Overview
Connecting your Google Ads account to Vendably via OAuth authorisation allows you to create, manage, and sync advertising campaigns directly from the platform. The connection enables access to campaign creation tools, ad group and keyword management, Performance Max campaigns, Merchant Center linking, performance reporting, and search term mining. Once authorised, you can run Shopping and Performance Max campaigns that use your product feed to reach customers at scale.
Where to find the Google Ads connection
The Google Ads connection lives in your merchant dashboard under Channels, then Paid Media, then Google Ads. From this location, you can authorise a new connection, manage existing connections, and view the status of your linked account.
How the OAuth authorisation flow works
When you connect a Google Ads account to Vendably, you complete an OAuth authorisation flow. This process works as follows:
- You click the authorisation button in the Google Ads section of Channels.
- You are redirected to Google's login page.
- You sign in with the Google account that owns or has access to your Google Ads account.
- Google asks for permission to allow Vendably to access your Google Ads data and manage campaigns on your behalf.
- You grant permission, and you are redirected back to Vendably.
- The connection is established and tied to your user account, not directly to your merchant account.
The connection is personal to the user who completes the authorisation. After authorisation, you must link the connection to your merchant account and select which Google Ads account to use. This separation means that if the authorising user leaves your organisation, you can reassign the connection to another user without losing access to your Google Ads account.
What you can do with an active connection
Once your Google Ads account is connected, you gain access to the following capabilities:
Campaign creation and sync. You can create new campaigns in Vendably and sync them to your Google Ads account. Campaigns remain synchronised, so changes made in Vendably are reflected in Google Ads.
Ad group and keyword management. You can manage ad groups and keywords within your campaigns directly from Vendably, without logging into Google Ads separately.
Performance Max campaigns. You can create and run Performance Max campaigns, which use machine learning to optimise your ads across Google's network of properties including Search, Display, YouTube, and Gmail.
Merchant Center linking. Connecting Google Ads to Google Merchant Center is a required step for Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. The connection allows these campaign types to access and use your product feed, so Google can match your inventory to relevant search queries and customer intent.
Performance reporting. Once campaigns are synced and running, performance data flows back into the Google Ads dashboard within the reporting sync window. You can see impressions, clicks, conversions, and spend metrics to evaluate campaign health and return on ad spend.
Search term mining. You can analyse the search terms that triggered your ads, identify new keyword opportunities, and refine your targeting based on actual customer search behaviour.
User roles and permissions
Vendably supports four user roles for Google Ads management. Each role has specific permissions that determine what actions a user can take:
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Owner | Create and sync campaigns, delete campaigns, trigger audits, manage account settings |
| Admin | Create and sync campaigns, delete campaigns, trigger audits |
| Editor | Create and edit campaigns, trigger syncs, but cannot delete campaigns |
| Viewer | Read-only access to campaigns, performance data, and account status |
Assign roles based on your team's responsibilities. Owners and Admins can manage the full scope of campaign operations. Editors can make changes but cannot remove campaigns, which provides a safeguard against accidental deletion. Viewers can monitor performance without making changes.
Linking Google Merchant Center to Google Ads
Google Merchant Center linking is a mandatory requirement for Shopping and Performance Max campaigns. Your product feed lives in Merchant Center, and these campaign types need access to that feed to display your products in ads.
When you link Google Ads to Google Merchant Center through Vendably, you enable the following:
- Shopping campaigns can pull product data directly from your feed and create product ads.
- Performance Max campaigns can access your full product catalogue and use machine learning to select and display the most relevant products to each user.
- Your feed data remains the source of truth for product information, pricing, availability, and other attributes that appear in your ads.
Without this link, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns cannot function. Ensure that your Merchant Center account is set up, your product feed is active, and you have the necessary permissions to link the two accounts.
What success looks like
After you have completed the OAuth authorisation and linked your Google Ads account, monitor these indicators to confirm the connection is working correctly:
Active connection status. Your Google Ads account shows as connected in the Channels section, and no error messages appear.
At least one synced campaign. You have created and synced at least one campaign from Vendably to Google Ads. The campaign appears in your Google Ads account and shows a status of active or paused (not pending).
Performance data in the Google Ads dashboard. Within the reporting sync window (typically 24 to 48 hours after a campaign goes live), performance metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions begin to appear in the Google Ads dashboard. This confirms that data is flowing correctly between Google Ads and Vendably.
If any of these indicators is missing, check that your Merchant Center account is linked, your product feed is active, and your user role has the necessary permissions to create and sync campaigns.
Next steps
After connecting your Google Ads account, set up your first campaign. Start with a single campaign to test the sync process and confirm that performance data appears as expected. Once you are confident in the workflow, you can expand to multiple campaigns, add more keywords and ad groups, and optimise your targeting based on performance data.