> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bchic.de/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Google Ads Tracking

> Track your Google Ads campaigns automatically with UTM parameters and valuable campaign details.

bchic Analytics automatically captures all visitors coming from Google Ads to your website – as long as URLs are tagged with UTM parameters. With the right configuration, you'll track not just traffic sources, but also campaign names, keywords, ad groups, and more.

## Automatic Tracking

bchic automatically recognizes all visitors with UTM parameters in the URL and categorizes them as **Paid Traffic**. You'll see these visits in the dashboard under **Traffic Sources → UTM Campaigns**.

### Standard UTM Parameters

The most important UTM parameters for Google Ads:

| Parameter      | Description           | Example              |
| -------------- | --------------------- | -------------------- |
| `utm_source`   | Traffic source        | `google`             |
| `utm_medium`   | Marketing medium      | `cpc`, `ppc`         |
| `utm_campaign` | Campaign name         | `summer_sale_2026`   |
| `utm_term`     | Keyword (optional)    | `analytics+software` |
| `utm_content`  | Ad content (optional) | `textad_v1`          |

**Example URL:**

```
https://yourdomain.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer_sale_2026&utm_term=analytics+software&utm_content=headline_a
```

## Google Ads Configuration

<Steps>
  <Step title="Enable auto-tagging">
    Google Ads can automatically append URLs with additional parameters (GCLID), but for bchic you need **manual UTM parameters**.

    1. Open Google Ads and go to **Settings → Account settings**.
    2. Navigate to **Auto-tagging**.
    3. Make sure **Auto-tagging is enabled** (recommended, even though we're adding manual parameters).

    <Note>
      Auto-tagging adds the `gclid` parameter, which is important for Google Analytics. For bchic we use UTM parameters in addition, and both can work in parallel.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set tracking template at account level">
    To automatically append UTM parameters to all campaign URLs, set a **tracking template** at account level.

    1. Go to **Settings → Account settings**.
    2. Scroll to **Tracking** and click on **Tracking template**.
    3. Add the following template:

    ```
    {lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_term={keyword}&utm_content={creative}
    ```

    **Parameter placeholders explained:**

    * `{lpurl}` – Your destination URL
    * `{campaignid}` – Unique campaign ID
    * `{keyword}` – The matched keyword
    * `{creative}` – Ad group ID or creative ID

    4. Click **Save**.

    <Warning>
      Test the template before going live. Google Ads offers a **Test** button to verify the URL is generated correctly.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Alternative: ValueTrack parameters for more details">
    Google Ads offers **ValueTrack parameters** that let you pass even more information:

    ```
    {lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_term={keyword}&utm_content={creative}&matchtype={matchtype}&network={network}&device={device}
    ```

    **Additional parameters:**

    * `{matchtype}` – Keyword match type (broad, phrase, exact)
    * `{network}` – Ad network (search, display)
    * `{device}` – Device type (mobile, desktop, tablet)
    * `{placement}` – Placement (for display ads)
    * `{target}` – Targeting criterion

    This data appears in bchic under **UTM Content** or in URL parameters and can be analyzed in custom reports.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Campaign-specific customizations (optional)">
    If you want to set different UTM parameters for individual campaigns:

    1. Open the desired **Campaign → Settings**.
    2. Scroll to **Campaign URL options**.
    3. Set a **tracking template** at campaign level:

    ```
    {lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=black_friday&utm_term={keyword}
    ```

    This overrides the account template only for this campaign.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Verify Tracking

After setup, you can verify that UTM parameters are being passed correctly:

1. **Google Ads Preview Tool:** Click on an ad in the ad preview and check the URL in the address bar.
2. **bchic Dashboard:** Go to **Traffic Sources → UTM Campaigns** and see if new campaigns appear.
3. **Browser DevTools:** After clicking an ad, open DevTools (F12) → Network → check URL parameters in the request.

**Example of a correctly tagged URL:**

```
https://yourdomain.com/landing?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12345678&utm_term=analytics+tool&utm_content=98765&gclid=abc123xyz
```

## Analysis in bchic

In the bchic dashboard, you'll find Google Ads traffic under:

* **Traffic Sources → UTM Campaigns:** Overview of all campaigns with sessions, conversions, bounce rate.
* **Traffic Sources → UTM Source/Medium:** Filter by `google / cpc` for all Google Ads traffic.
* **UTM Term:** See which keywords drive the most traffic.
* **UTM Content:** Compare performance of different ad texts or creatives.

### Track custom events

If you want to track conversions like form submissions or purchases:

```javascript theme={null}
// Example: Conversion after form submission
document.getElementById('contact-form').addEventListener('submit', function() {
    if (window.bchic) {
        window.bchic.track('lead', { source: 'google_ads' });
    }
});
```

You'll see these events under **Events** in the dashboard and can link them to UTM parameters.

## Common Issues

### UTM parameters not being transferred

* **Problem:** You see traffic but no UTM data in the dashboard.
* **Solution:** Check if the tracking template in Google Ads is saved correctly. Test the URL with the Google Ads Preview Tool.

### Campaign IDs instead of names

* **Problem:** Dashboard shows only IDs (e.g. `12345678`) instead of campaign names.
* **Solution:** This is normal when using `{campaignid}`. Use `{_campaign}` (with underscore!) instead for campaign names:

```
{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={_campaign}&utm_term={keyword}
```

<Warning>
  `{_campaign}` returns the campaign name, which may contain spaces and special characters. URLs should be URL-encoded, which Google Ads handles automatically.
</Warning>

### Duplicate parameters (gclid + UTM)

* **Problem:** URLs have both `gclid` and UTM parameters.
* **Solution:** This is correct and intended. `gclid` is for Google Analytics, UTM parameters for bchic. Both can coexist.

### Keywords appear as {keyword}

* **Problem:** The placeholder isn't being replaced.
* **Solution:** Make sure the tracking template is set at **account level**, not in the final URL. Google Ads only replaces placeholders in templates, not in manually entered URLs.

## Best Practices

### Consistent naming convention

Use consistent names for campaigns and parameters:

* ✅ `utm_campaign=summer_sale_2026_search`
* ✅ `utm_campaign=black_friday_display`
* ❌ `utm_campaign=Summer Sale 2026!` (spaces, special chars)

### Set medium correctly

* `cpc` or `ppc` for paid search
* `display` for display ads
* `shopping` for Google Shopping
* `video` for YouTube ads

### Use UTM builder

For manual campaigns (e.g., newsletter with Google Ads link), you can use a UTM builder:

**Example tool:** [Google Campaign URL Builder](https://ga-dev-tools.google/campaign-url-builder/)

## Privacy

UTM parameters contain **no personal data** and are GDPR-compliant. Keywords and campaign names are technical information, not user identifiers.

bchic stores UTM data aggregated and anonymized – just like all other analytics data.

## Support

If you need help setting up Google Ads tracking or have questions about specific ValueTrack parameters:

* **Email:** [kontakt@bchic.studio](mailto:support@bchic.de)

We're happy to help with configuration and show you how to get the most out of your campaign data.