Google Ads for a Shopify Account
I've managed Google Ads for dozens of e-commerce stores, and I'll tell you straight: Shopify makes connecting to Google Ads easier than most platforms, but that doesn't mean your campaigns will automatically work.
Quick Answer: To run Google Ads for Shopify, you need to install the Google & YouTube app from the Shopify App Store, connect your Google Ads account, set up conversion tracking, and create campaigns targeting your best-selling products. Budget at least £20-30/day minimum for meaningful results, and expect 7-14 days before Google's algorithm learns enough to optimise properly.
The technical setup is straightforward. What actually matters is how you structure your campaigns and manage your budget. Let me walk you through both.
Why Google Ads?
Look, I'm not going to tell you Google Ads is magical. It's competitive and can burn through money fast if you're not careful.
But here's why it works: people searching on Google have intent. They're actively looking for products. Compare that to social media where you're interrupting someone scrolling through cat videos.
Google processes over 8.5 billion searches daily. A decent chunk of those are people ready to buy. If you're selling products that people actively search for (not just impulse buys), Google Ads can drive serious revenue.
The key word there is "actively search for." If your products are ultra-niche or people don't know they exist yet, you'll struggle.
Setting Up Your Shopify Store with Google Ads
Before you spend a penny on ads, you need three things sorted:
1. A proper Shopify plan – Not the trial. You need a paid plan because you'll need to remove the password protection from your store.
2. A Google Ads account – Go to ads.google.com and create an account. Use the same email address you use for Shopify. Makes life easier.
3. A Google Merchant Center account – This is where your product data lives. Google pulls from here to show your products in Shopping ads.
Most guides make this sound complicated. It's not. The Google & YouTube app handles most of it automatically.
Installing the Google & YouTube App
This is your bridge between Shopify and Google. Here's how:
Go to your Shopify admin panel
Navigate to the App Store and search "Google & YouTube"
Click Install
Follow the prompts to connect your Google account
The app will automatically create your Merchant Center feed
The app syncs your product catalogue, prices, and inventory automatically. That's the main benefit – you're not manually uploading product feeds or updating them when prices change.
Connecting Google Ads to Shopify
Once the app is installed:
In Shopify, go to Sales Channels > Google
Click "Connect Google Account"
Sign in with the same Google account you used for Google Ads
Authorise the connection
Select your Google Ads account from the list
The app will link everything together. Your products will flow into Google Merchant Center, and your Google Ads account will be able to pull that product data for campaigns.
Important: Make sure your products meet Google's requirements. Clear images, accurate descriptions, proper product categories. Google will reject products that don't meet their standards, and that'll limit what you can advertise.
Setting Up Conversion Tracking (Don't Skip This)
This is where most Shopify owners mess up. They launch campaigns without proper conversion tracking, then wonder why they can't tell which ads actually drive sales.
The Google & YouTube app automatically sets up basic conversion tracking for:
Purchases
Add to cart
Begin checkout
But you need to verify it's working:
In Google Ads, go to Tools > Measurement > Conversions
You should see conversion actions already created
Make a test purchase on your store (you can cancel/refund it)
Check if the conversion appears in Google Ads within 24 hours
If conversions aren't tracking, your campaigns are flying blind. You'll spend money without knowing what's working.
Creating Your First Google Ads Campaign for Shopify
Right, you're connected. Now let's build a campaign that doesn't waste money.
Performance Max vs Shopping Campaigns: Which One?
You've got two main options:
Performance Max (PMAX) – Google's automated campaign type. It shows your products across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Gmail, and Discover. Google's algorithm decides where and when to show your ads.
Standard Shopping Campaigns – More manual control. Your ads appear in Google Shopping results and Search. You control bids, product groups, and targeting more directly.
My recommendation for Shopify stores starting out: Start with Performance Max.
Here's why: PMAX gives Google's algorithm more data points to optimise from. It's not perfect, but for stores without existing campaign data, it performs better than a poorly managed manual Shopping campaign.
Once you've got 3-6 months of data and you know your numbers, you can add a Standard Shopping campaign for more control over your best-selling products.
