The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads Conversion Tracking for Shopify Stores
Picture this: Your Shopify store is getting plenty of traffic from Google Ads, but you’re left wondering – are those clicks actually turning into sales?
You check your analytics daily, trying to connect the dots between your ad spend and revenue, but something’s missing. The truth is, without proper conversion tracking, you might as well be throwing darts in the dark.
Here’s what most Shopify store owners don’t realize: setting up Google Ads conversion tracking isn’t just about checking a box – it’s about unlocking insights that could double or triple your return on ad spend. You’ll finally know exactly which ads are bringing in sales (and which are just burning through your budget).
In this guide, we’ll reveal two battle-tested methods for setting up Shopify Google Ads conversion tracking: a straightforward approach that gets you up and running in minutes, and an advanced, complete setup for those who want granular control over their data. You’ll get clear, actionable steps and code snippets that work right out of the box – for accurate tracking from day one.
Whether you’re tired of guessing about your ad performance or simply want to squeeze more profit from every marketing dollar spent on paid ads, this guide will show you how to track what matters. Prefer video? Check out our video The RIGHT Way to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking for Shopify here:
Still with us? Good, let’s dive in.
Method #1: Setting Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking Using the Google & YouTube App (Easy)
For most Shopify store owners, the easiest way to set up Google Ads conversion tracking is by using the Google & YouTube app available in the Shopify App Store. This manual setup method is straightforward, quick, and doesn’t require coding skills.
Here’s how to set it up:
Step 1: Install the Google & YouTube App
In your Shopify account, go to the App Store and search for the Google & YouTube app.
Click Install to add the app to your store.
Step 2: Connect Your Google Account
Once the app is installed, you’ll need to connect it to your Google Ads and Merchant Center accounts.
Open the Google & YouTube app in your Shopify dashboard.
Click on Connect Google Account and sign in with the Google account associated with your Google Ads account.
If you don’t have a Google Merchant Center account, you’ll be prompted to create one.
If you already have one, make sure the same Google account is connected to both your Google Ads and Google Merchant Center.
Step 3: Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking in Shopify
After connecting your accounts, the app will automatically set up conversion tracking for your Google Ads campaigns. To verify this:
In your Google & YouTube app settings, go to the Conversion Tracking section.
Ensure that the Conversion Tracking toggle is turned on. Look for the green check icon.
The app will sync your conversion tracking data and push it into Google Ads automatically.
Step 4: Link Google Ads and Shopify in Your Google Ads Account
Now, head over to your Google Ads account and make sure Shopify is properly linked:
In Google Ads, go to Tools and Settings > Data Manager.
Click on Shopify and authorize the connection by entering your Shopify store URL.
Make sure Merchant Center and Google Ads are linked.
Step 5: Review Conversion Settings in Google Ads
Now that everything is connected, let’s double-check your conversion settings in Google Ads:
Go to Goals > Summary.
Check the conversion window of the Google Shopping App Purchase tag and ensure it’s set to 30 days. This is the default setting and is usually best for most eCommerce stores.
Set the attribution model to data-driven attribution (this is recommended as it better reflects the true value of each touchpoint in the customer journey).
Once you’ve completed the above, your Shopify Google Ads conversion tracking has been set up successfully, and each conversion action should be firing correctly. However, if you want to really dial in Google Ads conversion tracking, keep reading.
Method #2: Setting Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking Using Tags and Code (Advanced)
For those who want more control over their conversion tracking (or want a backup method in case the Google & YouTube app has issues), the second method of implementing Google Ads conversion tracking involves manually adding a Google tag to your Shopify store.
While this method is a bit more technical, we’ll walk you through it step-by-step and give you the exact code you need.
Step 1: Create a Google Ads Conversion Tag
In your Google Ads account, go to Goals > Summary > + Create conversion action.
Click the + Add a conversion action manually to create a new conversion action.
Select Website as the source of your conversions.
Choose the type of conversion you want to track (e.g., Purchase).
Fill out the necessary details, such as conversion name, conversion value, and count. You’ll want to make sure this is set to Primary under the Goal and action optimization tab, as this ensures this Google Ads conversion action will be counted as a conversion in your account.
Under Value, select Use different values for each conversion. This ensures that the conversion value reflects the purchase price.
Provided you have an eCommerce account, set Count to Every
30 days is standard for a click-through conversion window, but if you have a long sales cycle you can change this as needed. Attribution should be data-driven, and enhanced conversions should be managed through Google Tag.
Click Done.
Once your conversion is created, Google will provide you with a global site tag (gtag.js) and an event snippet that you’ll need to add to your Shopify store. The global site tag is located in Tag setup > Install the tag yourself. Then scroll down to Event snippet and copy the code:
Step 2: Add the Global Site Tag to Your Shopify Store
From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Customer events.
Click on Add custom pixel.
Delete the standard Code.
Copy and paste the code linked below into the Code field:
🔗 Code
In the new code, you’ll notice ‘AW-CONVERSIONID’ occurs three times. This is what you’ll want to replace with the Conversion ID in your Google Ads account.
To find your Conversion ID in your Google Ads account, select Use Google Tag Manager.
Then, take that Conversion ID (here, it’s 414009162) and replace the first two ‘CONVERSIONID’ segments with that number.
For the third CONVERSIONID, you will need both your conversion ID and your conversion label. Paste your conversion ID as before. You can find your conversion label in your Google Ads account, under Use Google Tag Manager.
Then replace ‘CONVERSIONLABEL’ with your conversion label.
Hit Save.
Select Connect.
Under Customer events, you should see something like this, confirming your conversion tracking has been set up correctly.
Step 3: Test Your Setup
Before you start running ads, it’s important to test that your conversion tracking is working properly. Here’s how:
Check out using the bogus payment gateway. This should not be a real transaction, and it is only used to ensure the conversion tracking is properly installed.
Once you have checked out, you will be taken to the purchase confirmation page. Use Tag Explorer to confirm that your Google Ads tag is firing.
Don’t expect this conversion data to populate in your Google Ads account right away. This usually takes several hours to update (indicated by this tag showing as ‘Active’):
Verify the next day to ensure all conversions are being properly tracked, and that everything has been set up correctly.
How to Avoid Double Tracking Conversions
When using both the Google & YouTube app and the Google Ads tag method, you may end up double tracking conversions. To prevent this, here’s what you need to do:
In your Google Ads account, go to Goals > Summary > Conversions. If you see both conversions are set to ‘Primary,’ as below, this indicates your conversion tracking may be double counting:
To prevent double tracking, find your tag inside of your Google Ads account. Under Settings, click action optimization and set it to secondary action not used for bidding optimization.
This ensures that you will still collect data, but none of the double-tracked data will count toward the conversion data in your account. Instead, only the data from the primary tag will be fed back into your account and used to train your smart bidding. Once this is set up, you should see something like this:
Final Thoughts
By following these steps, you should now have accurate Google Ads conversion tracking set up for your Shopify store. Whether you choose the easier, app-based method or the more hands-on code implementation, both approaches will help you optimize your campaigns, track sales, and ultimately grow your business.
We recommend setting up both methods for added reliability. This way, if one method fails or encounters an issue, you’ll have a backup solution running smoothly.
Start setting up your conversion tracking today, and let the data do the hard work for you!
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