GCLID, GBRAID and WBRAID Explained: Google Click IDs

What is a GCLID?

A GCLID (Google Click Identifier) is a URL parameter Google Ads attaches to your landing page URL when someone clicks your ad and auto-tagging is on. Google defines it as a parameter that "identifies the campaign along with other attributes of the click," and it is the thread that ties a visit, a form fill or a sale back to the ad that caused it.

Three things depend on it:

• Website conversion tracking. The Google tag stores the GCLID in a first-party cookie and reads it back when the visitor converts. Google calls auto-tagging "required" for website conversion tracking.
• Google Analytics. The GCLID lets Google Analytics join Google Ads cost, campaign and keyword data to sessions.
• Offline conversion imports. When a lead turns into a booked job or a signed contract days later, you send the GCLID back to Google Ads with the outcome, and Smart Bidding learns which clicks produce revenue rather than just form fills.

That last use is where most lead-gen accounts win or lose. A plumber or HVAC company can get 100 form fills a month and 25 real jobs. If Google Ads only sees the 100, it optimizes for cheap form fills. If it sees the 25, it optimizes for paying clients. The GCLID is what makes that feedback loop possible (the full conversion setup is covered in our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking).

What are GBRAID and WBRAID?

GBRAID and WBRAID are privacy-preserving URL parameters that Google introduced in 2021 after Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy took effect. Unlike a GCLID, they don't identify an individual click. Google says GBRAID "measures conversions in a non-unique fashion (like Campaign ID) without linking them to individual users or events."

Here is how Google's own documentation defines each one:

• GBRAID (&gbraid=): present "when a user clicks on an ad on the web and is directed to your iOS app." Google introduced it in May 2021 to measure app conversions on iOS, and adds it to landing page URLs for iOS 14.5+ clicks when auto-tagging is on. The Google Ads API describes it as the parameter "for clicks associated with app conversions."
• WBRAID (&wbraid=): present "when a user clicks on an ad in an iOS app and is directed to your webpage." Google introduced it in March 2021, after it stopped sending the GCLID for iOS 14 traffic from a handful of Google apps. The API describes it as the parameter "for clicks associated with web conversions."

One newer twist: Google's help article on setting up offline conversions using GBRAID recommends capturing GBRAID for web campaigns too, when "the Google Click ID is at risk of being dropped." Google's import documentation now describes GBRAID as "used for aggregate measurement on iOS and Safari." In practice, app advertisers aren't the only ones who need GBRAID: a lead form on an ordinary website should capture it too.

GCLID vs GBRAID vs WBRAID: when does Google use which?

Google decides which parameter to append based on the device, the app or browser the click came from, and where the user lands. You don't choose. Your job is to accept and store whichever one arrives.

The practical takeaway: most clicks on desktop and Android still carry a GCLID. A meaningful share of iPhone traffic can arrive with GBRAID or WBRAID instead, or with a GCLID and a GBRAID together. If your forms only look for gclid, those iPhone leads show up in your CRM with no click ID and can never be imported.

What does a Google click ID look like?

A Google click ID is a long string of letters, numbers, dashes and underscores appended to your URL after a ? or &. The sample GCLID in Google's own import template is EAIaIQobChMIlLfH1KqK9AIVvEocAh3BowKiEAoYAyAAEgKZSPD_BwE, which is 55 characters, but length varies. Here is what each parameter looks like on a landing page:

https://example.com/ac-repair?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlLfH1KqK9AIVvEocAh3BowKiEAoYAyAAEgKZSPD_BwE

https://example.com/ac-repair?gbraid=0AAAAAxxxx

https://example.com/ac-repair?wbraid=CjkKCQxxxx

A few format facts matter when you store these values:

• They are case sensitive. Google says so explicitly for GCLID and GBRAID. A CRM or spreadsheet that changes case, trims or "cleans" the value breaks the import.
• They can't be decoded. Tools that claim to decode a GCLID can't reliably tell you the campaign or keyword. Google resolves the value on its side.
• They can sit next to other parameters. Your URL may also carry UTM tags, gad_source or gclsrc. Your capture script should read the specific parameter by name, not assume it is the only one.

How do you turn on auto-tagging in Google Ads?

Auto-tagging is what makes Google append the GCLID, GBRAID or WBRAID, and it is on by default for new accounts. To check or change it:

1. Open Admin. In Google Ads, click the Admin icon, then Account settings.
2. Open Auto-tagging. Click the Auto-tagging section to see its status.
3. Tick the box. Check "Tag the URL that people click through from my ad."
4. Save. Then test a landing page as described in the next section.

