PPC, SOLUTIONS 8

Use Shopify With Google Tag Manager to Set Up Google Ads Conversion Action

Last updated by Joan Porio, December 30, 2022

Are you looking to track conversions and measure the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns on your Shopify store? 

Setting up a purchase conversion action using Google Tag Manager is a great way to do this. 

In this blog, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process on how to use Shopify with Google Tag manager and set up a purchase conversion action. Let’s dive into it!

1. First, let’s link your Shopify store to your GTM account. Log in to your Google Tag Manager (GTM) account, then click your GTM ID on the top right corner of the GTM menu.

Google Tag Manager account

2. A pop-up with the codes will appear. Copy the code for the “<head>” first.

Install GTM

3. Go to your Shopify store, and click on Online store from the left navigation.

4. Under your Themes, click on the Actions button and select Edit code.

Edit code on Shopify store

5. On the left navigation, click on {/} theme.liquid.

6. Under the third line, where you see “<head>”, paste the code you copied from your GTM account.

Shopify GTM link code

7. Now, go back to your GTM account and copy the code for the “<body>” and then paste it to your Shopify store.

If you can’t easily locate where to paste it, you can use Ctrl+F and enter body.

Shopify GTM integration

8. Then, click the Save button.

9. Now, you have to click on the Exit button in the top left corner so we can proceed to link your GTM account and your Checkout page to track conversions. 

10. Click on Settings found in the bottom left corner.

11. Select Checkout and accounts.

Checkouts and channels

12. Scroll down to find the Additional scripts section paste the following:

    1. <head> code you copied from GTM earlier
    2. Purchase Event & Data Layer For Shopify tag which you can find on this document

Then Save.

Shopify checkout page additional script

13. Save the code and go back to Google Tag Manager. 

14. Create a new preview window and enter your website URL to connect it to GTM.

15. Make a test purchase on your Shopify store to check that the purchase event is firing correctly in GTM. 

If you’re unfamiliar with checking if it’s firing correctly, you can follow our Junior Google Ads Specialist’s instructions here.

Go to your Google Ads dashboard and click on Tools and Settings, then Conversions.

16. Click on New Action and select Website. Paste your domain and click Scan.

17. Scroll down and click on Add a conversion action manually.  

18. For the Goal and action optimization, select Purchase as the category. Then choose your Conversions action optimization.

19. Name your conversion action.

20. Choose the conversion Value as Use different values for each conversion. Input your other settings accordingly. 

21. Review your inputs and click the Done button when everything is set.

22. Click the Save and Continue button.

23. Select the Use Google Tag Manager tab. Leave this tab open as you’ll ned the details in the next steps.

24. Now, let’s set up a conversion tracking tag in Google Tag Manager . Go back to your GTM account and click on Tags. Then click on the New button to create a tag.

25. Name your tag. 

26. Click on the Tag Configuration section.

27. Choose Google Ads Conversion Tracking as the tag type. 

Google Ads Conversion Tracking

29. Set up the Conversion Linker tag by clicking on Create. Just input your settings accordingly, then hit Save.

30. Copy your Conversion details from the Use Google Tag Manager tab according to your Google Ads Conversion Tag. 

If you’re unfamiliar with setting up your Conversion Value, Transaction ID, or other needed details, watch Smruti’s guide here.

31. Now, set up Triggering,  click the “+” button.

32. For the Trigger Configuration, choose Custom Event under Other.

33. Input purchase_complete on the Event name. Rename your trigger as preferred. Then click the Save button when you’re done.

Conversion trigger

34. Once you’re routed back to the Tag setup page, click Save.

Now, your GTM account should have your Conversion Linker and Google Ads Conversion Tracking. 

How to Set Up Google Ads Purchase Conversion Action for Shopify Using Google Tag Manager

35. To make sure your tags are firing correctly, follow Smruti’s guide here.

36. Once you’re sure everything is firing correctly, click the Submit button, Publish the changes, and you should be set!

That’s it! You’ve successfully set up a purchase conversion action for your Shopify store using Google Tag Manager. 

Tracking conversions is a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy, especially when it comes to Google Ads. 

By setting up a purchase conversion action using Google Tag Manager, you’ll see exactly how well your Google Ads campaigns drive sales on your Shopify store. 

This knowledge can give you valuable insights that can help you to make informed decisions about your marketing efforts. Eventually, helping you optimize your strategy and improve the return on investment of your Google Ads spend.

If you have questions or concerns, you can ask our Google Ads experts directly during the Weekly LIVE Q&A To Scale Your Business with Google Ads. 

Become a member of our YouTube channel and catch them every Friday at 1 PM PT. They answer everything you want to know about Google Ads– strategies, secrets, guides, and so much more!

We hope to hear from you on Friday! 💚

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Founder || ProFit Marketing Solutions
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