60 articles tagged with "Google Ads".
← Back to all postsPlatform-reported ROAS tells you what Google attributed to itself. Incrementality testing tells you whether those sales would have happened without the ads. Here is how geo holdout tests, campaign experiments, and conversion lift studies work — and how to run one for your store.
Read article →Running Google Shopping across multiple countries requires separate feed configurations, country-specific shipping settings, and a campaign structure that gives you budget control per market. Here is how to handle currency, feed localisation, and campaign structure when expanding beyond your home market.
Read article →Remarketing cart abandoners and product page viewers sounds simple. In practice, audience list creation, minimum sizes, RLSA in Shopping campaigns, and the difference between GA4 audiences and Google Ads lists trips up most stores. Here is how to do it correctly.
Read article →Google Ads shows 50 conversions, Shopify shows 30 orders. A customer clicked your ad 5 days ago and bought today — does it count? Different reports inside Google Ads show different numbers. Here is how conversion windows work, what view-through conversions are, and why the discrepancies exist.
Read article →Auction Insights shows how your ads compete against specific competitors in the same auctions. Here is what every metric means, how to read it differently for Shopping vs. Search, when to respond to a competitive threat and when to ignore it, and how to use Impression Share as a bidding signal.
Read article →Most Google Ads advice assumes a large catalog. If you are running a 10-50 SKU store, the standard playbook breaks down — Smart Bidding struggles, campaign structure changes, and feed optimization strategy is different. Here is what actually works for small catalog ecommerce.
Read article →Google's New Customer Acquisition goal tells PMax and Shopping to prioritize finding new buyers rather than re-converting existing ones. Here is what the two NCA modes do, how Google identifies new customers, what you need in GTM to make it work, and when it is the right strategy to run.
Read article →Branded traffic converts at 10-20x the rate of non-branded. When you mix them in the same campaign, your ROAS looks great while non-branded prospecting silently loses money. Here is how to separate them in Search and Shopping, why it matters for Smart Bidding, and how to handle competitors bidding on your brand.
Read article →Optimization Score is one of the most visible numbers in Google Ads and one of the most misleading. A low score does not mean your account is broken. A 100% score does not mean your account is well-run. Here is what it actually measures and which recommendations are worth acting on.
Read article →Ramping campaigns up before Black Friday, maintaining peak performance in season, and winding down without destroying your machine learning data are all distinct challenges. Here is how to manage the seasonal lifecycle of a Google Ads account without repeatedly triggering the learning phase.
Read article →Google's onboarding pushes new store owners into Smart Campaigns, and Auto-Apply Recommendations quietly changes account settings without explicit approval. Here is what each does, which recommendations are worth accepting, and how to get back to manual control.
Read article →A suspended Google Ads account stops all campaigns immediately with no warning. Here is a breakdown of every suspension type — policy violations, billing, circumventing systems — what each one means, and the exact appeal process for each.
Read article →A 500% ROAS looks great. But after COGS, shipping, returns, payment fees, and ad spend, you might be losing money. Here is what POAS is, why most stores are optimizing for the wrong metric, and how to feed real margin data into Google Ads so it optimizes for profit rather than revenue.
Read article →Google replaced Discovery ads with Demand Gen in 2023 and has been pushing it as part of the ecommerce ad stack ever since. Here is what Demand Gen actually is, how it differs from PMax and standard Display, and the conditions under which it makes sense for a Shopify store to run it.
Read article →One campaign for everything or one per category? Brand separate from non-brand? One PMax or multiple? These are the most common structural questions from ecommerce store owners setting up Google Ads. Here is a practical framework that works for most Shopify stores.
Read article →Most Google Ads users assume the Search Terms report shows everything their ads matched. It does not. Google removed a large portion of query data in 2020 and visibility has continued to shrink. Here is what you can and cannot see, what the PMax search terms report actually shows, and how to work around the gaps.
Read article →Customer Match lets you upload your Shopify customer list directly to Google Ads and use it for audience targeting, PMax signals, and Similar Segments. Here is how to set it up, why match rates are low, and how to automate list refreshes so your first-party data stays current.
Read article →Enhanced Conversions is Google's primary response to cookie loss and Consent Mode gaps. Here is what it actually does, how to set it up on Shopify with and without GTM, how it interacts with your existing tracking, and how to verify it is working before trusting the numbers.
Read article →Clicks but no sales. ROAS suddenly dropped. Spend with nothing to show for it. When Google Ads stops working and you do not know why, here is the systematic audit process — search terms, auction insights, product coverage, conversion tracking, and asset performance — that finds the actual problem.
Read article →Running Performance Max alongside Standard Shopping or Search creates overlapping conversions that make it impossible to tell what is actually working. Here is how multi-campaign attribution works in Google Ads, why PMax ROAS can look great while sales stay flat, and how to compare campaigns side by side in Looker Studio.
Read article →Moving from Maximize Conversions to Target ROAS is one of the highest-stakes decisions in Google Ads account management. Done right, it unlocks better efficiency. Done wrong, it kills spend for weeks. Here is the framework for making bidding transitions safely.
Read article →PMax is behind a huge share of Google ad spend and generates more confusion than any other campaign type. Here is a clear breakdown of asset groups, brand exclusions, campaign signals, and when to run PMax alongside Standard Shopping versus instead of it.
Read article →The Special offer badge on Shopping ads lifts CTR and conversion rate at no extra cost per click. Here is exactly how to set up a two-phase sale promotion using feed files — coupon code phase followed by automatic discount phase — with the common errors and how to avoid them.
Read article →Google offers two ways to show your products in Shopping results: paid Shopping ads and free product listings. Most stores focus only on ads and leave free visibility on the table. Here is how both work and how to get the most from each.
