Set up Google Ads Integration

Users with administrator profile need to enable the Google Ads Integration in Zoho CRM. Setting up Zoho CRM for Google Ads comprises of these steps:

• Step 1: Authentication - Enable this feature and authorize your Zoho CRM account to access your Google Ads account.
  
• Step 2: Configuration - Configure Google Ads account and specify what data you want to push to Google Ads for offline conversions.
  
• Step 3: Auto-tagging - Enable auto-tagging, which generates the GCLID (Google Click ID) that can be used to track leads inside Zoho CRM.
  
• Step 4: Packaging - Take a look at the new fields, reports and dashboards that will be added after this integration is set up.
  
• Step 5: Tracking - Add code snippets in your website and web form to capture the click details of Google Ad in Zoho CRM. This is an important step to track your Ads campaigns' data in CRM.
  

To set up the Google Ads integration

1. Log into Zoho CRM with administrator profile.
   
2. Go to Setup > Marketplace > Google > Google Ads.
   
3. Click Get Started.
   

Step 1: Authentication

To get started, you need to authenticate your Google Ads account and authorize your Zoho CRM account to access it.

1. Click  Authenticate Google Ads.
   
   
   
2. In the Sign in - Google Accounts popup, enter your Google Ads account's Username and Password.
   
3. Click  Accept.
   
   You will be taken to the next stage in the integration process called Configuration.
   
   
   

Step 2: Configuration

In this step, you need to choose the Google Ads Client that you want to link with Zoho CRM and also select an option to track conversions.

MCC Account

If you manage more than one Google Ads Client Accounts using an MCC type Google Ads Account, then you can select the accounts you want to integrate and track in Zoho CRM. Please note that the integration supports Normal and MCC types of Google Ads Accounts. It does not support Multiple MCC Accounts. All the campaigns, associated to the client account that you select, will be created in Zoho CRM under the Campaigns tab.

Sales Conversions

In your business, conversions could refer to any action performed by the customer on clicking the ad. The actions could be signing up for your product, downloading an app or ebook, purchasing a product, or just filling out a ContactUs form. These could be online as well as offline conversions.

Imagine you've displayed an advertisement for your Zylker Curtains store in Google Ads. Your prospective customer, Jasmine Frank, purchasing officer at Acme Inc. clicks on the Ad in Google Search results and fills the inquiry form in your landing page. At this time a lead is created in Zoho CRM and the customer’s GCLID is noted. After a few follow-ups by your sales team, she visits your store to have a look at your material and makes a purchase. The sales person, closes the potential created in Zoho CRM and raised an invoice to Acme Inc. See Also Offline Conversion - Google Help

Though she had inquired your products online through Google Ads campaign, the actual conversion happened in offline mode. Such sales conversions that happen outside the online world can be automatically linked within Zoho CRM using this integration. Details that are available in Zoho CRM can be pushed to Google Ads to maintain a complete set of data on conversions. See Also Push Data to Google Ads

By pushing the Zoho CRM conversions into Google Ads, you can:

• Understand which clicks led to which offline conversions (and their associated value).
  
• Leverage bid automation features to optimize for offline conversions.
  

To link Google Ads Client Account and specify conversion import options

1. Select the checkbox for the corresponding clients that you want to integrate with Zoho CRM.
   
   All the clients in your Google Ads account will be listed here. You can choose upto 5 clients from the list. Please note that multiple MCC account is not supported.
   
   
   
2. Choose one or many of the following options for  Export the Conversions back to Google Ads.
   
   On each selected option, one entry is created under  Tools >  Conversions in Google Ads.
   
   • Lead/Contact is created - In Google Ads, conversion-tracking name created is,  Zoho CRM Leads/Contacts. For each lead/contact created in Zoho CRM, a count increases for this conversion.
     
     Conversion Count is set as  UniqueConversion.
     
     Conversion Category is set as  Signup.
     
   • Lead is converted - In Google Ads, conversion-tracking name created is,  Zoho CRM Lead Qualification. For each lead that is converted in Zoho CRM, a count increases for this conversion.
     
     Conversion Count is set as  Unique Conversion.
     
     Conversion Category is set as  Lead.
     
   • Potential is won - In Google Ads, conversion-tracking name created is,  Zoho CRM Sales. For each potential that is won and closed in Zoho CRM, the potential amount is added for this conversion.
     
     Conversion Count is set as  All Conversion.
     
     Conversion Category is set as  Purchase/Sale.
     
3. Click  Continue.
   
   
   

Note

• Cross-account conversion tracking is not supported.
  
• Google does not allow tracking a potential that is created 90 days after a click.
  
• Google Ads Conversion Tracking name (Zoho CRM Leads/Contacts, Zoho CRM Lead Qualification, Zoho CRM Sales) added in Google Ads, should not be changed or deleted by the users.
  
