Google Ads integration (on-premises)

Piwik PRO and Google Ads integration lets you see which campaigns result in traffic on your website. It allows you to combine data from Google Ads with data from Piwik PRO like sessions, bounce rate, goal conversion. Thanks to this knowledge, you’ll know which campaigns bring visitors to your site and turn them into customers.

In this article, we’ll explain how to set up the integration for Piwik PRO on-premises.

Before you start

Here are some things to know before you integrate with Google Ads:

• You need to have an owner account in Piwik PRO to integrate. After the initial integration, a user account with manage permissions can add Google Ads accounts to websites in Piwik PRO.
• You’ll need to access Google Ads at a manager level and Google API Console. If you don’t use these tools, you might need help from your webmaster.
• You’ll need to get a developer token from Google, enable Google Ads API, and set up the OAuth 2.0 client in Google API Console. It takes some time to prepare that, but you need to set it up only once for your account in Piwik PRO, and then you’ll be able to add Google Ads accounts freely to any of your websites. The whole process is described below.
• You can connect many Google Ads accounts to one website in Piwik PRO. But, keep in mind that when you merge accounts with different currencies, data about cost and average CPC will be inaccurate. Piwik PRO can’t change currencies, so you’ll see summed up values for various currencies in reports.
• This integration will download campaigns supported by Google Ads API. These campaign types aren’t avaliable via API: Discovery, Performance Max.
• We recommend that you use auto-tagging in Google Ads. It allows Piwik PRO to combine data and to show more accurate information in reports. 
• Data from Google Ads is not personal data or personally identifiable data. This data is aggregated and can’t be combined with individual visitors tracked by Piwik PRO. You can use this data safely as it complies with applicable data protection laws.

Integrate with Google Ads

To integrate with Google Ads, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Google Ads Manager Account.
2. Navigate to Tools & settings > Setup > API Center.

   Note: The API Center option will appear only for Google Ads Manager Accounts.

3. If you see the developer token with a test account, you’ll need to apply for a basic or higher access. If your developer token has a basic or higher access continue to step 5.
   

   

   Note: A developer token from Google allows your app to connect to the Google Ads API.

4. Fill out the Google’s form. The form will ask you detailed questions about your API tool design, and will also ask for design documents of your tool. Take your time to answer all questions, send the form and wait for the reply from Google. It may take up to several weeks to obtain a developer token.
5. Note the developer token and use it in step 26.
6. Log in to Google API Console. 
7. Click the project list and click New project.
   

   

8. Name the project and click Create.
9. On the left, click Library.
10. Use the search field to find the API for Google Ads and click the API.
    

    

11. Click Enable.
    

    

12. On the left, click Credentials.
13. Click + Create credentials, and then pick OAuth client ID.
    

    

14. If this is your first time creating a client ID, Google will ask you to add a product type,  name, support email address, and authorized domain in the OAuth consent screen page. For example, add:
    • Product type: Internal
    • Product name: Piwik PRO
    • Email address: an email address of your support
    • Authorized domain: piwik.pro

    

15. Navigate back to Credentials > + Create credentials > OAuth Client ID.
16. In Application type, select Web application.
    

    

17. Now you need to add Authorized JavaScript origins and Authorized redirect URIs. You will find this information in Piwik PRO after following a few next steps.
    

    

18. Log in to Piwik PRO.
19. Go to Menu > Analytics.
20. Navigate to Settings > Integrations.
21. On the left, click Google Ads. 
22. On the setup screen, you’ll see information about Authorized JavaScript origins and Authorized redirect URIs. Copy them and paste to corresponding fields in Google API Console, where we left off in step 16.
    

    

23. Click Create.
    

    

24. Once the OAuth client ID is ready, you need to copy Client ID and Client secret. This information will appear on the screen after you create OAuth client ID. You can also access it through APIs & Services > Credentials > OAuth Client IDs.
25. Go back to Piwik PRO and navigate back to the integration setup screen under Menu > Analytics > Settings > Integrations > Google Ads.
26. In Credentials, add Developer token, Client ID, and Client secret.
    

    

27. In Integration setup, click Connect.
    

    

28. Follow confirmation screens from Google and click Allow.
    

    

29. Select account that you want to connect to the website in Piwik PRO and click Save.
    

    

    Note: You can connect many Google Ads accounts to one website in Piwik PRO. But, keep in mind that when you merge accounts with different currencies, data about cost and average CPC will be inaccurate. Piwik PRO can’t change currencies, so you’ll see summed up values for various currencies in reports.

Now you’re done. The integration is all set and Piwik PRO will download data from Google Ads from up to the last 90 days. After that, Piwik PRO will update data once a day. Only keep in mind that Google Ads provides data with a 1-day delay so the data you see in reports are slightly late.

Google Ads report

With the integration ready, you can start viewing data about campaigns in the Google Ads report in Piwik PRO.

To see data for a Google Ads report, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Piwik PRO.
2. Go to Menu > Analytics.
3. Navigate to Reports.
4. On the left, click Google Ads.
   

   

   Tip: For more about Google Ads report, read this article.

   Note: These campaign types aren’t avaliable via the Google’s API: Discovery, Performance Max. You won’t see them in reports in Piwik PRO.

Add Google Ads account

At any time, you can add a new Google Ads account to your website.

To add a new account from Google Ads, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Piwik PRO.
2. Go to Menu > Analytics.
3. Navigate to Settings > Integrations.
4. On the left, click Google Ads.
5. Click Add new account.
   

   

6. Follow steps on the screen to add an account and click Save.

   Note: You can connect many Google Ads accounts to one website in Piwik PRO. But, keep in mind that when you merge accounts with different currencies, data about cost and average CPC will be inaccurate. Piwik PRO can’t change currencies, so you’ll see summed up values for various currencies in reports.

Activate or deactivate Google Ads account

At any moment, you can activate or deactivate a Google Ads account attached to your website.

To activate or deactivate an account from Google Ads, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Piwik PRO.
2. Go to Menu > Analytics.
3. Navigate to Settings > Integrations.
4. On the left, click Google Ads.
5. Click the three-dot icon next to the account name and click Activate account or Deactivate account.
   

   

   Note: When you deactivate an account, Piwik PRO will stop fetching campaign data from Google Ads, but the data collected so far will remain in reports.