Google Ads attribution for SaaS: from click to LTV
Stop optimising for clicks, start optimising for customers. Spectacle connects every Google Ads click to subscription and purchase revenue so you can see which keywords create high-LTV users and let Smart Bidding chase them automatically.
Why connect Google Ads to Spectacle?
Google Ads reports clicks, impressions and “conversions”, but not whether those leads ever become paying subscribers. Spectacle stitches every Gclid to Stripe (or any processor) revenue, revealing the true ROAS of each keyword, ad group and campaign—no spreadsheets, no manual uploads.
With the Spectacle and Google Ads conversion integration you can finally start optimising for LTV instead of clicks
Key Problems We Solve
Clicks Without Customers
You're spending six figures on Google Ads, yet the "conversions" aren't turning into paying users. Your cost-per-acquisition looks great in Google Ads, but your actual customer acquisition cost tells a different story.
Invisible Money-Makers
Google shows cost and clicks, but hides which keywords and ads drive revenue. That expensive "marketing automation software" keyword might generate fewer leads but higher-LTV customers than cheap generic terms.
Smart Bidding with a Blindfold
Google's algorithms keep optimizing for any form-fill they see, so your budget chases the wrong signals. Smart Bidding needs revenue data to find customers worth acquiring.
Data on Different Planets
Spend lives in Google Ads; revenue sits in Stripe, Salesforce, or your database. Profit calculations happen in spreadsheets (if at all), and insights arrive weeks too late.
Feedback That's Weeks Late
By the time LTV numbers surface in your dashboard, last month's $30,000 experiment is already sunk cost. You need real-time visibility into which campaigns drive valuable customers.
What You'll Unlock
True ROAS, Powered by Revenue
Measure return on ad spend down to the keyword level, based on actual subscription revenue rather than form fills. See which search terms drive customers who upgrade, renew, and expand.
Keyword-Level LTV Insights
Spot search terms that turn trials into long-term subscribers. Discover that "CRM for startups" drives higher LTV than "cheap CRM software"—even at 3× the cost-per-click.
Automatic Tracking Configuration
Spectacle adds the right parameters without touching your existing UTM scheme. All Gclids are captured and matched to revenue events automatically.
Smart Bidding Enhancement
Feed high-value conversion data back to Google Ads so Target CPA and Target ROAS algorithms hunt for customers with the highest expected lifetime value.
Audience Syncs
Build Customer Match and Enhanced Conversions lists straight from Spectacle—no CSV uploads, no manual list management.
How Spectacle + Google Ads Works
1. Connect in One Click
Authorize the Google Ads API in Spectacle's Settings. The OAuth connection takes 60 seconds and handles all required scopes automatically.
2. Import Campaign Data Automatically
Campaigns, ad groups, and keywords sync hourly. Ad spend data imports in real-time, keeping costs in perfect lock-step with your Google Ads account.
3. Match Clicks to Revenue Events
Every Gclid maps to purchases, upgrades, renewals, refunds, and disputes. Multi-currency revenue is normalized, and attribution works across your entire customer lifecycle.
4. Optimize for Growth
Spectacle pushes conversion and audience signals back to Google Ads so Smart Bidding hunts for customers with the highest expected LTV rather than just any conversion.
Ad Spend Import Process
Navigate to your workspace's settings page in Spectacle
Click "Connect" on the Google Ads integration
Authorize your Google Ads account via OAuth
Spectacle automatically imports spend data starting from your first tracked click
Hourly sync keeps spend data current with campaign changes
Audience Syncs: Maximize Google's AI
Customer Match Lists (List Sync)
Create automatically synchronized Customer Match lists that stay updated as your customer data changes.
Retargeting Campaigns
Re-engage trial users who haven't converted
Promote upgrades to existing customers
Win back churned subscribers with special offers
Exclusion Lists
Stop showing acquisition ads to existing customers
Prevent budget waste on already-converted users
Create cleaner funnel analytics
Similar Audiences
Let Google find new prospects similar to your highest-LTV segments
Scale successful campaigns by expanding to lookalike audiences
Improve lead quality by modeling your best customers
Custom Bidding
Bid higher for prospects similar to high-value customers
Adjust bids based on customer lifecycle stage
Optimize for specific customer segments or use cases
Setup Requirements:
Google Ads account eligible for Customer Match
Good account history and policy compliance
Minimum 1,000 matched users for targeting (smaller lists work for similar audiences)
Enhanced Conversions (Conversion Sync)
Send audience membership events as conversions using Google's Enhanced Conversions API to supercharge campaign optimization.
Better Attribution
Connect ad interactions to conversions even without third-party cookies
Track cross-device conversions more accurately
Measure the full customer journey from click to subscription
Improved Smart Bidding
Help Target CPA and Target ROAS optimize for your most valuable audiences
Feed revenue data back to Google's algorithms
Reduce cost-per-acquisition for high-LTV customer segments
Privacy-Safe Implementation
All personal data is anonymized before sending to Google
Complies with GDPR and CCPA privacy requirements
No raw customer data leaves your environment
Higher Match Rates
Combine click IDs with anonymized contact data for better matching
Typical match rates: 30-70% depending on data quality
Improved accuracy over conversion tracking pixels alone
Data Sharing Configuration
For Customer Match Lists:
Email
- Anonymized and hashed, primary identifier with highest match rates
Phone
- Anonymized and normalized, secondary identifier for improved matching
Address
- Anonymized first name, last name, country code, and postal code for geographic targeting
For Enhanced Conversions:
Click IDs
- Gclid, Wbraid, or Gbraid (automatically extracted from visitor sessions)
Email
- Anonymized email address for user matching
Phone
- Anonymized phone number as additional identifier
Conversion Values
- Revenue amounts for value-based bidding
Audience Sync Setup
Connect Google Ads
- Ensure your Google Ads account is connected in Settings
Accept Terms
- Accept Google's Customer Data Terms if prompted
Create Audience Sync:
Navigate to Audiences → Syncs
Click "New sync"
Select your Google Ads account
Choose sync type (Customer Match or Enhanced Conversions)
Configure data sharing preferences
Monitor Performance:
Check sync status and match rate in the Audience Syncs dashboard
Monitor conversion performance improvements in Google Ads
Track audience size and refresh frequency
Getting Started
Free Trial: 14 Days, Full Access
Complete Google Ads integration - Full access to all attribution features
No credit card required - Start tracking revenue immediately
All attribution models - Test different approaches to see what works
Full support included - Get help with setup and optimization
Ready to optimize Google Ads for customers instead of clicks? Start your 14-day free trial and see which keywords drive your most valuable subscribers. No setup required, no credit card needed.