Guide 7 of 15 in Level 1: Get set up

Connect your Google Ads account to Blackbox

To connect Google Ads to Blackbox (blackbox.plus), sign in with a Google account that has at least read access to the Google Ads account the campaigns actually run in — not the manager account above it. Having its customer ID to hand helps you pick the right one. In Blackbox, open Data, click Connect a channel, choose the Google Ads tile and Continue to Google. Choose the Google account and approve the request; Google grants ongoing access, so reporting keeps refreshing without you signing in each day. Back in Blackbox, tick the Google Ads accounts that belong to this brand and save, and the last 30 days of campaigns and spend load. Blackbox reads campaigns, ad groups, spend, impressions, clicks, conversions and daily history. It cannot change a budget, pause, resume or create anything unless you approve that change in Blackbox first, and it sees nothing in Google Analytics, Search Console or your Google account beyond Google Ads.

You'll need
  • A Google account with access — At least read access to the Google Ads account you want reported on.
  • The account that runs the ads — Connect the account the campaigns live in, not the manager (MCC) account above it.
  • Its customer ID, to hand — It tells apart accounts with similar names when you pick at the end.
Time
About 3 minutes 4 steps Updated
You'll end with
Your Google Ads account connected, with 30 days of campaigns and spend in Blackbox
Do it in Blackbox Open Data, after you sign in
Example
Connecting Google Ads from the Data page

How to connect your Google Ads account to Blackbox

  1. Step 1:Open Data

    In Blackbox, click Data in the left menu.

    You'll see: Your channels, with Connect a channel at the top right.

  2. Step 2:Pick the Google Ads tile

    Click Connect a channel, then the Google Ads tile under Ad platforms.

    You'll see: What you need and what happens next, with Continue to Google below.

  3. Step 3:Approve on Google

    Click Continue to Google, choose the Google account that can see your Google Ads account, and approve.

    You'll see: You’re back on Data, with the Google Ads accounts that login can reach.

  4. Step 4:Tick this brand’s accounts

    Tick the accounts that belong to this brand and click Save.

    You'll see: Google Ads shows as connected, and the last 30 days start loading.

Blackbox can read

  • Your campaigns and ad groups, and their spend, impressions, clicks and conversions
  • Daily performance history for trends and period comparisons
  • The account names and currencies, so figures are labeled correctly

Blackbox will not

  • Change a budget, pause, resume or create anything unless you approve that change in Blackbox first
  • Reach accounts you did not tick
  • See anything in Google Analytics, Search Console or your Google account beyond Google Ads

Good to know

  • New to Blackbox? Setup connects your first channel as one of its steps — see How to get started with Blackbox.
  • Google grants ongoing access, so reporting keeps refreshing without you signing in each day.
  • Changes are proposed in Blackbox and nothing reaches the ad account until you approve that exact change.

If something doesn't work

Only my manager (MCC) account is listed

Your login can see the manager but not the account beneath it, and Blackbox reads each account on its own. Give that login access to the account the campaigns run in, then connect again.

An account is missing from the list

The Google account you signed in with has no access to it. Add it in Google Ads under Admin, then Access and security, and reconnect.

I’m worried Blackbox will change my campaigns

It only changes what you approve. Every budget change, pause or new campaign is proposed in Blackbox and waits for you.

Google asked me to sign in again

That only happens when access was revoked or your Google password changed. Reconnect from the Data page; otherwise the connection refreshes on its own.

I want to disconnect it

On the Data page, open the ⋯ menu on the channel's row and choose Disconnect. Blackbox hands the access back to Google at the same time. Past suggestions stay, but the synced numbers are cleared: reconnecting loads the last 30 days again, and older daily numbers don't come back.

Stuck at any step? Send us a message and we'll do it with you on a call. All of Level 1: Get set up