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Distribute First-Party Data to Google

First-party data can be distributed to Google through three destination options, depending on which properties you want to use the data on and on your Google account type. See the table and sections below for more information on distributing to Google through these destination options and the integrations available within each option.

Before you activate the appropriate Google first-party destination account, the appropriate LiveRamp account ID must be mapped to your Google account. This gives LiveRamp access to deliver data to your Google account. See the instructions in 'Providing Access to LiveRamp" below for more information.

Note

If you have trouble finding your Google account ID, see Google's instructions for Google Customer Match or for DV360.

Google First-Party Destination Options

See the table below for information on each first-party Google destination option.

Where You Want to Use Data

Property Examples

Google Account Types

Destination Name and Tile

Google-owned properties

  • Gmail

  • Google Search

  • YouTube

  • Google Display Audiences

  • Google Ads

  • DV360

Google Customer Match

C_Onboarding-Distribute_Data_to_Google-GCM_DA_tile.jpg

Non Google-owned properties on the supply or sell side of Google

DV360

Ad Manager

Google Ad Manager

C_Onboarding-Distribute_Data_to_Google-Google_Ad_Manager_DA_tile.jpg

Non Google-owned properties on the buy side of Google

DV360

DV360

Display & Video 360 (DV360)

C_Onboarding-Distribute_Data_to_Google-DV360_DA_tile.jpg

Note

  • You can adjust how long segments remain active within Google. The standard duration is 365 days, but that value can be edited to be less than 365 days if needed. This must be manually configured by LiveRamp at the destination account (Connect tile) level. In most cases the standard is preferable, but if you'd like to adjust this value, contact your LiveRamp account team and provide them with the name of the destination account and the desired duration.

  • Want to measure the effectiveness of your Google campaigns? See the information in the "Measure Your Google Campaigns" section below.

  • Want to distribute CTV IDs? LiveRamp also enables distribution of CTV IDs (IFAs) through our Display & Video 360 (DV360) - Premium integration and our Google Ad Manager - Premium Integration, via use of the "Platform ID" identifier option in the destination account. Contact your LiveRamp representative if you need to enable this option.

Distributing Via Google Customer Match

Use the Google Customer Match destination to target users on Google-owned properties such as Gmail, Google Search, and YouTube, either with your Google Ads or DV360 account.

Data distributed to GCM must be based on offline identifiers (such as email, name and postal address, and phone number) or RampIDs that have been generated from PII. GCM will not accept data based on online identifiers, such as cookies or mobile device IDs. Google Customer Match is a Direct to Platform (PII passthrough) integration, which means that we pass the PII directly through in a privacy-safe and compliant manner, with no leveraging of our Identity Graph.

Note

  • The Direct to Platform integration is also available in Mexico and Canada. Contact your LiveRamp account team for more information.

  • If you're a Customer Profiles customer, you can use Data Marketplace segments to filter your first-party, PII-based data and then distribute those segments to GCM. Google does not allow the use of third-party data for targeting, but will allow targeting with first-party segments that have been filtered with third-party data, such as Data Marketplace data. For more information, see "Build a Data Marketplace-Filtered Segment for GCM".

However, we can also use Data Append to increase your match rate within Google Customer Match by leveraging our Identity Graph to add additional emails to your uploaded data. See the "Data Append for Google Customer Match" section below for more information about this option.

See the table below for a list of the destination account integrations available for Google Customer Match. For information on performing the necessary mapping of your LiveRamp account ID to your Google account, see "Providing LiveRamp Access for a Google Customer Match Destination Account" below.

Caution

If you are using Direct to Platform only, and not utilizing Data Append, do not send SHA-1 or MD5 hashed email addresses or SHA-1 hashed phone numbers. Send only plaintext name and postal, plaintext or SHA-256 hashed email addresses, and plaintext phone numbers.

Where You Want to Use Data

Property Examples

Google Account Type

Destination Account Integrations

Notes

Google-owned properties

  • Gmail

  • Google Search

  • YouTube

  • Google Display Audiences

Google Ads

Google Customer Match

C_Onboarding-Distribute_Data_to_Google-GCM_DA_tile.jpg

Uses PII Passthrough, but not Data Append

Google Customer Match - Data Append

C-Google_Customer_Match_Data_Append_DA_Tile.png

Uses PII Passthrough and Data Append

DV360

Google Customer Match - DV360

C-Google_Customer_Match_DV360_DA_tile.png

Uses PII Passthrough, but not Data Append

Google Customer Match - DV360 - Data Append

C-Google_Customer_Match_DV360_Data_Append_DA_Tile.png

Uses PII Passthrough and Data Append

Data Append for Google Customer Match

Data Append is an add-on feature for our Google Customer Match integrations (both the “Google Customer Match - Data Append” integration and the “Google Customer Match - DV360 - Data Append” integration) that leverages LiveRamp’s Identity Graph in addition to our baseline Direct to Platform (PII Passthrough) integration with Google Customer Match. With Data Append, LiveRamp takes the input identifiers for a segment and looks for additional identifiers belonging to the same individual to send that Google might be able to match on.

For example, a segment might contain an identifier such as "user@liveramp.com" that is being sent through the default Direct to Platform integration. LiveRamp's graph knows that "user@liveramp.com" is also associated with the email "user@gmail.com". The Data Append integration will include "user@gmail.com" in the Data Append delivery, giving Google additional identifiers to match on.

Data Append only sends additional hashed emails and no other PII touch points are appended. RampID-based segments can also be used to deliver via Data Append, as long as they are based on offline, first-party data.

Match rates for Data Append vary. Contact your account team if you’re interested in using Data Append.

Distributing Via Google Ad Manager

Use the Google Customer Match destination to target users on non-Google-owned properties on the supply or sell side of Google (such as DV360) with your Google Ad Manager account.

Two integration options are available:

  • For U.S. customers, a Record Sync-enabled integration, which keeps your data fresh at the destination by enabling data refreshes to utilize user deletions (see "Keep Destination Data Fresh with Record Sync" for more information).

  • An integration that isn't enabled for Record Sync.

See the table below for a list of the destination account integrations available for Google Ad Manager. For information on performing the necessary mapping of your LiveRamp account ID to your Google account, see "Providing LiveRamp Access for a Display & Video 360 or Google Ad Manager Destination Account" below.

Where You Want to Use Data

Property Examples

Google Account Type

Destination Account Integrations

Notes

Non Google-owned properties on the supply or sell side of Google

DV360

Ad Manager

Google Ad Manager - Record Sync integration

C-Google_Ad_Manager_Record_Sync_1p_Integration_Tile.png

For U.S. customers, enables data refreshes to utilize user deletions.

Google Ad Manager - non-Record Sync integration

C_Onboarding-Distribute_Data_to_Google-Google_Ad_Manager_DA_tile.jpg

Does not utilize user deletions.

Distributing Via Google Display & Video 360

Use the Google Display & Video 360 (DV360) destination to target users on non-Google-owned properties on the buy side of Google (such as DV360) with your Google DV360 account.

Two integration options are available:

  • For U.S. customers, a Record Sync-enabled integration, which keeps your data fresh at the destination by enabling data refreshes to utilize user deletions (see "Keep Destination Data Fresh with Record Sync" for more information).

  • An integration that isn't enabled for Record Sync.

See the table below for a list of the destination account integrations available for Google Display & Video 360. For information on performing the necessary mapping of your LiveRamp account ID to your Google account, see "Providing LiveRamp Access for a Display & Video 360 or Google Ad Manager Destination Account" below.

Where You Want to Use Data

Property Examples

Google Account Type

Destination Account Integrations

Notes

Non Google-owned properties on the buy side of Google

DV360

DV360

Display & Video 360 (DV360) - Record Sync integration

C-Google_DV360_Record_Sync_1p_Integration_Tile.png

For U.S. customers, enables data refreshes to utilize user deletions.

Display & Video 360 (DV360) - non-Record Sync integration

C_Onboarding-Distribute_Data_to_Google-DV360_DA_tile.jpg

Does not utilize user deletions.

Providing Access to LiveRamp

For all first-party data distributions to Google, LiveRamp must have access to deliver data to your Google account before you can distribute to their platform. This involves mapping the appropriate LiveRamp account ID to your Google account.

Note

When providing access for regions outside of the U.S., EU, or Australia, you should use one of your owned accounts that has U.S. or EU billing. If you don't own an appropriate account, contact your LiveRamp representative.

This process varies, depending on whether you're activating a Google Customer Match, Google Customer Match - DV360, Display & Video 360 (DV360), or Google Ad Manager destination account. See the sections below for more information.

Note

  • After providing access and distributing your data, if you notice your deliveries have not initiated, check that these permissions have been added to your Google account before creating a support case.

  • What about allowlisting? Previously, we’ve used the term “allowlisting” to refer to the mapping process Google needs to go through to give LiveRamp access to deliver first-party data to a specific Google service on your account (such as Google Customer Match). Since Google uses “allowlisting” to refer to a separate process that allows LiveRamp to deliver data to your Google account generally, we now use the term “mapping” instead.

  • What about Data Marketplace data? If you are a data provider distributing data via a Google Data Marketplace destination account, no mapping is required.

Caution

Multiple distributions: If you want to distribute to both a GCM distribution and a DV360 or Google Ad Manager destination, you need to have both accounts mapped to your account.

