Google Ads Conversion Tracking for Shopify with Transaction Variables

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Setting Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking
   • Step 1: Log into your Shopify store
   • Step 2: Go to Settings and then Checkout
   • Step 3: Locate the Additional Scripts box
   • Step 4: Get the Google Ads conversion tag
   • Step 5: Install the tag yourself on the confirmation page
3. Customizing the Google Ads Conversion Tag
   • Step 1: Rename the conversion
   • Step 2: Adjust the default value
   • Step 3: Define the conversion count
   • Step 4: Edit conversion windows
   • Step 5: Choose the attribution model
4. Editing the Conversion Tag Code for Shopify
   • Step 1: Copy and paste the tag
   • Step 2: Edit the code for sending the conversion value
   • Step 3: Save the changes
5. Troubleshooting and Reporting
   • Step 1: Verifying the Google Ads conversion tag
   • Step 2: Turning off the default purchase conversion event
   • Step 3: Monitoring and analyzing conversions
6. Conclusion

Setting Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking on Shopify

Google Ads conversion tracking is a powerful tool that allows you to measure the success of your advertising campaigns by tracking specific conversions and their respective values on your Shopify website. By accurately tracking conversions, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your advertising efforts and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns.

Step 1: Log into your Shopify store

To begin setting up Google Ads conversion tracking on your Shopify website, log into your Shopify store with your credentials. Once logged in, navigate to the "Settings" menu and select "Checkout."

Step 2: Go to Settings and then Checkout

In the "Settings" menu, scroll down until you find the "Checkout" section. Click on it to access the settings related to the checkout process on your Shopify store.

Step 3: Locate the Additional Scripts box

Within the "Checkout" section, locate the "Additional Scripts" box. This box allows you to add custom scripts to the final confirmation page of your checkout process.

Step 4: Get the Google Ads conversion tag

To set up Google Ads conversion tracking, you'll need to access your Google Ads account. Open your Google Ads account and navigate to the "Tools and Settings" menu. From there, click on "Conversions" to access the conversions settings.

Step 5: Install the tag yourself on the confirmation page

In the conversions settings, click the plus button to create a new conversion. Choose the conversion action type "Website purchase" and provide a name for the conversion. You can also customize other settings such as the conversion value, conversion count, conversion windows, and attribution model according to your requirements.

Next, install the Google Ads conversion tag yourself on the confirmation page of your Shopify store. Copy the tag code provided by Google Ads and paste it in the "Additional Scripts" box on your Shopify store's checkout settings page. To ensure the conversion value is correctly tracked, edit a specific piece of code within the tag code to send the subtotal value with the order number. Save the changes, and the Google Ads conversion tag will now fire on the thank you confirmation page whenever a purchase is made through your Google Ads campaign.

Customizing the Google Ads Conversion Tag

When setting up Google Ads conversion tracking on your Shopify website, you have the option to customize various elements of the conversion tag to suit your preferences and tracking needs.

Step 1: Rename the conversion

Once you've created the conversion action in your Google Ads account, you can choose to rename it to better reflect the specific conversion you are tracking. This can be particularly useful if you have multiple conversion actions in your account.

Step 2: Adjust the default value

By default, Google Ads assigns a value of $1 to each conversion. However, this might not accurately represent the value of every sale made on your Shopify store. To capture the actual value of individual sales, edit the default value to reflect the typical or average value of your products or services.

Step 3: Define the conversion count

Google Ads allows you to specify how conversions should be counted. For example, if your campaign is focused on lead generation, you can set the conversion count to "One" to count each lead captured. On the other hand, if your goal is to track purchases, you can set the conversion count to "Every" to count each purchase made.

Step 4: Edit conversion windows

Conversion windows determine how long conversions will be attributed to your ads. Google Ads offers default conversion windows, but you can modify them to match your business goals and the typical time frames within which customers complete a conversion.

Step 5: Choose the attribution model

Attribution models determine how credit for conversions is assigned to different touchpoints in the customer journey. Google Ads provides several attribution models to choose from, including time decay and last click. Select the most appropriate model that aligns with your marketing strategy and understanding of customer behavior.

Editing the Conversion Tag Code for Shopify

To ensure the Google Ads conversion tag works correctly with your Shopify website, you'll need to make a few changes to the code provided by Google Ads. These code edits allow the conversion tag to send accurate information back to Google Ads, specifically the subtotal value and order number.

Step 1: Copy and paste the tag

Once you've obtained the Google Ads conversion tag code, copy it from your Google Ads account. Go back to your Shopify store's checkout settings page and paste the code into the "Additional Scripts" box, just below any existing scripts.

Step 2: Edit the code for sending the conversion value

To include the subtotal value with the order number in the conversion tag, you'll need to edit a small piece of code within the tag itself. Replace the default value, currency, and transaction ID placeholders with the specific code snippet provided specifically for Shopify websites. This ensures that the conversion value is accurately sent back to Google Ads.

Step 3: Save the changes

After completing the code edits, save the changes to the "Additional Scripts" box. The updated conversion tag will now fire on the thank you confirmation page, capturing the subtotal value along with the order number every time someone makes a purchase through your Google Ads campaign on your Shopify store.

Troubleshooting and Reporting

After setting up and customizing Google Ads conversion tracking on your Shopify website, it's important to address any potential issues and monitor the progress of your campaigns.

Step 1: Verifying the Google Ads conversion tag

Once you've installed the Google Ads conversion tag on your Shopify store, it's essential to verify that it's working correctly. Visit the thank you confirmation page after making a purchase and ensure that the conversion tag fires. You can also use Google's Tag Assistant or other tag verification tools to verify the installation.

Step 2: Turning off the default purchase conversion event

By default, Shopify's Google app integration automatically populates various conversion events, including the purchase event. To prevent duplicate reporting, turn off or disable the default purchase conversion event within the Google app settings. This ensures that only the custom conversion tag you installed on the confirmation page is reported in the conversion column and accurately tracks the values.

Step 3: Monitoring and analyzing conversions

Regularly monitor your Google Ads campaign performance and conversion data to gain insights into the effectiveness of your advertising efforts. Use the Google Ads reporting tools to analyze various metrics and make data-driven decisions to optimize your campaigns. Compare the performance of different campaigns, ad groups, and keywords to identify areas of improvement and potential optimizations.

Conclusion

Setting up Google Ads conversion tracking on your Shopify website allows you to measure the success of your advertising campaigns and track specific conversions with their respective values. By following the steps outlined in this guide and customizing the conversion settings to your requirements, you can accurately track the performance of your Google Ads campaigns and optimize them for better results. Stay vigilant in monitoring your conversions, troubleshooting any issues, and making data-driven decisions to improve the effectiveness of your advertising efforts on Shopify.