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google-ads-apiutm-tracking

How to pass the search query to the landing page URL of a Google Ads (search)


When a user clicks a google ad, then I would like to pass the search query to the landing page via the utm_term parameter.

  1. User goes to www.google.de and searches for "development software grails company ny"

  2. Our google Ad shows, when the search query contains "software development"

  3. The user clicks the Ad and is being send to http://www.ourcompany.com/?utm_term=development+software+grails+comapny+ny

The problem here is, that I can't find the value track variable which saves the search query and I think none exists. I only found {keyword} however, that will only report the keyword against which the search query matched succesfully.

In https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6305348?hl=en there is no such variable, which refers to the search query.

Also on this page https://support.newengen.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014178033-Understanding-UTMs-for-Search it does not report one. Only Microsoft bing seems to have one called {SearchQuery}.

Does google allow to capture the "search query" of the user and pass it to the landing page of the google ad or is this simply not possible???


Solution

  • The only Google Ads Value Track parameter you can use for URL parameters to used by Google Analytics for example is {keyword}.

    It isn't exactly the query that was typed by the user, but the keyword that fired your Ad to show up, thus the keyword / expression you have been bidding on for that click.

    The exact search query typed by the end user isn't available for privacy reasons (you shouldn't be able to match a visit on your site with an exact search query). However you keep getting aggregates in the Google Ads Search Term report https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2472708?hl=en

    Bing Ads / Microsoft Advertising offers the same feature set with the same limitation through the {keyword} parameter https://help.ads.microsoft.com/#apex/3/en/56799/2