• Google Ad integration will work only if the Campaigns module is enabled. 

Step 3: Auto-tagging

While setting up Ads and corresponding destination URL, i.e., landing page for campaign, the auto-tagging option dynamically adds GCLID parameter to the destination URL. This helps you identify which ad was clicked on each visit to your web site. See Also Auto-Tagging - Google Help

Zoho CRM uses information from auto-tagged URLs to track the following details:

• All the Google Ads keywords that brought a Lead/Contact to your site.
  
• The campaign that keyword was used in.
  

Step 4: Packaging

The Tabs, Fields, Reports and Dashboards that are offered in Zoho CRM as a part of this integration are listed for your reference in this step. Check out the various new fields that will be added, the reports that will be available and click Finish.

Following are the components that will be added in the Zoho CRM account once the integration is successful. Please note that initially only users with administrator access will be able to access them. The administrator can enable this access for others under the user's profile.

New Tab

A new tab will be added, namely Google Ads.

New Fields

The table lists the fields available in Leads, Contacts and Potentials under Google Ads Information section. Data is automatically populated in these field and the field values cannot be edited.

New Reports and Dashboards

A list of standard reports and dashboards are also added such as Google Campaigns by Industry, Google Campaigns by Lead Status, Closed Potentials by Campaigns, etc.

Step 5: Tracking

The set-up is almost complete. The integration process will take a while based on the Google Ads data. Meanwhile, you need to add the tracking codes to your web forms.

Set up Google Ads Tracking

After enabling and configuring the Google Ads Integration, there are a couple of things you need to accomplish to track your Google Ads information inside Zoho CRM.

1. Add Zoho CRM tracking code in all your web pages.
   
2. Add Zoho CRM hidden element in your web forms.
   
   
   

Step 1: Add tracking code in all the web pages.

In this step, you add a tracking code in all the web pages in your website, ideally in some universal element like the footer of the page. This is required to keep track of the GCLID generated on clicking the advertisement.

When a visitor clicks on your advertisement and comes to your landing page, there are chances the visitor navigates to other pages before filling up the web form. In such cases, this tracking code keeps record of the GCLID that was generated on clicking the advertisement.

1. Go to Setup > Marketplace > Google > Google Ads.
   
2. In the Google Ads Integration page, click Take me through the steps.
   
3. Under step one, Capture & Store Google Ads Information, click Zoho CRM Tracking Code.
   
4. In the  Embedding Tracking Code popup, copy the following tracking code and paste it in all the web pages in your website
   
   <script type="text/javascript" src='https://crm.zoho.com/crm/javascript/zcga.js'></script>
    

Step 2: Add hidden element in your web forms.

In your web form, adding the code snippet for the hidden element is very essential to capture the unique GCLID that is generated on clicking the Ad. This code helps you extract the data that GCLID captures when a visitor clicks on an advertisement. The GCLID gives you information such as Google Ads Campaign, Ad Group, Keyword, Ad, etc.,which is passed on to your customer database (Zoho CRM) along with the lead information that you collect from the visitor who fills up the web form. Capturing the GCLID is mandatory to capture the Google Ads Information right inside your Zoho CRM account. Please note, this is not supported for Web-to-Case forms.

For Zoho CRM web forms:

While creating new web forms in Zoho CRM, the hidden element code can be automatically included in the form's code. For existing Zoho CRM web forms, the code snippet needs to be added in the form's code.

Creating a new form - While setting up a new form, add the form's details such as the form name, landing page URL, form location URL, etc. If you are a Google Apps user and you have enabled Google Ads integration, the Google Ads script will automatically be made available to you. See Also Setting up Web forms

Adding code to an existing form

• Go to Setup > Marketplace > Google > Google Ads.
  
• In the Google Ads Integration page, click Take me through the steps.
  
• Under step two, Carry forward Google Ads information to Zoho CRM, click Zoho CRM Hidden Element.
  
• In the  Hidden Field for Existing Web Forms popup, copy the following hidden field code and paste it in your form's code.
  
  <input type='hidden' id="zc_gad" name="zc_gad" value=""/>
  
  
  
  Do not forget to add the following tracking code in all the web pages in your website, right before the </body> tag.
  
  <script type="text/javascript" src='https://crm.zoho.com/crm/javascript/zcga.js'></script>
  

For Third-party web forms:

In the case of the third party web form builder, besides adding the hidden field code in the web form and tracking code in all the web pages, you must include the "GCLID" variable in your existing API script.

To set up webform tracking via third party web forms

The tracking code "zcga.js" fetches the GCLID from the browser's cookies and sends it to the third party's database. In order to make this information available in Zoho CRM you must push the data to Zoho CRM via API. Along with the existing variables, include the GCLID variable as well so that the GCLID is pushed to Zoho CRM.

Next Steps

• Track Data in Zoho CRM
  
• Push Data to Google Ads