The Google Ads Audience Sync integration lets you send audiences from Iterable directly to Google Ads Customer Match lists. With this integration, you can create Google Ads audiences by exporting lists from Iterable or syncing audiences from a journey with a Google Ads tile.
# In this article
# Prerequisites
Before using Google Ads Audience Sync, make sure you have an active Google Ads account with permission to manage audiences and that you meet the following requirements:
# Customer Match eligibility
Google Ads Audience Sync creates Customer Match audiences for targeting. To use this integration for Customer Match targeting, your Google Ads account must:
- Be at least 90 days old
- Have a good policy compliance history
- Have a good payment history
- Have at least $50,000 USD in lifetime ad spend
Learn more about Customer Match eligibility requirements in Google's support article Getting Started with Customer Match.
# Consent requirements (EEA, UK, Switzerland)
If you plan to target users in the EEA, UK, or Switzerland, Google requires that those users have provided valid consent for advertising and personalized targeting.
When connecting a Google Ads account in Iterable, you must acknowledge that:
- All users you sync to Google Ads have provided the required consent.
- You are responsible for collecting, storing, and honoring that consent.
- Iterable does not validate or store consent data. If a user’s consent status changes, you are responsible for removing them from any relevant Google Ads audiences.
# Connecting your Google Ads account
In Iterable, go to Integrations > Google Ads.
Click Connect Google Ads Account.
Acknowledge the advertising consent requirement (EEA, UK, Switzerland).
-
Authenticate with Google and grant access.
NOTE
The Google account used to authenticate must have direct Standard or Admin access to the Google Ads account you want to connect. Access granted via Manager Accounts (MCC) is not supported.
Select the Google Ads account(s) you want to connect.
You can connect multiple Google Ads accounts to a single Iterable project and manage them from the same screen. To disconnect or re-authenticate an account, return to Integrations > Google Ads and manage it from that page.
# Exporting a Google Ads audience from a list
You can create a Google Ads audience from a static or dynamic Iterable list. Suppression lists and internal lists are not supported.
When you export a list to Google Ads, Iterable sends each user's email value
for Customer Match processing. Google hashes customer data using SHA256 if it
is not already hashed. To learn more, see Google's support article
About the Customer Matching Process.
To do this:
- Go to Audience > Lists and open a static or dynamic list.
- Select Export > Google Ads Audience.
- Choose a connected Google Ads account.
- Name the new audience.
- Click Export.
After Iterable successfully syncs users to Google Ads, Google Ads may take up to 48 hours to process the update and reflect users in the audience. No additional action is required in Iterable during this time.
NOTE
This is a one-time sync that immediately exports the users currently on the list. The Customer Match audience will not update in Google Ads if the list changes after the export process is complete. To sync later list changes, export the list again.
# Syncing audiences from a journey
You can add or remove users from Google Ads audiences directly from a journey using a Google Ads tile. When users reach this tile in a journey, Iterable syncs them to the selected Google Ads audience(s).
After syncing, Google Ads may take up to 48 hours to reflect the update.
To learn how to configure and use this tile, see Google Ads Tiles.
# Frequently asked questions
# When will users appear in Google Ads?
Google Ads may take up to 48 hours to process updates and populate audiences after a successful sync.
# Why is my audience showing 0 users in Google Ads?
This can happen for several reasons, including:
- Google Ads is still processing the audience.
- The audience does not meet Google's minimum size requirements of 100 members.
- Users are missing an email address.
- The list changed after export. Google Ads audience exports are one-time syncs, so later list changes require a new export.
- If you're syncing from a journey, users are added or removed as they reach the Google Ads tile rather than all at once.
# How long do users remain in a Google Ads audience?
Iterable uses Google Ads’ default audience membership duration of 540 days when adding users to Customer Match audiences.
# Does Iterable validate or store user consent?
No. See Consent requirements (EEA, UK, Switzerland). Iterable does not validate or store consent data, so you are responsible for collecting, honoring, and acting on consent changes before syncing users.
# Learn more
For more information about some of the topics in this article, check out these resources:
Support docs