Overview
When someone clicks a Google ad, Google adds a click identifier (GCLID) to the landing URL, and AffClix stores it on the click. When that click later converts — a sale, a lead, a sign-up — and the conversion is approved, AffClix uploads it to Google Ads against the same GCLID through Google’s offline conversion import.
You set this up once per conversion action: connect your Google account, pick the Ads account and the conversion action from a list, and choose which goals to send. There is no code to install on the advertiser’s site, and no OAuth credentials or developer token to create.
Why this integration matters
- Bidding on real outcomes — Smart Bidding (Maximise conversions, Target CPA, Target ROAS) learns from the sales your partners close, not from clicks.
- Conversions a browser tag cannot see — sales confirmed later, offline or on another device still reach Google.
- Unaffected by ad blockers and cookie limits — the upload is server-to-server, so ITP, consent banners and blockers cannot drop it.
- Only approved conversions — pending, rejected and cut-back conversions are never reported, so Google optimises on revenue you keep.
- Real revenue values — each upload carries the sale amount and its currency, so Target ROAS works on real numbers.
- No duplicates — each conversion is uploaded once per destination, and an order ID, when present, lets Google discard a repeat.
- A full audit trail — every attempt is logged with Google’s response in the CAPI Delivery report.
Prerequisites
- An AffClix plan that includes Conversions API. If Integrations → Conversions API is missing from your menu, your plan does not include it.
- A Google account with at least Standard access to the Google Ads account that runs the ads.
- Auto-tagging turned on in that Google Ads account, so every ad click carries a GCLID.
- An offline conversion action of the type Track conversions from clicks — Step 1 below.
- Google Ads traffic that reaches the advertiser through an AffClix tracking link, so AffClix records the click and its GCLID.
- Conversions for that traffic arriving in AffClix by postback, pixel or an e-commerce integration, and being approved.
Watch the walkthrough
Step 1: Create an offline conversion action in Google Ads
Google only accepts offline conversions for a conversion action created to receive them. Other conversion types — website tags, app, phone calls — do not appear in the AffClix list.
Open conversion actions
Sign in to Google Ads, go to Goals → Summary and click + Create conversion action.
Choose an offline import
Select Conversions offline → Import → CRMs, files, or other data sources → Track conversions from clicks, then continue. If Google offers to connect a data source, choose to set it up later — AffClix uploads through the API.
Set the category, name and value
Pick the category that matches the event, for example Purchase or Submit lead form, and a name you will recognise in AffClix, such as AffClix – Sale. Choose Use different values for each conversion so the real sale amount is recorded.
Choose how to count
Use Every for purchases and One for leads and sign-ups, then save.
Repeat for each event you report separately
Create one conversion action for each event you want as its own column in Google Ads — for example one for sales and one for leads.
Check auto-tagging
Go to Admin → Account settings → Auto-tagging and make sure it is on. Without it clicks carry no GCLID, and nothing can be matched.
Google can take a few hours before a newly created conversion action accepts imports. Conversions uploaded in that window are rejected and show as failed in the CAPI Delivery report.
Step 2: Connect Google Ads in AffClix
Open Conversions API
In the AffClix dashboard, go to Integrations → Conversions API and click Add destination.
Choose Google Ads
Pick the Google Ads tile. The form below it is built for the platform you pick; Change platform takes you back to the tiles.
Name the destination and set its scope
Give it a name such as Google Ads – Sales. Leave Campaign ID empty to send conversions from every campaign, or enter one campaign ID to send only that campaign’s conversions. API version and Timeout can stay at their defaults.
Connect Google Ads
Click Connect Google Ads and sign in with the Google account that has access to the Ads account. Google shows the access AffClix is asking for — your Google Ads data, which AffClix uses only to list your accounts and conversion actions and to upload conversions. Approve it and you return to the form. AffClix never sees your Google password.
Choose the account and the conversion action
Select the Google Ads account, then the Conversion action you created in Step 1. The step indicator at the top of the card turns green as each step is completed.
Sign in with the manager login. The accounts it manages are listed and can be chosen; the manager account itself is shown but cannot be chosen, because conversions belong to the account that ran the ads. AffClix sends the manager ID with every upload automatically.
Step 3: Choose which goals to send
Each destination uploads to exactly one Google conversion action. The event map decides which of your AffClix goals are sent to it.
Map goals
In Event Mapping & Matching, pick a goal under Your goal — the list shows your workspace’s active goals; type to search — and enter a label under Platform event, for example Purchase. For Google the label is for your reference only; Google records the conversion action you chose in Step 2.
Send everything, or only some goals
The default mapping, *, sends every approved conversion. To send only sales, replace it with a single row for your sale goal. A goal with no row of its own, and no * row, is not sent.
