Set up tracking for Dynamic Search Ads

Tracking your Dynamic Search Ads work similar to the tracking for Google Ads campaigns with ValueTrack parameters, except that the Dynamic Search Ads landing page URL is dynamically generated. When you set up tracking, you can send potential customers to a specific landing page that has extra information in the URL. Extra information could be like the dynamic ad target triggering your ad or the type of device the person who clicked your ad was using.

For example, if your final URL is example.com and you wish to send people to example.com?tracking=123 the tracking template for your Dynamic Search Ad should include the ValueTrack parameters {lpurl}?tracking=123. The {lpurl} will be replaced by the dynamic landing page URL.

This article explains how to set up tracking for your Dynamic Search Ads.

Optimize your campaign as you create it

As you create your campaign, you may receive notifications based on your setting selections. These notifications may alert you of issues that can result in decreased performance or that may be significant enough to prevent you from publishing your campaign.

The campaign construction navigation menu that appears as you construct your campaign provides a holistic view of your construction progress and will call attention to notifications that you may want to address. Move between steps in the navigation menu to easily review and resolve potential issues with your targeting, bidding, budget, or other campaign settings. Learn how to Create effective Search ads.

Before you begin

• Create a tracking template. You can add a tracking template for your Dynamic Search Ads on the account, campaign, ad group, or dynamic ad target level. Keep in mind that Google Ads will use the most specific one. For example, if you have a tracking template on the ad group level and on the dynamic ad target level, the dynamic ad target tracking template will be used.
• Use a ValueTrack parameter. In order to use tracking in your dynamic ad groups, you will have to create a tracking template. You'll also need a ValueTrack parameter to populate your landing page. The ValueTrack parameter can return landing page addresses in a few different formats so check how your tracking software formats tracking URLs.

Note: ValueTrack parameter is only available in Google Ads.

When you have the correct format, replace the landing page URL in your third-party tracking URL with the recommended ValueTrack parameter to create a tracking template.

Your example landing page URL: https://www.googlestore.com/shop.axd/search?category=phones

Your landing page URL with its tracking details	Key features	Recommended ValueTrack parameter	Tracking template
https://www.googlestore.com/shop.axd/search?category=phones&device=m&tracking=xyz	Doesn’t encode landing page URL, ends with “tracking” string	{lpurl}	{lpurl}?device={device}&tracking=xyz

Third-party tracking URL	Key features	Recommended ValueTrack parameter	Tracking template
http://tracking.com/redir.php? url=https://www.googlestore.com/shop.axd/ search%3Fcategory%3Dphones	Encodes ?, =, ", #, \t, ', and [space] of landing page URL, ends with search query	{lpurl}	http://tracking.com/redir.php?url={lpurl}
http://tracking.com/redir.php? url=https%3A%2F%2F www.googlestore.com%2Fshop.axd %2Fsearch%3Fcategory%3Dphones	Encodes :, /, and ?, and = of landing page URL, ends with search query	{escapedlpurl}	http://tracking.com/redir.php?url={escapedlpurl}
http://tracking.com/213/73406795	Landing page URL not included	None, this format isn’t supported.	n/a

If you’re using a third-party tracking software, you'll need to test if it's compatible with your Dynamic Search Ads in Search Ads 360. Dynamic Search Ads work with third-party software if you can view the landing page within the software's tracking URL.

Example tracking URL	Compatible?
http://www.3rdpartytracker.com/?url=https://www.googlestore.com	Compatible. You can view the landing page URL in the tracking URL. Your Search Ads 360 tracking template would be http://www.3rdpartytracker.com/?url={lpurl}
http://www.3rdpartytracker.com/73406795	Not compatible. You can’t view the landing page URL in the tracking URL. You can’t create a tracking template containing {lpurl

If you don’t find the landing page URL within your software’s tracking URL, your software isn't compatible with Dynamic Search Ads.

Our system will check your tracking templates and landing page links to confirm that they lead people who click on your ad to the expected page. Search Ads 360 will use the domain you've provided to generate and test your links. If your final landing pages don't load successfully, your ad may be disapproved.

Instructions

Before you begin, you may have to add the "Tracking template" column to your table using the following steps:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a client account.
3. From the page menu, click Dynamic ad targets and click Dynamic ad targets.
4. Click the column icon above the statistics table.
5. Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
6. Click Attributes, and then select “Tracking template”.
7. Click Apply.

To set up tracking for your Dynamic ad target, follow these instructions:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a Google Ads or a Microsoft Advertising client account.
3. From the page menu, click Dynamic ad targets and click Dynamic ad targets.
4. Hover over any entry in the new “Tracking template” column, and click when the pencil icon appears.
5. Enter {lpurl}, a question mark, and then any ValueTrack parameters you want to use, separated by ampersands (&). For example, if you want to use the {targetid} parameter, your tracking template would be: {lpurl}?targetid={targetid}.
6. Click Save.

