Summary
Linking your Google Ad Manager account to Analytics (GA) provides a unified view of ad revenue and user behavior to help improve your monetization strategy. Google Ad Manager and Analytics measure different metrics at different points in the user funnel which can result in a discrepancies. This article will answer questions about differences between the two products.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the primary functions of Google Ad Manager and GA?
A. Google Ad Manager provides ad management and reporting ad metrics such as clicks and impressions, while GA provides insights on website traffic and where the traffic came from.
Q. How are the two systems different?
A. Metrics are counted at different points in the click-referral cycle. Google Ad Manager counts ad clicks at the source while GA counts pageviews or sessions when a user hits the site.
Q. Is Google Ad Manager a reliable source of counting?
Google Ad Manager uses an Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) compliant counting methodology to make sure that impressions and clicks are reported with maximum precision. Note: The Google Ad Manager reports found within GA are approximate and intended to be used to identify trends. These reports should not be used for accounting work or financial reconciliation.
Q. How can an advertiser review publisher metrics?
A. Advertisers can be invited to view campaign data in Google Ad Manager. This provides an open and neutral place for both parties to view the impression and click numbers.
Q. How can I track/verify clicks independently of Google Ad Manager?
A. Shortened URLs (from services like http://goo.gl) can be used to independently count ad clicks being sent to a landing page.
