Google Ads clicks not showing in ClickGuard

If your Google Ads clicks aren't showing up in ClickGuard, several things could be causing it. Below are the most common reasons and how to fix them.

Most of them show up in your ad account's settings. Go to Settings › Connections › Ad accounts and click your Google Ads account. The Ad click tracking setup section reads the tracking template and final URL suffix currently set on your Google Ads account, and points out anything that's wrong with them.

1. ClickGuard's tracking template isn't installed

ClickGuard tracks your ad clicks through two settings in your Google Ads account: the tracking template and the final URL suffix. They tell ClickGuard which campaign, ad group and keyword each click came from. If you chose not to let ClickGuard set them up when you connected the account, it can't track your clicks.

Solution:

• In Ad click tracking setup, turn on Use ClickGuard's tracking template and click Save changes.
• Prefer to set it up yourself? Copy the tracking template and final URL suffix from that section and paste them into the account-level tracking settings in Google Ads. Each account has its own tracking template, so copy it from the account you're setting up.
• Want to keep another tool's template, HubSpot for example? Turn off Use ClickGuard's tracking template and click Save changes. ClickGuard updates your existing URL parameters so they keep working without its tracking template. Keep in mind this isn't the most robust way to track clicks: ClickGuard's tracking template gives you the most accurate detection.

2. Another tool replaced your tracking template

Tools with access to your Google Ads account can overwrite the tracking template with their own. If Use ClickGuard's tracking template is on but the account's tracking template isn't ClickGuard's, you'll see an error in Ad click tracking setup.

Solution:

• Click Save changes and ClickGuard puts its template back.
• Turn off the automatic tracking setup in the other tool, or it will keep overwriting ClickGuard's.
• Not sure which tool did it? Check Change history in Google Ads to see who changed the tracking template.

3. ClickGuard's tracking parameters are missing

If your final URL suffix is missing some of ClickGuard's parameters, Ad click tracking setup points that out too.

Solution:

• Click Save changes. ClickGuard adds its parameters and keeps the ones you already have.

4. Campaigns, ad groups or ads have their own tracking settings

Google Ads lets you set tracking at the account, campaign, ad group and ad level. Settings on a campaign, ad group or ad take priority over the ones on your account, so they can override ClickGuard's parameters.

Solution:

In Google Ads, check whether any of your campaigns, ad groups or ads has its own tracking template or final URL suffix. For each one you find, either:

• Remove it if it's no longer in use. Tracking settings are often left behind by someone who managed the account before.
• Add ClickGuard's parameters to the end of it. Copy the final URL suffix from Ad click tracking setup and paste it at the end of the existing one.

5. Your ads are call-only

Call-only ads don't send people to a website: the person calls you straight from the ad. With no visit to your site, there's no click for ClickGuard to log. This is a limit of the ad format, not of ClickGuard.

6. Your Google Ads account is suspended or under review

While your Google Ads account is suspended or under review, no click data reaches ClickGuard.

Solution:

• Log in to Google Ads and check for a suspension or policy issue.
• Follow Google's steps to resolve it.

Test your tracking

Once you've fixed the cause, you can test the tracking template straight away in Google Ads:

1. In Google Ads, open the account or campaign settings where ClickGuard's tracking template is installed.
2. Under Tracking, click Test.

The test succeeds

Google Ads confirms that tracking worked and your landing page was found.

Unless ClickGuard is set to ignore Google's ad bot, the test click also shows up in ClickGuard as an ADBOT click.

The test fails

A failed test usually means Google couldn't reach your final URL (your landing page).

Hover over the tracking template URL to see each step of the tracking trail and where it broke.

Still not seeing your clicks? Contact us at [email protected].

See also: What is Google Ads' tracking template.