Best practices for getting started with Google Ads and Google Shopping

Ask Me Anything Q&A Google Shopping AMA
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Specifically, I’d love insight on:

  • Recommended first steps when launching Google Ads for a Shopify store

  • How merchants are typically using Google Analytics alongside Shopify (and whether GA4 is enough on its own)

  • Whether most stores rely solely on Shopify’s native Google integration, or if third-party apps are commonly used to enhance Google Shopping ads (feed optimization, performance tracking, etc.)

  • How all of this connects together within Shopify for the most accurate tracking and performance insights

I’d really appreciate hearing what’s working well for other Shopify merchants and any tools or setups you recommend. Thank you!

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@kristee Great questions tapping into the analytics side of things!
@EmmanuelFlossie will share his insights in a bit.

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Hello Kristee thank you for your questions.

If you want the most accurate tracking, then you need to use server side tracking. However this comes at an extra cost. There are cheap services out there, but most are pretty expensive, so more suitable for big companies, not small businesses.

For me, I use mutlifeeds for the data feed, because the google and youtube app often has bugs, or makes changes that are detrimental to the performance, such as changing the id’s from content api to merchant api. Multifeed Google Shopping Feed - Google Shopping feed, Facebook,... feeds & conversion tracking | Shopify App Store

For tracking you can continue to use the Google and Youtube app, you can disable the merchant account connection and use a different data feed solution for submitting product data.

For feed optimization, I prefer to use a supplemental sheet, via google sheets. As this allows me to improve all the data. The know what you can improve, here is a list of all attributes: Product data specification - Google Merchant Center Help

To know how merchants use Google Analytics, I recommend checking youtube videos online, to show you how it all works. I don’t personally use Google Analytics, other then to check the traffic performance between organic and paid listings in rare occasions.

All data I view is directly in Google Ads, or using scripts to collect data into a spreadsheet to view performance on a per product basis.

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