Keep Click IDs selected
Under Match keys to send, either leave every key unselected — then all available signals are sent — or make sure Click IDs is selected. Google matches on the click ID only.
If you select other match keys but not Click IDs, the GCLID is withheld and every conversion from this destination fails with “no click identifier”.
Create a second destination that points at your lead conversion action, with a mapping for the lead goal only. Destinations are independent, so one Google Ads account can receive several conversion actions.
Step 4: Save and test
Save
Make sure Active is on and click Create destination.
Send a test
On the Conversions API list, click Send test event on the destination. For Google this confirms that AffClix can authenticate with your Ads account. Google has no test mode for offline imports, so the first real conversion is the final proof.
Confirm the first real upload
After the next approved conversion from a Google click, open Reports → Delivery Logs → CAPI Delivery and look for a Delivered row. In Google Ads the conversion appears under the conversion action, usually within a few hours; allow up to a day for campaign columns to update.
Real-life example
An electronics retailer runs Google Search ads that send shoppers through an AffClix tracking link to its store. It sets up one destination, “Google Ads – Sales”, mapped to its sale goal.
- A shopper clicks the ad. Google adds
gclid=Cj0KCQ…to the URL and AffClix stores it on the click. - Two days later the shopper buys a laptop for ₹24,999. The store’s postback records the sale in AffClix, pending review.
- The advertiser approves the sale. AffClix immediately uploads it to Google Ads with the GCLID, the value 24,999 and the currency INR.
- Google credits the purchase to the original ad click, and Target ROAS now bids on that search with the real sale value behind it.
Result: Google Ads reports the sales the retailer actually kept — returns and rejected orders are never sent — and bidding improves on the searches that produce revenue.
Managing and monitoring the integration
- Pause without deleting — use the toggle on the destination row, or switch off Active in the form.
- Change what is sent — edit the destination at any time; the new mapping applies to conversions approved from then on.
- Credential alerts — AffClix checks every destination hourly. If Google starts rejecting uploads because access was removed or revoked, the row shows Reconnect credentials and the workspace owner is emailed.
- Reconnect — open the destination and click Reconnect Google Ads. The account, conversion action and mapping stay as they are.
- CAPI status on each conversion — once a destination exists, the conversion report gains a CAPI column showing Delivered, Failed or Partial.
CAPI Delivery logs
Every upload attempt is recorded in Reports → Delivery Logs → CAPI Delivery. Filter by date, platform, destination and status.
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Platform / Event | The destination and the event label that was sent. |
| Status | Delivered, or Failed with the reason. |
| Response code | The HTTP status Google returned. |
| Attempts / Retryable | How many tries were made, and whether a failure was temporary — rate limits, Google errors, network — and will be retried. |
| Error | Google’s own message for a failed upload. |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The account list is empty | The Google account you signed in with has no access to any Google Ads account. | Reconnect with a Google account that has at least Standard access, or ask the account owner to invite it. |
| The conversion action list is empty | The account has no “Track conversions from clicks” conversion action. | Create one (Step 1), then reopen the destination. |
| Failed: no click identifier | The click had no GCLID — auto-tagging is off, the traffic did not come from Google Ads, or Click IDs is not selected in the match keys. | Turn on auto-tagging, make sure the ad sends traffic through the AffClix tracking link, and select Click IDs. |
| Failed: conversion action not found or not enabled | The action was removed, or it was created only moments ago. | Check that it is enabled in Google Ads; wait a few hours after creating it. |
| The row shows Reconnect credentials | Access was revoked, or the Google user lost access to the Ads account. | Open the destination and click Reconnect Google Ads. |
| Conversions are in AffClix but not in Google | They are not approved yet, or the click is older than the conversion action’s click-through window (90 days at most). | Approve the conversions; lengthen the window in the conversion action’s settings if needed. |
Advanced: use your own Google Cloud project
Agencies that manage Google Ads access through their own Google Cloud project can open Advanced — use my own Google Cloud project in the form and enter the customer ID, manager ID, conversion action ID, OAuth client ID, client secret and refresh token directly. Secrets are encrypted and never shown again; leave a secret field blank when editing to keep the stored value. Google no longer requires a developer token.
Conclusion
With Google Ads connected, every approved conversion your partners drive is uploaded against the original ad click — so Google Ads reports real sales and Smart Bidding optimises on them. Set it up once per conversion action, then watch the CAPI Delivery report for the first successful upload.
Only approved conversions are sent to Google Ads. Pending, rejected and cut-back conversions are never uploaded; a conversion approved later is uploaded at the moment it is approved.
Related: Conversions API overview · Meta Conversions API · Google Ads with the WebSDK