Add an ad account

How to connect another Google Ads account after onboarding — authorize a new Google login or reuse an existing connection, pick the account (or MCC sub-account), and finish the tracking sync.

Onboarding connects your first Google Ads account. This page is for every account after that — a second customer account under the same login, an account that lives under a different Google login, or a client account beneath a manager (MCC) account.

Prefer to watch?

This 4-minute tutorial explains connections vs. ad accounts vs. websites vs. MCC, walks through Add account, shows what the first sync sets up in Google Ads, covers adding sub-accounts through an MCC, and tours the Configure panel.

How to Add a Google Ads Account in ClickFortify

Connections vs. ad accounts

Two things are easy to mix up here, and the dialog asks about both:

Term	What it is	Where you manage it
Connection	A Google login (OAuth) or MCC that ClickFortify has been authorized to use. One connection can reach many ad accounts.	Space Settings → Connections — this is where you re-authorize when access is lost.
Ad account (PPC account)	A single Google Ads customer ID (`123-456-7890`) that ClickFortify protects. Attached to one website in your space.	Space Settings → PPC Accounts

So "adding an ad account" is really two decisions: which Google login reaches it (an existing connection, or a new one you authorize now) and which customer ID under that login to protect.

The account is attached to the website you currently have selected. Before you open the dialog, use the space & website selector at the top of the sidebar to switch to the website these ads send traffic to. If the site doesn't exist yet, add the website first — that wizard attaches an ad account as part of creating the site.

Before you start

Admin access in Google Ads. The Google login you authorize needs admin (not read-only) access on the ad account — ClickFortify pushes tracking templates and exclusion lists into it.
The right website selected (see the callout above).
If you're reusing an existing connection, it must be healthy. Connections that lost access show an Access revoked badge in the dialog and can't be selected — re-authorize first.

Open the dialog

Click your space name in the sidebar → Space Settings.

Scroll to the PPC Accounts card. It lists every ad account already connected to this space with its status.

Click Add account. The Add Ad Account dialog opens.

Use this when the account lives under a Google login ClickFortify hasn't seen yet.

At the top of the dialog, click Authorize Google Ads. A Google sign-in opens in a new tab and the button shows Waiting for Authorization….

Sign in with the Google account that has admin access to the ad account, and approve the requested permissions.

Come back to ClickFortify. The new login now appears in the Select Connection dropdown as Connected.

Continue with Pick the account below.

If the popup didn't appear or you signed in with the wrong account, click Cancel authorization and try again — see If the popup is blocked.

Path B: reuse an existing connection

Use this when a Google login you already authorized (or an MCC you already linked) can reach the account.

Skip the authorize button and go straight to Select Connection.

Pick the connection. Healthy connections show a Connected badge; if only one is healthy, it's pre-selected for you.

Continue with Pick the account below.

Pick the account

Select Ads Account — the dropdown lists every customer ID the chosen connection can reach, with its account name. Pick the one to protect.

Leave Set tracking template (Recommended) on. It installs ClickFortify's tracking template in the ad account so clicks are attributed to your website. Turn it off only if you manage the template yourself — see Tracking template override.

Leave Set custom audience on unless you don't want audience-based exclusion on this account. See Set custom audience.

Click Continue.

If you picked a manager (MCC) account, the dialog doesn't finish yet — a Select Sub-Account dropdown appears listing the client accounts under that manager. Choose the specific client account and click Continue again. ClickFortify protects individual client accounts, not the manager itself.

On success you'll see PPC space added successfully and the new row appears in PPC Accounts.

After adding the account

Check the row's badges. A Sync required badge means the tracking template and final URL suffix aren't in place in Google Ads yet (usually because Set tracking template was off, or the push hasn't finished). Click Configure → Synchronize, or set the tracking mode manually — see Syncing your ad account.

Make sure the toggle is on. Each row has an active/inactive switch. Off means ClickFortify isn't acting on that account.

Run the 60-second check in Verify your Google Ads connection — right account, connection healthy, tracking syncing.

Review protection for this account's website — Protection settings, exclusions, and any Website-scope automations.

Under Configure you can also set the account's display name, currency and timezone, switch the Google Ads authorization it uses, and choose the click-tracking mode (Tracking template (Recommended), Final URL suffix Only, or Manual). Currency should match the Google Ads account's billing currency so spend and savings figures are right.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause	Fix
The account isn't in Select Ads Account	The chosen Google login can't see it, or you need a different connection	Have a Google Ads admin grant your login access, then re-open the dialog; or authorize the login that does have access (Path A)
Connection shows Access revoked and can't be selected	Its OAuth token expired or was revoked	Space Settings → Connections → Reauthorize — see Re-authorizing a connection
Please select an ads account / Please select a sub-account	You clicked Continue before picking one	Pick the account (and sub-account for MCC) first
Stuck on Waiting for Authorization…	Popup blocked, or you closed the Google tab	Cancel authorization, allow popups for `app.clickfortify.com`, try again
New row shows Sync required	Tracking template / URL suffix not installed in Google Ads	Configure → Synchronize; see Syncing your ad account
Added it to the wrong website	The dialog uses the currently selected website	Remove the account from the row's Configure menu, switch websites, and add it again

What happens next

Verify your Google Ads connection — confirm it's linked and syncing
Syncing your ad account — connection sync vs. account sync, and re-authorizing
Add a website — when the new account's ads point at a different domain
Space settings — the PPC Accounts and Connections cards

Have more questions?

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