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Google Ads, Meta and GA4: frequent questions

Connecting the platforms, send mode, cancellations, deduplication, GA4 sessions and why sent events take a while to show up.

Answers to the questions we get most about server-side tracking via Rentware. First check the tracking log: it tells you whether an event was sent, skipped or rejected.

How do I connect Google Ads?

In Rentware, go to Settings → Conversion tracking → Google Ads, connect your Google account, then choose the customer account and a conversion action.

  • Rentware has to allow the Google account you connect with first. The settings page shows a notice with a “Contact Rentware” button: send us the part of the email address after the @ (for example company.com; for Gmail or Outlook addresses the full address). This is the domain of your Google login, not your website’s address.
  • While Google is still reviewing our app, Google shows a warning that the app isn’t verified. Continue via “Advanced”.

Which conversion action do I need?

An enabled conversion action of the type Import → from clicks. In Google Ads: Goals → Conversions → Import → Import from clicks. Actions of the type “Website” (Google tag) don’t work for server-side uploads; Rentware rejects them when you save.

No. Rentware uploads the conversions through the Google Ads API; you don’t need a tag or another data source for this action. First check the tracking log for a Success row for Google Ads. If all purchases were skipped (no consent signal, no click ID), nothing has been imported yet, and Google has nothing to show.

What does the send mode do?

  • Automatic: the purchase is uploaded when the order reaches Reserved or Booked.
  • Manual: the purchase is uploaded only when your team clicks “Send conversion to Google Ads” in the order’s actions. The button is greyed out, with the reason, when consent or a click ID is missing.

The send mode only affects the Google Ads purchase. GA4 and Meta aren’t affected.

What happens when a booking is cancelled?

An uploaded purchase is retracted when the order is cancelled. Google doesn’t accept retractions within 24 hours of the conversion; Rentware retries them automatically. Conversions from iOS ad clicks (wbraid) can’t be retracted; the log says so.

What do the Google Ads errors mean?

Error Meaning
UNPARSEABLE_GCLID The click ID is invalid, typically after testing with a made-up gclid
NO_CONVERSION_ACTION_FOUND The conversion action was removed, disabled or isn’t of the type “Import from clicks”. Choose another one in the settings
Authorization errors (OAuth) The connection to Google has expired. Disconnect and connect again
CUSTOMER_NOT_ALLOWLISTED_FOR_THIS_FEATURE Google doesn’t allow this upload for the account. Contact us

Meta (Facebook)

How do I set up Meta?

In Settings → Conversion tracking → Meta (Facebook), enter your pixel (dataset) ID and a Conversions API access token. The test button sends a test event (optionally with a test event code from the Meta Events Manager). Real bookings never carry a test event code.

Do I get duplicate purchases if I also use the Meta pixel?

Not if the event IDs match. Meta merges a browser event and a server event when both have the same event name and the same event_id. Rentware sends the Purchase with event_id = purchase_ + order reference (for example purchase_SNLDX1).

  • With enableMetaTracking in RTR_HOOKS, the widget’s own pixel Purchase already uses this ID.
  • If you send the Purchase via Google Tag Manager, set the event ID yourself to purchase_ + {{ecommerce.transaction_id}} (see the developer reference).
  • AddToCart and the other funnel events from the server carry no event_id, so Meta can’t deduplicate them against pixel events. Send those from one source only, not both.

What customer data does Rentware send to Meta?

Hashed email, phone, first and last name and an external ID, plus IP address, browser user agent and the click ID (fbc), when the visitor gave advertising consent.

Why are bookings my team entered missing in Meta?

Bookings created by staff in the backend office are never sent to Meta (log: skipped: agent-created booking). They didn’t come from an ad.

Meta rejects an event as too old

Meta only accepts events up to 7 days old. Past bookings can’t be sent later.

Google Analytics 4

How do I set up GA4?

In Settings → Conversion tracking → Google Analytics, enter your measurement ID (G-…) and a Measurement Protocol API secret (GA4: Admin → Data streams → your stream → Measurement Protocol API secrets). “Enable Debug Mode” marks all events so they show in GA4’s DebugView; turn it off again after testing.

Why are purchases missing in GA4 without a log row?

GA4 events are only sent when the visitor allowed analytics cookies (analytics_storage). Without that consent nothing is sent and nothing is logged. If this affects most bookings, your cookie banner probably doesn’t send Consent Mode on the checkout: see Reading the tracking log.

Why do purchases show as “Unassigned” or as new users?

Rentware sends the visitor’s GA client ID and session ID (from the _ga cookies) with each event, so the events land in the right session and channel. This works since October 8, 2026; older data stays “Unassigned”, and GA can’t fix it afterwards. Without a GA client ID (no analytics consent at that moment, or the cookie is blocked), the event goes out with the order reference as client ID and shows up as a new user in “Unassigned”.

The log shows “Success”, but nothing arrives in GA4

GA4’s Measurement Protocol answers “success” even for events it then discards. Turn on Debug Mode and check DebugView, and check that the measurement ID and API secret belong to the same data stream.

Are add to cart and purchases counted twice?

If you also send the widget’s dataLayer events to the same GA4 property via Google Tag Manager, yes for add_to_cart and the other funnel events. GA4 only deduplicates purchase, by transaction_id (both sides use the order reference). Use one source per GA4 property: either server-side via Rentware, or the dataLayer.

Click IDs and attribution

  • The widget captures gclid, gbraid, wbraid and fbclid from the page address (and the _gcl_aw / _fbc cookies) on every page where the widget script runs, only with advertising consent (ad_storage). It keeps them for the browser tab; the first click counts.
  • If visitors land on page A and book on page B of the same domain, it works when the widget script also runs on page A, or when your own Google tag or Meta pixel stores its cookie there. gbraid and wbraid only come from the address.
  • Across domains only gclid survives, through Google’s cross-domain linker (_gl) or the cookie.
  • Without a click ID, Google Ads can still match with hashed email and phone (enhanced conversions), and Meta with hashed customer data, if consent allows.

Sent, but not visible

  • Delays: Google Ads shows imported conversions after up to about 24 hours, sometimes later. GA4 standard reports take 24 to 48 hours (DebugView is live). The Meta Events Manager shows events after a few minutes to an hour.
  • Attribution: Google Ads only counts a conversion for the ad click that led to it, within the conversion window of the action.
  • Wrong account: compare the IDs in Rentware’s settings with the account you are looking at.
  • Different values: everything Rentware sends is net, without deposits. A tag of your own that reads the gross total shows other amounts.