Providing LiveRamp Access for a Display & Video 360 or Google Ad Manager Destination Account

Before activating a Google Display & Video 360 (DV360) or Google Ad Manager destination account, contact your Google account representative and have them map the LiveRamp DMP account 750-013-0530 to your Google Ads advertiser account.

Note

This process does not apply if you're activating a Google Customer Match - DV360 destination account. Follow the instructions in the section "Providing LiveRamp Access for a Google Customer Match Destination Account" below.

For DV360, you will also need to follow Google's instructions on linking LiveRamp to DV360.

Caution

How long does the mapping process take? You will not be able to complete the activation process for a Display & Video 360 or Google Ad Manager destination account until this mapping has been completed. It sometimes takes a while for Google to process the mapping, so you might need to wait a day or so before successfully activating the destination account.

Once your Google account representative has confirmed that the mapping process is complete, activate the appropriate destination account.

Providing LiveRamp Access for a Google Customer Match Destination Account

Before activating a Google Customer Match destination account (either a Google Customer Match or a Google Customer Match - DV360 destination account), complete the self-service LiveRamp account linking process for Customer Match within the Google Ads UI to map the LiveRamp CMU account 637-789-1275 to your Google Ads advertiser account.:

Note

If you've already provided LiveRamp access to this Ads Account as part of the workflow to enable the Google Store Sales Direct or Google Store Sales Improvements attribution programs, you don't not need to perform these steps.

  1. From Google Ads, select “Tools and Settings” and then select “Linked Accounts”.

    C_Distribute_First_Party_Data_to_Google-Tools_and_Settings_menu_selection.png
  2. Search for “LiveRamp” and then click Details.

    C_Distribute_First_Party_Data_to_Google-Details_button.png

    Note

    If "LiveRamp" does not appear in the search results, contact your Google representative to have them manually link the account to LiveRamp’s account ID (637-789-1275).

  3. From the dialog that apears, click Link LiveRamp.

    C_Distribute_First_Party_Data_to_Google-Link_LiveRamp_button.png
  4. From the Create New LiveRamp Linking dialog, click Authorize.

    C_Distribute_First_Party_Data_to_Google-Authorize_button.png
  5. Click Create data integration.

    C_Distribute_First_Party_Data_to_Google-Create_data_integration_button.png

    A success message appears:

    C_Distribute_First_Party_Data_to_Google-success_message.png
  6. For a Google Customer Match - DV360 destination account, you will also need to follow Google's instructions to have LiveRamp’s account ID (637-789-1275) linked to DV360.

You can now activate your Google Customer Match or Google Customer Match - DV360 destination account.

Google Distribution FAQs

See below for answers to common Google distribution questions.

Why is my distribution to Google Customer Match stuck in the "Queued" status?

Distributions of first-party segments to Google Customer Match (GCM) often get stuck in the "queued" status because you have attempted to distribute segments that are not based on PII. Because GCM is a Direct to Platform destination (where LiveRamp passes through hashed PII without performing matching (or any leveraging of our Identity Graph), all data being distributed to GCM must be based on PII. For GCM, this could either be plaintext PII or RampIDs that have been generated from PII (not generated from online identifiers).

For example, if you send cookie-based segments or RampID-based segments where the RampIDs have been generated from online identifiers, the distribution will get stuck in the "queued" status. For more information, see "Distributing Via Google Customer Match".

Why is my distribution to Google stuck in the "Failed" status?

Distributions of first-party segments to Google often fail because LiveRamp has not been granted access to deliver data to the appropriate Google account before the destination account was activated in Connect. These segments will remain in a “Failed” status in the Delivery Job Status UI.

This access is provided differently, depending on which type of destination account integration you’re going to activate:

For more information, see “Distribute First-Party Data to Google” and "View Delivery Status".

Note

Before creating a support ticket, confirm that you’ve granted LiveRamp access and that your Google account ID listed in the destination account is correct. Once those have been connected, you can resend the active segments or wait until the next delivery.

Measure Your Google Campaigns

After you've run a Google campaign, you're probably going to want to measure the effectiveness of that campaign. LiveRamp offers two Google measurement integrations.

With LiveRamp’s Google Store Sales Direct (GSSD) integration with Google Ads, LiveRamp can import your offline conversion data directly into Google Ads (rather than you having to put a third-party tracking tag on your site). Google matches the customer information tied to your conversion data with Google user information to create conversion reports in Google Ads. These reports provide advertisers with aggregated and anonymized conversion data that allows them to understand the value of their Google Ads campaigns. Ad exposure data does not leave the Google platform.

The Campaign Manager Offline Conversions API enables Google DV360 customers to understand the ROI of their DV360-managed advertising campaigns across online and offline purchase channels in one place.

Talk to your LiveRamp representative if you're interested in implementing one of these integrations.