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FeaturesAdvertising Conversion Export

Advertising Conversion Export

Export conversion data to ad platforms without third-party tracking pixels.

This feature is available on the Premium plan and above.

Overview

The Advertising Conversion Export feature lets you send conversion data from Ghost Metrics directly to your ad platforms. Instead of placing third-party tracking pixels on your site, Ghost Metrics matches ad click IDs to completed goals and generates export feeds that ad platforms can import.

This is especially valuable for healthcare organizations that need to measure advertising ROI while maintaining strict privacy controls. No third-party scripts are loaded on your site, and you control exactly what data leaves your analytics platform.

Supported platforms:

  • Google Ads — Automated or manual import via HTTPS feed or CSV upload
  • Microsoft Advertising — Offline conversion import via scheduled upload
  • Yandex Ads — Manual upload through Yandex Metrica

Navigate to Administration > Websites > Conversion Exports to access this feature.

How It Works

  1. Click ID capture — When a visitor arrives from an ad click, Ghost Metrics captures the click identifier (gclid for Google, msclkid for Microsoft, yclid for Yandex) from the URL.
  2. Goal matching — When that visitor completes a goal, Ghost Metrics associates the conversion with the original click ID.
  3. CSV export — Ghost Metrics generates a CSV file containing the matched conversion data (click ID, conversion name, timestamp, and optional revenue).
  4. Platform import — The ad platform imports the CSV and attributes the conversion back to the specific ad, campaign, and keyword that drove the click.

Because the data flows from your analytics platform to the ad network — rather than through a tracking pixel on your site — you maintain full control over what is shared. No third-party JavaScript runs on your pages.

Setting Up a Conversion Export

Step 1: Navigate to Conversion Exports

Go to Administration > Websites, then select your site and click Conversion Exports.

Step 2: Create a New Export

Click Create a new export and configure the following:

  • Platform — Select Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, or Yandex Ads.
  • Number of days to include — How many days of conversion data each export contains. Use 3 days if you plan to import daily, or 9 days for weekly imports. Overlapping date ranges help prevent missed conversions — ad platforms automatically deduplicate.
  • Segment (optional) — Restrict the export to a specific visitor segment.

Step 3: Map Your Goals

For each goal you want to export, assign a goal alias. This is the conversion action name that the ad platform will use.

Critical: The goal alias must exactly match the conversion action name configured in your ad platform. A mismatch means the platform cannot attribute the conversion.

Ghost Metrics GoalGoal Alias (must match ad platform)
Appointment Requestappointment_request
Contact Form Submitcontact_form_submit
Patient Portal Signuppatient_portal_signup

Step 4: Save and Copy the Export URL

After saving, Ghost Metrics generates a unique export URL with an access token. Copy this URL immediately — the access token is displayed only once. If you lose it, you will need to create a new export.

The export URL looks like:

https://example.ghostmetrics.cloud/index.php?module=API&method=AdvertisingConversionExport.getConversionExport&idSite=1&idConversionExport=1&token_auth=YOUR_TOKEN

Prerequisites

Before importing conversions, configure consent settings in Google Ads:

  1. In Google Ads, go to Admin > Consent settings
  2. Acknowledge that you comply with Google’s consent requirements
  3. This must be done before Google Ads will accept offline conversion data

This method lets Google Ads pull conversion data directly from your Ghost Metrics export URL on a schedule.

In Ghost Metrics:

  1. Create a conversion export as described above, selecting Google Ads as the platform
  2. Copy the export URL

In Google Ads:

  1. Go to Goals > Conversions > Summary
  2. Click New conversion action > Import
  3. Select Other data sources or CRMs > HTTPS
  4. Click Continue
  5. For each conversion you want to track:
    • Enter the conversion action name (must match the goal alias in Ghost Metrics exactly)
    • Configure the conversion value and count settings
  6. Click Continue to the data source configuration
  7. Paste your Ghost Metrics export URL, appending &requestType=https&conversion-export.csv to the end
  8. Set an import schedule (daily is recommended)
  9. Click Create and Continue, then Done

Google Ads will now automatically pull conversion data from Ghost Metrics on your chosen schedule.

Use this approach for one-time imports or if you prefer manual control.

In Ghost Metrics:

  1. Create a conversion export and copy the export URL
  2. Open the export URL in your browser to download the CSV file

In Google Ads:

  1. Go to Goals > Conversions > Uploads
  2. Click the Upload button (cloud icon with up arrow)
  3. Select Upload a file and choose the downloaded CSV
  4. Click Upload and preview
  5. Review the results and click Apply

Method 3: Automated Scheduled Import

Set up Google Ads to fetch the CSV from a URL on a schedule.

