Google Ads tracking template examples: The complete setup guide (2026)

A Google Ads tracking template is a URL structure that captures detailed information about every ad click before sending users to your landing page.

It allows you to track exactly which keyword, device, network, and campaign drove each visit, so your data is usable across analytics tools, CRMs, and reporting platforms.

Without a tracking template, your Google Ads data stays mostly inside Google. With it, every click becomes structured, readable, and actionable.

This guide explains how tracking templates work, when to use them alongside auto-tagging, and provides copy-paste examples for Search, Shopping, Display, Performance Max, Video, and Dynamic Search campaigns.

How does a Google Ads tracking template work?

Upon clicking your ad, Google processes your tracking template through four steps:

1. Google parses the tracking template and substitutes all ValueTrack keywords: {keyword}, {device}, {matchtype}, with actual data about that particular click.
2. Google attaches the parsed parameters to your landing page URL wherever {lpurl} appears, thereby creating a full tracking URL.
3. With parallel tracking, Google sends two requests at once: one to the parsing URL, which contains all click information, in the background, and one to load the landing page in the user’s browser. That’s why there is no delay when using tracking templates.
4. As soon as the visitor lands on your page, UTM parameters appear in the URL and are ready for processing by Google Analytics 4 and your CRM.

The crucial point here: never omit {lpurl}. Without {lpurl}, hard-coded URLs send every single click to the same page, regardless of which ad was clicked. In this case, you won’t be able to track anything.

Do I need a tracking template if auto-tagging is already on?

Yes, you should use both. Auto-tagging and tracking templates serve different purposes, and they work best when used together.

Auto-tagging automatically adds the GCLID (Google Click Identifier) to every ad click. It powers Google Analytics 4 integration, Smart Bidding, and offline conversion tracking. However, GCLID data is primarily usable within Google’s ecosystem.

Tracking templates use UTM parameters to make your campaign data readable across platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, Klaviyo, Mixpanel, and business intelligence tools.

They also allow you to use clear, human-readable campaign names instead of numeric IDs.

What are Google Ads tracking template examples?

Below are copy-paste tracking template examples for every major campaign type. Adjust the parameter values to match your setup.

Example 1: Basic UTM template (Search recommended starting point)

This is the best starting point for any advertiser. It adds UTM parameters, so GA4 can attribute each session to the correct campaign, keyword, and ad group.

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_term={keyword}&utm_content={adgroupid}

• utm_source=google: tells Analytics the traffic came from Google
• utm_medium=cpc: identifies it as paid traffic, not organic
• utm_campaign={campaignid}: automatically inserts your numeric campaign ID
• utm_term={keyword}: inserts the keyword that triggered the ad
• utm_content={adgroupid}: inserts the ad group ID

Example 2: Shopping campaign template

Shopping campaigns typically generate a large share of clicks for ecommerce advertisers, which makes product-level attribution essential. Google Shopping ads account for 85.3% of all clicks in Shopping campaigns, so product-level attribution is essential.

• {lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_content={adgroupid}&device={device}&product_id={product_id}{product_id}: inserts the Merchant Center product ID; use this to see exactly which products are generating conversions

Example 3: Display Network template

Display campaigns show ads across millions of websites and apps. The key data point here is placements, the specific sites where your ad appeared. Use this data to identify top performers to prioritise and poor performers to exclude.

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_content={creative}&placement={placement}&device={device}

• {placement}: records the specific website or app where your ad was shown — essential for managing Display placements effectively

Example 4: Performance Max template

Performance Max campaigns run across all Google channels automatically. Keep the template simple; PMax supports fewer parameters.

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=pmax&utm_campaign={campaignid}&device={device}&network={network}&gclid={gclid}

• Do not add {keyword} or {adposition} to a PMax template. These parameters are unsupported and return empty values, creating blank fields in your analytics that make reporting unreliable.

How do I add a tracking template in Google Ads?

A tracking template can be set at the account level (recommended) or at the campaign, ad group, or keyword level.

Tracking template at the account level (best practice)

• Log in to Google Ads and select the Settings icon (wrench) on the navigation menu.
• Select Account settings.
• Select Tracking from the left-hand menu.
• Insert your tracking template into the box.
• Select Test: Google will resolve all placeholders in the value track template. Select the resulting URL and make sure your landing page loads.
• Select Save.

Campaign-level setup

• Navigate to your campaigns page and select the campaign you wish to configure.
• Navigate to the settings section using the left-hand navigation menu.
• Navigate to the Campaign URL Options section.
• Copy and paste your custom tracking template into the Tracking Template section.
• Before saving, ensure the Test button is clicked first, as it will override the account-level tracking template for this campaign.
  Save your changes.

How do I set up a Google Ads tracking template for GA4?

GA4 processes tracking template data differently from Universal Analytics. Here is how to ensure your templates integrate correctly:

Linking Google Ads to GA4

• In GA4, go to Admin → Google Ads Links → Link.
• Select your Google Ads account and confirm the link. This enables automatic import of Google Ads cost data and campaign groupings into GA4.
• In GA4 Attribution Settings (Admin → Attribution Settings), confirm that Paid Search is included as a channel and that Data-Driven Attribution is selected if available for your account.

Verifying UTM data in GA4 reports

Once your tracking template is live, verify that UTM data is flowing correctly:

• Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition. Filter the Session medium column by ‘cpc’. You should see sessions attributed to your Google Ads campaigns with the campaign names or IDs you set in utm_campaign.
• Check the session source/medium. Sessions from your tracking template should appear as Google / cpc. If you see (not set) or (direct), the UTM parameters may be getting stripped by a redirect.
• Use GA4 DebugView (Admin → DebugView) while clicking a live ad to verify UTM parameters appear as event parameters in real time.
• Check the Advertising section (Reports → Advertising → Performance) to see Google Ads campaign performance using GA4’s attribution model, which differs from Google Ads’ last-click model.

