Google Pixel Issues - is it me?

Technical Q&A
1

Hey all,

I’m trying to get my Google Ads purchase conversion pixel working properly on a Basic Shopify plan and hitting walls everywhere. Looking for confirmation on whether this is a me problem or a platform problem.

Setup 1: Google & YouTube App (native Shopify integration)
Easy to set up, but the purchase pixel is only counting conversions from Google Ads clicks. I understand that’s normal for campaign-level attribution reporting, but the pixel itself should be firing on ALL purchases to give the ads account a full conversion signal. If you’re using the native Google app integration, is your purchase pixel counting all purchases or only Google-attributed ones?

Setup 2: GTM + Custom Pixels
Also tried Google Tag Manager and custom pixels via Customer Events. Tags stop firing at checkout. From what I can tell, this is because of Shopify’s checkout sandbox — third-party scripts can’t fully execute on checkout/thank-you pages on non-Plus plans.

Can anyone confirm:

1.	Is the sandbox limitation real, and does it affect the Google app’s pixel too?
2.	How are other Basic/Standard/Advanced plan stores handling this?
3.	Has anyone had success with the GA4 conversion import into Google Ads as a workaround?

Appreciate any insight. Especially from people on non-Plus plans who have actually verified their pixel data against Shopify orders.

3
  1. the sandbox issue is real and it affects everyone. shopify’s custom pixels run in a “lax sandbox” which is specifically designed for security. so not all pixel functionality works in this.
  2. for the google and youtube app, you will always be able to track only those conversions that stem from google ads (only). that’s expected attribution behavior and not a pixel firing issue.
  3. for workarounds, using the google and youtube app is better rather than relying on GTM for reliable conversion data. the GA4 to Google Ads import is widely used and while Ga4 fires through the same sandbox, it handles the purchase event much more reliably.
4

Thank you! I will try GA4 as a next stop.

Re: for the google and youtube app, you will always be able to track only those conversions that stem from google ads (only). that’s expected attribution behavior and not a pixel firing issue. —> do you mean this is expected behavior for the PIXEL (in goals —> conversion overview?) I am not talking about campaign attribution, and it is not standard behavior for a pixel to capture only Google ad conversions. It is supposed to capture universal conversions for the best breadth of observable data to optimize. Unless you mean it’s expected behavior for this Google Shopify app integration specifically? Just want to clarify that.

If the above is true— it’s kind of ■■■■■■ on Shopify’s part. Pixels are how campaigns learn and essentially Shopify just gated small players from the benefit of a full fledged pixel unless they pay $2300 for their higher tier plan? They ripped away the democratization of an out-of-the-gate shot for a high performing ROAS campaign , as it’s like fighting with one arm behind your back. I always liked Shopify and this sours my perception — stinks.

5

don’t do yourself complex logic and custom code. simple install Infinite Google Ads Tracking app it will solve your problem and get customer support.