Google Analytics Campaign Data Import syncs advertising costs from Meta, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap and TikTok into GA4 through a simple connection process. So your Facebook costs finally appear alongside your Google Ads costs.
But the feature answers a narrower question than most merchants think: It just tells you what a campaign cost. It does not reliably tell you what a campaign was worth, since it doesn’t know about other costs related to the order. It also doesn’t show ad set or individual ad results.
Before concluding that you have found a real winner, you need more data.
In brief
- Campaign Data Import syncs advertising costs to GA4, then calculates Return on Ad Spend from revenue tracked through GA4 ecommerce events.
- GA4 can show results by ad network and campaign. It cannot break them down by ad set, individual ad, creative or keyword.
- GA4’s non-Google campaign data alone is too limited for ad optimization. Accurate business decisions require more specialized tools.
What Campaign Data adds to GA4
Google Analytics Campaign Data Import, previously called Cost Data Import, supports automatic connections with Meta, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap and TikTok. Once a connection has been set up, GA4 regularly imports advertising costs, clicks, and impressions.
Revenue data comes from GA4 ecommerce events rather than the ad network’s own revenue estimates. GA4 can then display two additional metrics: Ad Costs and Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) = revenue from GA4 ecommerce events ÷ imported advertising cost.
For example, if GA reports €30,000 in ecommerce revenue and €10,000 in advertising costs, the reported ROAS is 3.0.
However, the metric’s name can make it sound more useful than it is. ROAS compares revenue with advertising spend, but it does not account for product costs, shipping, payment fees, refunds, or other expenses. Do not mistake ROAS for profit.
You cannot optimize individual ads using campaign totals
GA4 can show Campaign Data Import results by advertising network and campaign. However, the imported data does not extend to ad sets, individual ads, creatives, or keywords. This matters because advertising accounts are rarely optimized by simply switching entire campaigns on or off.
Suppose a campaign contains two ads. One generates €4,000 in profit, while the other loses €2,000. GA4 combines their results into a campaign total that still appears profitable.
You cannot tell whether one strong ad is carrying several weak ones or whether a previously successful creative has stopped performing.
Kiito shows revenue, advertising spend, order costs, and profit by platform, campaign, ad set, ad, and keyword. This lets you see what is actually working instead of relying on gut feeling.
How a 3.0 ROAS becomes a €2,000 loss
Consider a campaign that generates €28,200 in revenue from €9,400 in advertising spend.
GA4 reports a ROAS of 3.0. Many would call that campaign successful and increase its budget.
Now look at the costs missing from that ROAS:
- Product costs: €12,450
- Shipping and fulfilment: €4,270
- Payment fees: €810
- Refunds: €2,160
- Operating and other costs: €1,110
Together, these additional costs total €20,800.
€28,200 revenue − €9,400 advertising spend − €20,800 other costs = −€2,000 profit
Scaling the campaign would only produce a larger loss.
Kiito provides broad financial picture needed for business decisions
Below are some differences between Kiito and GA.
| Question | GA4 with Campaign Data | Kiito suite |
|---|---|---|
| What did each campaign cost? | Yes, if UTM tagging is flawless | Yes, synced from ad accounts |
| Which real orders did a campaign influence? | No, session-level and partly modeled | Yes, multi-touch order matching |
| Revenue per campaign against actual orders | Approximated based on JavaScript events | Actual store revenue |
| Product costs, shipping, payment fees, refunds | Not available | Included per order |
| Fixed and operating costs, break-even ad budget | Not available | Included |
| Customer lifetime value by source | Limited, session-based | Per-product and per-customer LTV |
| Profit per campaign, keyword, or ad | Not available | Core feature |
| Total store profit after all recorded costs | Not available | Included |
Kiito helps you identify the ads, products, and customers that generate profit, so you can scale what is actually working.
Try Kiito for free or view the platform live.
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