In Google Ads, click the Admin icon, select Account settings and open the Auto-tagging section. Tick the box next to Tag the URL that people click through from my ad, then click Save.
What auto-tagging does
- It adds a parameter called GCLID, short for Google Click Identifier, to the URLs people click through from your ads.
- Auto-tagging is now on by default for new accounts, so check the setting before you change anything.
- When you create a new key event action, Google turns auto-tagging on automatically, unless you use cross-account conversion tracking.
Auto-tagging and Google Analytics 4
In Google Analytics 4, auto-tagging takes priority over manual UTM tagging, because there is no override option. If you rely on UTM parameters for reporting, expect GA4 to attribute Google Ads clicks through the GCLID instead.
In practice
App marketers should know that Google says App campaigns don’t respect auto-tagging. Install and in-app event tracking for App campaigns comes from Firebase, Google Analytics for apps or your mobile measurement partner, not from the GCLID. Keep auto-tagging on for web campaigns that drive sign-ups or web-to-app journeys, and check conversions in your measurement partner for App campaigns.
See how we set up Google tracking for apps on our Google Ads agency page.
Sources checked 4 October 2026
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