Read article →Google Merchant Center is the backend infrastructure for every Shopping ad and free product listing on Google. Here is what it does, how it connects to Google Ads, and why no ecommerce store running paid search should skip it.
Read article →The native Google Ads connector in Looker Studio gives you live campaign data without any exports. Here is how to connect it, which metrics actually matter for a campaign dashboard, and how to set up a view that surfaces problems before they become expensive.
Read article →Data blending lets you join data from two different sources into a single chart. Here is how to set it up, what join keys to use for GA4 and Google Ads, and why blended data produces wrong numbers when you do not configure it carefully.
Read article →A data source is the bridge between Looker Studio and your data. Here is how to connect GA4, Google Ads, and Google Sheets, what the difference is between a report-level and reusable data source, and what to do when a connection breaks.
Read article →GA4's machine learning builds audiences based on who is likely to purchase, who is likely to churn, and who will be your top spenders — and they sync automatically to Google Ads. Here is exactly how to use them.
Read article →Standard GTM Page View triggers are useless on Next.js out of the box. Here is a complete implementation plan for virtual pageviews, slide-in cart tracking, GA4 e-commerce events, and Google Ads conversions on a client-side routed SPA.
Read article →GTM4WP by Thomas Geiger is the cleanest way to push a GA4-compliant ecommerce data layer from WooCommerce into GTM without touching theme code. Here is the full setup for Google Ads conversion tracking.
Read article →If your WhatConverts tracking numbers keep getting disapproved in Google Ads call assets, the root cause is domain verification — not the number itself. Here is exactly why it happens and how to fix it permanently.
Read article →A practical breakdown of how GA4 attribution models work, how last click and data-driven differ, and what it actually means for how you evaluate Google Ads performance.
Read article →Learn how to create powerful GA4 audiences using events and parameters, and how to export them to Google Ads for retargeting and exclusions.
Read article →Cut through the noise - here are the GA4 reports that actually matter for evaluating Google Ads performance, diagnosing issues, and making better decisions.
Read article →Understand the difference between GA4 Key Events and Google Ads conversions, how to mark events correctly, and which actions are worth tracking.
Read article →Step-by-step tutorial to connect Claude AI to Google Ads using MCP and Zapier. Query campaign data, pull reports, and analyze performance using plain English - no developer needed.
Read article →Since March 2024, Google requires consent signals with every ad request. A poorly designed cookie banner can silently wipe out 90%+ of your conversion data - even when Tag Assistant shows everything as granted.
Read article →Redirects are one of the most common and least obvious causes of GCLID loss. Learn why redirects strip the Google Click ID, which scenarios cause it, and how to recover attribution.
Read article →Setting scroll depth, time on site, or video views as primary conversion actions teaches Smart Bidding to optimize for the wrong outcomes. Here's how it happens and how to fix it.
Read article →Fix missing purchase value in Google Ads by correctly defining ecommerce variables in Google Tag Manager. Step by step guide covering value, currency, transaction_id, and items.
Read article →Explore how AI tools evolved from experimental helpers to essential infrastructure in Google Ads, conversion tracking, and feed optimization workflows.
Read article →Understand how Google Tag Manager, GA4, and Google Ads connect to create accurate conversion tracking, better attribution, and stronger campaign performance.
Read article →Learn how to track phone call conversions from Google Ads using GTM. Covers click-to-call tracking, dynamic number insertion, call extensions, and offline call imports.
Read article →Understand how Google Ads uses data-driven attribution to credit conversions across touchpoints. Includes real ecommerce customer journey examples and practical implementation guidance.
Read article →Learn how to use Claude AI to implement conversion tracking, create data layer code, troubleshoot GTM issues, and build complete tracking setups for Google Ads.
Read article →Understand exactly how Consent Mode affects your tracking data. Learn what happens to Google Analytics, Google Ads, and remarketing when users deny consent.
Read article →Learn how to upload offline conversions to Google Ads using Google Sheets. Step-by-step guide covering GCLID tracking, spreadsheet formatting, and scheduled imports.
Read article →Learn how to send offline conversions to Google Ads using Zapier and webhooks. Step-by-step guide covering GCLID capture, CRM integration, and automated conversion uploads.
Read article →Learn how to set up custom variables in Google Ads for better audience segmentation and campaign optimization. Covers implementation in GTM, data layer setup, and activation strategies.
Read article →Understand the difference between standard retargeting and dynamic retargeting in Google Ads. Learn how to implement tracking for both strategies using Google Tag Manager.
Read article →Understand the key differences between server-side tracking and offline conversion import in Google Ads. Learn when to use each method and how they work together.
Read article →Learn why your Shopify revenue doesn't match Google Ads conversion data. Covers attribution windows, tracking methods, data timing, and how to reconcile the numbers.
Read article →Learn how to track mailto link clicks as conversions in Google Tag Manager. Step-by-step guide covering trigger setup, event tracking, and Google Ads conversion configuration.
Read article →Learn how to track WhatsApp link clicks and button clicks as conversions in Google Tag Manager. Complete guide covering wa.me links, floating widgets, and conversion setup.
Read article →Learn what ROAS means, how to calculate it correctly using revenue data, and why it matters for Google Ads optimization. Includes formulas, examples, and common mistakes to avoid.
Read article →Understand why tracking is not optional for Google Ads success. Learn how conversion data powers Smart Bidding, audience targeting, attribution, and campaign optimization.
Read article →Learn why the Conversion Linker tag is critical for Google Ads tracking, how it works, and how to set it up correctly in GTM.
Read article →Learn what GCLID is, how Google's click identifier works, why it matters for conversion tracking, and how to troubleshoot common GCLID issues.
Read article →A step-by-step guide to properly configure Google Ads conversion tracking on your Shopify store using Google Tag Manager, including enhanced conversions setup.
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