2. Optimise the matching rate

Once data quality has been ensured (see Part 1), the goal is to maximise the matching rate between your CRM profiles and users recognised by Google. This rate directly determines the size of the audiences that can be activated and the performance of campaigns.

Why is this important?

A high matching rate means:

• More activated audience → more effective campaigns.

• Less media waste → better profitability.

• Better personalisation → improved ROI.

Best practices for boosting matching:

2.1 Enrich data

• Add telephone numbers in E.164 format: Internal benchmark → significant gain (+10 to +20 points).

• Include surname, first name and postal address: Google cross-references several signals to identify a user.

• Tip: The more complete the mapping, the more effective the matching.

2.2 Minimum audience

• Activation threshold: An audience can only be used in Google Ads if it has at least 1,000 recognised profiles.

• Recommended action: Group segments that are too small to reach this threshold.

2.3 Compliance with formats and hashing

• SHA-256 hashing: Mandatory for data sent to Google.

• Before hashing:

  • Email in lowercase.

  • Telephone number in E.164 format.

  • Country in ISO 2-letter format.

• Why? A format error = profile ignored.

2.4 Deduplication and consistency

• Enable Fuse to avoid duplicates and improve the quality of submissions.

• Check field consistency (no generic values such as ‘Unknown’).

2.5 Testing and adjustments

• Test regularly to identify variables that improve matching.

• Compare manual import vs. automated destination: Internal benchmarks show rates close to 70% in the best cases.

Direct impact:

• Gmail: matching >80% with complete data.

• Adding a telephone number: +15% on average.

• Internal benchmarks: overall rate >20% achievable, with peaks of 90% on Gmail.

💡 Tip: If the matching rate is low, start by checking:

• The completeness of the data.

• The format of the telephone numbers.

• The presence of consent.