alone.

Step-by-Step: Linking from GA4

Prerequisites:

• Admin access to both GA4 and Google Ads
• Same Google account for both (or proper access granted)

Steps:

1. Open GA4 → go to Admin (gear icon, bottom left)
2. In the Property column, click Product links → Google Ads links
3. Click „Link“
4. Click „Choose Google Ads accounts“
5. Select your Google Ads account (or MCC if you use one)
6. Click „Confirm“
7. Configure link settings:

• Enable Personalized Advertising: ON (required for remarketing)
• Enable Auto-tagging: ON (ensures gclid parameter is appended to URLs)

1. Click „Submit“

The link is now active. Allow up to 24 hours for data to start flowing.

Step-by-Step: Verifying from Google Ads

After linking from GA4, verify in Google Ads:

1. Open Google Ads
2. Go to Tools & Settings → Setup → Linked accounts
3. Find „Google Analytics (GA4) & Firebase“
4. Your GA4 property should appear as „Linked“

If it doesn’t appear, check that:

• You have admin access in both platforms
• The Google Ads account you linked is correct
• You’re logged in with the same Google account

Importing GA4 Conversions into Google Ads

This is where the real value starts. Instead of (or in addition to) Google Ads‘ own conversion tracking, you can import conversions directly from GA4.

Step-by-step:

1. In Google Ads, go to Tools & Settings → Measurement → Conversions
2. Click „+ New conversion action“
3. Select „Import“
4. Choose „Google Analytics 4 properties“
5. Select your linked GA4 property
6. Check the Key Events you want to import
7. Click „Import and continue“
8. Configure each conversion:

Conversion counting settings:

Setting	E-commerce	Lead Generation
Count	Every conversion	One conversion (per click)
Conversion window	30 days	30-90 days
Value	Use GA4 value	Set fixed or dynamic value
Include in „Conversions“	Yes (primary)	Yes (primary)
Attribution model	Data-driven	Data-driven

„Every“ vs. „One“ counting:

• Every: Count each conversion. Use for e-commerce (one person can buy multiple times)
• One: Count max one conversion per ad click. Use for leads (multiple form submissions from one person aren’t more valuable)

1. Click „Done“

Important: Primary vs. Secondary conversions

In Google Ads, conversions can be:

• Primary: Used for bidding optimization. Smart Bidding targets these.
• Secondary: Tracked but NOT used for bidding. For reporting only.

Best practice:

• purchase → Primary
• generate_lead → Primary
• add_to_cart → Secondary
• begin_checkout → Secondary
• page_view → Do NOT import (it’s not a conversion)

Building Remarketing Audiences

Once GA4 and Google Ads are linked, you can create sophisticated remarketing audiences in GA4 and share them with Google Ads.

How to create an audience:

1. In GA4, go to Admin → Data display → Audiences
2. Click „New audience“
3. Define conditions using GA4’s event data
4. The audience is automatically shared with linked Google Ads accounts

4 High-Impact Remarketing Audiences

1. Cart Abandoners

Condition: Triggered add_to_cart but NOT purchase in the last 7 days

Why: These people showed buying intent. They chose a product and added it to their cart. Something stopped them. A remarketing ad with a small incentive (free shipping, 10% off) can bring them back.

Expected ROAS: 5-10x (highest-converting remarketing audience)

2. Product Viewers (No Purchase)

Condition: Triggered view_item 3+ times but NOT purchase in the last 14 days

Why: They browsed multiple products. They’re interested but haven’t committed. Show them the products they viewed or similar items.

Expected ROAS: 3-5x

3. Past Customers (Upsell/Cross-sell)

Condition: Triggered purchase between 30-90 days ago

Why: They already trust you. They’ve bought before. Show them complementary products, new arrivals, or loyalty offers.

Expected ROAS: 4-8x

4. High-Intent Visitors (Services)

Condition: Visited pricing or contact page AND spent 2+ minutes on site AND did NOT submit a form in the last 30 days

Why: They researched your services seriously but didn’t convert. They might need a nudge — a case study, a testimonial, or a limited-time offer.

Expected conversion rate: 2-3x higher than cold traffic

Before and After: Integration Impact

Here’s what changes in a typical account after properly connecting GA4 and Google Ads:

Metric	Before Integration	After Integration
Conversion data accuracy	Basic (Google Ads pixel only)	Enhanced (GA4 cross-device, cross-session)
Remarketing audiences	Basic (all visitors, page visitors)	Advanced (behavioral, engagement-based)
Smart Bidding performance	Limited signals	Rich signals from GA4
Attribution	Last-click default	Data-driven with full user journey
Campaign analysis	Clicks and conversions only	Engagement, bounce rate, time on site per campaign
Budget allocation	Based on click metrics	Based on actual user behavior and lifetime value
Typical ROAS improvement	Baseline	+15-30% after 60 days

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Conversions not appearing in Google Ads

• Wait 24-48 hours after linking. Data takes time.
• Check that the event is marked as a Key Event in GA4
• Verify the GA4 property linked is the correct one
• Ensure Auto-tagging is ON in Google Ads settings

Conversion numbers don’t match between GA4 and Google Ads

This is normal. They use different attribution models and counting methods:

• GA4 uses data-driven attribution across all channels
• Google Ads credits conversions to ad clicks

A 10-20% discrepancy is typical and acceptable.

Audiences too small for remarketing

Google Ads requires a minimum audience size (typically 1,000 users for Search, 100 for Display). If your audience is too small:

• Broaden the conditions (longer time window, fewer conditions)
• Increase site traffic first
• Start with broader audiences and narrow down

Summary

Step	Action	Time
1	Link GA4 → Google Ads (from GA4 Admin)	5 minutes
2	Verify link in Google Ads	2 minutes
3	Import Key Events as conversions	10 minutes
4	Configure counting (Every vs. One)	5 minutes
5	Create remarketing audiences	20 minutes
6	Wait for data to flow	24-48 hours
7	Verify and optimize	Ongoing

What’s Next?

1. GA4 Conversion Tracking Setup — Make sure your GA4 conversions are set up correctly before importing
2. Google Tag Manager Guide — The foundation for all your tracking
3. Google Ads for Beginners — Put your improved tracking to work

Need help connecting your analytics and advertising platforms? Book a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll review your setup and identify the biggest opportunities.

About the author: Martin Bradac — PPC & SEO specialist with 9+ years of experience managing €80K+/month in ad spend.

Enjoyed this article? Read next:

• GA4 Conversion Tracking: Complete Setup Guide
• Google Tag Manager: Beginner’s Guide
• 5 Most Expensive Google Ads Mistakes