How do you Link AdWords to Analytics?

Question. We have an AdWords campaign, and a Google Analytics account. We’d love to be able to see our AdWords data flowing into our Google Analytics data, and then be able to slice and dice the data as you show in your . However, there is no data there!  We’re totally confused on how to connect Google Analytics to AdWords.  Help!

Answer.

You’d think they’d make this easy, wouldn’t you?  After all, it’s the same company!  Fortunately, it has gotten easier than it used to be, but it’s still a bit problematic.  Here are my recommendations and some pointers to information on how to link AdWords to Google Analytics –

Set up an Email Account that has ADMIN Privileges in Both

• The Google Account that manages AdWords MUST be the same account with ADMIN privileges in Google Analytics. For example, log into your Gmail account or whatever account you use to manage AdWords. Open up a NEW TAB.  Then, go to http://www.google.com/analytics.  Make sure you can “see” the property (e.g., website) that you want to manage.  If not, there is a basic problem: the SAME email must be able to LOG INTO AdWords and to Google Analytics.
• There is an unfortunate issue here.  ONE Google Account (e.g., a gmail or other email) can have ONE and ONLY ONE AdWords account associated with it.  So the easiest is to start with the email that controls your AdWords and then make “it” and ADMIN on your Google Analytics account.  Vice-versa does not always work; because if you associated a gmail with an AdWords account that you do NOT use, you can’t disassociate it.  It’s stupid, but it’s true.

Set up Google Analytics and AdWords Linking

Ok, now we’ll assume you have the SAME email controlling both AdWords and Google Analytics.  Let the fun begin!  The easiest way to do this is to start in AdWords.  So log into AdWords.  Go to TOOLS, Google Analytics.  If you are NOT connected, follow the instructions there.  Be sure to know the “property” that you want to connect to (get this in the ADMIN panel of Google Analytics). Alternatively, log into Google Analytics, click on the ADMIN tab, find the PROPERTY (e.g., your website), and click on the ADWORDS LINKING.

Once you’ve done all this, log into Google Analytics.  Go to Acquisition > AdWords > Campaigns.  When data is flowing you should see real campaigns there, and should be able to “drill down” and see groups and even the matched keyword queries.  If none of this works, call the AdWords technical support team – available in AdWords in the top right hand corner.  Here are some Google articles on this –

• Link Google Analytics and AdWords
• Link /Unlink Analytics and AdWords