ClickBank to Google Ads conversion tracking with Tracked

To report a ClickBank affiliate sale back to Google Ads, preserve two different IDs. Google’s click ID (gclid, gbraid, or wbraid where applicable) identifies the ad click. Tracked’s {{click.id}} identifies the offer click that ClickBank must return with the sale. Losing either link breaks a different part of the chain.

Google ad click → Tracked campaign and landing page → tracked offer click
  → ClickBank purchase → ClickBank postback to Tracked
  → mapped offline conversion upload to Google Ads

This is a Tracked campaign workflow, not a native ClickBank account connection. Tracked receives ClickBank’s configured server-to-server callback through its generic /postback endpoint. Its separate Google Ads connection can upload eligible click-based offline conversions. The two connections need their own tests.

1. Capture the Google click ID on arrival

Send the Google ad to the Tracked campaign URL or its hosted landing page, with Google’s supported click identifier intact. Open a test visit and verify the identifier was actually recorded with the campaign click. Seeing a gclid in an ad URL template is not enough if a redirect later strips it.

Keep UTMs if you use them for descriptive reporting, but do not substitute utm_campaign for a click identifier. GCLID, UTMs, and tracker click IDs explains what each value answers.

2. Pass Tracked’s offer-click ID to ClickBank

Add the ClickBank HopLink or Direct Tracking Link as the offer behind a Tracked click slot, such as /click/1. In the offer URL, use a ClickBank-supported tracking field:

https://YOUR_CLICKBANK_LINK?unique_aff_sub1={{click.id}}

Use & instead of ? if the link already has query parameters. ClickBank documents unique_aff_sub1 through unique_aff_sub5; an existing setup might use tid instead. Inspect one real outgoing offer redirect to confirm that the chosen field contains an actual Tracked offer-click ID, not the literal macro text. Do not put the Google gclid in this field in place of {{click.id}}: ClickBank must return the ID that Tracked uses to find its click record.

3. Return the sale from ClickBank

In ClickBank, create an affiliate Custom Postback/Pixel integration for the purchase event under Integrations → Postback/Pixels. Configure the destination using the dispatcher host supplied for your Tracked campaign. An illustrative primary-sale callback is:

https://YOUR_TRACKED_DOMAIN/postback?click_id={unique_aff_sub1}&payout={affiliate_earnings}&currency=USD&timestamp={event_time}&conversion_id={event_id}

Choose the ClickBank macro matching the field you sent in step 2; use {tid} if you sent tid. ClickBank documents {affiliate_earnings} in USD, while {order_currency} is the currency the buyer paid, so do not label affiliate earnings with {order_currency}. The exact host and macros must be verified in your own accounts. Keep the primary purchase callback untyped: Tracked currently records payout on the untyped primary event, while explicitly typed callbacks are secondary events with zero payout. The ClickBank postback guide covers event mapping, upsells, and the difference between this GET callback and ClickBank’s encrypted INS format.

ClickBank’s integration test substitutes fake macro values. It can validate URL shape and delivery, but a fake click ID cannot prove attribution to a real Tracked click. ClickBank also says a sale made with its test credit card does not trigger the configured postback pixel. Use an approved end-to-end test path and inspect the resulting records before buying traffic.

4. Map the sale to the right Google Ads action

Connect the relevant Google Ads account and choose an enabled click-upload conversion action owned by the conversion customer. Map the Tracked primary purchase event to that action. Tracked’s shipped Google path uses the Data Manager API for click-based offline conversion uploads; it does not claim Google enhanced conversions for leads.

Check the conversion time, value, currency, consent state, and unique conversion identity. A ClickBank callback accepted by Tracked is not proof that Google accepted the later upload. The Google Ads offline-conversion guide explains the connection prerequisites and provider delivery checks.

Verify the complete chain

Use a single identifiable test journey and check each boundary separately:

1. Confirm the Tracked arrival recorded Google’s click identifier.
2. Confirm the /click/1 redirect sent Tracked’s offer-click ID in ClickBank’s selected field.
3. Confirm ClickBank returned that same value as click_id in its purchase callback.
4. Find the primary conversion, payout, and original campaign in Tracked’s event journey and report.
5. Confirm the event mapped to the intended Google Ads conversion action and was eligible for delivery.
6. Inspect the Google delivery result, then check Google’s conversion diagnostics after its processing delay.

If step 3 fails, fix the ClickBank handoff or callback before debugging Google Ads. If step 4 succeeds but step 6 fails, inspect the Google connection, action mapping, consent state, click identifier, and provider response. Postback troubleshooting helps isolate the inbound half.

Where Tracked is today

Tracked keeps the campaign URL, hosted landing page, offer click, incoming sale, attributed journey, and eligible Google feedback in one workspace. It does not create a ClickBank native account connector or decrypt ClickBank INS messages. ClickBank must be configured to send the GET callback, and your Google Ads account must have a usable offline click-conversion action. Start with one campaign and one purchase event, prove every handoff, then scale the setup.

Frequently asked questions

Should I send gclid or {{click.id}} to ClickBank?

Send {{click.id}} in a ClickBank-supported affiliate tracking field so ClickBank can return the Tracked offer-click ID. Tracked separately retains the Google click identifier from the campaign arrival for the later Google upload.

Can ClickBank send the conversion directly to Google Ads instead?

ClickBank documents traffic-source integrations, including Google Ads. This guide describes the Tracked-mediated path when you want the sale attributed in Tracked’s campaign journey before eligible Google feedback. Avoid configuring two paths to count the same sale as two different conversions.

Does a 200 OK from /postback mean Google Ads counted the sale?

No. The inbound callback and outbound Google upload are separate. Confirm the Tracked conversion record, mapped action, delivery result, and Google diagnostics.

Does this require Google enhanced conversions?

No. Tracked’s current Google path uploads click-based offline conversions using a captured Google click identifier. Enhanced conversions for leads are a different workflow and are not claimed here.

Official references: ClickBank Postback/Pixels Integration Guide, ClickBank Affiliate Tracking Parameters, and Google Data Manager API offline conversions.

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