4. Technical issues to anticipate & common errors

Even with thorough preparation, certain technical issues can prevent audiences from being activated or reduce the matching rate. Anticipating these issues is essential to avoid performance losses.

Why is this important?

• A format or authentication error can completely block the import.

• Incomplete or poorly prepared profiles are ignored by Google, reducing audience size.

• The deadlines and thresholds imposed by Google must be respected in order to activate campaigns.

Common errors and recommended solutions:

Incomplete profiles (email only)	Profile ignored by Google	Add surname, first name, telephone number, address, country
Incorrectly formatted telephone number	Matching impossible	Use the E.164 format (+33 6...)
Missing columns	Import rejected	Check the mapping and format of the file
Unclosed quotes in the CSV	Parsing failed	Clean up the files before importing
Authentication expired between Commanders Act and Google Ads	Sending blocked	Check authorisations regularly

Key technical points to anticipate:

• SHA-256 hashing required: before sending to Google.

• Data formatting before hashing:

  • Email in lowercase.

  • Telephone number in E.164 format.

  • Country in ISO 2 letters.

• Minimum audience: Google only activates a list with 1,000 recognised profiles.

• Activation time: 24 to 48 hours for data to be available in Google Ads.

• Tokens expire: schedule a monthly authorisation check.

Best practices to avoid errors:

• Set up automatic checks before sending (format, consent, completeness).

• Document mappings and formats to avoid oversights.

• Schedule regular audits of feeds and destinations.

• Set up a restart procedure (deactivate/reactivate the destination to force re-injection).

💡 Tip: A simple check of phone and email formats before hashing can reduce import error rates by 50%.