Use Google Tag Manager to manage tags for Floodlight activities

Google Tag Manager helps you maintain tags on your site. Instead of adding and updating tags directly on your site, you add and update them in Google Tag Manager. Google Tag Manager then outputs properly formatted tags on your site as needed. Learn more about Google Tag Manager.

To use Google Tag Manager to manage tags for Floodlight activities:

1. If you haven't already done so, sign into Google Tag Manager,  set up an account and container, and install the Google Tag Manager code snippet onto every page of your site.
2. From Search Ads 360, create a Floodlight activity as described below.

3. In Google Tag Manager, use information Search Ads 360 generates for the activity to create a Floodlight tag, as described below.

4. (Recommended) Set up the Conversion Linker tag in Google Tag Manager to ensure that your tags can effectively measure all of your conversions:
   1. Activate the conversion API as described below.
   2. Add the Conversion Linker tag as described below.

Due to differences in the way that browsers use cookies, there may still be times when conversions can't be measured directly. In some cases, Search Ads 360 uses machine learning and historical data to model the number of conversions and amount of conversion revenue that can't be measured directly.

Create a Floodlight activity in Search Ads 360

1. Navigate to an advertiser.

   Steps for navigating to an advertiser

   1. Click the navigation bar to display navigation options.

   2. In the "Agency" list, click on the agency that contains the advertiser. You can search for an agency by name or scroll through the list.

   3. In the "Advertiser" list, click on the advertiser.

   4. Click Apply or press the Enter key.

   Search Ads 360 displays the advertiser page, which contains data for all of the advertiser’s engine accounts.

2. In the left navigation panel, click Advertiser settings.
   
   Don't see Advertiser settings? Only Search Ads 360 agency managers or advertiser managers can see Advertiser settings in the left navigation panel. 

3. Click the Floodlight▼ tab and select Floodlight activities.

4. Click the + Floodlight activity button, which appears just below the tab.

5. Name the Floodlight activity.

   Choose a name that reflects the conversion this activity tracks. You'll see this name when you segment reports by Floodlight activity, create Floodlight columns, or choose Floodlight activities as conversion source in a bid strategy.

6. In the Expected URL field, enter the URL of the webpage that the activity will track.
   You need to start the URL with http:// or, if the page is secured, https://.

7. From the Activity group list, select the Floodlight activity group that will contain this Floodlight activity.

8. You can keep the default values for the following settings, since they aren't applicable when you use Google Tag Manager:

   • Secure Servers Only

   • Tag format (Google Tag Manager always installs Floodlight tags. By default, Google Tag Manager installs iframe tags, but you can change this by editing the Floodlight activity in Campaign Manager 360. )

9. Click Save.
   Search Ads 360 adds the Floodlight activity to the Floodlight activities reporting table.

10. Copy values from Search Ads 360 that you'll use in Google Tag Manager:

    1. If you're not already on the Floodlight activities tab, in the left navigation panel click Advertiser settings, then click the Floodlight activities tab.

    2. From the Floodlight activities reporting table, copy the value from the Activity tag string column and the Floodlight activity group tag string column. 

    3. Click the Advertiser details tab.

    4. Under Campaign Manager 360 Advertiser Settings, copy the value of your Campaign Manager 360 Floodlight ID.
       The ID is a number, such as 1234567.

Create a Floodlight tag in Google Tag Manager

1. Sign into Google Tag Manager and navigate to your site's container.
2. Start creating a new tag. Select one of the following tag types:
   • Floodlight Counter: Select this tag type if your activity is an Action activity.
   • Floodlight Sales: Select this tag type if your activity is a Transaction activity.
3. Paste the following values that you copied from Search Ads 360:
   1. In the Group Tag String field, paste the value you copied from the Floodlight activity group tag string column in the Floodlight activities reporting table.
   2. In the Activity Tag String field, paste the value you copied from the Activity tag string column in the Floodlight activities reporting table.
   3. In the Advertiser ID field, paste the value you copied from Campaign Manager 360 Floodlight ID on the Advertiser details tab.
4. Specify a counting method for conversions. The options available depend on whether you’re creating a counter or a sales activity. (See the settings that are automatically specified when you create a Floodlight activity in Search Ads 360.)

   For counter activities, you can choose:

   • Standard: Counts every conversion.

   • Unique: Counts the first conversion for each unique user during each 24-hour day, from midnight to midnight, Eastern Time (US).

   • Per session: Counts one conversion per user per session. Session length is set by the site where the Floodlight tag is deployed.

   For sales activities, you can choose:

   • Transactions: Counts all conversions, plus the total number of sales that take place and the total revenue for these transactions.

   • Items sold: Counts each conversion, plus the total number of items sold and the total revenue for these sales.
5. Work with your web developer or Google Tag Manager administrator for information on assigning values to the tag parameters. Typically, your web developer will make the values available in the Google Tag Manager data layer, but you may use macros for some of the parameters. Learn about variables and the data layer.
6. Click Save.
7. Publish the new tag.

Add the Conversion Linker in Google Tag Manager

Before you start: activate the conversion API

To ensure that the Conversion Linker tag can attribute conversions to all engine types supported by Search Ads 360, activate the conversion API for your advertiser. The conversion API makes sure that the gclid and gclsrc parameters are included in your landing page URLs. These parameters contain a Google click ID and source ID, which Search Ads 360 requires to correctly attribute conversions to ad clicks.

To activate the conversion API:

Add the Conversion Linker in Google Tag Manager