Google Ads Linked Accounts: A Comprehensive Guide

Google Ads Linked Accounts are a powerful tool for advertisers, allowing them to manage multiple accounts from a single dashboard.

By linking accounts, advertisers can simplify their workflow, reduce administrative tasks, and gain a unified view of their campaigns.

This feature is particularly useful for large businesses or agencies with multiple campaigns running across different accounts.

In this guide, we'll explore the ins and outs of Google Ads Linked Accounts and provide practical tips for getting the most out of this feature.

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To link your Google Ads accounts, start by signing into your Display & Video 360 account.

You'll need to navigate to Advertiser > Settings > Linked accounts to get started.

Click on Link new account > Ads Data Hub to link your Ads Data Hub account.

Enter the account ID, and the account name will be populated automatically.

Make sure to click the checkbox next to Floodlight authorization to enable it.

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You can also choose to share audiences created in Ads Data Hub with this Display & Video 360 advertiser by selecting the corresponding checkbox.

After linking your accounts, it may take up to 30 minutes for the request to appear in Ads Data Hub.

To approve the link request, you can use either the Ads Data Hub UI or API.

Connecting Merchant Center is a crucial step in linking your Google Ads account. You can create a new Google Ads account or link an existing one to Google Merchant Center.

To link a Google Ads account you own in Merchant Center, click the 'Settings & tools' icon and select 'Apps & services'. Under 'Google services', select 'Add service' and choose Google Ads. Click 'Next' and select your Google Ads account.

You can also review the status immediately after linking the accounts. Note that you can choose to connect only Google Merchant Center to the Google Ads account instead of all other accounts.

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To link a new Google Ads account in Google Merchant Center, click the 'Settings & tools' icon and select 'Apps & services'. Under 'Google services', select 'Add service' and choose Google Ads. Click 'Next' and select the new account you want to link.

The process is the same as shown for the first option, except that you will have to select 'new account' and proceed with the rest of the process.

You can link a Google Ads account you don’t manage by entering the Google Ads customer ID.

Here are the steps to link a Google Ads account you don’t manage:

After linking, review the status of the link request. Note that you must be an admin or ask someone with admin-level access to the Google Ads account to accept the link request.

To approve the link request in Google Ads, click 'Tools' and select 'Data Manager'. Under "Connected products", find "Google Merchant Center", then select 'Manage and link'. Select the "Received" tab, locate the account you wish to link, and in the 'Actions' column, choose 'Review' and select 'Approve'.

You can link your Google Ads account to Merchant Center in two ways: linking Business Manager to Google Ads, or linking Merchant Center to Google Ads.

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You'll encounter the 'No Google Ads account linked' error if your manager account isn't correctly linked to the client account, or if your OAuth2 credentials don't belong to a user with access.

Reason 5: USER_PERMISSION_DENIED Error can be resolved by ensuring your manager account is linked to the client account, using valid authentication credentials, and adding yourself as a "Standard" user in the Google Ads account.

If you're using the Google Ads API, make sure to include the correct login-customer-id in your API request headers.

To resolve permission-related issues, follow these steps:

Account type mismatches can occur when you connect two accounts using the wrong process, resulting in errors like 'permission denied' or 'Google Ads account not linked.'

You'll encounter the USER_PERMISSION_DENIED error if there's no link between the manager account used for authentication and the client account you're trying to access. This can happen if your OAuth2 credentials don't belong to a user with access.

To resolve this issue, ensure your manager account is correctly linked to the client account and that your authentication credentials are valid for a user with access to the client account.

If you're using the Google Ads API, confirm you're including the correct login-customer-id in your API request headers. This is crucial for a smooth connection between accounts.

You can also add yourself as a "Standard" user in the Google Ads account. To do this, go to the Access and Security settings, select the Managers section, and look for a pending request. If it's declined, it might mean that the account type mismatch is the culprit.

Here are some steps to identify and resolve account type mismatches:

Remember, not all links work the same way, so it's essential to follow the specific process for linking each particular type of account to avoid errors like permission denied or Google Ads account not linked.

If you're experiencing issues with your Google Ads account, it's possible that a link request wasn't sent.

You have not sent a link request to your Google Ads account from your Google Merchant Center account. Or the Google Ads account admin never approved it.

