Google Ads

Start in Google Cloud Console (console.cloud.google.com). Create a new project for your Bubble app or use an existing one. Navigate to APIs & Services → Library, search for 'Google Ads API', and click Enable. Next, create your OAuth client. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → OAuth client ID. Choose 'Web application' as the application type. Add a redirect URI — for testing, you can use `https://developers.google.com/oauthplayground`. Download the client JSON and note your `client_id` and `client_secret`. Now apply for the developer token. Log in to your Google Ads account (the Manager Account / MCC level if you manage multiple accounts). Navigate to Tools → API Center. Fill out the application form describing your use case — 'Building a performance dashboard in a Bubble web app to display campaign metrics for internal team members.' Submit. Google typically approves Basic access in 1–5 business days. Until approval, you receive a test developer token. This test token can only query test accounts (sandbox accounts) — it will return PERMISSION_DENIED errors on real production ad accounts. Plan your build timeline accordingly and apply for the token before writing any Bubble code.

The refresh token represents the specific Google Ads account's authorization for your app to access its data. The easiest way to get this for a Bubble build is using Google's OAuth 2.0 Playground. Go to developers.google.com/oauthplayground. Click the gear icon in the top right → check 'Use your own OAuth credentials' → enter your client_id and client_secret. In the left panel under 'Step 1', find the scope field and paste: `https://www.googleapis.com/auth/adwords`. Click 'Authorize APIs'. Log in with the Google account that has access to the Google Ads account. After authorization, click 'Exchange authorization code for tokens' in Step 2. You'll see a JSON response containing `access_token` and `refresh_token`. Copy and securely store the `refresh_token` — this is a long-lived token that doesn't expire unless revoked. The `access_token` expires in 1 hour. Also note your Google Ads Customer ID (the 10-digit number at the top of your Google Ads account, formatted as XXX-XXX-XXXX). Remove the dashes — the API uses it as a plain 10-digit number. Store this value in a Bubble App Data configuration table (create a 'Config' data type with a text field 'ads_customer_id' and one record with your Customer ID).

1{
2  "POST to exchange auth code": "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token",
3  "body": {
4    "code": "<authorization_code_from_step_1>",
5    "client_id": "<your_client_id>",
6    "client_secret": "<your_client_secret>",
7    "redirect_uri": "https://developers.google.com/oauthplayground",
8    "grant_type": "authorization_code"
9  },
10  "response_contains": {
11    "access_token": "<expires in 1 hour>",
12    "refresh_token": "<store this — long-lived>",
13    "expires_in": 3599
14  }
15}

Because Google OAuth access tokens expire after 1 hour, Bubble needs a Backend Workflow that fetches a fresh access token before each Google Ads API call. This is the most Bubble-specific step in this entire integration. First, create a data structure to store the token. In the Data tab, add a field to your Config data type: 'google_ads_access_token' (text) and 'google_ads_token_expiry' (date). Next, create the refresh API call. In the API Connector, add a new API named 'Google OAuth'. Add a call named 'Refresh Access Token' with method POST and path `/token`. Set the base URL of this API to `https://oauth2.googleapis.com`. Set Body type to JSON and add the body shown in the code block. The `refresh_token`, `client_id`, and `client_secret` fields should be set as dynamic parameters so they can be passed in from the Backend Workflow. Initialize the call by entering test values and confirming you get a 200 response with an `access_token` field. Now go to Settings → Backend workflows (if you don't see this, you are on the free plan — upgrade to Starter). Create a new API Workflow named 'Refresh Google Ads Token'. Add steps: 1. Call the Google OAuth 'Refresh Access Token' action with your stored values from the Config table. 2. 'Make changes to a Thing' → modify Config → set google_ads_access_token = Result of Step 1's access_token, set google_ads_token_expiry = Current date/time + 55 minutes. In your dashboard page workflow (Page is loaded), add a step: 'Only when Config's google_ads_token_expiry < Current date/time + 5 minutes' → Schedule API Workflow 'Refresh Google Ads Token'. RapidDev's team has built this refresh pattern across hundreds of Bubble apps connecting to OAuth-based APIs — if you need a more robust implementation (retry logic, error notifications), our team is available at rapidevelopers.com/contact.

