Troubleshooting Sync Issues

Smart Sync pulls your Google Ads data reliably, but occasionally issues arise. This guide helps you diagnose and fix common sync problems including failed syncs, missing data, slow performance, and error messages. Follow the step-by-step solutions to get syncs working again.

What You'll Learn

Time needed: 12 minutes to read

Quick Diagnostic Checklist

Before Deep Troubleshooting, Check:

  1. OAuth Status: Is Google Ads connection active?

    • Go to Settings → Google Ads Connections
    • Look for ✅ Connected status

  2. Recent Sync Time: When was last successful sync?

    • Client List → Check "Last Sync" column
    • If >48 hours, investigate why

  3. Sync Logs: Any error messages?

    • Client Details → Sync Logs tab
    • Look for red error messages

  4. Client Status: Is client active?

    • Client List → Status column
    • Should be 🟢 Active, not 🔴 Error

  5. Auto-Sync: Is it enabled?

    • Settings → Sync Settings
    • Toggle should be ON

[Screenshot: Quick health check showing OAuth status, last sync, and sync logs] Check these 5 indicators first before detailed troubleshooting

Problem 1: Sync Failed Completely

Symptoms

Cause 1: OAuth Connection Expired

Diagnostic:

Sync Log Error: "OAuth token invalid or expired"
Settings → Google Ads Connections: ❌ Disconnected

Solution:

  1. Go to Settings → Google Ads Connections
  2. Click Reconnect OAuth button
  3. Log in to Google account (use account with Google Ads access)
  4. Grant permissions
  5. Verify status changes to ✅ Connected
  6. Return to Client List
  7. Click client's Actions menu → Sync Now
  8. Monitor sync progress

Expected Outcome: Sync completes successfully within 2-5 minutes

Prevention: System auto-refreshes OAuth tokens, but if Google account password changed or permissions revoked, manual reconnect required.

Cause 2: Google Ads API Rate Limit

Diagnostic:

Sync Log Error: "Rate limit exceeded" or "Too many requests"
Multiple clients failed sync simultaneously

Explanation: Google Ads API has daily request limits. Syncing too many clients in short time exceeds limit.

Solution:

Immediate:

  1. Wait 1 hour
  2. Retry sync for critical clients first
  3. Spread out other client syncs

Long-Term:

  1. Enable Auto-Sync with staggered times (system handles this automatically)
  2. Avoid manual sync for all clients simultaneously
  3. Sync high-priority clients first if hitting limits

Google Ads API Limits:

PerfoAds Handling: Smart Sync automatically batches and spaces requests to stay within limits

Cause 3: Invalid Customer ID

Diagnostic:

Sync Log Error: "Customer ID not found" or "Invalid customer ID"
Client recently added

Solution:

  1. Verify Customer ID is correct:

    • Open Client Details → Settings
    • Check Customer ID format: XXX-XXX-XXXX (10 digits with dashes)
    • Compare with Google Ads account number

  2. If Customer ID wrong:

    • Click Edit Client
    • Update Customer ID
    • Save
    • Retry sync

  3. If Customer ID correct but still failing:

    • Verify you have access to this account in Google Ads
    • Check OAuth was granted for this specific account
    • Refresh account discovery: Settings → Google Ads Connections → Refresh Discovery

Problem 2: Sync Incomplete (Partial Data)

Symptoms

Cause 1: Sync Interrupted Mid-Process

Diagnostic:

Sync Log: "Sync completed" but duration very short (<30 seconds)
Expected sync time: 2-5 minutes
Actual sync time: 15 seconds

What Happened: Sync started but didn't complete full data pull

Solution:

  1. Go to Client Details → Sync Logs
  2. Check sync duration (should be 2-5 minutes for most accounts)
  3. If abnormally short: Data pull incomplete
  4. Fix:
    • Click Actions → Sync Now (retry)
    • Monitor sync log for full completion
    • Verify data freshness after completion

Prevention: System has built-in retry logic, but manual retry ensures full data pull

Cause 2: Campaigns Paused or Removed

Diagnostic:

Missing campaigns in PerfoAds
Campaigns exist in Google Ads
Sync log shows no errors

Check:

  1. Go to Google Ads
  2. Verify campaign status (Active, Paused, or Removed)
  3. Paused campaigns: Still sync, show in PerfoAds with Paused status
  4. Removed campaigns: Don't sync (intentional behavior)

Solution:

Cause 3: Date Range Filter

Diagnostic:

User: "Where's last week's data?"
Dashboard shows "Last 30 days" filter

Not a Sync Issue: Data exists, just filtered out by date range

Solution:

  1. Check date range selector (top right of dashboard)
  2. Adjust to include desired dates
  3. Data appears immediately (no sync needed)

Problem 3: Sync is Very Slow

Symptoms

Cause 1: Large Account (Many Campaigns/Keywords)

Profile:

Account Size:
- 50+ campaigns
- 10,000+ keywords
- 2+ years of historical data

Expected Sync Time: 5-15 minutes (this is normal for large accounts)

Not a Problem: Large accounts naturally take longer

Solution: None needed, this is expected behavior

Optimization: System uses Smart Sync (only pulls new data since last sync), which is already optimized

Cause 2: Slow Internet Connection

Diagnostic:

Sync slow
Other web pages loading slowly
Speed test shows <5 Mbps

Solution:

Note: Sync happens server-side (backend pulls from Google Ads), but slow connection affects seeing updates in dashboard

Cause 3: Google Ads API Throttling

Diagnostic:

Sync Log: Multiple "Throttled" or "Retry" messages
Sync eventually completes but takes longer

What's Happening: Google is rate-limiting requests, system automatically retries with delays

Solution:

Prevention: Auto-sync handles rate limiting automatically by spreading syncs throughout the day

Problem 4: Sync Stuck in "In Progress"

Symptoms

Cause: Sync Process Stalled

Solution:

Step 1: Wait

Step 2: Refresh Page

  1. Hard refresh browser: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows) or Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)
  2. Check if status updated

Step 3: Cancel Stuck Sync

  1. Go to Client Details → Sync Logs
  2. Find in-progress sync
  3. Click Cancel Sync button (if available)
  4. Wait 1 minute
  5. Retry: Actions → Sync Now

Step 4: Contact Support (if still stuck after 30 minutes)

Problem 5: Missing Recent Data

Symptoms

This is Normal Behavior

Explanation: Google Ads data has reporting lag

Data Availability:

What PerfoAds Shows:

Solution: None needed, this is Google Ads reporting lag, not sync issue

Best Practice: Sync runs early morning (2-6 AM) to capture complete previous day's data

Problem 6: Error Messages

Error: "Customer not found"

Meaning: Customer ID doesn't exist or you don't have access

Fix:

  1. Verify Customer ID format: XXX-XXX-XXXX
  2. Check you have access to this account in Google Ads
  3. Refresh account discovery: Settings → Google Ads Connections → Refresh Discovery
  4. If still failing: Customer ID may be incorrect, update it

Error: "Invalid credentials"

Meaning: OAuth token invalid

Fix:

  1. Settings → Google Ads Connections
  2. Click Reconnect OAuth
  3. Complete authorization flow

Error: "Permission denied"

Meaning: OAuth granted, but not for this specific account

Fix:

  1. Verify you have admin or standard access (not read-only) to Google Ads account
  2. Reconnect OAuth and ensure you select correct Google account
  3. Refresh Discovery to see updated account list

Error: "Rate limit exceeded"

Meaning: Too many API requests in short time

Fix:

  1. Wait 1 hour
  2. Retry sync
  3. Enable auto-sync to avoid manual mass syncs

Error: "Timeout"

Meaning: Sync took too long and timed out

Fix:

  1. Retry sync (often works on second attempt)
  2. If persists: Contact support (account may be very large, requiring special handling)

Sync Logs: Reading and Interpreting

Accessing Sync Logs

Location: Client Details → Sync Logs Tab

What You'll See:

[2025-10-04 03:15:22] Sync started
[2025-10-04 03:15:45] Fetching campaigns... (15 found)
[2025-10-04 03:16:10] Fetching keywords... (2,341 found)
[2025-10-04 03:17:02] Fetching performance data...
[2025-10-04 03:18:15] Sync completed successfully

Log Status Indicators

🟢 Success:

"Sync completed successfully"
Duration: 2-5 minutes
All data categories fetched

🟡 Warning:

"Sync completed with warnings"
Some data skipped (e.g., archived campaigns)
Mostly successful

🔴 Error:

"Sync failed: [error message]"
No data updated
Requires intervention

Common Log Messages

"No changes detected":

"Partial data sync":

"Retrying... (attempt 2 of 3)":

Prevention and Maintenance

Enable Auto-Sync

Why: Ensures consistent daily data updates without manual work

How:

  1. Settings → Sync Settings
  2. Enable Auto-Sync toggle
  3. Set sync time (recommend: 2-6 AM)
  4. Save

Benefit: No more manual syncs, data always fresh

Monitor OAuth Health

Monthly Check:

  1. Settings → Google Ads Connections
  2. Verify: ✅ Connected status
  3. If ⚠️ Expiring Soon: Reconnect now (don't wait for expiration)

Why: Prevents sudden sync failures due to expired OAuth

Review Sync Logs Weekly

Quick Review:

  1. Client List → Check "Last Sync" column
  2. Any clients with "Last Sync: 2+ days ago"?
  3. Open those clients → Sync Logs → Check for errors
  4. Fix proactively before client notices stale data

When to Contact Support

Contact Support If:

  1. Sync stuck in progress >30 minutes after refresh
  2. Repeated failures for same client (3+ failed syncs in a row)
  3. Error message not covered in this guide
  4. Data inconsistencies (data in Google Ads but not syncing)
  5. All clients failing sync simultaneously (system-wide issue)

Provide to Support:

Common Questions

Q: How often should I manually sync? A: Rarely. Enable auto-sync and let system handle it. Manual sync only when you need immediate data refresh.

Q: Can I sync multiple clients at once? A: Yes, but not recommended if you have >10 clients (risks rate limiting). Auto-sync handles this better.

Q: Why does sync time vary? A: Account size (campaigns, keywords, data volume) affects sync time. Small accounts: 1-2 min. Large accounts: 5-15 min.

Q: Is it safe to sync during business hours? A: Yes, but off-hours better (system load lower, no user activity during sync).

Q: What if I pause auto-sync temporarily? A: Data goes stale. Re-enable as soon as possible. Use manual sync for critical clients in meantime.

Q: Can sync break my Google Ads campaigns? A: No. Sync is read-only. It pulls data but never modifies campaigns.

Advanced Diagnostic Tips

Check Google Ads API Status

Google Status Page: https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/

If Widespread Issues:

Browser Console Errors

For Advanced Users:

  1. Open browser console: F12 (Windows) or Cmd+Option+I (Mac)
  2. Go to Console tab
  3. Trigger sync
  4. Watch for JavaScript errors
  5. Screenshot errors if any
  6. Provide to support if needed

Next Steps

Resolve sync issues and optimize data flow with these guides:

Enable auto-sync to prevent manual sync issues

Monitor OAuth health monthly to avoid sudden failures

Check sync logs weekly for early problem detection

Last Updated: October 4, 2025