To fix this, ensure you follow the process of sending a link request from your Google Merchant Center and approving it in your Google Ads account. You can also initiate the process from your Google Ads account to connect both.

The key is to send that link request and get it approved, so your accounts can start working together smoothly.

Linking Google Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts can be a bit confusing, but let's set the record straight.

Linking these accounts doesn't make ads run independently, you still need to manually set up and launch campaigns in Google Ads.

Accurate product data is crucial, even after linking both accounts, poor data quality can lead to disapprovals or low visibility.

Manager accounts can't be linked, only individual Ad accounts can connect to Google Merchant Center.

Linking these accounts doesn't automatically share ad performance data or fix product feed issues, you must manually resolve them.

Linking doesn't determine how ads are targeted or bid, you're still required to set up targeting, bidding, and placements.

Even after linking, policy or data quality issues can still result in disapprovals or account suspension.

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To set up a Google Ads Manager account, it only takes a few minutes to complete the step-by-step guide, which involves signing in with your Google account, giving your manager account a name, and deciding how you want to use the manager account.

You'll need to provide your country and time zone information, choose a billing currency for your account, and click the "Submit" button to initiate your new account setup. This is a straightforward process that gets you started with your Google Ads Manager account.

To link multiple Google Ads accounts, you can start by clicking the blue “+” button and selecting “Link existing account” in your Google Ads Manager account. Then, enter the client account's Google Ads ID, which is the ten-digit number in the top-right corner of their account.

To get started with Campaign Manager 360, you'll need to link your Campaign Manager 360 account. This involves completing a series of steps to initiate the link.

First, you'll need to set up your ad inventory, which includes setting up ad units to display ads on your website or app. This is done through the Campaign Manager 360 platform.

Linking your Campaign Manager 360 account will allow you to view campaigns from all linked accounts on one screen. This is a huge time-saver and provides you with a single view of all your campaigns.

To link your Campaign Manager 360 account, complete the following steps:

1. Go to your Campaign Manager account.

2. Follow the instructions to initiate the link.

3. Verify that your account is successfully linked.

By linking your Campaign Manager 360 account, you'll be able to manage transactions with advertisers through orders and line items, targeting the ad units.

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As you start managing your Google Ads accounts, you'll want to understand how to use the manager functionality to streamline your workflow.

You can create a Google Ads Manager account in just a few minutes, and it's a great way to efficiently handle your ads and marketing campaigns. To create a manager account, sign in using the email you plan to use for your Google Ads account, give your manager account a name, and decide how you want to use the manager account.

One of the key benefits of having a manager account is that you can link multiple Google Ads accounts, making it easier to manage your ad campaigns across different businesses or clients. To link existing accounts, click the blue "+" button and select "Link existing account", then enter the client account's Google Ads ID.

A Google Ads Manager account is not just an "improved" version of your Google Ads account, but rather a powerful tool that helps you manage your ad inventory, transactions with advertisers, and ad performance. You can set up your ad inventory, create tags for each ad unit, and manage transactions with advertisers through orders and line items.

To view campaigns from all linked accounts, simply choose "Campaigns" from the side menu in your manager account. You'll see a list of every campaign in every account you've linked, and you can filter the list to sort by account, performance, or other details.

Here are some key benefits of using a Google Ads Manager account:

Setting up labels and filters is a game-changer for managing multiple linked accounts. Labels and filters make it fast and easy to find what you need, even when you have dozens of linked accounts.

Having a clear system for organizing your accounts can save you a ton of time and reduce stress. You can use labels to categorize your accounts by type, such as personal, work, or financial.

Using filters allows you to quickly narrow down your search results to specific accounts or types of transactions. This is especially useful when you need to find a specific piece of information or track a particular trend.

Setting budgets and bidding strategies is a crucial step in setting up and managing your Google Ads account. It's essential to establish budgets for each linked ad account to ensure you stay within budget and allocate resources effectively.

To set budgets, head to the "Settings" section of each ad account, select "Budgets", and set a budget for each account.

Setting a budget for each ad account helps prevent overspending and ensures you're making the most of your advertising budget.

You can allocate different budgets for different ad accounts based on your business needs and goals. For example, you might allocate a larger budget for a high-performing ad account and a smaller budget for a new ad account.

