How to Import GA4 Events Into Google Ads (UK Guide 2026)

Importing GA4 events into Google Ads as conversions takes about 10 minutes if the foundations are right - and several painful weeks of bad data if they're not. The fast version: link GA4 to Google Ads, mark the events you care about as "key events" in GA4, then in Google Ads go to Goals → Conversions → New conversion action → Import → Google Analytics 4 properties, pick the events, and finish setup. The detail below is what stops you from double-counting, mis-attributing and feeding Smart Bidding garbage.

The short answer

Three steps cover 80% of setups: (1) Link GA4 ↔ Google Ads in both directions. (2) In GA4, open Admin → Data display → Events and toggle the events you want as "Mark as key event". (3) In Google Ads, Goals → Conversions → "+ New conversion action" → Import → "Google Analytics 4 properties" → tick the key events → Import. The remaining 20% - deduplication, attribution, enhanced conversions, values - is what separates "tracking installed" from "tracking that scales spend".

Why import GA4 events instead of using gtag conversions

Both work. Both can feed Smart Bidding. The reason most UK accounts pick GA4 import:

• One source of truth. Marketing, analytics and Google Ads all see the same conversion definitions. No more "GA4 says 412 leads, Google Ads says 287".
• Server-side measurement via Measurement Protocol or GTM Server-Side - friendlier to iOS/ITP and consent-mode realities.
• Richer event parameters (item categories, transaction IDs, user properties) carry through automatically.
• Easier QA - GA4 DebugView is much better than the gtag conversion ping debugger.

The trade-off: up to a 9-hour delay before events appear in Google Ads (gtag conversions appear within minutes). For Smart Bidding that's fine - it batches data daily anyway.

Prerequisites before you import

1. A working GA4 property firing the events you want (purchase, generate_lead, contact, custom).
2. Admin access on both the GA4 property and the Google Ads account (or MCC).
3. The same Google account recognised in both - or the right cross-account permission.
4. For ecommerce: GA4's recommended events (purchase with value and currency parameters) implemented correctly.
5. Consent Mode v2 configured if you serve UK/EEA traffic - otherwise modelled conversions won't flow through.

Step 1: Link GA4 to Google Ads

In GA4: Admin → Product links → Google Ads links → Link → choose the Ads account → enable "Personalised advertising" and "Auto-tagging" → Submit.

In Google Ads: Tools → Data manager → Linked products → Google Analytics 4 → confirm the link is active.

If you don't see the GA4 property as an option, the Google account you're signed in with doesn't have edit access on both sides. Fix permissions before continuing.

Step 2: Mark events as key events in GA4

"Conversions" in GA4 were renamed to "key events" in 2024. Only key events can be imported into Google Ads as conversion actions.

In GA4: Admin → Data display → Events. Find the event (e.g. generate_lead, purchase, form_submit). Toggle "Mark as key event" on.

Wait up to 24 hours for the key event to populate. If the event hasn't fired yet, create the toggle anyway via Admin → Key events → New key event by typing the event name exactly.

Step 3: Import key events into Google Ads

1. Google Ads → Goals → Conversions → Summary.
2. Click "+ New conversion action".
3. Choose "Import".
4. Select "Google Analytics 4 properties", then "Web" (or "App" if you have a Firebase-linked GA4).
5. Tick every key event you want imported.
6. Click "Import and continue".

Each imported event becomes its own Google Ads conversion action. They'll show "Recording conversions" status within a few hours once events fire.

Step 4: Configure each conversion action

Imported defaults are rarely right. Open each new conversion action and check:

Step 5: Stop double-counting against gtag

Roughly 30% of UK accounts Ben audits have both gtag conversions and imported GA4 events firing for the same action. Smart Bidding then thinks every sale is two sales and over-bids.

Fix it one of two ways:

1. Pick GA4 import as your source of truth. In Google Ads, set the gtag conversion to Secondary (or remove it). Keep the GA4 import as Primary.
2. Pick gtag as source of truth. Set the GA4 import as Secondary. Most ecommerce setups Ben sees do this for purchases - gtag fires faster - and use GA4 import for soft conversions.

What you must NOT do: leave both as Primary against the same action.

Attribution and lookback settings

GA4 imports inherit Google Ads' own attribution model, not GA4's. Choose data-driven attribution in Google Ads (it's the 2026 default) so Smart Bidding gets credit-weighted training data across keywords, ads and assets.

Lookback windows are independent: GA4's reporting window doesn't change Google Ads' bidding window. Set the Google Ads click-through window to match the longest realistic time-to-convert in your business - 30 days for ecommerce, 60-90 days for B2B / considered purchases.

Enhanced conversions for GA4 imports

Enhanced conversions hash and send first-party data (email, phone, address) to recover conversions lost to ITP, ad blockers or consent declines. They work with GA4 imports if you've configured GA4's user-provided data collection.

Setup: GA4 → Admin → Data collection and modification → Data streams → your stream → Configure user-provided data collection. Enable, then either let GA4 auto-detect form fields or send via the set command on gtag/GTM.

Done right, UK accounts typically recover 5-15% of previously unattributed conversions.

Conversion values, currency and GBP

For purchase events, GA4 imports the value and currency parameters automatically. Common UK mistakes:

• Sending value in pence (1499) instead of pounds (14.99) - inflates ROAS by 100x.
• Missing or wrong currency parameter - Google Ads converts assuming USD.
• Sending VAT-inclusive value when reporting wants ex-VAT (or vice versa) - pick one and stay consistent.

For lead events, set a static value per lead in the conversion action settings (e.g. £40 per qualified lead based on your historical close rate × average order value). This lets you eventually move from tCPA to tROAS / Maximise Conversion Value.

How to verify the import is working

1. GA4 DebugView: trigger the event yourself and confirm it fires with the right parameters.
2. GA4 Realtime → Events: confirms the event count is rising.
3. Google Ads → Goals → Conversions → Summary: status should show "Recording conversions" within 24 hours.
4. Google Ads → Tools → Conversions → Diagnostics: any red flags here block bidding.
5. Cross-check counts after 7 days: GA4 key event count should match Google Ads "All conversions" within ~10%. Bigger gaps mean attribution mismatch, not broken tracking.

Common mistakes UK advertisers make

• Forgetting Consent Mode v2. Without it, UK/EEA conversions from declined-consent users vanish - you lose 20-40% of measurable conversions.
• Marking too many events as Primary. Smart Bidding then optimises for the wrong mix. Be ruthless: the conversions you'd actually invoice for are Primary; everything else (newsletter signup, video play) is Secondary.
• Importing both purchase and begin_checkout as Primary. The funnel double-counts itself. Begin_checkout should be Secondary at most.
• Not relinking after creating a new GA4 property for a site migration. Tracking silently drops to zero on the day of go-live.
• Using "Same device" attribution. The default is now cross-device - leave it alone unless you have a specific reason.

When not to import from GA4

Stick with native gtag or server-side conversions if:

• You need conversions to feed Smart Bidding within minutes (high-frequency lead-gen, news, urgency offers).
• You have a server-side Conversions API setup that's already feeding Google Ads directly via Enhanced Conversions for Leads or offline imports.
• Your GA4 setup is genuinely broken and a rebuild is months away - don't import garbage.