Salesforce Google Ads Offline Conversion Import: Step-by-Step Guide

If you're a paid search advertiser working with a lead generation client, you might often report on the total leads generated by paid search each month. But what happens when your client wants to know about the quality of the leads your campaigns are providing?

If your client uses Salesforce as their CRM system, you can link Salesforce directly to Google Ads to answer that question. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up an offline conversion import system from Salesforce to Google Ads.

Prerequisites

Before you start, ensure that you meet the following qualifications:

• Collaboration required: You will need to collaborate with the Salesforce account manager and the website manager
• Platform-specific: This process is specific to a Salesforce to Google Ads connection. If your client uses a different CRM system, the process will be different
• Auto-tagging enabled: Auto-tagging should be enabled in the Google Ads account to track Google Click IDs (GCLIDs). GCLIDs expire after 90 days, so ensure your client has a click-to-conversion cycle that is less than 90 days

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Set Up Salesforce to Capture the GCLID

The Salesforce account manager will need to create a custom GCLID field in the lead and opportunity objects in Salesforce. Capturing the GCLID lets Google Ads know which click to attribute the lead to.

Step 2: Set Up Your Web Forms to Capture the GCLID

The web developer or Salesforce manager will need to generate a standard web-to-lead form. This should include:

• All the fields you want prospects to submit
• The lead field "GCLID" as a hidden field

The web developer should note the GCLID input field's ID for later use and then update the existing forms on the site with this new form HTML code.

Step 3: Pass the GCLID

This step involves embedding JavaScript code that will capture and store the GCLID when a prospective customer submits your web form. The code should:

• Capture the GCLID from the URL parameter
• Store it in a cookie or local storage
• Pass it to the hidden form field on submission

Be sure to update the JavaScript to include the GCLID field ID of the new field added in step two.

Step 4: Test Your System

It's recommended to perform a test to ensure that the GCLID capture steps are complete:

1. Navigate to the web form on the site
2. Add ?gclid=test to the end of the URL
3. Submit a dummy form fill
4. Check if the "test" parameter can be identified in the Salesforce lead you just submitted

Step 5: Link Google Ads to Salesforce

Once your GCLID capture system is functioning properly, it's time to link Salesforce and Google Ads:

1. In Google Ads, navigate to Tools & Settings → Linked accounts
2. Find Salesforce and click Details
3. Follow the prompts to connect your Salesforce instance
4. This will require Salesforce login credentials with appropriate permissions

Step 6: Set Up Conversion Actions

Align with your client on which Salesforce milestones to import and record as a conversion in Google Ads. Common milestones include:

• Lead created
• Qualified lead
• Opportunity created
• Proposal sent
• Closed won

Once milestones are agreed upon for import, select Create New Conversion Action in the Conversion Action column next to that milestone.

Step 7: Import!

Set up an import schedule. Your account will now automatically import conversions from Salesforce on the schedule you've determined. Common schedules include:

• Daily (recommended for most accounts)
• Hourly (for high-volume lead gen)

Monitor closely for a few days to ensure everything is working as expected.

Expected Results

And there you have it! You should start seeing GCLID data flowing through Salesforce into Google Ads daily. This will help your client connect the dots between:

• Which paid search leads actually closed
• Which campaigns and keywords drive revenue
• True ROI of paid search investment

With this data in Google Ads, you can also use it for Smart Bidding optimization, letting Google's algorithms bid toward leads that are more likely to convert to customers.