How To Track Google AdSense Performance In Google Analytics

Why You Should Track AdSense with Google Analytics
What You’ll Need Before You Start
Step-by-Step: Linking AdSense with Google Analytics
Setting Up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for AdSense
Viewing AdSense Data in Google Analytics
Key Metrics to Monitor for Revenue Optimization
Analyzing AdSense Performance by Page, Source, and Device
Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips
Using Insights to Improve Ad Placements
Final Thoughts

Introduction

Hey there! If you’re running a WordPress blog and monetizing it with Google AdSense, one of the smartest things you can do is track your AdSense performance in Google Analytics.

You might be asking: “Why should I care? I can already see my AdSense earnings in the AdSense dashboard.” And you’re right — to an extent. But if you want real, deep insights into how your content, users, and ads interact, Google Analytics gives you something AdSense alone can’t: context.

So today, I’m walking you through the complete process of how to integrate Google AdSense with Google Analytics — especially GA4 — and how you can use that data to increase your earnings, enhance the user experience, and make smarter content decisions.

1. Why You Should Track AdSense with Google Analytics

Here’s the deal: AdSense tells you what you earned. Google Analytics tells you why.

When you connect the two, you unlock a new world of data. Here’s what you gain:

Page-level insights: Know which blog posts earn the most.
Traffic source performance: See if search, social, or email leads to more ad clicks.
User behavior analysis: Understand bounce rates, session durations, and ad interactions.
Device-level performance: Know if mobile users convert better than desktop users.
Geographical data: Find out which countries bring in the most revenue.

Basically, you’re not just guessing what works — you’re making decisions based on clear data.

2. What You’ll Need Before You Start

Before we dive into the setup, make sure you have:

A Google AdSense account (approved and active)
A Google Analytics 4 (GA4) property set up for your WordPress site
Access to your WordPress admin dashboard
Admin access to both your AdSense and Analytics accounts (same email is preferred)
A way to add code to your WordPress site (via theme, plugin like Site Kit, or Tag Manager)

Let’s move on to the actual connection steps.

3. Step-by-Step: Linking AdSense with Google Analytics

If you’re still using Universal Analytics, it’s time to upgrade. Google Analytics 4 is the future, and the only version Google supports moving forward.

That said, if you’re still running both, here’s how to connect them:

✅ For Universal Analytics (Legacy Users)

Note: This works only if you’re still using UA. If you’re only on GA4, skip to section 4.

Go to your Google Analytics dashboard.
Click on Admin → Under Property, select AdSense Linking.
Click + New Link.
Select the AdSense account you want to link.
Choose the views where you want the data to appear.
Click Link accounts and save.

Now, AdSense data will begin to show under Behavior > Publisher in Analytics. But with GA4, the process and interface are completely different.

4. Setting Up Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for AdSense

With GA4, the process is slightly less direct because AdSense doesn’t offer a “native” integration like it used to. But don’t worry — I’ve got your back.

You’ll need to use Google Tag Manager (GTM) or a plugin like Site Kit by Google.

🛠 Option 1: Use Google Site Kit (Recommended for WordPress)

Google Site Kit is a free plugin that connects AdSense, Analytics, Search Console, and more — all without code.

Steps:

Install and activate Site Kit on WordPress.
Follow the onboarding to connect your Google Account.
Connect your AdSense account.
Connect your Analytics (select GA4 property).
Site Kit will automatically insert all required tags into your site.

🎯 Within 24-48 hours, you’ll start seeing AdSense data in your GA4 property.

🛠 Option 2: Use Google Tag Manager

This method is more advanced but gives you full control.

Go to Google Tag Manager and create a container for your website.
Add the container code to your WordPress header/footer.
In Tag Manager, create a new tag for Google AdSense and another for GA4.
Set up triggers for “All Pages” to fire the tags.
Publish the container.

5. Viewing AdSense Data in Google Analytics

After the connection is set, wait 24–48 hours for data to populate.

In GA4:

Go to Reports > Monetization > Publisher Ads.
View key metrics:
- Publisher ad impressions
- Publisher clicks
- Estimated revenue
- Revenue per 1,000 impressions (RPM)

You can also view AdSense performance by:

Page
Country
Device
Referral source

Need custom views? Use Explorations in GA4 for building your own reports.

6. Key Metrics to Monitor for Revenue Optimization

Understanding which metrics matter helps you make sense of the data.

Metric	What It Means
Page RPM	Revenue per 1000 pageviews – higher = better performance
Click-Through Rate (CTR)	How many clicked your ad out of those who saw it
Impressions	Number of times ads were viewed
Session Duration	Longer sessions = more ad visibility
Bounce Rate	High bounce = less ad engagement potential
Top Earning Pages	Prioritize content with high RPM for growth

7. Analyzing AdSense Performance by Page, Source, and Device

GA4 lets you dissect your earnings:

📄 By Page

Which posts bring the most revenue? Go to:

Monetization > Publisher ads > Page title
See which blog posts have high RPM and optimize more content like those.

🌐 By Source

See which traffic sources lead to higher ad revenue:

Organic (Google Search)
Direct
Social Media
Referral

Not all traffic is equal. You might find organic traffic earns more than social.

📱 By Device

You might discover that desktop users convert better, but mobile has more impressions. This tells you where to optimize ad layouts.

8. Common Issues and Troubleshooting Tips

No data showing?
- Make sure tags are placed properly.
- Check if GA4 property is correctly set.
- Wait 24–48 hours after setup.
Mismatch in AdSense & Analytics revenue?
- They measure earnings slightly differently (estimated vs. final).
- Check if filters or spam exclusions are affecting views.
Too little traffic to measure?
- You need consistent traffic to see patterns — focus on growing your audience first.

9. Using Insights to Improve Ad Placements

Once you’ve gathered data, here’s how to act on it:

Move ads higher on high-performing posts.
Experiment with in-content ads for posts with long session duration.
Reduce ads on pages with high bounce rate.
Use heatmaps (like Hotjar) for visual engagement insights.
Test ad formats — link ads, responsive display ads, or in-feed ads — and measure changes in GA.

Want to take it further? Use A/B testing plugins to test ad placement without hurting user experience.

10. Final Thoughts

If you’re serious about turning your blog into a real income stream, you absolutely need to track your AdSense performance in Google Analytics. It’s not just about knowing what you earned — it’s about understanding why you earned it and how to earn more.

Analytics doesn’t lie. It gives you insights that can help you: