You’re spending money on Google Ads for your Shopify store, but the sales aren’t matching the spend. Every week, more of your budget disappears, and you find yourself questioning what went wrong.
The frustrating part is that it is usually not your product or pricing. It is a handful of avoidable mistakes quietly draining your ad dollars. This guide breaks down the three biggest Shopify Google Ads mistakes that tank your ROI and shows you exactly how to fix each one.
Mistake #1: Targeting the Wrong Keywords (And Ignoring the Ones You Shouldn’t)
This is the error that drains budgets faster than anything else. You select a few keywords that seem right, set the campaign to broad match, and let it run. A week later, you check your search terms report and discover you’ve been paying for clicks from people searching “free Shopify themes” or “how to start a Shopify store.” These are individuals with no intention of buying your product.
The problem usually starts with broad match keywords. Google interprets these very loosely. If you sell handmade candles and bid on “candles,” your ad might show up for “birthday candle meme” or “candle making classes near me.” Those clicks cost real money and bring in exactly zero customers.
Here is what to do instead. Start with phrase matching or exact match keywords for better control. But the bigger issue, one that almost every owner of a Shopify store misses, is the use of negative keywords.
Quick-reference: Keyword match types for Shopify stores
| Match Type | Example Keyword | Who Sees Your Ad | Best For |
| Broad Match | candles | Anyone searching for anything even remotely related | Almost always not ideal for small stores |
| Phrase Match | “soy candles gift set” | Searches that include this phrase or close variants | Balanced reach and control |
| Exact Match | [soy candles gift set] | Only this search or very close variants | High-intent, proven converters |
| Negative Keyword | -free, -DIY, -cheap | Excludes these searches entirely | Filtering out non-buyers |
Review your search terms report weekly, spot irrelevant queries, and add them as negative keywords immediately. The keyword data from paid campaigns is also valuable for improving your organic search performance. What converts in ads often converts in SEO too.
Mistake #2: Broken or Missing Conversion Tracking
This one’s sneaky because everything looks like it’s working on the surface. Your ads are running, people are clicking, and maybe you’re even seeing some sales in Shopify. But if your conversion tracking isn’t set up correctly, you are flying blind. You won’t know which campaigns, keywords, or ads are actually driving sales and which ones are just draining your budget.
Shopify makes conversion tracking trickier than most store owners realize. The platform’s checkout process, especially with recent changes to how third-party scripts load, can cause tracking codes to misfire or not fire at all. You might be missing 20–40% of your actual conversions, which means Google’s algorithm is optimizing based on incomplete data.
Most Shopify stores don’t realize their tracking is broken until they’ve already wasted thousands. A quick audit can catch these leaks fast. PPC consultants like Victor Serban offer free account reviews that pinpoint exactly where your ROI is disappearing.
To get tracking right, make sure you have one primary purchase conversion action in Google Ads. Use Google Tag Manager for cleaner implementation, and test your setup by placing a real order to verify everything fires correctly.
Common Shopify tracking problems that silently wreck your data:
- Multi-currency errors: A 20,000 South Korean won order (worth ~$17) gets passed to Google as a $20,000 conversion, completely distorting your ROAS.
- Duplicate conversion counting: Having both the Google Ads tag and a Google Analytics import set as primary conversions counts every sale twice.
- Missing post-purchase upsells: Shopify’s post-purchase page rarely fires tracking codes, so those extra sales never get attributed.
- Attribution date mismatch: Google ties conversions to the click date, not the purchase date, creating confusing discrepancies with Shopify reports.
Mistake #3: Trusting Google’s Default Settings
Google wants you to spend money. That is not cynical; it is just how their business works. So when you launch a new campaign and leave everything on default, many of those settings are optimized for Google’s bottom line, not yours.
By default, Google targets “people in, or who show interest in, your targeted locations.” The biggest offender is location targeting. That means if you’re targeting U.S. customers, your ads might also show to someone overseas who once searched for something related to a U.S. city. Switch the setting to “Presence only” to reach actual customers in your target area.
Default settings to change immediately after launching any campaign:
- Location targeting: Switch from “Presence or interest” to “Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations.”
- Search Partners network: Uncheck this box. These third-party search sites deliver significantly worse click-through and conversion rates.
- Auto-applied recommendations: Turn these off in account settings. Google will otherwise change your bids, add keywords, and adjust targeting without your approval.
- Bidding strategy: Don’t jump to “Maximize Conversions” before you have at least 30 conversions in the past month. Start with manual CPC until Google’s algorithm has enough data to make smart decisions.
Not every Google suggestion is undesirable. Google Ads generates real economic value for businesses that actively manage campaigns. But the bigger issue, one that almost every owner of a Shopify store misses, is the use of negative keywords.
FAQ
How much should a Shopify store spend on Google Ads to start?
Most Shopify stores see meaningful data with a budget of $30–$50 per day. The key is spending enough on Google’s algorithm to learn. Starting too low stretches the learning phase and delays optimization.
How long before I see results from Google Ads on Shopify?
Plan for at least 4–6 weeks before evaluating results. Making major changes in the first two weeks usually hurts more than it helps.
Should I use Performance Max or standard Shopping campaigns?
Performance Max is powerful once you have solid conversion data. If you’re just starting, standard Shopping gives you more control and transparency. Many successful stores run both.
How often should I check my Google Ads campaigns?
Review search terms and key metrics weekly. Do a deeper audit of campaign structure, bidding, and conversion tracking monthly.
Could you please help me understand why my Google Ads conversions are not aligning with my Shopify orders?
This usually comes down to attribution differences, conversion counting windows, or tracking errors. Returns, multi-currency issues, and duplicate tags also create discrepancies.
Key Takeaways
- Use phrase- or exact-match keywords instead of broad matches to avoid paying for irrelevant clicks.
- Build and regularly update your negative keyword list to filter out non-buyers.
- Audit your Shopify conversion tracking for duplicate counting, multi-currency errors, and missing conversions.
- Switch location targeting to “Presence only” and disable Search Partners.
- Turn off auto-applied recommendations to keep control of your budget.
- Do not rush into automated bidding. Wait until you have at least 30 monthly conversions.
- Review campaigns weekly and audit fully each month.