A feature that automatically adds a parameter to your URLs to help you track offline conversions and report on your ad performance using website tracking programs like Google Analytics.
- Auto-tagging will attach the 'Google Click Identifier' (GCLID) parameter to the URL your customers click, and that will help you tell which ad was clicked for each visit to your site.
- Google Analytics and similar programmes can use the information from auto-tagged URLs to tell you which Google Ads keywords brought a visitor to your site, which campaign that keyword was from and how much that click cost. You can also use this information to import complex conversions into Google Ads, whether online or offline.
Tip
If you use an API, the GCLID parameter can also send more information from each click to the Click Performance report of the Google Ads API.
How to turn off auto-tagging
Auto-tagging is turned on by default for new accounts. You can check whether auto-tagging is on, as well as turn auto-tagging off, by going to your account settings.
- In your Google Ads account, click Admin on the left page menu.
- Select Account settings from the options available.
- Under the 'Account settings' menu, select the Auto-tagging drop-down.
- Confirm if the box next to 'Tag the URL that people click through from my ad' is ticked. If the box is ticked, auto-tagging is on. To change your setting, tick the box to turn it on, or untick the box to turn it off.
- Click Save.
Note: When you create a new conversion action, auto-tagging will be activated automatically if you’re not already using cross-account conversion tracking. If you're using cross-account conversion tracking, you’ll need to turn on auto-tagging in each of your child accounts manually according to the steps above.
