Create Associate manager accounts for Commerce media network (CMN) brands

In this article, you’ll learn how to create and set up an Associate manager (AM) account for a brand in Search Ads 360.

On this page

• Create an Associate manager account
  • Link Campaign Manager 360 account to Search Ads 360 account
  • Create a Google Ads account for a brand
  • Create Associate manager account in Search Ads 360
  • Link your Google Merchant Center account to Search Ads 360 sub-manager account
  • Link your Google Merchant Center account to the created Google Ads account
  • Link Google Business Profile to the created Google Ads account (optional)
  • Enable Audience sharing in Google Ads
  • Link the created Google Ads account to Search Ads 360 Associate manager

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Create an Associate manager account

You’ll need to follow the below steps to create an Associate manager account:

Link your Campaign Manager 360 account to Search Ads 360

Follow the below steps if you have a separate sub-manager account for Commerce media:

• Create a Campaign Manager 360 account
• Create a Search Ads 360 sub-manager account and link it to the Campaign Manager 360 account

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Create a Google Ads account for a brand

Requirement:

• You’ll need admin access to the Google Ads Manager account (MCC).

You can create Google Ads account for a brand by following the below steps:

1. Select the Accounts icon in your Google Ads manager account.
2. Select the Sub-account settings dropdown in the section menu.
3. Select the plus button .
4. Follow the steps through the account creation process.

Set up billing for the created Google Ads account

Follow the below steps to set up billing for the created Google Ads account:

1. Go to Payments profile within the Billing menu in your Google Ads manager account.
2. Select the plus button .
3. Enter the 12-digit payments profile ID you wish to link to and select Send Request.
   • Note: If you're an Admin of the MCC account with link-management permission for the profile you requested for linking, the link will automatically be approved.

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Create an Associate manager account for the brand in Search Ads 360

Requirement:

• You’ll need admin access to the Search Ads 360 sub-manager account.

1. Sign in to your Search Ads 360 account.
2. Navigate to a sub-manager account.
3. On the left page menu, select the Settings dropdown.
4. In the sub-menu, select Sub-account settings.
5. Select the plus button .
6. Hover over the “Search Ads 360 associate manager account” option.
7. Select Create account.
8. In the “Create an associate manager account” page, enter the brand’s name in the “Name” section.
   • Note: Ensure that the name of the Associate manager account is mapped to the correct brand.
9. Select between the “Managed” and “Self-service” service types.
10. Optional: Enter the email address of the user you want to invite and choose the level of access you want to grant them in the “Invite user” section. Select Add another to invite more than one user.
11. Select Create account.

Learn more about Bulk onboarding of brands for Commerce media network (CMN) retailers.

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Link your Google Merchant Center account to Search Ads 360 sub-manager account

Follow the below steps to link your Google Merchant Center account to your Search Ads 360 account at the sub-manager level:

1. Sign in to your Search Ads 360 account.
2.  Navigate to a sub-manager account.
3. Go to Setup under “Tools & settings” in the page menu.
4. Select Linked accounts.
5. Click Details on the Google Merchant Center bar to select it.
6. Select Link Google Merchant Center.
7. Select the plus button .

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Link your Google Merchant Center account to the created Google Ads account

Your Google Merchant Center account should also be linked to the created Google Ads account. Follow these steps to link them:

1. Go to Data manager within the Tools menu of the Google Ads account.
2. Select Google Merchant Center under “Featured products”.
3. If you select Link Business Manager to Google Ads, you are linking your Google Ads to all apps managed within your Business Manager. For example, Google Merchant Center, and or Google Business Profile. Learn more about Business Manager.
   • Find the Business Manager account to link and select it.
4. If you select Link Google Merchant Center to Google Ads, you’re only linking these 2 apps together.
   • Find the Merchant Center account to link. Choose the account and select it.

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Link Google Business Profile to the created Google Ads account (optional)

You’ll need to link your Google Business profile to the created Google Ads account if you want to optimize or report on store visits. Follow the below steps to link them:

1. Go to Data manager within the Tools menu of the Google Ads account.
2. Select Google Business Profile under the “Featured products” section.
3. Select Manage & link.
4. You will find all the linked Business Profiles, pending invitations.
   • If the locations are being used in active location assets, a View Location Assets button will appear in the action column, next to Manage.

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Enable Audience sharing in Google Ads

Continuous audience segment sharing

To set up continuous audience sharing in your manager account, follow these steps:

1. Go to Manager account settings within the Admin menu of your manager account.
2. You’ll find a selection menu for “Continuous audience sharing”. Select the down arrow .
3. Check the box beside “Add this manager as an audience manager for all sub accounts”. This ensures that all segments shared with or owned by your manager account will be shared with its sub accounts.
4. Select Save.
5. Optional: Check the box beside “Access and share all audiences from specific sub accounts” to select which specific sub accounts will share lists with your manager account and its linked sub accounts.
   • Note: Make sure your manager account is linked to your Google Analytics 4 account, since audiences in Google Analytics 4 don’t have the manager account listed as the owner by default. You can only pull up audiences from client accounts for which the manager account is an owner.
     1. Select the pencil icon to open the account menu.
     2. Check the box beside all specific sub accounts that should share lists with your manager account.
     3. Select Done.
     4. Select Save.

Share conversions and audiences with the created Google Ad account

1. Select the Accounts icon in your Google Ads manager account.
2. Select the Sub-account settings dropdown in the section menu. You'll find a full list of your managed accounts.
3. In the Google Ads conversion account column, you'll notice where an account is tracking conversions.
   1. To change the conversion tracking account, select the Conversion account cell for each account that you'd like to edit.
   2. Select This manager. Your managed accounts will now use your conversion actions.
   • Note: If the audience sharing is enabled in the above step, then the audience sharing option in this step will be greyed out.

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Link the created Google Ads account to Search Ads 360 Associate manager

1. Sign in to your Search Ads 360 account.
2. Navigate to the Associate manager account.
3. Go to Sub-account settings within the Settings menu of the page menu.
4. Select the plus button .
5. Select Google Ads.
6. Enter the customer ID for the created Google Ads account and select Link.