Google Ads

If you selected Manual Installation during sign-up, or if you prefer to have full control over your Google Ads settings, you will need to paste the ClickPatrol tracking template yourself.

Follow these three steps to install, test, and verify the tracker. Then check the Important checks & troubleshooting section below to make sure nothing is blocking it.

Step 1: Install the tracking template#

The most efficient way to protect your ads is to apply the tracker globally, at the account level.

1. Get your template: Log in to ClickPatrol and go to Integration in the sidebar. Click the Google Ads tab and scroll down to the Tracker Configuration section to copy your unique tracking URL.
2. Go to Google Ads: Sign in and navigate to Settings > Account Settings.
3. Paste the URL: Locate the Tracking template field and paste your ClickPatrol URL.
4. Save: Don't forget to save your changes.

Step 2: Test the tracking template#

Before relying on it, verify that the template actually works. Google Ads has a built-in tester right next to the field.

1. Click "Test": Next to the Tracking template field, click the Test button.
2. What it does: Google replaces {lpurl} with an example landing page, runs the full template, and follows every redirect (including the ClickPatrol redirect) to check it ends up on your actual landing page.
3. What you should see: A green "Test successful" message on the account-level template. This means the link resolves correctly and visitors will be redirected properly.

If the test fails:

• Double-check that you pasted the full ClickPatrol URL without typos or extra spaces.
• Make sure no UTM parameters are inside the template (see UTM parameters below).
• Confirm the template still contains the {lpurl} placeholder.

Note: A "Landing page URL mismatch" result on individual landing pages is not a failed template. See Test result: "Landing page URL mismatch" below.

Step 3: Verify traffic#

Once installed and tested, traffic should start appearing in your ClickPatrol dashboard within a few hours of your first new ad click.

• Check date ranges: Ensure your dashboard date is set to "Today".
• Verify Google Ads: Make sure your campaigns are actually active and receiving clicks.

Important checks & troubleshooting#

The steps above cover a standard installation. Depending on your account setup, review the points below to make sure nothing is overriding or removing ClickPatrol.

Check for "hierarchy overrides"#

Important: Even if you paste the template correctly, it might not work if you have old settings hiding in your account.

Google Ads follows a hierarchy. A tracking template set at a lower level will override and disable the account-level setting.

The hierarchy (bottom-up):

1. Ad level (overrides everything)
2. Ad group level
3. Campaign level
4. Account level (ClickPatrol is installed here)

What to do: Check your campaigns and ads. If any of them have their own specific tracking template filled in, ClickPatrol will be ignored for those ads. You must clear those fields or merge them (see Merging below).

Tip: Use our Tracking Template Checker Script to instantly scan your account for hidden overrides.

Handle UTM parameters correctly#

If you use UTMs (like utm_source=google) to track performance, do not paste them inside the Tracking Template.

• Tracking template: Only for the ClickPatrol redirect URL.
• Final URL suffix: The correct place for UTM parameters.

If your template looks like {lp}?utm=..., it is incorrect. Move your UTMs to the Final URL Suffix field in Google Ads settings.

Check for external conflicts#

Do you use tools like HubSpot, Triple Whale, or Hyros? These tools often use "Auto-tagging" which forcibly overwrites the tracking template field, removing ClickPatrol.

• The fix: Disable automatic tracking updates in those third-party tools.
• The test: Check your Google Ads settings again one hour after installation. If the ClickPatrol URL has been replaced, an external tool is still active.

Merging templates (advanced)#

If you are required to use another tracking service alongside ClickPatrol at the campaign or ad level, you must merge the templates.

1. Go to the ClickPatrol Tracking Template Tool.
2. Paste your ClickPatrol template in Step 1.
3. Paste your other third-party template in Step 2.
4. Click Merge tracking templates and use the generated merged link in Google Ads.

Test result: "Landing page URL mismatch"#

The Google Ads tester can report a landing page URL mismatch for a few landing pages while your account-level template tests successfully. That result is about the landing page, not about ClickPatrol.

Google compares the final URL in your ad with the URL the browser ends up on, and its tester does not follow redirects of any kind, including JavaScript redirects. Any redirect on your own site is therefore reported as a mismatch: non-www to www, http to https, a trailing slash, a language prefix, or an old URL that your CMS forwards.

Check it in ten seconds: paste the final URL of that ad into your browser and press Enter. If the address bar changes, that redirect is what the test is reporting.

• The redirect stays on your own domain: nothing to fix. If you want the message gone, set the final URL in Google Ads to the URL you actually land on.
• The redirect leads to a different domain: correct this in Google Ads. Google can disapprove those ads for "Destination mismatch", independent of ClickPatrol.

ClickPatrol never rewrites your landing page. The template wraps your final URL in {lpurl} and sends the visitor to that exact URL, so the green result at account level is the check that matters. Step 3 confirms the tracker is live.