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Google Ads Integration

Connect your Google Ads account to automatically upload offline conversions when TrolleyShield detects high-intent calls and form submissions.

How It Works​

1. Visitor clicks your Google Ad (gclid captured)
2. Visitor calls or submits a form on your site
3. TrolleyShield AI classifies the interaction as high/medium intent
4. A conversion record is queued with the gclid
5. Every 5 minutes, queued conversions are batch-uploaded to Google Ads
6. Google Ads attributes the conversion to the original click

This gives Google's Smart Bidding algorithm real data about which clicks turn into qualified leads — improving your ad targeting over time.

Requirements​

  • Call Pro, Call Agency, Form Pro, or Form Business plan
  • A Google Ads account with at least one conversion action configured
  • OAuth consent to connect your Google Ads account

Setup​

1. Connect Your Google Ads Account​

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations in the TrolleyShield dashboard
  2. Find the Google Ads section and click Connect
  3. Sign in with the Google account that manages your ads
  4. Grant TrolleyShield permission to upload conversions (offline access)
  5. You'll be redirected back to the dashboard with a success message

2. Select Your Ads Account​

After connecting, you'll see a dropdown of accessible Google Ads accounts:

  • Select the account you want to track conversions for
  • If you use a Manager (MCC) account, the manager ID is detected automatically
  • You can also enter an account ID manually if needed

3. Create Conversion Actions in Google Ads​

Important

TrolleyShield does not create conversion actions in your Google Ads account. You must create them in Google Ads first, then select them in TrolleyShield.

The conversion action must use the Import source. Actions created as Website, Phone calls from ads, Google Analytics, or App will be rejected by the Google Ads API. If you have an existing action of a different type, you'll need to create a new Import-source action, since the source can't be changed after creation.

Before configuring TrolleyShield, create the conversion actions you want to use:

  1. In Google Ads, go to Goals → Conversions → Summary
  2. Click + New conversion action → Import → Other data sources or CRMs
  3. Create separate actions for calls and forms (e.g., "TrolleyShield Call Lead" and "TrolleyShield Form Lead")
  4. Set the conversion category (e.g., Qualified Lead or Submit Lead Form)
  5. Configure the counting method, value, and attribution window as needed
  6. Save the conversion actions

4. Select Conversion Actions in TrolleyShield​

After creating your conversion actions in Google Ads, select them in TrolleyShield:

  • Call Conversion Action — Fired when a high-intent call is detected
  • Form Conversion Action — Fired when a legitimate form submission is detected

Select each from the dropdown of available conversion actions. TrolleyShield reads the list directly from your Google Ads account.

tip

Using dedicated conversion actions (rather than reusing existing ones) lets you distinguish AI-attributed conversions from other sources in your Google Ads reports.

5. Ensure Click IDs Are Captured​

For conversions to be attributed back to ad clicks, TrolleyShield needs the Google Click ID:

  • Call Shield (DNI): The DNI script automatically captures gclid, gbraid, and wbraid from the URL and stores them in the DNI session
  • Form Shield (Custom Forms): The embed script captures click IDs from the URL automatically
  • Form Shield (WordPress): The WordPress plugin captures click IDs from cookies/URL params
  • API Integration: Pass gclid, gbraid, or wbraid in your API request body

How Conversions Are Processed​

  1. When a call is classified as qualified_lead (or another intent you've configured), a conversion record is created with status pending
  2. Every 5 minutes, a batch job processes up to 50 pending conversions
  3. Each conversion is uploaded via the Google Ads API v21 uploadClickConversions endpoint
  4. On success, the status is updated to sent
  5. On failure, the conversion is retried up to 3 times before being marked as failed

Viewing Conversions​

Go to the Conversions page in your dashboard to see:

  • All pending, sent, and failed conversions
  • Conversion timestamps and associated click IDs
  • Error messages for failed uploads

You can filter by status and retry failed conversions with one click.

Disconnecting​

To disconnect your Google Ads account:

  1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Google Ads
  2. Click Disconnect
  3. Confirm the action

Pending conversions will not be uploaded after disconnecting. Historical conversion data is retained.

Troubleshooting​

Conversions Not Appearing in Google Ads​

  • Conversions can take 24-48 hours to appear in Google Ads reports
  • Verify the conversion action exists and is active in your Google Ads account
  • Check the Conversions page in TrolleyShield for any failed statuses
  • Ensure the gclid is being captured (check DNI sessions or form submissions)

"Conversion action isn't set up for uploading conversions"​

Full error: "The conversion action specified in the upload request isn't set up for uploading conversions."

This means the conversion action you selected in TrolleyShield has the wrong source in Google Ads. Only conversion actions created with the Import source accept uploaded offline conversions via the API. Actions created as Website, Phone calls from ads, Google Analytics, or App will be rejected.

Fix:

  1. In Google Ads, go to Goals → Conversions → Summary
  2. Click + New conversion action → Import → Other data sources or CRMs → Track conversions from clicks
  3. Configure the category, value, and click-through window
  4. Save, then return to TrolleyShield Settings → Integrations → Google Ads and select the new action

The source of an existing conversion action generally cannot be changed after creation, so you'll need to create a new one.

"Imported event can't be recorded… click occurred before the conversion's click-through window"​

The original ad click is older than the click-through window configured on your conversion action. By default, Google Ads allows up to 90 days between click and conversion. If your action is set lower (e.g., 30 days), late callers will be rejected.

Fix: In Google Ads, open the conversion action and raise the Click-through conversion window to the maximum (90 days) if you expect long sales cycles. Some late conversions are unavoidable regardless.

Other "Partial Failure" Errors​

Less common causes:

  • The gclid has expired (older than 90 days)
  • The conversion action was deleted in Google Ads
  • The conversion timestamp is in the wrong format

Manager Account Issues​

If you use a Manager (MCC) account:

  • Make sure you've selected the correct child account (not the manager)
  • The manager account ID is sent automatically as login-customer-id