Overview
This guide will help you set up optimal tracking configurations for Google Ads to ensure accurate attribution within Polar Analytics. For an overview of why tracking parameters are crucial for Polar Attribution, check out this article.
If you already have some tracking configured at the campaign level, you only need to add two UTM parameters to enable attribution in Polar Analytics.
Simply include the following parameters alongside your existing ones:
&campaign_id={campaignid}&ad_id={creative}
Automatic UTM Setup:
You can now automatically configure your UTMs for Google Ads campaigns directly from the Pixel setup popup. This feature provides an overview of all campaigns that will be affected, allowing you to unselect any you prefer not to update.
1. Open the Pixel Setup Popup
Navigate to the Polar Pixel section on your Connectors page.
Click on the UTM parameter set up -> Google Ads
Select Set up automatically.
2. Review Campaigns
The popup will display all Google Ads campaigns that can be updated.
By default, all campaigns are selected.
Unselect any campaigns you do not want to update.
3. Confirm and Save
Once your selection is finalized, click Confirm. Polar Analytics will automatically configure the UTM parameters for the selected campaigns.
Manual UTM Configuration
If you prefer manual setup, follow these steps:
1. Access Campaign Settings
Log in to your Google Ads account.
From the left-hand navigation menu, click on Settings and then select Campaign Settings.
2. Select Your Campaign
Choose the campaign you want to update with UTMs.
(Optional) If you'd like to configure UTMs at the ad account level instead, follow these steps but reference the correct parent campaign name in the
actual_campaign_name_hardcodedparameter.
3. Navigate to Campaign URL Options
Scroll down to Additional Settings and expand the Campaign URL options section.
4. Add the Tracking Template
In the Tracking Template field, paste the recommended Google UTMs provided below.
Replace
actual_campaign_name_hardcodedwith the actual name of your campaign in theutm_campaignparameter.For spaces in campaign names, use underscores or hyphens (e.g., summer_sale or summer-sale).
Click Save.
UTM Parameters:
{lpurl}?utm_source=google&campaign_id={campaignid}&ad_id={creative}&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=actual_campaign_name_hardcoded&utm_content={adgroupid}&utm_term={placement}&gclid={gclid}
YouTube Video Ads
If you're running YouTube video ads through Google Ads, you'll need to manually add tracking parameters to each video ad:
Open your Google Ads account and go to the Ads section.
Find your video ad, then click on Edit ad.
Look for the field labeled Ad URL — this is where you can add your UTM parameters.
Paste your final URL with tracking parameters (e.g.,
utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=campaign_name_hardcoded).
⚠️ Note: If you're using a YouTube-hosted video ad (rather than a responsive ad), this step is especially important — Google Ads doesn’t automatically apply tracking templates to YouTube video URLs.
This ensures your video ad clicks are properly tracked in Polar.
How Google Ads Attribution Works
Recommended Configuration
Providing campaign_id as part of your Google Ads tracking setup ensures the most accurate attribution.
Misconfigured UTMs
Even if your UTM parameters are not perfectly set up, Polar’s matching algorithm can still attribute campaigns to Google Ads by detecting the following:
Sources: Any string containing “google” (e.g.,
google.be,google.dl,com.axndroid.google)Additional sources include
gmail,youtube, andadwords.
Campaign Names: Polar can match misconfigured UTM campaigns if their names closely resemble those in your Google Ads data.