1{
2  "method": "POST",
3  "url": "https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token",
4  "body": {
5    "refresh_token": "<dynamic: refresh_token>",
6    "client_id": "<dynamic: client_id>",
7    "client_secret": "<dynamic: client_secret>",
8    "grant_type": "refresh_token"
9  }
10}

Now configure the main Google Ads API Connector. In Plugins → API Connector, add a new API and name it 'Google Ads'. Set the base URL to `https://googleads.googleapis.com`. Add three shared headers — all three must be marked as 'Private': 1. `Authorization`: value `Bearer [dynamic]` — this will be replaced at the call level with the access token from your Config table. For now, enter a placeholder value; you'll map the real token when creating the actual call. 2. `developer-token`: value is your Google Ads API developer token string. Mark as Private. 3. `Content-Type`: value `application/json` — this doesn't need to be Private, but adding it here ensures all calls inherit it. For calls that access a manager account's sub-accounts, add a fourth header: `login-customer-id` with the manager account's customer ID (without dashes). This is only needed if you're managing multiple sub-accounts through one manager account. Now create the main data call. Click 'Add a new call'. Name it 'Get Campaign Metrics'. Method = POST. Path = `/v17/customers/<dynamic: customerId>/googleAds:search`. Set Body type to JSON. The body is a GAQL query string (see code block). Change 'Use as' to 'Data'. Initialize call by entering your customer ID and a simple GAQL query. If your developer token is still in test mode, you must use a test account customer ID — real account IDs return PERMISSION_DENIED until Basic access is approved.

1{
2  "method": "POST",
3  "url": "https://googleads.googleapis.com/v17/customers/<dynamic: customerId>/googleAds:search",
4  "headers": {
5    "Authorization": "Bearer <private: from Config access_token>",
6    "developer-token": "<private>",
7    "Content-Type": "application/json"
8  },
9  "body": {
10    "query": "SELECT campaign.name, campaign.status, metrics.clicks, metrics.impressions, metrics.cost_micros, metrics.ctr FROM campaign WHERE campaign.status = 'ENABLED' AND segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS"
11  }
12}

With the API call initialized, build the reporting interface in Bubble. On your admin page, add a Repeating Group. Set Type to 'External API response' and Data Source to 'Get data from external API → Google Ads - Get Campaign Metrics'. Map the customer ID input to your Config table's 'ads_customer_id' field, and the Authorization header dynamic value to 'Config's google_ads_access_token'. In the Repeating Group cells, add text elements and map them: - Campaign name: `Current cell's campaign > name` - Clicks: `Current cell's metrics > clicks` - Impressions: `Current cell's metrics > impressions` - CTR: `Current cell's metrics > ctr` (multiply by 100 and format with 2 decimal places to show as percentage) - Spend: `Current cell's metrics > cost_micros` — divide by 1,000,000 to get the dollar amount. In Bubble, create a formula: `Current cell's metrics cost_micros / 1000000`. Format as currency. The cost_micros conversion is critical — the raw value looks like 4523000, which is actually $4.52. Displaying the raw number makes spend look 1,000 times higher than it is. Always divide by 1,000,000 before display. Add a page-load workflow: on Page is loaded → Only when Config's token expiry < Now + 5 minutes → Schedule Backend Workflow 'Refresh Google Ads Token'. This ensures fresh tokens before the repeating group loads data.

1{
2  "bubble_expression_for_cost": "Current cell's metrics cost_micros / 1000000",
3  "bubble_expression_for_ctr": "Current cell's metrics ctr * 100",
4  "example_raw_cost_micros": 4523000,
5  "example_actual_cost_dollars": 4.52,
6  "example_raw_ctr": 0.0234,
7  "example_display_ctr_percent": "2.34%"
8}