This document contains frequently asked questions that arise when using the Google Ads data source. You can quickly navigate to a particular FAQ by using the table of contents below.
Why can't I see all my keywords?
Why won't geographical data load?
Why don't I see the symbols around my keywords in Google Ads?
Why don't Impression Share metrics from Google Ads match TapClicks?
How do I use conversion fields in Google Ads?
Why am I seeing "Content" under keywords in Google Ads?
Does TapClicks respect my Google Ads Attribution window when fetching data?
What fields (metrics) are available?
Why aren't all of my ad previews appearing?
What is the Google Ads Display tile?
What is the Google Search tile?
What is the Google Ads Video tile?
What data can I assign to my Tap Client from this data source?
Why can't I see all my keywords?
When we call to get the data from Google Ads, the reports for keywords will contain all keywords except where impressions equal 0. So, if you are looking to see all your keywords you may not see them all if you have some that have zero impressions.
Why won't geographical data load?
If you don't see geographical data for an Ads campaign when there is supposed be, please check the campaign type of the given campaign.
If the campaign has an Advertising Sub Channel of Universal App Campaign and an Advertising Channel of Multi-Channel, this means that this campaign is a Universal App Campaign which is not currently supported in Ads API for geographical data.
Why don't I see the symbols around my keywords in Google AdWords?
The reason you do not see the symbols, like the brackets and quotations, is that the Google Ads API does not actually return these values. However, if you are looking forward to seeing the variations between the keywords we can help you accomplish this. TapClicks pulls the Match Type field that allows you to report against the different types even though we do not pull through the symbols. Below are the match types and the symbols they correlate to.
Match Type |
Symbol |
Broad |
+ |
Phrase |
" " |
Exact |
[ ] |
Negative |
- |
Why don't Impression Share metrics from Google Ads match TapClicks?
This has to do with the fact that the Impression Share (IS) values are stored on a daily level - here's a random example:
Jul 1 = 60%
Jul 2 = 40%
Jul 3 = 45%
Jul 4 = 66%
Jul 5 = 62%
These elements are stored on a day-by-day basis and we don't have the base values from the API that are used to actually calculate these values on a daily basis. As such, we store the percentage values in the database on a day-by-day level.
When you look at the date range of Jul 1 through Jul 5 in the Tap UI, since we can't recalculate the values off of any base values (we don't have access to that, as mentioned above), we take the average of the values for the range.
(60%+40%+45%+66%+62%)/5 = 54.6%
In order to match Google's IS values, we would need to make API calls for every permutation of date range selections. For example, when you look at the example above, for the range of Jul 1 - Jul 5, Google might show 63.3%. We would need to make a call to the API to get the data for that date range and any other possible date range you might request.
When working with these metrics, it’s best to understand that these values are averaged over a date range and stored on a day by day basis. Create a widget that is grouped by day in order to see your accurate day over day Impression Share values
How do I use conversion fields in Google Ads?
- Total Conversions
- All Conv
- Converted clicks
- View-Through conversions
Total Conversions
The Conversions column reports total conversions, across those conversion actions you've chosen to include.
What it means: See how many times your ads led customers to an action you've defined as valuable, such as sales or leads.
Tip: How you've chosen to count your conversions (“every” or “one”) affects the number shown in this column. If you’ve unchecked "Include in 'Conversions'" for a conversion action, its data won’t be reported here. Finally, your "Include cross-device conversions" setting also affects this number.
All Conv
All conversions are the total number of conversions that Ads measures across all conversion actions.
What it includes: All conversions includes what's in your “Conversions” column plus additional data, such as cross-device conversions, and any conversions with Include in "Conversions" unchecked.
Converted Clicks
Converted clicks is the number of clicks that convert within your chosen conversion window (typically 30 days).
What it means: This is how many clicks resulted in one or more conversion actions. (The conversions will be counted separately in the "Conversions" column.)
Why use it: This number can help you approximate how many unique customers you're acquiring.
Example: A customer clicks on your ad and makes two purchases. So you’ll see two conversions in the “Conversions” column, but only one converted click in this column.
View-through conversion
View-through conversions happen when someone converts after an impression (without any interaction) of your Video or Display ad.
What it means: Some people might see, but not interact with your ad. (For example, they see a video ad, but not enough to count as a view.) If these people later convert (such as by making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter), these conversions are counted as view-through conversions.
Good to know: View-through conversions automatically exclude conversions from people who've also interacted with your other ads.
For more details, please refer to Google Ads.
What's the difference between “Possible Impressions” and “Adjusted Impression Share”? I don’t see these values in Google Ads.
Possible Impressions
This is a daily calculation in TapAnalytics based on the percent Impression Share field from the data source (Bing or Google Ads). This is an integer value that estimates the possible number of impressions that could have been served on a given day. When you look at multiple days, this value is summed over each day in the range. If the Impression Share value from the source system is 0 for the date in question, then Possible Impressions = Actual Impressions.
Adjusted Impression Share
This is a calculation in TapAnalytics based on the sum of served Impressions for each day in the date range selected divided by the sum of the Possible Impressions value above for each day in the selected date range.
Why am I seeing "Content" under keywords in Google Ads?
For reference:
https://developers.google.com/adwords/api/docs/guides/reporting-concepts#keywordid3000000
Does TapClicks respect my Google Ads Attribution window when fetching data?
Yes. When we get data from your account, we first check to see what your account attribution settings are on the Google Ads side. That helps us know if we need to fetch the last 3 days or last 30 days every day to ensure that your data is as accurate as it can be.
What fields (metrics) are available?
After you connect a data source to TapClicks, you can use that data in your reporting an insights. Each specific data field available through the API is called a Metric in TapClicks. These metrics are organized into groups of similar types of data called Data Views. You can view all metrics and data views for a given data source in the Connector Marketplace. For Google Ads, you will find a list of all metrics available for use in TapClicks, organized by data view, here: Google Ads metrics in the Connector Marketplace.
Why aren't all of my ad previews appearing?
There are multiple preview type fields from Google Adwords and not all of them apply to all Ads. For example, Image Ad Preview is used for Display ads like banner images and GIFs, while Ad Preview is used for Search ads, like the example below with URLs and text:
[Carl, we'll need to find a good example for you on this - reach out to Brie to walk through it].
You likely won’t find an ad that has both since they’re different ad types. If you filter a Google Ads widget by Advertising Network Channel or Advertising Channel, you can get to specific ad types. Best practice is to show these ads in separate widgets since they often have different margins and strategies behind them, in order to tell a focused story.
What is the Google Ads Display tile?
The Google Ads Display tile is part of a legacy feature of TapClicks called the Network Split. We recommend that you instead use the filter capabilities on widgets to create the visualizations you need in the system.
What is the Google Search tile?
The Google Ads Search tile is part of a legacy feature of TapClicks called the Network Split. We recommend that you instead use the filter capabilities on widgets to create the visualizations you need in the system.
What is the Google Ads Video tile?
The Google Ads Video tile is part of a legacy feature of TapClicks called the Network Split. We recommend that you instead use the filter capabilities on widgets to create the visualizations you need in the system.
What data can I assign to my Tap Client from this data source?
Level 1 - Account
Level 2 - Campaign