How to Connect Google Ads With HubSpot (UK Guide 2026)

The native HubSpot ↔ Google Ads integration takes about 15 minutes to install correctly - and it's the single highest-leverage tracking job most UK B2B and considered-purchase accounts can do. Done right, every closed deal in HubSpot fires back into Google Ads as an offline conversion, Smart Bidding optimises towards revenue rather than form fills, and you finally see which keywords actually produce paying customers. Below, Ben walks through the entire setup using HubSpot's official Google Ads integration.

The short answer

Five steps cover it: (1) Install the Google Ads integration from the HubSpot App Marketplace. (2) Link your Google Ads account with admin permissions on both sides. (3) Enable ad tracking and auto-tagging so HubSpot can capture gclid on every form submission. (4) Configure offline conversion sync so HubSpot deals push back into Google Ads. (5) Optionally sync HubSpot static lists as Customer Match audiences. Then re-point Smart Bidding to optimise on the offline conversion - that's where the ROAS lift comes from.

Why connect Google Ads to HubSpot

Three reasons that earn back the setup time:

• Closed-loop attribution. See which Google Ads campaign, ad group, keyword and ad created each closed deal - not just each form fill.
• Smart Bidding on revenue, not noise. Optimise to "Closed Won" or "MQL → SQL" instead of "Form Submit", which cuts spam, low-quality and tyre-kicker bids out of the bidding signal.
• Audience sync. Push HubSpot lists (existing customers, churned customers, MQLs missing follow-up) into Google Ads as Customer Match audiences for retargeting or exclusion.

Prerequisites before connecting

1. A HubSpot Marketing Hub account (Starter, Professional or Enterprise - integration is included on all tiers).
2. A Google Ads account with conversion tracking already firing (gtag, GTM or GA4 import).
3. Super Admin on HubSpot and Standard or Admin access on the Google Ads account.
4. The HubSpot tracking code installed on every page that runs a Google Ads landing page.
5. Google Ads auto-tagging enabled (Account Settings → Auto-tagging).

Step 1: Install the Google Ads integration

1. In HubSpot, go to Settings (cog icon) → Integrations → App Marketplace.
2. Search "Google Ads", or open the listing directly at ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/apps/marketing/marketing/google-ads-2003194.
3. Click "Install app".
4. Sign in with the Google account that has admin access on the Ads account.
5. Approve the requested permissions.

Step 2: Link your Google Ads account

Once installed, HubSpot prompts you to choose which Google Ads accounts to connect. If you manage multiple accounts via an MCC, link the individual accounts you want syncing - not the MCC itself.

Confirm the link in HubSpot → Settings → Marketing → Ads → Accounts. The Google Ads account should show "Connected" with a green tick.

HubSpot's full setup guide lives at knowledge.hubspot.com/ads/connect-google-ads-to-hubspot if you hit account-permission errors.

Step 3: Enable ad tracking and auto-tagging

Ad tracking is what lets HubSpot stamp the gclid (Google Click Identifier) onto every contact who arrives via a Google Ads click. Without it, offline conversion sync can't work.

1. In HubSpot: Settings → Marketing → Ads → Tracking.
2. Toggle "Auto-tracking" on.
3. In Google Ads: Tools → Account settings → Auto-tagging → On. (See Google's auto-tagging docs.)
4. Verify by clicking one of your own Google Ads, submitting a test form, then checking the contact record in HubSpot - you should see properties hs_google_click_id and hs_analytics_source = "Paid Search".

Step 4: Import offline conversions (the big win)

This is where ROAS lifts come from. HubSpot pushes deal-stage progress back into Google Ads as offline conversions, so Smart Bidding optimises towards revenue rather than top-of-funnel form fills.

1. In HubSpot: Settings → Marketing → Ads → Events.
2. Click "Create event" → choose Google Ads.
3. Pick the HubSpot lifecycle stage or deal stage that should fire as a conversion - typically Marketing Qualified Lead, Sales Qualified Lead and Closed Won.
4. Map a conversion value - either a static £ amount per stage (e.g. £200 per MQL, £2,000 per Closed Won) or pull from the deal's "Amount" property for ecommerce-style accuracy.
5. Save. HubSpot starts pushing matching contacts to Google Ads as offline conversion uploads within ~24 hours.

For full control, Google's underlying mechanism is offline conversion imports via gclid - HubSpot just automates the upload. Verify in Google Ads under Goals → Conversions - new actions named "HubSpot - [stage]" should appear with "Recording conversions" status.

Step 5: Choose which lifecycle stages sync

Common UK B2B mapping Ben uses:

Be ruthless about Primary vs Secondary. Smart Bidding only optimises towards Primary actions - the more you mark Primary, the noisier the bidding signal. SQL + Closed Won is the sweet spot for most UK B2B accounts.

Attribution and reporting setup

HubSpot's own Attribution Reports (Reports → Reports → Create → Attribution) now includes paid search interactions automatically once tracking is connected. Set the model to Linear or W-shaped for B2B with multi-touch journeys.

In Google Ads itself, switch the HubSpot - Closed Won conversion action to data-driven attribution (default in 2026) so Smart Bidding gets credit-weighted training data across keywords, ads and assets.

Sync HubSpot lists as Google Ads audiences

Ben's favourite extra: push HubSpot static lists into Google Ads as Customer Match audiences for retargeting or exclusion.

1. In HubSpot: Settings → Marketing → Ads → Audiences.
2. Click "Create audience", choose Google Ads.
3. Pick a HubSpot list (e.g. "All Customers - last 24 months" for exclusion, "MQLs - 30 days no contact" for retargeting).
4. Choose audience type: Customer Match for email-based, Website Visitors for behavioural.
5. Save. List members appear in Google Ads under Tools → Audience manager → Segments within 24-48 hours.

Google's Customer Match has a minimum list size of 1,000 active members before it can serve - smaller lists will sync but won't activate.

UK and GDPR considerations

Three things UK advertisers must do:

• Lawful basis on the form. HubSpot forms must capture explicit marketing consent (or legitimate interest with clear notice) before any data flows to Google Ads.
• Consent Mode v2 enabled. Without it, conversions from declined-consent UK and EEA users vanish entirely. See Google's Consent Mode v2 guide.
• Data Processing Terms accepted in Google Ads (Tools → Settings → Account settings → Data processing terms) - required for UK / EEA traffic.

Customer Match audiences from HubSpot lists must be sourced from contacts who consented to advertising-purpose data sharing. If your forms only collect "marketing email" consent, you can't legally upload them to Customer Match without a separate consent capture.

Troubleshooting common issues

• "No gclid captured on contact records" - auto-tagging is off in Google Ads, or HubSpot tracking code isn't installed on the landing page.
• "HubSpot conversions not appearing in Google Ads" - check the deal stage actually fired (HubSpot → Settings → Marketing → Ads → Events → check Sync history). Up to 24-hour lag is normal.
• "Conversions firing but Smart Bidding not optimising" - new HubSpot conversion actions default to Secondary. Mark them Primary in Goals → Conversions.
• "Customer Match audience size is zero" - emails in HubSpot lists must match emails on Google accounts; expect 30-60% match rate, plus minimum 1,000 active threshold.
• "Account disconnected after a few weeks" - the user who connected the integration left or had their Google permissions revoked. Reconnect with a service account.