Uliana Lesiv
AuthorData Manager API is a unified API for tracking conversions. Customer actions are first sent to the sGTM container, where data is processed, secured, and attributed. Stape ensures the sGTM container then sends the conversion data directly to Google's servers via an API connection. Such a flow allows for minimizing the impact of browser limitations like ad blockers and cookie restrictions, which leads to more reliable, accurate conversion reporting.
Google Data Manager API is a unified API created to help advertisers connect and manage their first-party data (e.g., data from CRM, behavioral data from the website/app) across Google advertising products. Using the Google Data Manager API, the data can be sent to the required destination (like Google Ads) with a single API call.
From October 2025, the Google Data Manager API became available for all users.
If you have a flow where the user firstly interacts with the ad online and then buys the goods or services offline, sending data on conversions back to the advertising platform is essential for ad campaign performance estimation.
With the Data Manager API, you can automatically send offline/enhanced conversion data (e.g., sales that happened in a physical store or over the phone) from your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or Point of Sale (POS) System and match the data against the Google ad click a user eventually has made.
Enhanced Conversions for Leads is an upgraded method of Offline Conversion Tracking for lead generation businesses. Below, we highlight the difference between both:
| Offline Conversion Tracking | Enhanced Conversions for Leads | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Supply Google Ads with data on users' offline behavior after interaction with the ad online. | Supply Google Ads with data on users' offline behavior after interaction with the ad online. |
| User identifier(s) | Google Click ID (GCLID) - a unique ID of each ad click. | In addition to GCLID, it uses hashed first-party customer data (such as email address or phone number). |
| How it matches offline conversions with online interactions | Matches the GCLID the platform received from CRM/POS with the GCLID of the original ad click. | Uses the hashed customer data to match the conversion to a logged-in Google user or the data from CRM/POS. |
| Matching accuracy | Less reliable due to browser restrictions and cookie expiration. | More accurate as it uses first-party data, helping to track conversions even when GCLIDs are lost or users switch devices. |
💡Google Conversion Events by Stape tag - using the tag, you can configure offline conversion tracking by adding GCLID and/or specifying the first-party customer data (email, phone, address, mobile device ID, third-party user ID).
In this article below, we'll show how to implement the solution.
The Customer Match list in Google Ads is an audience targeting feature that allows advertisers to segment users and target the audience with high conversion intent or exclude a specific segment from advertising.
There are two ways to create and fill Customer Match lists - manual and automatic. The manual method is downloading the first-party data from your CRM in CSV format and uploading it to Google Ads. That's an inconvenient way, as you will need to update the data frequently. With the Data Manager API, you can configure automatic Customer Match lists creation and updating.
💡Google Customer Match tag by Stape or Stape Conversion Tracking CRM/CMS apps - both solutions can transfer data from your CRM and send data to Google Ads, creating Customer Match lists and updating the data in them without any manual actions.
Below in this article, we'll consider the methods in detail.
The Google Data Manager API allows you to send both online and offline conversion events directly to Google Ads. This API is part of a broader shift toward server-side data tracking. It is often used along with the server Google Tag Manager (GTM). It allows advertisers to gain more control over data, bypass browser restrictions, and improve data quality.
💡Google Conversion Events by Stape - it allows you to send server-side online conversions to Google Ads via the Data Manager API.
Regardless of the solution you choose to send data to Google Ads, you will need the following to get started:
Regardless of the tag you are going to configure (Customer Match or the Conversion tag), you need to set up one of the authentication methods:
Click on the authentication below that fits you the best and follow the instructions:
Sign in to the Data Manager API Connection via the Stape admin.
To sign in, log in to your Stape account → open the required container → Connections tab → next to Data Manager API, click Sign in. Use a Google account that has access to the Google Ads account for which you want to configure data sending.
For EU users, please review the Stape DPA, as activating the connection may result in data being transferred outside the EU through Stape Inc.
Using Service Account impersonation is the easiest way to authenticate when using the Own Google Credentials method.
To configure it, follow the instructions below:
1. Go to the API Console in Google Cloud Platform. Select a project → on the left side menu, click Library → search for Data Manager API → click Enable.