Setting Up a Performance Max Campaign
In your Google Ads account:
Click Campaigns > New Campaign
Select your objective (Sales is the obvious choice)
Choose Performance Max as your campaign type
Set your daily budget – minimum £20-30/day if you want meaningful data
Choose your target locations (UK, US, wherever you ship)
Set up your asset group (images, headlines, descriptions)
Budget reality check: If you set £10/day, you'll get maybe 5-10 clicks. That's not enough data for Google to learn anything. You need volume. At £20-30/day, you're looking at £600-900/month. If that's too much, Google Ads might not be the right channel yet.
Choosing Which Products to Advertise
Don't advertise everything. Seriously.
Focus on:
Your best-selling products (you know they convert)
Products with decent profit margins (you need room for ad spend)
Products people actually search for (check Google Keyword Planner)
In your Google Merchant Center, you can create product groups to segment what you advertise. Start with 5-10 of your strongest products. If they work, expand.
If you're selling a £15 product with £3 profit and it costs you £5 to acquire a customer, the maths doesn't work. Be ruthless about this.
Writing Effective Product Titles and Descriptions
Your product feed is your ad creative for Shopping campaigns. Google pulls directly from your Shopify product data.
Make your product titles specific:
Bad: "Running Shoes"
Good: "Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 39 Men's Running Shoes – Black/White"
Include:
Brand name
Product type
Key features (size, colour, material)
Gender/age group if relevant
Google's algorithm uses this data to match your products to relevant searches. Vague titles = poor matching = wasted spend.
| Product Title Element | Why It Matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Name | People search by brand – captures high-intent traffic | "Nike" or "Adidas" |
| Product Type | Matches category searches | "Running Shoes" not just "Shoes" |
| Key Features | Differentiates from competitors | "Waterproof" or "Size 10" |
| Colour/Size | Matches specific product searches | "Black/White – UK Size 9" |
The First 14 Days
Launch your campaign and then... nothing happens immediately.
This frustrates people. They expect instant sales. Doesn't work like that.
Days 1-7: Google's algorithm is learning. It's testing which searches convert, which audiences respond, which products to prioritise. Your results will be erratic. You might get a few sales or none at all. This is normal.
Days 8-14: You should start seeing patterns. Conversion data feeds back into the algorithm. Performance stabilises (hopefully improves).
Weeks 3-4: Now you've got enough data to make informed decisions.
Don't make drastic changes in the first week. I've seen people panic, pause campaigns, change budgets daily, switch targeting. All that does is reset the learning phase.
What to Monitor
Check these metrics daily:
Spend – Are you hitting your daily budget?
Impressions – Are your ads showing? If impressions are low, your budget might be too small or your products aren't approved
Clicks – Are people interested?
Conversions – Are clicks turning into sales?
Check these weekly:
Cost per conversion – What does each sale cost you?
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) – For every £1 spent, how much revenue comes back?
Conversion rate – What percentage of clicks convert?
Target ROAS: For most e-commerce stores, you want 3-4x ROAS minimum to be profitable after product costs and other expenses. If you're spending £100 and making £250 in revenue (2.5x ROAS), you're probably breaking even or losing money once you factor in cost of goods.
Common Mistakes
I see the same errors repeatedly:
1. Advertising low-margin products – If you're making £2 profit per unit, you can't afford to spend £5 acquiring a customer. Do the maths before launching.
2. Setting budgets too low – £5-10/day doesn't give Google enough data to optimise. You're just wasting time. Check out my budget blog for more information.
3. No conversion tracking – Flying blind. You'll never know what's working.
4. Poor product images – Blurry photos, weird angles, inconsistent backgrounds. Your products compete visually in Shopping results. Invest in decent imagery.
5. Ignoring negative keywords – If you sell premium products, add "cheap," "free," "DIY" as negative keywords. You'll stop wasting budget on people who'll never buy.
6. Making changes too quickly – Give campaigns time to learn. Tweaking bids daily just confuses the algorithm.
7. Not checking mobile experience – Most e-commerce traffic is mobile. If your site loads slowly or checkout is clunky on mobile, you'll haemorrhage money.
If you need help getting this right, I manage Google Ads and Microsoft Ads accounts from £5k-£200k+/month – focused on real conversions, not just clicks. Most of my e-commerce clients see positive ROAS within 4-6 weeks when the fundamentals are solid.
