How to track conversions from Shopify into Google Ads

Learn how to link your Google Analytics and Google Ads (formerly AdWords) accounts to unlock the full potential of Google Ads on Shopify.

Link Google Ads with Google Analytics

How to track conversions in Google Ads

Google provides two ways to get conversion actions into Google Ads:

1. By tracking Google Ads conversions directly from your site

2. By linking a Google Analytics account and importing Key Events into Google Ads

Littledata recommends combining both approaches. It includes both the Google Analytics and Google Ads server-side connections in our Google bundle. That means if you use Littledata for Google Analytics, you can connect Google Ads for no additional cost.

Let's start with tracking into Google Ads directly, using primary conversion actions.

Server-side tracking benefits

Using Littledata to connect Shopify with Google Ads will:

• Use customer data to power Enhanced Conversions

• Track view-through conversions

• Include attribution of offline or recurring orders to Ads

• Provide robust and maintenance-free tracking – regardless of any Shopify theme changes

Note: the conversion event count may be different between Google Ads and Google Analytics.

Installing Littledata for Google Ads takes less than 10 minutes. Here's the step-by-step guide.

Comparison with the Google Sales Channel

Shopify provides free conversion tracking into Google Ads as part of the Google & YouTube sales channel. Here's how this compares with Littledata:

Feature	Littledata	Google & YouTube
Conversion tracking for Google Ads	✔	✔
100% Shopify Revenue Tracked	✔	-
Enhanced Conversions using 1st party data	✔	-
Recurring Orders / Subscriptions tracked	✔	-
Match ads to other Sales Channels (Amazon, TikTok etc)	✔	-
Target campaigns for New Customers	✔	-

Benefits of linking Google Analytics

Linking Google Analytics to Google Ads allows you to import Key Events as secondary conversions and sync audiences from Google Analytics for targeting across the full on-site conversion funnel.

You can then:

• Compare the 'greedier' attribution in Google Ads versus the multi-channel, data-driven attribution in Google Analytics

• Report on more ecommerce key events in Google Ads

• See detailed shopping funnel metrics in Google Ads

• Set up more advanced remarketing audiences for abandoned browse or abandoned cart

Linking Google Analytics with Google Ads

1

Check your access

Before you start, make sure you have Edit Property permissions in Google Analytics and Administrative access in Google Ads.

2

Open Google Ads Links

Sign in to Google Analytics. Then click the Admin cog in the bottom-left corner. In the Product Links column, select "Google Ads Links".

link adwords google analytics

3

Start the link

Click "Link".

select adwords account ga

4

Choose your Google Ads account

In "Create a link with Google Ads", click "Choose Google Ads accounts". Select your Google Ads account, then click "Confirm".

link website data google analytics

5

Finish the setup

Click "Next" twice, then click "Confirm". The link will be created.

link adwords account to ga account

6

Verify the linked account

Open Google Ads Links again to confirm that your linked account appears there.

adwords linking

Adding remarketing audiences

Once your Google Analytics 4 account is linked, you can automatically sync audiences with Google Ads.

1

Open the audience builder

In the Property column, click "Audiences" and then "New audience".

Adding remarketing audiences from Google Analytics 4

2

Choose how to create the audience

You can:

• Create a new audience and define all the rules yourself

• Use a template and adjust the existing rules

• Select a suggested audience and use it as is or modify it

3

Build the audience rules

Use any of the ecommerce events that Littledata sends, or custom dimensions like Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

Common audience examples:

• Only viewed a product - users who viewed product details but did not add anything to cart in the last 30 days

• Abandoned cart - users who added to cart but did not purchase in the last 30 days

• Purchasers - users who made one or more orders in the last 30 days

Cookie consent & Auto-tagging limitations

GA4 relies on auto-tagging (gclid) and cookies to stitch ad clicks to sessions. But when users block advertising cookies, or when they fail for any reason, the gclid may not persist. In some cases, it may be removed from the URL before it reaches GA4.

A tracking template ensures every ad click appends UTM (ValueTrack) parameters directly to the URL, regardless of cookie status.

One of the best-balanced approaches is to set templates at the account or campaign level. This ensures consistency and avoids conflicts with ad- or ad-group-level overrides. Implementing URL templates alongside auto-tagging creates a robust fallback measurement method for Google Ads.

Removing the Google Ads Link

If you want to remove the Google Ads link, go to Admin > Product Links > Google Ads Links. Click your account, then the three dots in the top-right corner, and select "Delete".

Unlink google ads from google analytics

Next steps

1

Review how the Google Ads connection works

Read how the Google Ads connection works.

2

Set up the Google Analytics connection

Set up Littledata's Google Analytics connection.

3

Build a win-back campaign

Build a win-back campaign in Google Ads.