The available bidding strategies in Google Ads are key to determining how much you bid for specific keywords and how often your ads appear.

Here are the available bidding strategies in Google Ads:

By choosing the right bidding strategy, you can optimize your ad spend and improve your ad performance.

To link multiple Google Ads accounts, follow these best practices:

Make sure to enter the exact Google Ads Customer ID of the account you wish to link, as even a single incorrect digit will prevent the link from establishing.

Ensure consistent time zones and currency settings across linked accounts to avoid data discrepancy issues in the future.

Verify account ownership to ensure legitimate access and authorized linking, and act on the notification from Google immediately.

Newly created Google Ads or Google Merchant Center accounts may be temporarily ineligible, so wait at least 7 days before attempting to link, and ensure the account has basic settings configured.

Here's a quick rundown of the key things to check before linking:

With a Google Ads Manager account, you can streamline your account management and take advantage of several benefits, including the ability to search, navigate, and manage all your accounts from a single dashboard.

Having a Google Ads Manager account can be a game-changer for managing multiple accounts.

With a Google Ads Manager account, you can search, navigate, and manage all your accounts from a single dashboard. This is a huge improvement over regular accounts, which can be overwhelming to manage individually.

One of the key benefits of a Google Ads Manager account is that you can create and manage client campaigns from your account. This makes it easier to keep track of multiple campaigns and clients.

You can also compare performance across all accounts with ease, and run reports for many accounts at the same time. This feature is especially useful for large-scale advertisers who need to monitor multiple campaigns.

A Google Ads Manager account also simplifies invoicing, providing a monthly invoice for all your client accounts. This saves time and reduces administrative tasks.

To make the most of your Google Ads Manager account, consider using notifications to monitor all of your linked accounts efficiently. This feature helps you stay on top of performance and make data-driven decisions.

Here are the key benefits of a Google Ads Manager account at a glance:

To ensure a smooth linking process, it's essential to enter the exact Google Ads Customer ID of the account you wish to link. Even a single incorrect digit can prevent the link from establishing.

Ensure consistent time zones and currency settings across linked accounts to avoid data discrepancy issues in the future. This will save you from headaches down the line.

Verify account ownership to ensure legitimate access and authorized linking. Google will send you a notification to verify your account, so act on it immediately.

Newly created Google Ads or Google Merchant Center accounts may be temporarily ineligible to link. Wait for at least 7 days before attempting to link, and ensure the account has basic settings configured.

You can't link a Google Ads MCC account directly to Google Merchant Center. Only individual Google Ads accounts are eligible to link.

Before linking, configure billing, set up a campaign, and budget in your Google Ads. You can link immediately after active billing, regardless of daily or monthly budget amounts.

To verify and claim your website with Google Ads, you must have administrative access to the website. Enter the website URL you want to verify and claim, then choose your preferred verification method by adding an HTML file to your website or a meta tag to your website's HTML code.

You can verify and claim your website with a Google Manager account, which gives you access to more data and insights. This allows you to track conversions and measure campaign performance accurately.

Here are the steps to verify and claim your website:

Once you've completed the verification process, your website will be officially claimed in your Google Ads MCC.

2-Step Verification is a crucial security measure that some Ad accounts require before accepting link requests. This means that you'll need to enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account to proceed.

To enable 2-Step Verification, navigate to your Google account settings and select the 'Security' tab. You'll then click on the forward arrow mark to access the 2-Step Verification settings, where you can turn it on or off.

Enabling 2-Step Verification adds an extra layer of security to your account, protecting it from unauthorized access. This is especially important for Ad accounts that require this feature.

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To verify your website with Google Ads, you'll need to have administrative access to the site. Enter the website URL you want to verify and claim.

You can choose to verify your website by adding an HTML file to your website or a meta tag to your website's HTML code. This is done by selecting the preferred verification method.

Once you've completed the verification process, your website will be officially claimed in your Google Ads MCC. This gives you access to more data and insights.

To track conversions accurately, you need to verify and claim your website. Verify and claim your website with a Google Manager account to track conversions and measure campaign performance accurately.

You can verify your website by adding an HTML file to your website or a meta tag to your website's HTML code. This is done by selecting the preferred verification method.

Here are the steps to verify your website:

Verify that your website is set up correctly by checking that it's officially claimed in your Google Ads MCC.