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How to Connect Google Analytics to Google ADK

Cody Schneider••8 min read

You’re already an expert at running Google Ads and you've got Google Analytics tracking your website traffic, but are they talking to each other? If not, you're looking at two separate sets of data that only tell half the story. This guide shows you exactly how to connect your Google Analytics and Google Ads accounts to see the full picture of how your campaigns are really performing, from initial ad click to final on-site conversion.

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Why Is Connecting Google Analytics and Google Ads a Good Idea?

Linking these two powerful platforms isn't just a "nice-to-have" administrative task - it’s the key to unlocking a much deeper understanding of your advertising performance. The process moves you beyond simple ad metrics like clicks and impressions to see what actually happens after the click.

Here are the three biggest benefits of connecting your accounts:

  • See the Full Customer Journey: Without the link, Google Ads can only tell you if someone clicked your ad. Google Analytics can tell you someone arrived from an ad. When you connect them, you combine these two events into one continuous journey. You can answer questions like, "Which ad group drives visitors who spend the most time on my site?" or "Is my Performance Max campaign sending high-quality traffic, or visitors who bounce immediately?"
  • Track and Optimize for Smarter Conversions: You can import your Google Analytics 4 conversions directly into your Google Ads account. This is a game-changer. Imagine your most important conversion goal isn't just a purchase, but a "newsletter_signup" or a "demo_request" that you've configured in GA4. By importing this goal into Google Ads, you can tell the algorithm to optimize your campaigns for that specific action, leading to much smarter bidding and better results.
  • Build Powerful Remarketing Audiences: This is where your targeting becomes laser-focused. Once linked, you can create hyper-specific remarketing lists in Analytics and use them in your Google Ads campaigns. Want to target users who added an item to their cart but didn't buy? Easy. How about showing a specific ad to visitors who read more than three articles on your blog? You can do that, too. This allows you to tailor your ad creative to specific user behaviors on your website.

Before You Start: A Quick Prerequisite Checklist

To make the process go smoothly, make sure you have the following in place before you begin. It'll only take a minute to check and can save you a headache later.

  • Admin Access in Both Accounts: You'll need Administrative access in your Google Ads account and Editor (or Administrator) permissions for your Google Analytics property.
  • Use the Same Google Account: The easiest way to link everything is to make sure the email you use to access Google Ads is the same one that has the required permissions in Google Analytics. If they are different, you'll need to grant the appropriate level of access to one of the accounts.

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How to Link Google Analytics and Google Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide

There are two primary ways you can establish the connection: starting from your Google Ads account (recommended) or starting from your GA4 account. Both achieve the same result, so feel free to choose whichever one you're more comfortable with.

Method 1: Linking from Inside Your Google Ads Account (Recommended)

This is generally the most straightforward path because the interface guides you directly to the linking section for all products, not just GA4.

  1. Log in to Google Ads: Go to ads.google.com and sign in to the account you want to link.
  2. Navigate to Linked Accounts: In the top navigation bar, click on Tools and Settings (it looks like a wrench icon). A drop-down menu will appear. Under the 'Setup' column, click on Linked accounts.
  3. Find the Google Analytics Option: On the 'Linked accounts' page, you'll see a list of various Google products. Find Google Analytics & Firebase and click on the Details link.
  4. Locate Your GA4 Property: You will now see a list of all the GA4 properties you have access to with the same Google account. Find the correct property you want to connect to this Google Ads account and click the Link button next to it.
  5. Confirm the Settings and Link: A confirmation panel will slide out. This is where you configure the settings for the link.

Once you’ve confirmed the settings, click Link to finalize the connection.

Method 2: Linking from Inside Your Google Analytics Account

If you primarily work out of Google Analytics, starting the process here might feel more natural.

  1. Log in to Google Analytics: Go to analytics.google.com and navigate to the GA4 Property you wish to link.
  2. Go to the Admin Section: In the bottom-left corner, click on the Admin gear icon.
  3. Find Product Links: In the 'Property' column (the middle column), scroll down until you see the 'Product Links' section. Click on Google Ads Links.
  4. Start the Linking Process: On the next screen, you'll see any existing links. To create a new one, click the blue Link button in the top right.
  5. Choose Your Google Ads Account: Click on Choose Google Ads accounts. A list of all Google Ads accounts that your email has access to will appear. Select the correct account(s) you want to link to this GA4 property by checking the box next to them. Once selected, click Confirm.
  6. Configure Link Settings: Now you’ll review the settings.

Click Next, review your configuration choices one last time, and then click Submit to complete the link.

Success! Now What? How to Verify the Connection

Congratulations, you’ve made the connection! Keep in mind that it can take up to 48 hours for data to start populating fully across both platforms, so don't be alarmed if you don't see results immediately.

You can verify the link is active in a couple of places:

  • In Google Ads: Go back to Tools & Settings > Linked Accounts > Google Analytics. Your property should now say "Linked" in the status column.
  • In Google Analytics 4: Go to Admin > Google Ads Links. You should see your Google Ads account listed with the connection details.

Your First Steps: 3 Things to Do Immediately with Your Linked Accounts

Connecting your accounts is just the starting point. The real value comes from using the integrated data to make smarter decisions. Here are three practical actions you can take right away.

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1. Import Your GA4 Conversions into Google Ads

Don’t just optimize for clicks - optimize for actions that matter. Now that your accounts are linked, you can tell Google Ads about the important conversion events you've set up in GA4.

How to do it: In your Google Ads account, go to Tools and Settings > Measurement > Conversions. Click + New conversion action, select Import, choose Google Analytics 4 properties, and then select the goals you want to import. You can now choose these events as the primary goal for your performance campaigns.

2. Build a "Cart Abandoners" Remarketing Audience

This is a classic for e-commerce stores. Create an audience of users who started the checkout process but didn't finish, then show them an ad with a gentle reminder or a discount code.

How to do it: In GA4, go to Admin > Audiences. Click New audience. Find the 'General' audience template and select Purchase abandoners. Check the box to add a firing event add_to_cart. Make sure you've also added an exception for those that finalized the purchase event.

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3. Analyze On-Site Behavior of Ad Traffic

Hop into your GA4 reports to see how paid traffic behaves compared to organic or direct traffic. You can now see Google Ads-specific dimensions like campaign or keyword mixed with GA4's deep behavioral metrics.

What to look for: In GA4, navigate to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic acquisition. You can change your primary dimension to Session source / medium and filter for 'google / cpc'. Here, you can analyze metrics like Engaged sessions, Average engagement time, and Conversions side-by-side for your paid campaigns. This will show you which campaigns not only generate clicks but also which ones bring you truly engaged website visitors.

Final Thoughts

Connecting Google Ads and Google Analytics is no longer optional for anyone serious about growing their business with paid ads. It bridges the gap between your ad spend and actual customer behavior, turning scattered metrics into a coherent story that reveals what's working and what’s not.

Creating this link is a huge first step in unifying your data. However, the analysis process often still requires hopping between platforms and manually pulling reports to see the full picture alongside data from your CRM or email platform. We built Graphed because we believe getting these insights should be much easier. By connecting all your tools like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and more in one place, we let you build dashboards and ask plain-English questions to get immediate, AI-powered answers, saving you from a week's worth of manual spreadsheet work.

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