shopify conversion tracking with google ads

How to set up Google Ads conversion tracking on Shopify

In the dynamic realm of e-commerce, the key to success isn’t just attracting visitors to your Shopify store; it’s about turning those clicks into tangible results.

In this comprehensive guide, we’re delving into the heart of the matter, how to set up Google Ads conversion tracking on Shopify platform.

Get ready to harness the potency of precision with Google Ads conversion tracking on Shopify.

What Are Google Ads:

Google Ads, referred to as Google’s pay-per-click (PPC) platform, provides businesses with the means to enhance their presence across Google’s diverse platforms. 

The primary Google Ads format is the search ad, prominently displayed on the search engine results page (SERP) when user queries align with the advertiser’s offerings. 

Nevertheless, Google Ads serves as a versatile tool enabling the deployment of various ad types, including display ads, shopping ads, YouTube ads, and other ad variants.

Why Do You Track Your Conversions:

Monitoring conversions holds significant value for several reasons, with its foremost benefit lying in the ability to optimise your ad expenditure more intuitively. 

The insights garnered from tracking conversions furnish valuable insights into areas necessitating refinement within your current focal points. By engaging in conversion tracking, you can:

Ascertain Return on Investment: Tracking conversions empowers you to make informed judgements concerning your ad budget. By comprehending the outcomes derived from your advertising efforts, you can gauge the effectiveness of your investments.

Discern Effective Elements: Pinpointing which keywords, campaigns, and advertisements stimulate customer engagement becomes feasible. This understanding aids in tailoring your strategies for enhanced outcomes.

Employ Astute Bidding Strategies: Conversion tracking facilitates the implementation of intelligent bidding strategies, enabling you to fine-tune your ad campaigns for optimal results.

How To Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking on Shopify:

Enabling Google Ads conversion tracking within your Shopify store involves utilising Google’s tracking tool. This empowers you to gauge the effectiveness of your Google ads. The process consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Establish a Conversion Action on Google Ads

The initial phase of conversion tracking necessitates the creation of a conversion action within the Google Ads platform. It’s imperative to recognise that the chosen conversions to monitor vary based on your business goals through Google Ads. Measurable conversions span activities such as form submissions, purchases, and sign-ups. The process to formulate a conversion action unfolds as follows:

  1. Log into your designated Google Ads account.
  2. Click on the “Tools” button situated at the upper right corner of the page.
  3. Under the “Measurement” tab, select “Conversions.”
  4. Initiate the creation of a new conversion by clicking the “+ New Conversion” button.
  5. Opt for the relevant website.
  6. Enter your website’s domain and proceed to click the “Scan” button.

For swift conversion action setup, opt to track a specific page load as a conversion. This option is presented upon clicking the “Scan” button. Notably, customer journeys towards conversions aren’t always linear. 

Multiple ad interactions might precede engagement with your ad. Employing attribution models permits equitable credit allocation for diverse ad interactions. Consequently, the worth of each interaction can be determined. Various attribution models to enhance ad effectiveness encompass:

Last Click: Sole credit is attributed to the final clicked ad leading to the conversion.

First Click: The sole credit is attributed to the initial ad interaction that initiated the conversion journey.

Linear: Equal credit is distributed across all ad interactions.

Time Decay: Proximity to the conversion influences credit allocation, with closer interactions receiving more credit.

Position-Based: The concluding and initiating interactions acquire 40% credit each, while the remaining 20% is distributed amongst other interactions.

Data-Driven: Credit distribution relies on historical customer data for the conversion action, underpinning this model.

Step 2: Embed the Global Site Tag in Your Shopify Theme Code

Upon establishing the conversion action, the subsequent task involves integrating a global site tag into your Shopify theme’s code. This tag should be accurately placed within the code to ensure proper functioning. To accomplish this task, follow these steps:

  1. Upon reaching the “Set up the tag” phase, select the “Install the tag yourself” option.
  2. Choose the most applicable choice in the “Global site tag” section.

You will be furnished with a global site tag. Copy this tag and proceed as follows:

  1. In a separate browser tab, access your Shopify admin area and select “Online Store.”
  2. Click on the “Actions” button, then opt for “Edit Code.”
  3. Locate the theme.liquid file and open it.
  4. Paste the copied global site tag directly between the <head> tags, ensuring its application to every page on your website.
  5. Click the “Save” button.

 

Below is an illustrative example of the global site tag integration:

<!– Global site tag (gtag.js) – Google Ads: CONVERSION_ID –>

<script async src=”https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=AW-CONVERSION_ID”></script>

<script>

  window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];

  function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}

  gtag(‘js’, new Date());

  gtag(‘config’,’AW-CONVERSION_ID’);

</script>

Step 3: Embed the Event Snippet

Having successfully integrated the global site tag, the next step involves incorporating the event snippet onto your checkout page. This snippet is pivotal for tracking conversions that transpire when a user interacts with an ad and subsequently progresses to your store’s checkout page. Follow these guidelines to seamlessly install the event snippet:

  1. Within the event snippet section, opt for “Page Load.”
  2. Copy the provided code snippet.

Continuing in your Shopify environment:

  1. Click on “Settings” within your Shopify admin area, followed by selecting “Checkout.”
  2. Navigate to the “Order Processing” section, which includes a designated text box for additional scripts.
  3. Paste the copied event snippet into this allocated text box.

For reference, an exemplar of the event snippet is provided below:

<!– Event snippet for Example conversion page –>

<script>

  gtag(‘event’, ‘conversion’, {‘send_to’: ‘AW-CONVERSION_ID/CONVERSION_LABEL’,

    ‘value’: 1.0,

    ‘currency’: ‘USD’

  });

</script>

Step 4: Enable Dynamic Conversion Value

The conclusive phase entails imparting dynamism to the conversion value. When tracking conversion actions tied to purchases within your online store, individual conversion values will inherently differ based on item prices and the nature of the advertised products. 

If you seek to monitor varying values for each conversion, customization of the event snippet becomes essential. Follow these actions to imbue the event snippet with dynamism:

  1. Access your Shopify admin area and proceed to “Settings,” subsequently selecting “Checkout.”
  2. Locate the event snippet within the dedicated additional scripts text box housed in the “Order Processing” segment.

The line initiating with ‘value’: should be altered as follows, contingent on your preferences:

  • To exclude shipping and taxes from the total conversion amount, modify the ‘value’: line to ‘value’: {{ checkout.subtotal_price | money_without_currency }}.
  • If you intend to encompass shipping and taxes within the total conversion amount, replace the ‘value’: line with ‘value’: {{ checkout.total_price | money_without_currency }}.

Conclusion:

Google Ads’ conversion tracking empowers you to ascertain the proportion of users who progress from clicking on your search or display ads to making purchases or subscribing to newsletters. 

For Shopify websites equipped with online stores, these four straightforward steps, elucidated above, facilitate seamless conversion tracking.