AppRefer

Google Ads Integration

Upload offline click conversions to Google Ads via the Data Manager API. AppRefer captures gclids from your tracking links and forwards conversions automatically.

Time Estimate

Setup takes about 2 minutes. You just need your Google Ads Customer ID.

Shared Account Credential

Google OAuth is stored once per organization and Google Ads Customer ID. Apps in the same organization can reuse the same authorized ad account, while each app keeps its own conversion action mappings.

Step 1 — Get Your Customer ID#

Your Customer ID is the 10-digit number shown in the top-right corner of the Google Ads dashboard (formatted as XXX-XXX-XXXX). Copy it.

Step 2 — Connect in AppRefer#

  1. Go to AppRefer Dashboard → Settings → Integrations → Google Ads.
  2. Enter your Customer ID.
  3. Click “Connect with Google” — you'll be redirected to Google to authorize AppRefer.
  4. Sign in with the Google account that has admin access to your Google Ads account and grant permission.
  5. You'll be redirected back to AppRefer with a success confirmation.

Click Test Connection to verify everything works. The test uses validateOnly mode — no data is recorded.

Step 3 — Set Up Conversion Actions#

Google Ads routes each conversion to a specific conversion action (identified by a numeric ID). You have two options:

Option A — Auto-create from AppRefer (recommended)

In Settings → Google Ads Conversion Actions, click “Create in Google” next to each event (purchase, install, etc.). AppRefer will automatically create the conversion action in your Google Ads account with the correct category and type, and fill in the action ID.

Option B — Create manually in Google Ads

  1. In Google Ads, go to Goals → Conversions → New conversion action → Import → Other data sources or CRMs → Track conversions from clicks.
  2. Name it (e.g., “AppRefer - Purchase”) and set the category (e.g., Purchase).
  3. After creation, note the Conversion Action ID from the URL (the numeric ID at the end).
  4. Enter the ID in the AppRefer conversion actions table for the corresponding event.

Per-Event Routing

You can map different events to different conversion actions — e.g., purchases go to one action and installs go to another. This lets Google Ads optimize campaigns toward specific conversion types. Events without a per-event action ID are not forwarded to Google.

How It Works#

When a user clicks your ad, Google appends a gclid to the AppRefer Google landing page at /g/{linkId}. AppRefer captures and stores it before the user taps through to the App Store or Google Play. When a conversion event occurs, AppRefer uploads it to Google Ads via the Data Manager API:

Google Data Manager API Endpoint
POST datamanager.googleapis.com/v1/events:ingest

gclid Required

Google Ads offline conversions require a gclid. Installs without a gclid (e.g., organic or non-Google traffic) cannot be forwarded. Ensure your Google campaigns use the AppRefer Google landing page as the Final URL and keep auto-tagging enabled so Google appends gclid automatically.

Auto Token Refresh#

Google OAuth access tokens expire after 1 hour. AppRefer automatically refreshes the organization-level ad account credential using the stored refresh token — no manual intervention needed after initial setup. Legacy app-level credentials are still accepted as a fallback during migration.

Troubleshooting#

IssueFix
Test Connection fails with 'UNAUTHENTICATED'Your token may have expired — click 'Reconnect' to re-authorize with Google
Conversions not showing in Google AdsGoogle Ads can take up to 24 hours to process imported conversions
'PERMISSION_DENIED' errorEnsure the Google account you connected has admin access to the Google Ads account