Just started Google Ads for your Shopify store? Here's how to tell if it's set up right

By the Advizify team · 14 October 2026 · 6 min read

You finally switched your Google Ads campaign on. Money is going out, a few clicks are coming in, and there's a nagging question at the back of your mind: did I actually set this up right? That's a good question to ask early. Here's why the first weeks matter, five signs that something needs attention, and what to do about it.

Why the first weeks matter more than you think

Most new campaigns use automated bidding: Google decides how much to pay for each click based on what has led to results before. That's powerful, but it can only learn from what you tell it. If the setup reports the wrong thing as a "result", or reports nothing at all, the bidding learns the wrong lesson and keeps spending on it.

Small setup mistakes don't stay small. They shape where your budget goes every day, and the longer they run, the more of your spend has been steered by them. Catching them in week two is much cheaper than catching them in month six.

5 signs your setup needs attention

1. Google Ads and Shopify disagree about your sales

Compare the conversions Google Ads reports for last week with the orders Shopify actually received from Google. They'll never match exactly, because attribution differs, but they should be in the same ballpark. If Google Ads shows noticeably more sales than Shopify, some purchases may be counted twice. If it shows far fewer, or none, sales aren't being recorded properly. Either way, every number you make decisions on is off, and that's the problem to fix first.

2. Plenty of clicks, very few sales

A new campaign needs time, but if you've had a steady stream of clicks for two or three weeks and almost no orders, something between the ad and the checkout isn't working. It might be the products or the landing page, but it's often the setup: the campaign is reaching people who were never going to buy.

3. Your ads appear for searches you never chose

The keywords you add aren't the only searches your ads appear for. Depending on your settings, Google can also show them for related searches. Look at the searches people actually typed before clicking. If you see words like "free", "jobs", "used" or things unrelated to what you sell, you're paying for clicks that rarely turn into orders.

4. Your budget goes places you didn't pick

Some settings reach beyond what a new advertiser might expect: ads shown in countries you don't ship to, on partner sites outside Google Search, or in apps and on websites. None of these are wrong for every store, but if you didn't deliberately choose them, it's worth knowing how much of your budget they take and what it brings back.

5. Things changed that you didn't change

Google Ads can make some changes on its own. Some recommendations can be applied automatically, adjusting bids, keywords or budgets. If performance shifts and you can't think of anything you did, the account's change history will usually tell you what changed and who or what made the change.

What "set up right" actually covers

A healthy setup isn't one setting; it's a handful of areas that work together:

• Tracking: sales are recorded once, correctly, and bidding optimises toward real purchases.
• Where the money goes: spend stays on searches, places and countries that can actually produce orders.
• Automated settings: defaults and automatic changes are ones you've chosen to keep, not ones you've never looked at.
• Structure: bidding and campaign setup fit how much data your account has, especially early on.
• Serving health: nothing is stopping your ads from showing, such as disapproved ads or empty ad groups.

If you want the detail, here's what an Advizify audit looks at.

What to do next

You have two options. You can go through your account yourself, starting with sales tracking (sign 1), because everything else depends on it. Or you can get a second opinion before you increase your budget, which is when setup mistakes start costing the most.

Whichever you choose, don't wait until the end of the month. A few minutes now can save weeks of budget going to the wrong places.

Common questions

How long should I wait before judging a new campaign?

Give automated bidding a couple of weeks and enough clicks to learn from before judging results. Don't wait to check the setup, though: tracking and settings problems are worth fixing from day one, because the bidding learns from them in the meantime.

Can checking my account break anything?

Not if the check is read-only. Advizify only reads your account's settings and the last 30 days of performance; it never creates, changes or deletes anything. Every fix is yours to make.

Do I need an agency to set up Google Ads properly?

Not necessarily. Plenty of store owners run their own ads well. What helps is knowing which parts of the setup matter most, and having someone, or something, check your work.