Zapier + Google Ads: no-code offline conversions and audience sync

What this integration unlocks

• Offline conversions from any CRM or form tool through the Send Offline Conversion action
• Matching on hashed email or phone when there is no GCLID, once enhanced conversions is on
• Customer Match lists kept current with Add Contact to Customer List and Remove Contact From Customer List
• Google Ads lead form entries routed into a CRM through the New Lead Form Entry trigger
• Light account automation, such as Set Campaign Status and Create Report

Setup steps

1. 1

   Check the plan and account access first

   Google Ads is a premium app on Zapier, so it needs a paid Zapier plan, although Zapier lets eligible users on free or paid plans use it free for 6 months. Connect a Google account with access to an active Google Ads account.

   The Google Ads app gives you two triggers, New Campaign and New Lead Form Entry, both of which poll rather than fire instantly. The actions are Send Offline Conversion, Add Contact to Customer List, Add Contact to Customer List With Email, Remove Contact From Customer List, Create, Update and Delete Customer List (these run through Google's Data Manager API), Create Report, and Set Campaign Status.

2. 2

   Create an Import from clicks conversion action

   Send Offline Conversion only works with conversion actions whose source is Import from clicks, so create one in Google Ads before building the Zap. Google advises waiting 4 to 6 hours after creating a new conversion action before uploading to it; conversions uploaded earlier can take 2 days to show in reports.

   Then make sure the identifier you plan to match on reaches the trigger app. For GCLID matching, your forms must capture the GCLID into a hidden field and pass it into the CRM or form tool that triggers the Zap.

3. 3

   Configure Send Offline Conversion

   In the action, pick the account in the Use Google Ads as dropdown, then choose the Conversion User Identifier Source: Google Click ID (GCLID), Email address, or Phone number. Email and phone are only selectable if you have opted in to enhanced conversions, and Zapier hashes them with SHA256 before sending. Select the conversion action, map the Timestamp of the actual conversion (not the time the Zap runs, unless they are the same), and add Value in decimal format and Currency as an ISO 4217 code.

   Put a Filter step in front of the action that only continues when the identifier exists. Zapier recommends this for GCLID, because records without one cannot be matched to a Google Ads click.

4. 4

   Respect the upload time limits

   Google does not import offline conversions uploaded more than 90 days after the associated last click. If you match on email or phone through enhanced conversions for leads, the limit is 63 days. A Zap that fires on a stage reached months later, such as a closed deal, can miss the window entirely.

   There is also a lower bound. Zapier notes that Google can need 3 to 12 hours after an ad click before a conversion for it uploads successfully, so a Zap that fires the instant a form is submitted may be rejected. Trigger on a later qualifying stage, or add a delay.

5. 5

   Sync Customer Match lists

   Use Add Contact to Customer List, or the With Email variant, when a contact becomes a customer, and Remove Contact From Customer List when they should leave the audience. Zapier says new contacts can take several hours, up to 12, to populate in the list. Only add contacts whose consent covers advertising use.

   Check eligibility before planning targeting. Google lets accounts with 90 days of history and more than USD 50,000 lifetime spend use Customer Match for targeting; other policy-compliant accounts can use lists for observation and exclusions only. Lists need at least 100 members added or updated in the last 540 days, and memberships older than 540 days expire, so a Zap that keeps refreshing the list helps.

Common issues

Common questions