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Tag your Google Ads so the clicks add up.
Google Ads is the one channel where you usually don't hand-write UTMs — auto-tagging does a better job. Here's when to let it, when you still need manual parameters, the exact source and medium to use, and a copy-paste template for the Final URL suffix.
The short answer
Leave auto-tagging on; add UTMs only if a non-Google tool needs them.
Keep Google Ads auto-tagging on and link Google Ads to GA4 — the gclid gives GA4 richer paid-search data than UTMs ever could, and it powers conversion import. If you also feed a non-Google tool, add utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc in the Final URL suffix. Keep every value lowercase.
Building a manual string for a landing tool? Assemble it with the free slsh.me UTM builder — it lowercases and encodes as you type — then drop a slsh.me short link anywhere you share the ad's destination off-platform so every click still lands in your dashboard. Already live? Paste the final URL into the UTM parser to check the tags.
Auto-tagging or manual — pick per tool.
Google Ads is different from every other channel: its own auto-tagging beats UTMs for GA4. The decision isn't "which UTMs" — it's "do I need UTMs at all."
| Your analytics | What to use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GA4 (accounts linked) | Auto-tagging only — no UTMs | The gclid gives GA4 campaign, ad group, keyword, match type and device. UTMs can't carry that, and would be ignored anyway. |
| GA4 + a non-Google tool | Auto-tagging and UTMs | Keep the gclid for GA4; add UTMs in the Final URL suffix so the other tool can read the source. |
| Non-Google tool only | Manual UTMs | Tools that don't understand gclid need utm_source/utm_medium to attribute the click at all. |
The one rule that saves you: never turn auto-tagging off just to add UTMs. Auto-tagging and a Final URL suffix coexist happily — the gclid and your utm_ parameters both ride on the landing URL. Turning it off strips the gclid, which quietly breaks conversion import and the paid-search detail in GA4. When both a gclid and UTMs reach GA4, GA4 uses the gclid — so your manual UTMs exist purely for the other tool. (Consistent naming still matters there; see the UTM naming convention guide.)
The right values per parameter.
If a non-Google tool needs UTMs, here's what each parameter should hold for a Google Ads click. Source and medium are the two that decide whether it's filed as Paid Search.
| Parameter | Use for Google Ads | Why |
|---|---|---|
utm_source | google | The platform. Paired with a paid medium, GA4 files it under Paid Search. |
utm_medium | cpc | The channel type GA4 recognises for paid search. Not ppc mixed with cpc, never organic. |
utm_campaign | {campaignid} or a clean name | The campaign. Use the ValueTrack ID for a stable key, or your own naming scheme. |
utm_term | {keyword} | The keyword that triggered the ad — this is the one field paid search actually uses utm_term for. |
utm_content | {creative} or {adgroupid} | Which ad or ad group drove the click, for A/B and placement breakdowns. |
The pair to get right is source and medium: google + cpc. That's the combination GA4's default channel grouping maps to Paid Search. The most damaging mistake is utm_medium=organic on a paid link — it credits your ad spend to free search and makes paid look like it isn't working. Whatever you choose, apply it identically everywhere, because a mix of cpc, ppc and paid fragments the channel the same way casing does.
Let Google fill in the details automatically.
You don't type a UTM per keyword. Google Ads ValueTrack parameters get substituted with the real values at click time, so one Final URL suffix covers the whole account.
| ValueTrack | Resolves to |
|---|---|
{keyword} | The keyword that matched the search |
{campaignid} | The numeric campaign ID |
{adgroupid} | The numeric ad group ID |
{creative} | The numeric ad (creative) ID |
{matchtype} | How the keyword matched — e, p or b |
{network} | Where it ran — g (Search), s (partners), d (Display) |
{device} | The device — m, c or t |
The catch: ValueTrack values are substituted verbatim and URL-encoded as-is. {keyword} returns exactly what you named the keyword, so a keyword written Running Shoes becomes Running%20Shoes in your report. Keep keyword and campaign text clean, and remember these tokens are literal — if you paste {keyword} outside a ValueTrack-aware field it stays the literal string {keyword} instead of resolving.
The copy-paste template.
Paste this into the Final URL suffix field (Settings → Account settings, or a campaign's Additional settings). No leading ? — Google joins it to your landing URL.
# Google Ads — Final URL suffix (not the tracking template) utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_term={keyword}&utm_content={creative}
Set it once at the account level and every campaign inherits it; override per campaign only when you need a different scheme. This lives alongside auto-tagging — the gclid is still added, so GA4 keeps its rich data and your other tool gets clean UTMs. If you only run GA4, you can skip this block entirely.
The mistakes that break attribution.
Four things that quietly send your Google Ads clicks to the wrong place.
Turning auto-tagging off to use UTMs
Disabling auto-tagging strips the gclid, which breaks conversion import and the paid-search detail GA4 reads from Google Ads.
Fix: keep auto-tagging on; add UTMs in the Final URL suffix if another tool needs them.
Using organic as the medium
A medium of organic on a paid link credits your ad spend to free search — paid then looks like it drives nothing.
Fix: always utm_medium=cpc with utm_source=google for paid search.
Putting UTMs in the tracking template
The Tracking template is for click measurement and redirects, not analytics parameters. UTMs placed there won't reach your landing URL the way you expect.
Fix: use the Final URL suffix for utm_ parameters.
Hardcoding a ValueTrack token
Typing a real keyword instead of {keyword} — or pasting {keyword} where ValueTrack isn't supported — leaves every click labelled the same.
Fix: use the tokens in ValueTrack-aware fields and let Google substitute them.
Build the string without typos.
When you do need a manual string — for a landing tool, a partner platform, or an off-Google share of the same offer — the risk is a stray capital or an inconsistent medium quietly splitting your paid-search rows. Build the shared part once from a form that lowercases and encodes for you.
The free slsh.me UTM builder lays out every parameter, normalises casing and spacing as you type, and shows the finished string — so google / cpc come out consistent across every place you use them.
Then shorten the destination on slsh.me — a clean short link keeps a long tagged URL out of sight and logs every click by country and device, free.
Questions
Do I need UTM parameters for Google Ads? +
gclid gives GA4 richer paid-search data than UTMs, and it powers conversion import. Add manual UTMs only when a non-Google tool measures the destination, or you want one parameter scheme across every channel.What utm_source and utm_medium should I use? +
utm_source=google and utm_medium=cpc — the pair GA4 reads as Paid Search. Never utm_medium=organic on a paid link, and don't drift between cpc, ppc and paid. Keep every value lowercase. See the reading UTM data in GA4 guide.Where do UTMs go in Google Ads? +
Is this the same as tagging Facebook or Instagram ads? +
gclid-plus-GA4 link, so you always tag Meta ads by hand with dynamic placeholders. See the UTM parameters for Facebook & Instagram ads guide for that side.Every ad click, accounted for.
Shorten the destinations you share off-platform with slsh.me. The long tagged URL hides behind a tidy short link, and you get live click analytics per link — by country, device and referrer, free.
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