Google Analytics 4 (GA4) offers many functions for analyzing Google Ads data. However, by default, it is often not enough to gain deeper insights. You either have to create your own reports or customize existing ones. In this article, I’ll show you how to integrate Google Ads reports into GA4 and why it’s important to understand the limitations imposed by data protection measures.

In the post, I will go into the individual points in more detail and give you step-by-step instructions for each. Here is the overview:

Linking Google Ads with GA4

The first step is to link Google Ads with GA4. This allows you to ensure that all relevant campaign data is available in your GA4 property. Proceed as follows:

• Open the admin area in GA4.
  
  
  

• Go to Product links > Google Ads and link your Ads account.
  
  

As soon as the connection is established, you will see dimensions such as campaign name, keyword text and search queries in GA4 reports.

Vorhandene Google Ads-Berichte anpassen und zur Bibliothek hinzufügen

The GA4 library gives you the freedom to customize your reports and organize the sidebar individually. For example, you can customize the Google Ads report from the acquisition overview according to your needs and add it directly to the main navigation. This is how you proceed:

1. Edit report:
   Open the Google Ads report in the acquisition overview and adjust the dimensions and metrics so that they are relevant for your analysis. For example, you can add additional metrics such as conversion rates or session duration to keep an eye on exactly the data that is important to you.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Save and add to library:
   Once you have customized the report, save it and add it to the sidebar via the library. This gives you quick access to your reports and allows you to adapt the entire report structure in GA4 to your individual requirements.
   
   
   

How to customize the GA4 report navigation

In GA4, as an administrator or editor, you can create and customize your own report collections and add them to the left-hand navigation bar. You can create up to 7 collections for each property and completely customize the arrangement of the reports within these collections.

How to create a new collection:

1. Open the library:
   Go to Library at the bottom of the left-hand navigation bar.
   
   
   
2. Create a new collection or edit an existing one:
   Click on “+ Create” and select “Empty” or a predefined collection template.
   
   
   
3. Add themes and reports:
   Name the collection and the first theme. You can add up to five themes and assign up to ten reports to each theme. In our case, we can search for our saved Google Ads report on the right and add it to the Acquisition collection using drag & drop.
   
   

Publish report collection:

To make a collection available to all users of your GA4 property, you need to publish it:

1. Select collection:: Go to the desired collection in the library and click on the menu.
2. Publish: Click on “Publish” to make the collection visible to all users.

The order of the collections in the navigation is alphabetical and you cannot change it manually. However, you can add, move or remove reports at any time.

Create a collection from a template:

Google Analytics offers a variety of templates that you can use as a starting point:

• Life cycle: Contains reports on the entire customer journey.
• Users: Contains demographic and technological information about your users.
• Search Console: Provides reports on organic search if you have linked the Search Console.

Once you have selected a template, you can edit, move or delete reports to customize them to your needs.

For more information, check out this post from Google Analytics Support.

Creating a Google Ads report in the GA4 exploration

The explore feature in GA4 allows you to create custom reports to analyze Google Ads data in more depth. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a Google Ads report in GA4 exploration.

1. Navigate to the explore:
   Open the GA4 exploration and select the “Freeform” report to start a new analysis. This report type allows you to combine dimensions and metrics, break down reports by segment and add filters.
   
   Freeform reports allow you to create multiple tabs for different reports. This is particularly useful if you want to analyze several reports at the same time, for example.
   
2. Name the report: You can give your report a name in the top left-hand corner to keep things organized. An example would be “Google Ads Report”.
   
3. Add dimensions:
   Click on the “+” symbol in the dimensions section to add Google Ads-specific dimensions such as campaign name, ad group name and keywords. After selecting the desired dimensions, click on “Import”.
   
   
   
   
4. Add metrics:
   To add metrics such as clicks, CPC or conversions, click on the “+” symbol in the metrics area. Your Google Ads account must be linked to GA4 for these steps.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Build report:
   Drag the added dimensions and metrics into the appropriate sections of your report. The easiest way is to add the metrics and dimensions by double-clicking on them.
   
   
   
   
6. Remove (Not set) values:
   If you see “(not set)” values in the report, you can remove them by right-clicking on the row and selecting “Exclude”. This improves the readability and accuracy of the data.
   
7. Add nested rows:
   If you want a deeper analysis, such as a breakdown of ad groups by campaign, you can use nested rows. Duplicate your report, add the ad group dimension and activate the “Nested rows” option.
   

UTM parameters vs. Google Ads link in GA4

If you link Google Ads directly to GA4, you gain access to special Google Ads dimensions such as campaign name, ad group name and keyword text. These are automatically transferred to GA4 and allow you to analyze the performance of your ads in detail. You also have access to Google Ads-specific metrics, including clicks, costs and conversions. This allows you to assess the efficiency of your campaigns much more precisely.

In contrast, the use of UTM parameters captures more general dimensions such as source, medium, campaign, keyword, etc. UTM parameters are particularly useful if you want to compare traffic across different sources, as they can be used as a universal tagging method.

Auto-tagging in Google Ads automatically fills in the UTM parameters, which makes tracking easier. The downside to this is that you don’t get specific Google Ads metrics such as cost or clicks associated with this traffic. Therefore, linking Google Ads and GA4 directly is the better approach if you want to analyze the performance of your Google Ads campaigns in detail.

Understanding data privacy and data loss in GA4

One of the biggest challenges when analyzing Google Ads data in GA4 is the influence of privacy measures such as cookie banners, Google Consent Mode and ad blockers. These factors mean that the number of clicks in Google Ads is always higher than the corresponding sessions recorded in GA4. There are the following reasons for this:

• Cookie banners and Consent Mode: if users do not give consent to cookies, their interactions are not recorded in GA4. This affects data quality and leads to differences between the figures in Google Ads and GA4.
• Ad blockers: Users who use ad blockers prevent their data from being fully captured.

Why opt-in rates matter

To understand how reliable your data is, you should know your opt-in rates of the cookie banner. The higher the approval rate, the better the data you can analyze in GA4.

GA4 is well suited to tracking trends and relative developments. However, absolute figures, such as clicks and conversions, are less precise. If you understand these discrepancies, you can still gain valuable insights into the performance of your campaigns and make meaningful optimizations.

FAQ: Google Ads reports in GA4

Conclusion: Easily personalize Google Ads reports in GA4

GA4 may seem complicated at first glance, but it can be easily customized to your needs – and this also applies to Google Ads reports. Once you know how to create and customize reports, the process is done quickly. This flexibility gives you deeper and more detailed insights into your campaign data.

However, always be aware of the impact of data protection measures that can affect data quality. Use GA4 primarily to analyze trends and developments in order to make informed decisions for your campaigns.

I hope I have been able to help you and wish you every success with Google Ads!

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