SFTP

Learn how to enable SFTP for supported destinations.

Requirements

You must be an administrator of the Google Ads account you want to connect to during the initial setup.
You must have the SFTP credentials (username and password) as well as the correct file path for the file you want to import.

Set up SFTP as a data source

Apply a use case now

The following sections walk you through a single procedure to link a data source to a use case. Click on your use case to expand the steps. To link the data source only, and apply a use case later, see Apply a use case later.

Customer Match

Through the "Audience manager" page

From Google Ads, click Tools > Shared library > Audience manager > + (Create) > Customer list.
Under Data source, select Connect a file, then click Continue.
Enter your SFTP credentials.
Click Test connection, to make sure the connection is configured correctly, then click Next.
Enter the path to the file you want to upload, relative to the host address, then click Next. Note that port 21 is used by default. To specify a different port, append a colon and the port number to the path--for example, sftp://example.com/path/file.csv:2222.
To map fields, select the data source fields from the dropdown lists that match the Google fields.
Optional: To apply transformations, click Transform
Click Next.
Enter a name for this connection.
Optional: Edit connection details.
Click Finish.
Enter a name for the segment, confirm policy compliance and membership duration, then click Create.
Click Done.

Learn more about Customer Match and audience segments.

Offline conversion import and enhanced conversions for leads

Through the "Conversions" page

Tip: Upgrade from offline conversion import to enhanced conversions for leads for more accurate reporting, easier data import, and engaged-view and cross-device conversion attribution.

To set up enhanced conversions for leads, you can either use an existing offline conversion import conversion action or create a new conversion action (recommended if you are switching to a new upload method like Data Manager).

Note: Conversions uploaded using the legacy Uploads page are not accessible from Data Manager. To make these conversions available, you must import them following these steps.

From Google Ads, click Goals > Summary > + Create conversion action.
Click Import.
Select CRMs, files, or other data sources.
Select a tracking method, then click Continue.
Under Data source, select Connect a file.
Select the Customer data box, to acknowledge that the data was collected and is being shared in compliance with Google's policies, then click Continue.
Select a conversion goal from the list, then click Set up.
Click Save and continue.
Enter your SFTP credentials.
- Host
- Username
- Password
Click Next to make sure the connection is configured correctly.
Enter the path to the file you want to upload, relative to the host address, then click Continue. Note that port 21 is used by default. To specify a different port, append a colon and the port number to the path--for example, sftp://example.com/path/file.csv:2222.
Optional: You can add filters to select the records you want to import. This is important especially if you have multiple different conversion goals in the file you will be importing. Learn more about using filters.
- Select the field you want to use as a filter In this case it will be the conversion goal field.
- Add the condition and the specific conversion action you want to use.
To map fields, select the data source fields from the drop-down lists that match the Google fields, then click Continue.
Enter a name for this connection.
Optional: Edit connection details.
Click Save and continue.

If you’re using offline conversion imports, we highly recommend upgrading to enhanced conversions for leads using the Google Ads Data Manager. Offline conversion import is a legacy feature, and it doesn’t have the durability features that enhanced conversions for leads offers.

Implementation varies depending on what you're measuring and your capabilities. Follow our guide to upgrading offline conversion imports to determine the method that best fits your needs.

Apply a use case later

In this type of setup, you complete each part of the connection at different times. This can be useful when you are ready to link a data source, but you are not ready to set up your use case–for example, you aren’t ready to create a customer list.

Consider the following scenario:

Step 1: Dana is an engineer who manages data for your company. Dana sets up the data source to be used for activation in Google Ads. The data source is ready to be associated with a use case.
Step 2: Mahan is a media specialist who needs to measure audience activation. Mahan creates a customer list and then associates it to the data source that Dana has previously set up, to use that data for Customer Match.

Step 1. Initiate the connection to the data source

Note: It’s recommended that you add an audience segment or conversion action to a connection that you created. You can either set up an audience segment or conversion action before you link a data source or you can create an audience segment or conversion action in the final step of setting up a data source.

Open Tools > Data manager. Select the connection you just made from “Connected products” and under “Usage”, click + Add audience segment or + Add conversion action.

Set up a data source and create a connection to be associated with a use case later.

In Google Ads, click Tools > Data manager > + Connect Product.
Under Data source, search and select a data source from the list of products.
If prompted, select Direct connection.
Select your use case, read and accept the customer data policy, then click Continue. If you select Audiences, you are prompted to select the data type at this step.
Enter your data source location and credentials*, then click Next.
To map fields, select the data source fields from the dropdown lists that match the destination fields.
Optional: Apply transformations to your data.
Click Next.
Enter a name for this connection.
Optional: Edit connection details.
Click Finish.

Note: If you already completed the instructions for initiating the data source connection, including the optional step, you can skip the remaining instructions for completing the connection.

* Use the same credentials and location details for this data source as described in the first part of this article.

Step 2. Complete the connection by applying a use case

Open the destination you intend to use–for example, begin to create a new customer list or conversion action using the steps from the previous sections. Return to these steps before completing the data source step.
Under Data source, select Select an existing source.
Select the data source that was initiated in Step 1 from the list of data sources.
Continue to follow the remaining steps for your use case in the first part of this article. Note that you will skip further data source-related steps, such as entering credentials, because you completed these previously.

Troubleshoot errors

Ensure that your conversion goal has successfully connected to the chosen connection. Otherwise, no data will come in.

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