Introduction
The Google Ads integration sends click data to TrafficGuard for real-time analysis. TrafficGuard detects invalid traffic (IVT) from your campaigns and, depending on your protection mode, will either report on it or automatically block it.
ℹ️ Understanding protection modes
🔍 Detection mode: TrafficGuard reports on invalid traffic in real-time. No blocking or removal takes place — this mode is for monitoring only.
🛡️ Prevention mode: TrafficGuard automatically adds sources of invalid traffic to your Google Ads IP exclusion list using the Google Ads API, stopping invalid clicks before they cost you money.
Learn more here.
Before you begin
Ensure you have administrative access to your Google Ads account.
Locate your Google Ads customer ID.
ℹ️ Use your Google Ads Customer ID — not a manager account ID.
Customer ID is a unique identifier found at the top right-hand corner of your Google Ads account. Find your Google Ads Customer ID
Step 1: Initiate the connection
You can start the connection flow from two places in your TrafficGuard account:
Dashboard: Click the Connect Google Ads button on the main overview.
Account settings page: Navigate to your Account settings to find the connection prompt.
Once initiated, you will be guided through the necessary steps before being redirected to the secure Google sign-in prompt.
Step 2: Account selection
After signing in with Google, you will see a list of available Google Ads accounts.
Use the search bar to find your account by Account Name or 10-digit ID.
Choose the specific account you wish to protect and proceed.
Step 3: Tracking configuration
TrafficGuard needs to update your account settings to receive click data. In the Update account step, you will manage auto-tagging and tracking templates.
Tracking templates is how TrafficGuard receives click data from Google.
Automatic setup (Recommended): Click "Yes, update my account." TrafficGuard will automatically enable auto-tagging and apply the tracking template via API.
View changes: Click Show details to open a sidesheet displaying the exact tracking template strings being applied.
Manual setup: If you choose to update templates yourself, the step will be marked as Incomplete, and your connection status will remain Setup incomplete until the template is verified.
ℹ️ Already have tracking templates?
If you have tracking templates set up at the campaign, ad group, or creative level, move any existing parameters to the Final URL Suffix, excluding the {lpurl} tag.
Step 4: Finalizing the setup
Upon successful linking, the system automatically creates a corresponding Search account within TrafficGuard.
Once finished, you can close the setup flow or navigate directly to your Dashboard to view your data.
ℹ️ You can click Cancel at any stage. A confirmation modal will warn you that progress will be lost and the ad account will be unlinked.
Step 5: Install the TG site tag (recommended)
To improve detection accuracy, we highly recommend installing the TG Site Tag on all pages of your website. This allows TrafficGuard to analyze the full journey of the traffic arriving from your ads.
Navigate to your Account settings to find your TG site tag. Adding the site tag to your website allows TrafficGuard to analyse traffic that arrives from your ads, improving detection accuracy.
ℹ️ The TG site tag should be added to all pages of your website.
For full instructions on how to install the TG site tag, see: Installing the TG site tag.
You're all set
Once your connection is complete and tracking templates are active in Google Ads, you will start seeing traffic in your TrafficGuard reports.
💡 Tip
If you need further assistance, please reach out to [email protected] along with your TrafficGuard account name or URL.