Two exceptions to know about. If you use cross-account conversion tracking from a manager account, Google says you need to turn auto-tagging on in each child account manually. And "a small percentage of websites don't allow arbitrary URL parameters and serve an error page when auto-tagging is turned on." Google's auto-tagging help page covers both.

How to check if a GCLID is being passed

To check for a GCLID, add a test parameter to your landing page URL and confirm it survives to the final page unchanged. Google Analytics' troubleshooting guide uses ?gclid=TesTER-123 for exactly this.

1. Load a test URL. Open a private window and visit https://yoursite.com/landing-page?gclid=TesTER-123. Use your real final URL, including any path.
2. Check the address bar. After the page loads, the parameter should still be there with the same capitalization. If it disappeared, a redirect is stripping it.
3. Check the cookie. In Chrome DevTools, open Application, then Cookies, and look for _gcl_aw on your domain. A real ad click writes it; some test values may not.
4. Check the form. Inspect your lead form and confirm the hidden gclid field holds the value, then submit a test lead and confirm it lands in the CRM record.
5. Repeat for braids. Run the same test with ?gbraid=test123 and ?wbraid=test123 to prove your site and forms accept them too.

For real clicks, you can confirm a GCLID belongs to your account through the Google Ads API click_view report, which returns campaign and keyword details per GCLID for a single day at a time, up to 90 days back.

GCLID vs UTM parameters: what's the difference?

A GCLID is an opaque ID that Google fills in automatically and only Google can read. UTM parameters are plain-text labels you write yourself, so any analytics tool or CRM can read them. They do different jobs, and most accounts should run both.

The best setup keeps auto-tagging on for measurement and adds a simple UTM set through the account-level tracking template or final URL suffix, so your CRM can also report "google / cpc / campaign name" in plain English. Just don't expect UTMs to replace the GCLID for imports.

How do you capture GCLID, GBRAID and WBRAID in forms and your CRM?

You capture click IDs with a small script that reads them from the URL, saves them in first-party storage so they survive page views, and writes them into hidden form fields that your CRM stores on the lead. This is the same pattern Google documents for the GCLID, extended to the other two.

Ad clickGoogle appends gclid, gbraid or wbraid

Landing page scriptReads the parameter, stores it for 90 days

Hidden form fieldsgclid, gbraid, wbraid filled on submit

CRM lead recordIDs saved next to email and phone

Offline importQualified lead or sale sent back to Google Ads

1. Add three hidden fields to every lead form. Name them gclid, gbraid and wbraid, for example <input type="hidden" name="gbraid" value="">. Google's GBRAID guide says to add the GBRAID field "alongside the GCLID."
2. Run a capture script on every page, not just landing pages. Visitors often browse before converting. Google's sample GCLID script reads the parameter, stores it in localStorage with a 90-day expiry, and fills the field on page load. It also only accepts a GCLID when gclsrc is absent or contains aw. Extend the same logic to gbraid and wbraid. You can deploy it as a Custom HTML tag on All Pages in Google Tag Manager.
3. Don't overwrite a stored ID with an empty one. A return visit without a parameter should keep the earlier value. A new click with a new ID should replace it, so the import credits the most recent click.
4. Create matching fields in the CRM. Add three single-line text fields to the contact or lead object and map each hidden field to them. In HubSpot, these are custom contact properties. In GoHighLevel, they are custom contact fields mapped from hidden form fields. In Salesforce, add them to the Lead object and carry them to the Opportunity on conversion so the value is there when the deal closes.
5. Keep the values raw. Use text fields with room (255 characters), no formatting rules, no case changes and no trimming.
6. Cover phone and chat leads too. Call tracking and chat tools need to pass the same IDs, or those leads stay unattributed.

This is the exact setup Logical Gecko builds for clients: all three identifiers on every lead form, stored on the contact record in the CRM, and fed back to Google Ads as qualified leads and closed jobs. If you would rather have it done for you, see our conversion tracking setup service.

How do you import offline conversions with GCLID, GBRAID and WBRAID?

You import offline conversions by sending Google Ads each outcome (for example "Qualified lead" or "Job booked") with the click ID, the conversion action name, a timestamp with a time zone, and optionally a value. Google then credits the campaign, keyword and click behind it. The rules below come straight from Google's API documentation and error reference, and they apply however you upload.

