Import Google Ads data
How to export a Google Ads Ad performance report and upload it to Ours Privacy Channel Performance. Includes required columns and troubleshooting.
Import Google Ads data
Export a report from Google Ads, then upload the CSV to Channels.
Before you start
- You need Google Ads access with at least read permissions on the campaigns you want to import.
- You must have a platform account created in Channels for Google Ads before uploading.
Step 1 — Export from Google Ads
-
Open Google Ads and click the Reports icon (chart symbol) in the left navigation. In the new Google Ads interface, this is in the left sidebar.
-
Under Predefined reports, select Basic → Ad performance. If you land on Recent Reports first, click Predefined reports in the left panel.
Important: Ad performance is the only predefined report that includes Campaign, Ad group, and Ad name together. Other report types will be missing required columns.
-
Set your date range using the date picker.
-
Click Segment → Day. This gives one row per ad per day, which Channels requires.
-
Click the download icon and select CSV.
Required columns
These column names must appear in your CSV export as written:
| Column | Notes |
|---|---|
Campaign | Campaign name |
Ad group | Ad group name |
Ad name | |
Ad final URL | Destination URL of the ad |
Day | Date of the row (YYYY-MM-DD) |
Cost | Spend for that day, in your account's currency |
Clicks | |
Impr. | Impressions. Note the trailing period — if it is missing (e.g., after editing the file in Excel), the upload will fail. |
Conversions |
Non-USD accounts: Google Ads exports Cost in your account's currency. If your account uses a currency other than USD, contact Ours support for help.
Step 2 — Upload in Channels
- Go to Attribution → Channels → Ad Sources tab.
- Under Manual Upload, select Google Ads.
- The upload wizard opens. It includes an optional walkthrough of the export steps. Follow it or click Skip guide to go straight to the upload step.
- Upload your CSV file (max 10 MB).
- Channels processes the file in the background. Reports regenerate when processing finishes, within a few minutes.
Troubleshooting
Upload fails with a "missing columns" error You may have used a custom report or a campaign-level export. Re-export using Predefined reports → Basic → Ad performance.
"Invalid date format" or data shows no day-level breakdown You did not apply the day segment. Re-export with Segment → Day selected before downloading.
Impr. column not recognised Google Ads exports impressions with a trailing period (Impr.). If you edited the CSV before uploading, check that the column header was not changed.
File is larger than 10 MB Split your date range into shorter periods and upload each file.
← Back to Add ad spend data | Next: Understand your metrics →
How is this guide?