Buzz
Are you using Google Ads to promote your iOS app? If so, tracking the number of installs driven by your ads is an effective way to gauge the success of your campaign. While Google Ads doesn’t track this data directly for iOS apps, you can access this information by integrating Firebase into your app and linking it to your Google Ads account. Today, Mytour will guide you through the process of tracking iOS app installations on Google Ads by combining Firebase's event tracking technology with Google Ads' conversion tracking feature.
Steps
Register your app on Firebase. If you haven't added Firebase to your app during development, it’s not too late to start now. Begin by visiting the Firebase homepage (https://firebase.google.com/) in your web browser, then click on 'Create a Project'. After filling out the required information, add your iOS app to the new project by clicking the 'iOS' circle icon under the project name. Complete the necessary fields to finalize your app's registration with Firebase.
- Be sure to set up Firebase using the same account linked to your Google Ads account.
Integrate Firebase into your app. In order for Firebase to track installation data, you need to integrate Firebase into your app’s code.
- To add Firebase’s configuration file, first locate and download the file by clicking on 'Download GoogleService-Info.plist'.
- Next, integrate Google Analytics into your app using the Firebase SDK.
Add Install as an Event on Firebase. Once the first two steps are completed, Firebase will automatically begin tracking certain app events. These include the first open and in-app purchases. However, installs are not tracked by default. You can add an install event by sharing the Event Log Setup link from Firebase with your developer. This link is usually found beneath the event description.
Mark New Events as Conversions. On your Firebase project page, click on 'Analytics' and then select 'Events'. For the install event, toggle the 'Mark as Conversion' switch. Once the event is labeled as a conversion, Google Ads will start tracking it as it relates to your campaign.
Link your Google Ads Account to Firebase Project. From the Firebase project you created for your app, navigate to the Project Settings page via the gear icon. Select the 'Integrations' tab, scroll down to the Google Play square, and click 'Link'. A popup will appear confirming the account linkage, and you can click 'Link to Google Play'.
Go to the iOS App Conversion Page in Google Ads. Log in to your Google Ads account and click on the tool icon located in the upper-right corner. From the dropdown menu, select 'Conversions' under the 'Measurement' section.
Import the Install Event from Firebase. At this stage, the table will display all the conversions you've been tracking.
- Click the plus sign at the top-left of the table. You’ll be prompted to select the type of conversion to add to the tracking table. Click on 'App', then select 'Google Analytics 4 properties (Firebase)' from the dropdown menu. Google Ads will prompt you to select the Firebase conversions you wish to import. Choose the install event and click 'Import and Continue'.