Specify tracking templates for product groups

Override inheritance

Product groups that don't define their own tracking template inherit the tracking template specified for the ad group or higher level.

To override the inherited template for a product group:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a client account.
3. Click Product groups from the page menu on the left.
4. Add the tracking template column to the reporting table.
   1. Click column from the table toolbar.
   2. Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
   3. Click Apply.
5. Click on the pencil icon in the “Tracking template” column, next to the campaign for which you want to make the edits.
6. Remove the tracking template and click Save.

Search Ads 360 re-traffics the product group to the client account, and the client account applies the template from higher up.

Resume inheritance

Product groups that define their own tracking template will override the tracking template specified for the ad group or higher level.

To remove a product group's tracking template and start inheriting the template from a higher level:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a client account.
3. Click Product groups from the page menu on the left.
4. Add the tracking template column to the reporting table.
   • Click column from the table toolbar.
   • Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
   • Click Apply.
5. Click on the pencil icon in the “Tracking template” column, next to the campaign for which you want to make the edits.
6. Remove the tracking template and click Save.

Search Ads 360 re-traffics the product group to the client account, and the client account applies the template from higher up.

Specify Tracking templates for Google Ads Dynamic Search Ads

Override inheritance

Dynamic search ads that don't define their own tracking template will inherit the tracking template specified for the parent ad group (or from a higher level if not defined for the ad group).

To override the inherited template:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
3. From the page menu, click Ads & assets, and then click Ads.
4. Click column from the table toolbar.
5. Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click on the pencil icon in the “Tracking template” column, next to the campaign for which you want to make the edits.
8. Enter the existing tracking template and click Save.

Search Ads 360 re-traffics the ad to Google Ads, and Google Ads applies the template. Confirm that Google Ads applied the template.

Resume inheritance

Dynamic search ads that define their own tracking template will override the tracking template specified for the parent ad group (or from a higher level if not defined for the ad group).

To remove an ad's tracking template and start inheriting the template from a higher level:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
3. From the page menu, click Ads & assets, and then click Ads.
4. Click column from the table toolbar.
5. Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
6. Click Apply.
7. Click on the pencil icon in the “Tracking template” column, next to the campaign for which you want to make the edits.
8. Remove the existing tracking template and click Save.

Search Ads 360 re-traffics the ad to Google Ads, and Google Ads applies the template from higher up.

Specify tracking templates for dynamic targets

When you create a dynamic target in a campaign, you can specify a Dynamic destination URL or a Dynamic destination URL with additional tracking. If you specify:

• Dynamic destination URL: The dynamic target inherits the URL template specified for a dynamic search ad (or from the ad group or higher level if not defined for the ad).
• Dynamic destination URL with additional tracking: When you create a dynamic target, Search Ads 360 traffics the URL and tracking parameters to Google Ads as a tracking template, and the dynamic target overrides the tracking templates specified at a higher level. If you add the tracking template column to the Dynamic ad targets tab, you'll find the same URL and tracking parameters that you entered when you created the target.

After you create a dynamic target, you change the tracking template as described in the following sections.

Override inheritance for an existing dynamic target

To override the inherited template for an existing dynamic target:

1. Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
2. Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
3. From the page menu on the left, click Campaigns. You can select the campaign which has Dynamic Search Ads, from the list of campaigns in the reporting table.
4. From the page menu on the left, click Dynamic ad targets and click Dynamic ad targets from the drop down menu. If you don’t find Dynamic ad targets, the campaign isn’t set up for dynamic search ads.
5. Click column from the table toolbar.
6. Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click on the pencil icon in the “Tracking template” column, next to the campaign for which you want to make the edits.
9. Enter the tracking template and click Save.

Resume inheritance for an existing dynamic target

Dynamic targets that define their own tracking template will override the tracking template specified for a dynamic search ad (or from the ad group or higher level if not defined for the ad).

To remove a dynamic target's tracking template and start inheriting the template from a higher level:

1. Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
2. Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
3. From the page menu on the left, click Campaigns. You can select the campaign which has Dynamic Search Ads, from the list of campaigns in the reporting table.
4. From the page menu on the left, click Dynamic ad targets and click Dynamic ad targets from the drop down menu. If you don’t find Dynamic ad targets, the campaign isn’t set up for dynamic search ads.
5. Click column from the table toolbar.
6. Click on the Attributes drop-down. Select the Tracking template checkbox.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click on the pencil icon in the “Tracking template” column, next to the campaign for which you want to make the edits.
9. Remove the existing tracking template and click Save.

Keep in mind

If your tracking templates include ValueTrack parameters that indicate keyword information, like the parameter {keyword}, then those parameters will be blank for Dynamic Search Ads, since Dynamic Search Ads don't use keywords. To help identify which target triggered the ad, we recommend using the parameter {targetID}.

Related links

• About tracking in Google Ads
• Set up tracking for Google Ads campaigns with ValueTrack parameters
• About Dynamic Search Ads
• Set up tracking for a Google Ads Shopping campaign