How to track Youtube ads in Google Analytics? (2023)

Wondering how to track Youtube ads in Google Analytics? Yes, you are at the right place to learn about tracking Youtube ads in Google Analytics.

Whenever you are spending on ads on any social media platform, it is important to verify the clicks reported by the platform from another analytics software. You should not take the clicks reported by the ad platform as the final.

So, if you are doing ads on Youtube, then it is important to verify the clicks reported by the Youtube Ad account. Google Analytics is the right platform to track the ad performance of Youtube Ads.

In case, if there is a considerable difference in clicks reported by the Youtube Ads account and Google Analytics, then you should contact Youtube to report it.

How to track Youtube Ads in Google Analytics?

Follow the below steps to track your Youtube ads in Google Analytics:

1. Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics using URL Campaign Builder

2. Fill Campaign Source, Medium, and Name

3. Fill Campaign Term and Campaign Content

4. Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics

5. Linking Youtube Ads to Google Analytics

6. Track Youtube Ad Performance in Google Analytics

We will discuss each of these steps in detail below.

Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics using URL Campaign Builder

The first step is to create a tracking link in Google Analytics for your Youtube ad campaign. For creating a tracking link, you need URL parameters.

URL parameters are used to track information about a click.

In addition to presenting you with accurate information on clicks, URL parameters also help you to differentiate between the traffic you get from Youtube organic (your Youtube video descriptions) and Youtube ads.

URL parameters consist of a key and a value separated by an equals sign (=) and joined by an ampersand (&). The first parameter always comes after a question mark in a URL as shown in the example below:

By using URL parameters, you’ll know exactly which Youtube ad campaign, and which ad set is driving traffic to your website, and you can also track conversions on your website that way.

To generate URL parameters, you can use a free tool by Google called Campaign URL Builder.

To begin with, just go to the page/post that you wish to promote on Youtube.

Copy the URL and paste it into the website URL box.

You can provide the Campaign ID as you wish.

Fill Campaign Source, Medium, and Name

The next field is Campaign Source. You can either mention “Youtube ad” as the campaign source or you can just mention “Youtube”.

In order to differentiate between the traffic from Youtube video descriptions and traffic from Youtube ads, you can mention “Youtube ad” here.

track youtube ads google analytics campaign url

Next, mention “CPC” as your campaign medium if you’re tracking link clicks or “CPM” if you’re tracking impressions. You can alternatively use any meaning full terms, if required.

Next, enter the Campaign Name. It should be the same as the name of your Youtube ad campaign in the Youtube Ads account.

Fill Campaign Term and Campaign Content

Now you have filled all the mandatory fields. You can proceed to the next step if required. But if you fill in the rest of the field, it will help you to pinpoint the ads which are working and ads that are not working well. This will be more useful if you are running multiple ads.

You can either use common terms or be more specific with the terms to define your parameters, especially in the case of Campaign Term and Content.

As mentioned, the more specific you get with your URL parameters, the better it will be, and you’ll know exactly which campaign is driving traffic to your site and which campaign needs to be improved.

In case you’re using different ad formats (image, video, carousel, etc.) under an Ad Set to promote the same post, you can use the Campaign Content field to differentiate these ads. Just remember that you need to generate a different campaign URL for each ad to track them accurately in Google Analytics.

Create Tracking Link in Google Analytics

Now that your form is filled, your campaign URL will get auto-generated. Just scroll down to see your generated campaign URL.

In order to start tracking Youtube ads in Google Analytics, you’ll need to copy the portion of the URL that starts after the question mark.

Paste your Youtube campaign URL parameters in this box as shown below:

track youtube ads url google analytics campaign

Make sure you preview your new URL to check if the URL parameters are visible on the new URL opened in a new tab.

You also have the option to convert the generated URL into a short link.

Linking Youtube Ads to Google Analytics

Now you have a campaign URL generated with all the URL parameters.

You can use this newly-generated URL in your Youtube ads and start tracking traffic in Google Analytics.

Add it to the Youtube campaign manager at the required position.

Now, you are all set to track the performance of your Youtube ads in Google Analytics.

Track Youtube Ad performance in Google Analytics

Follow the below steps to track Youtube Ads in Google Analytics.

In the left side menu, click on Acquisition.

Click on Campaigns.

Click on All Campaigns.

Now you can see the campaign name for Youtube Ads there. From this report, you can understand your Youtube ad campaign performance.

Wrapping Up

Getting a clear picture of your Youtube ad performance will not only allow you to evaluate how well your advertisements are performing, but it will also allow you to make changes to improve their reach and effectiveness.

By following the procedures explained in this guide, you may begin analyzing your Youtube advertising in Google Analytics and optimize your Youtube campaigns.

Hope you found this article useful. Kindly let us know if you have any queries.