Uliana Lesiv
AuthorKey takeaways
Google seems to be working on creating a unified API layer. This trend proves recent updates, such as the disabling of the Google Ads API for Customer Match and the planned deprecation of the Partner Audience API in 2027. Instead of numerous APIs, Google promotes using the Data Manager API.
To us, this strategy looks like Google is on the way to creating its own version of "Google Ads Conversion API," similar to solutions already offered by other platforms; for example, Meta (Meta CAPI). For years, Meta has pushed advertisers toward using first-party data as a "source of truth" to minimize the limitations of client-side tracking. Google's new approach with tag-based measurement (which we consider in detail below) shows a shift to server-to-server data integration.
In practice, this could mean fewer Google APIs and a stronger focus on first-party data.
Note:
Google has released a new feature within Google Ads that allows advertisers to improve their tag-based measurement (online conversion tracking) with data from additional sources. With its help, you can supply the data captured by your website tags with first-party data from external sources, such as CRMs, cloud databases (like BigQuery or MySQL), and other systems. The complete list of supported sources can be found in Google's documentation.
After you connect additional data sources to the conversion actions in Google Ads, the feature creates a more accurate measurement.
When you upload conversion data from the external source to Google, the system uses the transaction_id to match your external source's events with those already tracked by your website tag. If a match is found via the transaction_id, your data from the external source becomes the source of truth.
Hint: see the section on Data Manager errors and transaction_id requirements, which explains when transaction_id is mandatory and how mismatches or missing IDs are handled.
There are three scenarios of how the uploaded data you provide to Google can be processed:
Google's feature has the following applications and benefits:
In its documentation, Google provides three ways to configure the feature:
A quick note on the difference between Data Manager and Data Manager API, as it may be confusing on this point:
Data Manager is a no-code interface within Google Ads. It's created for marketers and analysts who want to connect data sources without writing custom scripts. It can be found in Tools → Data Manager.
The Data Manager may use the Data Manager API under the hood, but data can also come from other configured sources or integrations that are already connected in your Google Ads account (e.g, Zoho CRM, as shown in the screenshot below).
The Data Manager API is a unified ingestion engine created to automate the flow of data at scale. It replaces some of the more fragmented and complex workflows found in the older Google Ads API. Using the Data Manager API provides high control and automation over how data is sent to or managed in the Data Manager.
Although the Data Manager API is considered to be a solution for developers to perform complex tasks using code, with tools like Stape, it is accessible for any specialist without coding knowledge (we explain more below).
So, what method is worth choosing?
If you are a Stape user and already have or are going to start any paid plan on Stape, the Data Manager API is the best option. Here is why:
In addition, as we mentioned at the very beginning of the article, Google seems to be moving towards API centralization. So, it is just one more reason to switch to the Data Manager API and gear up for even more features it will eventually bring.
Sending online conversions through the Data Manager API automatically converts the conversion to a hybrid. Functionally, this means a few things for the advertisers:
If you don't use Stape, you can opt for Data Manager or editing your conversion action. In their documentation, the Google team explains how to configure the feature using these methods.
The pitfall: it may still not be available for you yet, as it is in Beta. We have noticed that there is no option to add a data source for a conversion in many accounts yet:
In Google's documentation, you may have noticed that to send event data as an additional data source via the Data Manager API, you need to be a whitelisted partner.
By using Stape’s solution, you don't need to submit a request form to Google. Stape is a whitelisted partner. You can use the Data Manager API immediately through our platform. Simply create a Stape account on any paid plan.
👉 We have a guide on how to track Google Ads conversions via the Data Manager API, please follow it for detailed configuration instructions.
In a nutshell, the configuration process includes the following steps:
Google's move toward centralizing its API layer points to a shift in how advertisers will collect and process data. Google is focused on promoting and adopting server-to-server, first-party data integration (in particular via Data Manager API).
The new tag-based measurement feature, even in its Beta stage, gives advantages for advertisers: attribution of high-value leads, recovery of lost conversions, and unification of multiple data sources under a single "source of truth." Adopting this feature early makes sense, especially for businesses that are going to scale their advertising.
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