Optimising Your Campaigns After Launch
After your first month, you've got data. Now you can optimise properly.
Analyse Your Search Terms
In Performance Max, you can't see all search terms like you could in old-school Shopping campaigns, but you can see some insights:
Go to your PMAX campaign
Click Insights > Search Terms
Look for irrelevant searches
Add these as negative keywords. If you sell "luxury watches" and you're showing up for "cheap replica watches," that's wasted spend.
Adjust Product Priorities
Some products will outperform others. In your Merchant Center, you can set priority levels (Low, Medium, High) for different product groups.
High priority = Google will bid more aggressively for these products.
Use this to push your best performers and scale back underperformers.
Scale What Works
If you're hitting your target ROAS and spending your full daily budget, increase your budget by 20% every week. Don't double it overnight – that restarts the learning phase.
If a campaign is working at £30/day with 4x ROAS, gradually scale to £36/day, then £43/day, then £52/day. Monitor closely. Sometimes scaling breaks what was working.
When Google Ads Won't Work for Your Shopify Store
Let's be honest. Google Ads isn't right for every Shopify store.
It struggles with:
Impulse-buy products people don't search for – If your product is so niche that no one knows to search for it, Google Ads will be expensive
Very low average order values – If you're selling £5 products, the cost per click alone will eat your margins
Long sales cycles – If people need weeks to decide, attribution gets messy
Highly saturated markets – If you're selling generic phone cases competing with Amazon and 50 other Shopify stores, CPCs will be brutal
Facebook/Instagram ads might work better for impulse buys and brand-new products. Google Ads works when people already want what you sell – you're just making sure they find you instead of a competitor.
Tools That Actually Help
Beyond the Google & YouTube app, these tools make life easier:
Google Analytics 4 – Essential for understanding customer behaviour beyond just ad clicks. Set it up properly and link it to Google Ads.
Google Keyword Planner – Free tool to research what people actually search for. Validate demand before advertising.
Shopify Analytics – Built into your Shopify dashboard. Shows which products convert best and where traffic comes from.
Trust me, attribution is messy in 2025. Someone might see your Google Ad, not click, then search your brand name a week later and buy. Google Ads gets no credit in standard last-click attribution, but that ad drove awareness. These tools help untangle that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I spend on Google Ads for my Shopify store?
Minimum £20-30/day (£600-900/month) to get meaningful data. If you can't afford that, focus on organic traffic and email marketing first. Lower budgets don't give Google's algorithm enough data to optimise effectively.
Can I run Google Ads myself or should I hire someone?
You can absolutely run it yourself if you're willing to learn and have time to monitor campaigns regularly. But if you're spending £2k+/month, hiring someone experienced usually pays for itself through better ROAS. I've seen store owners waste £5-10k learning lessons that an experienced ads manager could've avoided.
How long until I see results from Google Ads?
Expect 14 days minimum for the algorithm to learn, then 30-60 days to properly optimise and see consistent results. Anyone promising instant sales is lying. The platform needs time and data.
Do I need a Google Merchant Center account?
Yes, for Shopping campaigns and Performance Max campaigns (which work best for most Shopify stores). The Google & YouTube app sets this up automatically.
What's a good ROAS for e-commerce Google Ads?
Target 3-4x minimum to be profitable after accounting for product costs, shipping, and other expenses. So £1 spent should generate £3-4 in revenue. Some stores can survive on 2.5x if margins are healthy, but that's tight.
Final Thoughts
Running Google Ads for your Shopify store isn't complicated technically – the app handles most of the setup. What's hard is the strategy, budget management, and patience.
Most failures come from unrealistic expectations (wanting sales in 48 hours), inadequate budgets (trying to test with £300 total spend), or no conversion tracking (not knowing what actually works).
If you've got products people search for, decent profit margins, and enough budget to test properly, Google Ads can be incredibly profitable for Shopify stores. But it's not a "set and forget" platform. Plan on spending time optimising, or hire someone who knows what they're doing.
Questions about running Google Ads for your Shopify store? Drop me a message – I'll reply personally.