GA4 and UTM parameter priority

GA4 prioritizes auto-tagging (GCLID) over UTM parameters for Google Ads sessions by default. This means if both are present, GA4 uses the GCLID for attribution.

If you want UTM parameters to take precedence, for example, to populate custom campaign groupings, go to Admin → Data Streams → Configure tag settings → Ads Personalization, and review the attribution settings.

For most advertisers, allowing GCLID to take priority while UTMs populate CRM fields is the correct approach.

How do I use custom parameters in tracking templates?

Custom parameters let you pass human-readable campaign names rather than numeric IDs into your tracking data.

This makes reports readable to clients and teammates who do not have access to Google Ads.

Setting up custom parameters

• Go to the campaign where you want to add a custom parameter.
• Click Settings → Campaign URL Options.
• Under Custom Parameters, click + Add parameter.
• Set the key to your chosen parameter name, for example, _campaignname, and set the value to your human-readable label, such as winter-sale-2026.
• Click Save.
• In your tracking template, reference the custom parameter as {_campaignname} instead of {campaignid}: {lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={_campaignname}&utm_term={keyword}&device={device}
• Test the template using the Test button to confirm the parameter resolves correctly before saving.
• Custom parameters can also be set at the ad group or keyword level, allowing you to pass different labels for different segments of a campaign.

What are all the ValueTrack parameters in Google Ads?

Use this table as a reference when building or auditing your tracking templates. All parameters must be enclosed in curly braces exactly as shown.

Why is my tracking template not working?

These are the most common tracking template issues and how to fix them:

Issue: {lpurl} is missing, or a hard-coded URL is used

• Symptoms: Clicks from all ads lead to the same landing page, or the tracking template fails the Test.
• Fix: Every tracking template must start with {lpurl}. Without it, Google cannot dynamically insert the correct landing page URL for each ad.

Issue: Double question mark in the URL

• Symptoms: The Test button shows a URL containing ?? (for example, {lpurl}??utm_source=google).
• Fix: {lpurl}? already includes a question mark. If your landing page has no parameters, use: {lpurl}?utm_source=google and If your landing page already has parameters (e.g. example.com/page?colour=red), use:
  {lpurl}&utm_source=google

Issue: UTM parameters not appearing in GA4

• Symptoms: Google Ads traffic appears as “(not set)” or “(direct)” in GA4.

Fix: Follow these steps:

• Ensure the template passes the test button
• Check for redirects that may strip UTM parameters
• Use {lpurl+} instead of {lpurl} if your URL contains special characters
• Confirm GA4 is linked to the correct Google Ads account
• Ensure the GA4 tag is firing on your landing page

Issue: {keyword} returning blank values

• Symptoms: The utm_term field appears as “(not set)” or empty in GA4.
• Fix: {keyword} only works for Search campaigns. It will return blank for Performance Max, Display, Shopping, and DSA campaigns. Use campaign-specific templates instead.

Issue: Ads stopped serving after a template change

• Symptoms: Impressions and clicks drop to zero immediately after saving a new template.
• Fix: An invalid tracking template can stop ads from serving without warning. Always use the Test button before saving. If ads stop serving, temporarily remove the template, fix the issue, and reapply it.

What are the most common tracking template mistakes?

These are the most common mistakes advertisers make when setting up tracking templates:

1. Hardcoding the landing page URL

https://example.com/page?utm_source=google ← Incorrect

This sends all clicks to the same page, regardless of which ad was clicked. Always use {lpurl} so Google can dynamically insert the correct landing page URL for each ad.

2. Adding double question mark

{lpurl}??utm_source=google ← Incorrect

{lpurl} already includes a question mark. Adding another one breaks the URL. Always test your template to catch formatting errors like this.

3. Using {keyword} in unsupported campaign types

{keyword} only works for Search campaigns. If used in Performance Max, Display, Shopping, or DSA campaigns, it returns blank values, resulting in empty utm_term fields in your analytics data. Use campaign-specific templates instead.

4. Not using the test button

An invalid tracking template can prevent your ads from serving, sometimes without warning.

Testing takes less than a minute and ensures your URL resolves correctly. Always test before saving.

5. Using a third-party tracker that is not parallel-tracking compatible

Some third-party trackers delay the page load because the tracking request must complete before the landing page loads.

This can increase bounce rates and negatively affect Quality Score. Always confirm that your tracker supports parallel tracking before using it.

Quick-start tracking template checklist

Make sure all of these conditions are met before deploying your tracking template:

1. Auto-tagging is activated in the Google Ads Account settings
2. The tracking template starts with {lpurl}, not a fixed URL
3. You have clicked on “Test” and verified that the URL resolves to your landing page
4. You are utilizing specific templates for PMax, Shopping, Display, Video, and DSA campaigns, not a Search template applied to all campaigns
5. UTM parameters are being captured in GA4 at Reports → Acquisition → Traffic Acquisition
6. Your CRM system (Hubspot, Salesforce, etc.) is interpreting utm_campaign and utm_source parameters properly
7. You have configured custom parameters to display human-readable names of campaigns in your reporting tools

Abisola

Meet Abisola! As the content manager at ClickPatrol, she’s the go-to expert on all things fake traffic. From bot clicks to ad fraud, Abisola knows how to spot, stop, and educate others about the sneaky tactics that inflate numbers but don’t bring real results.

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