Unclear Instructions for Using "Google auto-tagging"

[ARothberg]

The instructions are a bit unclear as to what, if anything, has to change to use the Google Ads auto-tagging feature.

The docs specify that the following URL params are added:

utm_term={keyword}
utm_source=adwords
utm_medium=ppc
utm_campaign={_utmcampaign} - set by default to the name of the Ads campaign
hsa_cam={campaignid}
hsa_grp={adgroupid}
hsa_mt={matchtype}
hsa_src={network}
hsa_ad={creative}
hsa_acc={ID of account/customer}
hsa_net=adwords
hsa_kw={keyword}
hsa_tgt={targetid}
hsa_ver=3

and then for auto-tagging they say to make sure:

utm_feeditemid={feeditemid}
utm_device={device}
utm_term={keyword}
utm_source=google
utm_medium=ppc
utm_campaign={_utmcampaign}
hsa_cam={campaignid}
hsa_grp={adgroupid}
hsa_mt={matchtype}
hsa_src={network}
hsa_ad={creative}
hsa_acc={ID of account/customer}
hsa_net=adwords
hsa_kw={keyword}
hsa_tgt={targetid}
hsa_ver=3

However it is not clear if the differnces listed are intentinal or not. i.e. if I do want to use auto tagging, what changs do I have to make to the template?

From what I can tell, utm_feeditemid and utm_device are added and the value for utm_source is changed. I doubt either of those changes were intentional in the docs.

[himanshurauthan · Accepted solution]

Hello @ARothberg 

Yes, Google Ads auto-tagging feature are a bit unclear. It appears that the only differences between the two sets of instructions are the addition of two new URL parameters (utm_feeditemid and utm_device) and the change of the value for utm_source from "adwords" to "google."

If you want to use auto-tagging, you should follow the second set of instructions and make the following changes to the URL parameters:

• Add utm_feeditemid={feeditemid} to the URL
• Add utm_device={device} to the URL
• Change utm_source=adwords to utm_source=google

All the other URL parameters should remain the same. These changes will allow Google Ads to automatically tag your ad URLs with additional information that can be used for tracking and reporting purposes.

It's possible that the differences in the two sets of instructions were unintentional, but without further information it's difficult to say for sure. If you continue to have questions or concerns about using auto-tagging, you may want to contact Google Ads support for further guidance.

Thanks & Regards
Himanshu Rauthan