• Never put GBRAID and WBRAID on the same row. The API rejects it with GBRAID_WBRAID_BOTH_SET: "Use only 1."
• Send GCLID and GBRAID together when you have both. Google's current docs say "we recommend setting both the GCLID and GBRAID onto the conversion." Older guides that say "only one identifier per row" are out of date on this point.
• If you only have a WBRAID or only a GBRAID, send it. Braid-only rows are valid. Google says BRAIDs "should be added whenever available."
• Set the conversion action's count to "Every." Conversion actions that count "One" per click can't be used with GBRAID or WBRAID. Use an order ID to prevent duplicates instead.
• Leave out custom conversion variables on braid rows. Google Ads doesn't support them with GBRAID or WBRAID.
• Wait 6 hours. Rows fail if the click happened less than 6 hours ago, and Google says to wait 4 to 6 hours after creating a new conversion action before uploading to it.
• Populate consent. Google calls the consent field "highly recommended"; without it, "it's possible that your conversions won't be attributable."

What is the time limit for importing offline conversions?

An imported conversion only counts if its click falls inside the conversion action's click-through conversion window, which you can set from 1 to 90 days (30 days by default). Rows whose click is older fail with an EXPIRED_EVENT error. So if your sales cycle runs 60 days, set the window to at least 60 before those deals close, because window changes only apply going forward.

Your upload method adds a second limit. Google Ads Data Manager looks back 90 days on every run for file-based sources (Google Sheets, SFTP, HTTP, Cloud Storage, Amazon S3). For Salesforce and HubSpot connections, it imports the last 14 days on the first run and then only changes since the last run. For BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake, MySQL and PostgreSQL, it imports the last 14 days every run. Imported conversions are reported on the date of the original ad interaction (Google specifies the impression date of the click), not the date you upload them.

Where do enhanced conversions for leads fit in?

Enhanced conversions for leads is Google's upgraded offline import. Along with click IDs, you send hashed first-party data such as email and phone, which Google matches to signed-in Google accounts. It fills gaps click IDs can't, such as a lead whose GCLID never made it into the CRM. It complements click IDs rather than replacing them.

Google is explicit that you should keep sending both. Its enhanced conversions for leads guide tells you to "include GCLIDs with your uploaded events whenever possible," to add GBRAID and WBRAID "whenever available," and to send every user identifier you have. Since April 2026, enhanced conversions for web and for leads are a single on/off setting in Google Ads.

Click IDs (GCLID, GBRAID, WBRAID)

• Captured from the landing page URL
• Match to a specific click or aggregate group
• Lost if a redirect, iframe or form drops them
• No personal data involved

Enhanced conversions for leads

• Hashed email, phone or address from the form
• Matched to signed-in Google accounts
• Recovers leads with a missing click ID
• Requires accepting Google's data terms for enhanced conversions

Why is the GCLID missing? Common problems and fixes

When leads reach your CRM without a click ID, the cause is almost always one of the issues below. Work through them in order.

A note on cookies. Google lists _gcl_aw and _gcl_gb (and the server-side FPGCLAW and FPGCLGB) as Google Ads cookies with a 90-day lifetime, set on your own domain by the Google tag or the Conversion Linker tag. They are what lets the Google tag attribute on-site conversions. They don't put IDs into your CRM, though. That still needs your hidden fields.

Consent is where many setups quietly break. If you serve visitors in states or countries with opt-in rules, your banner decides whether those cookies exist at all. A correct Consent Mode v2 setup keeps you compliant while preserving as much measurement as the visitor's choice allows.

Quick audit checklist

• Auto-tagging is on in every account that serves ads
• A test URL with ?gclid=TesTER-123 keeps the parameter intact on the final page
• Every lead form has hidden gclid, gbraid and wbraid fields that fill correctly
• The CRM stores all three as raw text on the lead or contact
• Offline conversion actions count "Every" and have a click-through window longer than your sales cycle
• Imports include hashed email and phone, consent status and an order ID

If your CRM shows plenty of leads but Google Ads shows few imported conversions, a missing click ID is the usual cause. A free Google Ads audit from Logical Gecko checks this chain end to end. For home-service accounts, where most revenue happens on the phone and in the field, this loop is what our HVAC Google Ads and plumbing Google Ads campaigns run on.