Salesforce to Google Ads offline conversion tracking: field mapping and sync methods

Google Ads’ Salesforce integration for conversions now runs through Data Manager, with GCLID-based plumbing still available and enhanced conversions for leads as Google’s recommended alternative. For the broader offline architecture and timing rules, see this offline conversion tracking reference.

Current state of the Salesforce to Google Ads integration

Per Google’s upgrade FAQ, support for the legacy Salesforce integration that powered conversion imports ended on 5/31/2025, and advertisers are directed to migrate to a Salesforce direct connection managed in Google Ads Data Manager. The sunset removed the old connector path but did not remove Salesforce as a conversion source, because Data Manager now owns the connection and import behavior.

You can identify legacy usage if you still see a Salesforce tab under Goals > Conversions or Salesforce listed as an import source when you create a conversion action, which Google flags as legacy behavior. The new pattern is that each Salesforce connection in Data Manager links to exactly one Salesforce object (Lead or Opportunity), and legacy conversion actions migrate into this model in their current state with their existing schedules, except for deleted actions which do not migrate.

Google’s docs state that Expected Revenue is preserved for opportunities in the migration, but Expected Revenue is not supported for leads in the new integration. Google also states that from 6/15/2026, offline conversion imports and enhanced conversions for leads uploads are blocked in the Google Ads API and move to the Data Manager API, which reinforces that Data Manager is the forward path.

GCLID field setup and web-to-lead capture in Salesforce

Google’s Salesforce setup documentation keeps the same GCLID plumbing that powered the legacy integration. You create a custom field named GCLID (all caps), with a length of 255 characters, marked read-only, on both the Lead and Opportunity objects, then map Lead.GCLID to Opportunity.GCLID so the value carries forward when a lead converts to an opportunity.

Google’s capture script stores the GCLID in the browser with a 90-day expiry and writes it into a hidden field on your web-to-lead form. For this to work, the form that posts into Salesforce must live on the same domain as the site pages where the Google Ads click lands, so the script can read and write the GCLID consistently.

The misconception that older Salesforce integration guides still work is incorrect, because Google’s help pages state that the legacy connector lost support on 5/31/2025 and the current path is the Data Manager direct connection. What persists from those guides is the GCLID field spec and mapping, not the old UI flow for setting up the import.

Salesforce milestones and conversion value calculation

Google’s conversion import for Salesforce can record conversions for any or every Lead Status and Opportunity Stage that you choose in the configuration. Google’s docs clarify that only the milestones you explicitly configure will fire conversions, and if a sales rep skips a configured stage by jumping from one status or stage to another, the skipped stage never records a conversion.

This corrects the misconception that every stage change fires a conversion by default, because Google states that skipped stages do not fire and only configured milestones count. You can choose to track only late-funnel statuses, every status, or a subset that matches your pipeline model, as long as they are mapped in the integration.

For opportunity stages, Google’s documentation states that the conversion value is calculated as Probability multiplied by the opportunity’s most recent Amount. For example, if an opportunity at a given stage has a Probability of 75% and an Amount of $1,600, the imported conversion value is 0.75 × 1,600 = 1,200, which corrects the misconception that the conversion value is always the raw deal amount.

TF’s stated practice is to treat this Probability × Amount model as the core of calculated CPA budgeting for B2B, because the ROAS that drives the keep-or-kill decision lives in the pipeline, not the form fill, and Salesforce milestones are where that value sits.

Configuring the Salesforce direct connection in Google Ads Data Manager

Google’s upgrade FAQ describes the new flow as a Salesforce direct connection managed in Data Manager. In Google Ads, you go to Data Manager, choose to connect a product, select Salesforce, then choose a direct connection and authorize with a Salesforce admin account so Google can read the necessary objects.

Per Google’s description, each connection is tied to exactly one Salesforce object, so you create one connection for Lead-based imports and a separate one for Opportunity-based imports if you need both. During setup you select the SObject (Lead or Opportunity) and then map required fields, including the GCLID field that must follow the 255-character spec and the status or stage fields that represent your milestones.

After field mapping, you add or link conversion actions that correspond to specific Lead Status values or Opportunity Stages, and you configure which milestones should create which Google Ads conversion actions. Google’s migration guidance also instructs you to set any legacy Salesforce import schedule to Not Scheduled once the Data Manager connection is live, so you do not double import the same events.

Sync behavior, import windows, and the 90-day limit

Google’s Salesforce setup documentation states that sync frequency is configured via dropdowns in the schedule settings, and Google’s best practice is daily uploads. There is no documented hourly option in the research, so the concrete guidance is to follow the daily recommendation when you choose a schedule.

Google’s docs state that the first Data Manager import retrieves the last 14 days of eligible events, and subsequent runs cover up to 14 days back from each sync. This means you should schedule imports at least weekly so that every conversion event within the 14-day lookback is picked up by at least one run.

Google’s offline import documentation also states that conversions uploaded more than 90 days after the last ad click are not imported, and the GCLID capture itself uses a 90-day expiry. This enforces a click-to-conversion cycle under 90 days, and it corrects any assumption that you can import Salesforce conversions indefinitely far back in time.

When enhanced conversions for leads is preferable to GCLID storage

Google’s upgrade FAQ recommends enhanced conversions for leads, combined with a new Salesforce connection, as the preferred migration path. Google states that this method does not require modifying lead forms or the CRM to store GCLIDs, because it matches conversions using hashed first-party identifiers such as email or phone instead of CRM GCLID fields.

This directly corrects the misconception that you must store GCLIDs in Salesforce forever, because Google positions enhanced conversions for leads as the alternative that avoids CRM GCLID plumbing. Google’s offline import documentation also reports that advertisers using first-party data alongside GCLIDs in offline imports saw a median 10% increase in conversions compared with standard imports, based on Google’s own data.

Enhanced conversions for leads still follows the same offline conversion architecture and timing rules as other imports, and from 6/15/2026 its uploads are handled through the Data Manager API rather than the legacy Google Ads API. For broader coverage of enhanced conversions concepts and consent handling, see this enhanced conversions reference.

Salesforce-side requirements and permissions

Google’s import documentation lists several Salesforce-side requirements: you must use Sales Cloud, have auto-tagging enabled in Google Ads, and have web-to-lead or an equivalent mechanism that passes data into Salesforce. Salesforce API access must be enabled so Google Ads can read the necessary objects through the direct connection.

Google also requires field history tracking on Opportunity Stage and Lead Status so that stage and status changes can be read reliably. On the permissions side, Google’s docs specify that the connected Salesforce user must have read-only access across Lead, LeadHistory, Opportunity, OpportunityFieldHistory, and related objects that hold the GCLID and milestone data.

The 90-day click-to-conversion limit from Google’s offline import rules applies here as well, so your Salesforce processes and sync schedules must allow conversions to be recorded and imported within that window. This aligns with TF’s stated posture on migrations: get off legacy paths before deadlines, verify field mapping end-to-end with test leads before trusting the numbers, and only then allow imported Salesforce conversions to become primary actions that automated bidding optimizes against.

For B2B clients, Temper And Forge’s stated practice is to treat Salesforce Probability × Amount values at key milestones as the source of truth for ROAS, to migrate off legacy connectors before Google’s deadlines, to validate GCLID or enhanced-conversions mapping with test records, and only then to promote imported Salesforce conversions to primary bidding signals.