  1. Go to Goals > Conversions > Uploads
  2. Click Schedules in the left sidebar
  3. Click the + button to add a new schedule
  4. Select HTTPS as the source
  5. Paste your Ghost Metrics export URL
  6. Set the frequency (daily is recommended)
  7. Choose a time of day (after midnight gives the most complete data)
  8. Save the schedule

Microsoft Advertising Setup

Step 1: Create an Offline Conversion Goal

In Microsoft Advertising:

  1. Go to Conversion tracking > Conversion goals
  2. Click Create conversion goal
  3. Select Offline conversions as the goal type
  4. Enter the conversion goal name (must match the goal alias in Ghost Metrics exactly)
  5. Configure revenue settings and other options
  6. Save the goal

Step 2: Configure the Export in Ghost Metrics

  1. Create a conversion export, selecting Microsoft Advertising as the platform
  2. Map your goals with aliases that exactly match the conversion goal names in Microsoft Advertising
  3. Copy the export URL

Step 3: Schedule Automated Upload

In Microsoft Advertising:

  1. Go to Conversion tracking > Offline conversion uploads
  2. Click Schedule uploads
  3. Select URL as the upload method
  4. Paste your Ghost Metrics export URL
  5. Set the upload frequency (daily is recommended)
  6. Save the schedule

Microsoft Advertising will begin pulling conversion data from Ghost Metrics on the configured schedule.

Yandex Ads Setup

Yandex Ads requires a multi-step setup involving Yandex Metrica (their analytics platform) and manual file uploads.

Phase 1: Configure Yandex Metrica

  1. Create or verify your Yandex Metrica tag — Ensure the tag is installed on your website and collecting data
  2. Create goals in Yandex Metrica — Set up goals that match the conversions you want to track
  3. Enable offline conversion tracking — In your Yandex Metrica tag settings, enable the offline conversions feature

Phase 2: Configure the Export in Ghost Metrics

  1. Create a conversion export, selecting Yandex Ads as the platform
  2. Map your goals with aliases that match your Yandex Metrica goal names
  3. Copy the export URL
  4. Download the CSV file by opening the export URL in your browser

Phase 3: Upload to Yandex

  1. Open Yandex Metrica
  2. Go to Settings > Uploads > Offline conversions
  3. Click Upload data
  4. Select the CSV file downloaded from Ghost Metrics
  5. Map the columns to the required Yandex fields
  6. Complete the upload

Repeat this upload process each time you want to sync new conversion data. Yandex does not currently support automated URL-based imports, so this must be done manually.

Best Practices

Enable Exports Before You Need Them

Ghost Metrics only captures click IDs (gclid, msclkid, yclid) after the Advertising Conversion Export feature is active on your site. Click IDs from visits before the feature was enabled are not available retroactively. Set up your conversion exports early so click ID data is ready when you need it.

Use Overlapping Date Ranges

Configure your export to include more days than your import frequency. For example, if you import daily, set the export to include 3 days of data. If you import weekly, use 9 days. Ad platforms automatically deduplicate conversions, so overlap is safe and prevents gaps.

Match Names Exactly

The goal alias in Ghost Metrics must be identical to the conversion action name in your ad platform. Even small differences in capitalization, spacing, or punctuation will cause the import to fail silently — the conversions simply will not be attributed.

Store Export URLs Securely

Export URLs contain access tokens that grant read access to your conversion data. Treat them like passwords:

  • Store them in a secure credential manager
  • Do not share them over unencrypted channels
  • Regenerate them if you suspect they have been compromised

Ghost Metrics manages analytics consent, but advertising platforms may have their own consent requirements (such as Google Ads Consent Mode). Ensure your consent management covers both analytics tracking and ad platform data sharing as separate concerns.

Limitations

  • No retroactive exports — Click IDs are only captured after the feature is active. Conversions from before setup cannot be exported.
  • One-day data delay — Today’s conversions are excluded from exports. Data becomes available the following day to ensure completeness.
  • Yandex requires manual uploads — Unlike Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, Yandex does not support automated URL-based imports.
  • Marketing consent is separate — Ad platform consent requirements (e.g., Google Ads Consent Mode) are not managed by Ghost Metrics and must be handled independently.
  • Click ID anonymization — If a visitor’s click ID is anonymized due to consent settings, it cannot be matched to a conversion in the ad platform.

Troubleshooting

”Conversion with this timestamp and GCLID already exists”

This Google Ads message means the conversion was already imported in a previous upload. This is expected behavior when using overlapping date ranges — Google Ads deduplicates automatically. No action is needed.

”No conversion action with that name in the associated account”

The goal alias in Ghost Metrics does not match any conversion action in Google Ads. Check that:

  • The conversion action exists in Google Ads
  • The name matches exactly (case-sensitive, no extra spaces)
  • The conversion action is in the correct Google Ads account

Exported Click IDs Show as “Anonymized”

Click IDs were anonymized because the visitor did not provide marketing consent, or the feature was not yet active when the visitor arrived. To resolve:

  • Ensure the Advertising Conversion Export feature is enabled before the visits you want to track
  • Review your consent settings to confirm marketing click IDs are being captured for consenting visitors

Today’s Conversions Not Appearing in the Feed

This is expected. Ghost Metrics excludes the current day’s data from exports to ensure data completeness. Conversions will appear in the export feed the following day.

Next Steps

  • Goals — Set up the conversion goals that feed into your ad exports
  • Funnels — Analyze the paths visitors take before converting
  • Session Recordings — Watch how ad traffic interacts with your site
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