Cet article fait partie du guide Compte Google Ads : Creation, Gestion et Bonnes Pratiques
Your Google Ads account is created. Your campaigns are ready to launch. But before spending a single dollar, check the setup. A poorly configured account means skewed data, wasted budget, and decisions made on bad information.
Account Settings to Check First
Time Zone
The time zone determines when your days start and end in reports, and when daily budgets reset. For a US-based business: select your local time zone (e.g., "America/New_York").
Reminder: this setting cannot be changed after account creation. If it's wrong, you'll need to create a new account. Worth checking now.
Currency
Same deal. USD for US businesses. Not changeable after creation.
Account Conversion Goals
Go to Tools > Conversions > Settings. Define which conversions are used for bid optimization (the "Include in Conversions" column). Not all conversions are equal — don't let Google optimize for page views when you want leads.
Conversion Tracking Setup
This is the most critical configuration. Without correct tracking, everything else is useless.
The Google Ads Tag (Global Site Tag)
The base tag must be present on every page of your site. It enables:
- Conversion tracking
- Remarketing
- Conversion attribution
Two installation methods:
Via Google Tag Manager (recommended) — create a "Google Ads Conversion Linker" tag and a "Google Ads Remarketing" tag in GTM. The Conversion Linker is mandatory for tracking to work correctly, especially with third-party cookie restrictions.
Directly in the code — paste the snippet in the <head> of every page. Simpler but less flexible.
Conversions to Configure
| Type | How to Track | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form | GTM event or thank-you page | High |
| Phone call (website) | Google forwarding number or call tracking | High |
| Call from ad | Call extension with tracking | High |
| Live chat | GTM event | Medium |
| E-commerce purchase | E-commerce integration | High |
| Qualified lead (CRM) | Offline conversion import | High |
| Appointment booked | GTM event or Calendly webhook | High |
Offline Conversions (CRM)
This is the next level. You import into Google Ads the conversions that happen after the click: qualified calls, quotes sent, contracts signed.
Two methods:
- Manual import — upload a CSV file with GCLIDs and conversions. Doable but tedious.
- Automatic import — via a CRM connector (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive). Conversions flow in automatically.
The benefit: the Google Ads algorithm trains on your real business metrics. Instead of optimizing for form submissions (of which 40% may be unqualified), it optimizes for signed contracts.
Enhanced Conversions
Enable "Enhanced Conversions" in Settings > Conversions. This feature sends hashed first-party data (email, phone, address) to Google to improve attribution when cookies fall short.
This has become nearly essential with the ongoing phase-out of third-party cookies.
Linked Accounts: Essential Connections
Google Analytics 4
Where: Tools > Linked accounts > Google Analytics
Why:
- Import GA4 audiences into Google Ads (behavior-based remarketing)
- Share conversion data bidirectionally
- See GA4 metrics (bounce rate, pages/session) in Google Ads reports
How: select your GA4 property and enable two-way sharing.
Google Search Console
Where: Tools > Linked accounts > Search Console
Why:
- See organic and paid performance side by side
- Identify keywords where SEO is weak (opportunity for Ads)
- Understand SEO/SEM cannibalization
Google Merchant Center
Where: Tools > Linked accounts > Google Merchant Center
Why: required if you run Shopping Ads (e-commerce). Merchant Center holds your product catalog that Google Ads uses to generate Shopping ads.
YouTube
Where: Tools > Linked accounts > YouTube
Why:
- Create remarketing audiences based on video views
- Launch Video Ads campaigns
- Measure the impact of video ads on Search conversions
CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive)
Not directly in Google Ads, but via third-party connectors or the API. The goal: push offline conversions (qualified leads, signed contracts) to feed the Smart Bidding algorithm.
Billing Settings
Verify your tax information
If applicable, ensure your business tax ID or EIN is entered and validated in billing settings. This keeps your invoicing clean and ensures proper tax treatment.
Full details in Google Ads invoicing.
Backup payment method
Add a second payment method. If the primary fails, Google automatically switches to the backup. Your campaigns don't stop.
Details on billing mechanics in Google Ads billing.
Notifications and Alerts
What to enable
- Billing alerts — payment declined, threshold reached.
- Performance alerts — significant drop in conversion rate, budget exhausted.
- Ad disapproval alerts — so you can react quickly when an ad gets rejected.
What to disable
- Automatic recommendations — Google sends you "optimization suggestions" that mostly serve to increase your budget. Read them, but don't apply them blindly.
- Marketing notifications — offers, webinars, Google news. Noise.
Auto-apply recommendations
Disable it. By default, Google can automatically apply certain recommendations (add keywords, change bids). Go to Tools > Recommendations > Auto-apply and uncheck everything.
Your account, your decisions.
Advanced Settings
Content exclusions
Under Account settings > Content exclusions, you can exclude certain content types for Display and YouTube:
- Adult content
- Sensitive news
- Low-quality sites
Enable these exclusions by default. It reduces the risk of your ads appearing alongside undesirable content.
URL tracking (ValueTrack parameters)
Set up a tracking template at the account level to automatically add UTM parameters to all your URLs. Example:
{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_content={adgroupid}&utm_term={keyword}
This feeds GA4 with clean data on paid traffic sources.
Auto-tagging (GCLID)
Verify that auto-tagging is enabled (it is by default). The GCLID is the parameter Google automatically appends to your URLs to track each click. It's the foundation of attribution in Google Ads and offline conversion imports.
Final Setup Checklist
- Time zone and currency are correct
- Conversion tracking is installed and tested
- Enhanced Conversions enabled
- Google Analytics 4 linked
- Google Search Console linked
- Tax information entered and validated
- Backup payment method added
- Auto-apply recommendations disabled
- Content exclusions configured
- GCLID auto-tagging enabled
- URL tracking template in place
- Relevant alerts activated
Conclusion
Google Ads account setup is 80% of the work that determines whether your campaigns generate reliable data or noise. Tracking, linked accounts, billing, notifications — every setting has a direct impact on your results.
Take the time to verify everything before launching. A clean configuration from the start saves you weeks of painful retroactive analysis when the data doesn't add up.
Want to make sure your Google Ads account is properly configured? Book a free consultation — we'll review your setup in 30 minutes.
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