Product Linking: Link a Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) property to Google Ads

This article is about linking a Universal Analytics property to your Google Ads account. Universal Analytics refers to the previous generation of Analytics. This was the default property type for websites prior to 14 October 2020.

Universal Analytics properties are different from Google Analytics 4 properties (formerly known as App + Web properties). Learn more about linking Google Analytics 4 properties to Google Ads

If you have a Universal Analytics property from Google Analytics, you can link the property to your Google Ads account. Linking a Universal Analytics property to your Google Ads account can help you analyse customer activity on your website after an ad click or impression.

This article shows you how to link a Universal Analytics property to your Google Ads account, as well as how to edit or remove linked properties.

Google Ads Help: Link Google Analytics properties to your Google Ads account

For subtitles in your language, turn on YouTube captions. Select the settings icon at the bottom of the video player, then select 'Subtitles/CC' and choose your language.

Before you begin

To link your Universal Analytics properties to Google Ads, you’ll need administrative access to a Google Ads account and 'edit permission' to a Google Analytics property. For unlinking or editing an existing link from Google Ads, only administrative access to a Google Ads account is required.

Instructions

Link a Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) property to Google Ads

In your Google Ads account, click the Admin icon .
Click Linked accounts.
Under 'From Google', find 'Google Analytics (UA)', then click Details.
You'll see a list of Universal Analytics properties to which you have access. The 'Status' column shows if a property is linked to Google Ads. (If you don't see the property, make sure that you have 'Edit' permission to that property.)
In the 'Actions' column, click Link next to the properties you want to link to Google Ads. You can link as many properties as you’d like.
Import site metrics or link views from Analytics to Google Ads:
1. If the property that you chose only has one view, you'll see the name of just that view. Select Import site metrics to see Analytics data in Google Ads reports.
2. If the property has multiple views, you'll see a list of the views that you can link. For each view, you can do the following:
  1. Link: This will make Google Ads click and cost data available in Analytics, and Analytics goals and transactions available for import into Google Ads. You can link as many views as you'd like.
  2. Import site metrics: (Recommended) Choose one view from which you want to import site engagement metrics. This view will be used to show site engagement metrics in the Analytics reporting columns of your account. Note that you’ll need to add Analytics columns to your Google Ads reports. In most cases, it will take less than an hour for Analytics data to be imported, but the process may take longer for larger accounts. After the data is imported, you can add Analytics columns to your Google Ads reports.
Click Save.

Unlink a Google Analytics (Universal Analytics) property from Google Ads

In your Google Ads account, click the Admin icon.
Click Linked accounts.
Under 'Setup', click Linked accounts.
Under 'Your linked accounts and products', find 'Google Analytics (UA)', then click Manage and link.
You'll see a list of Analytics properties to which you have access.
- To change which views are linked, or the view that site metrics are imported from, click the pencil icon next to the data in the 'Views' column. To save your changes, click Save.
- To unlink a property from your Google Ads account, click Unlink in the 'Actions' column.

After you unlink an Analytics property:

Session data for Google Ads (such as clicks, impressions, CPC, etc.) will still be available in Google Ads reports, but new sessions resulting from clicks in the Google Ads accounts after you’ve removed the property will show in reports as '(not set)'.
Remarketing lists based on the link will be closed.
Goals or transactions will no longer be imported from Analytics to Google Ads.

Having trouble?

Fix a linking issue

If you need more help with Google Analytics in Google Ads, contact us.

Was this helpful?

How can we improve it?