2. Create a Service Account in this GCP Project.
Go to Create Service Account → add a service account name (the service account ID is generated based on this name) → (optional) add permissions and/or principals with access → click Done.
3. Add the Service Account Token Creator IAM role (roles/iam.serviceAccountTokenCreator) to the Service Account.
In the Service Accounts section, click on the three dots next to the service account you've created in the previous step → select Manage Permissions → Manage Access → Add role → select Service Account Token Creator and click Save.
4. Generate a JSON Key from this Service Account (how-to) and download it.
In the Service Accounts section, click on the three dots next to the service account you've created in step 2 → select Manage Keys → Add key → Create new key → select JSON and click Create. The key should be automatically downloaded on your computer.
5. Connect the Service Account to the container using the JSON Key file:
6. Grant the Service Account access to the product you're interacting with (Google Ads, DV360, etc.). Please refer to the documentation on the product you connect to.
Click on the solution that meets your tracking needs, find out more about it, and follow the configuration instructions 👇
1. Add the Google Conversion Events by Stape tag to your workspace in the server GTM container.
Open server GTM container → Templates → next to Tag Templates click Search gallery → find Google Conversion Events by Stape → click Add to workspace.
2. Create a new tag.
Go to Tags section → click New → select Google Conversion Events by Stape as a tag type.
3. Configure the tag.
3.1 Product - the default product is Google Ads.
3.2 Operating Customer ID - this is the ID of the Google Ads account that will receive the conversions. Set this to the customer account ID. To find it, log in to your Google Ads account, click on your profile picture in the top right corner, and copy the displayed ID. Ensure you use the same account that was used to sign in to the Data Manager API Connection.
Before using the ID as the Operating Customer ID, remove any hyphens.
3.3 Customer ID - this is the ID of the account you're using for authorization. Depending on your account type, use one of the following:
Ensure you're using the same account that was used to sign in to the Data Manager API Connection.
Before using the Customer ID, remove any hyphens.
3.4 Conversion Event ID - the ID used to track conversions (online or offline). Firstly, you need to create a conversion event. Once it's created, you can find it by going to Goals → Conversions → Summary → Access the desired Conversion Event. After you click on the Conversion Event, the ID is on the ctId URL query parameter in your browser.
3.5 Validate Only - when set to true, the request will go through validation but won't be executed. Only error messages will be returned, not the actual results.
3.6 Use Optimistic Scenario – when enabled, the tag triggers gtmOnSuccess() immediately without waiting for an API response. This improves sGTM response time but causes the tag to always report as successfully fired, even if it ultimately fails.
3.7 Request-level consent - specify consent status for Ad User Data and Ad Personalization. User-level consent takes precedence over request-level consent and can be assigned to each conversion event when sending data to Multiple Conversion Events in the Conversion Events section.
3.8 Conversion events section.
This setting is required when uploading UserData (such as User Email Address, User Phone Number, or User Given/Family Name), so if you opt for Enhanced Conversions for Leads and need to identify users by other identifiers than click_id (GCLID), you will need to configure this field. For other data types (like User Address Region or User Address Postal Code), this setting is ignored.
Default: HEX - use this when submitting non-hashed values for UserData fields (User Email Address, User Phone Number, or User Given/Family Name) or when using default values from GA4 Event Data.
If this field is not configured, it is assumed that the uploaded identifying information is hashed but not encrypted. For other data types (such as User Address Region or User Address Postal Code), this setting is ignored.
3.9 User Data Identifiers - define up to 10 user data identifiers. Note: you must provide at least one of the following: User Email Address(es), User Phone Number(s), or User Address.
4. Add a trigger for the tag.
Set the rules when the tag should fire.
5. Test the tag.
Click Preview in both the web and server GTM containers and test the configuration. For more details on the debugging process, please refer to our guide to debugging and monitoring server-side tracking configuration.
With the Google Data Manager API, you transfer first-party data from CRM/POS systems or server-side online events directly into Google Ads. Whether you are tracking offline conversions/Enhanced Conversions for Leads, or managing Customer Match lists automatically, the Data Manager API provides an efficient and scalable solution.
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