The problem
Google says the campaign returned a lot. Some of it came from people who typed your shop's name. They knew the way.
Google Ads agency for ecommerce: Search, Shopping and Performance Max
We run Google Search, Shopping and Performance Max for consumer and ecommerce brands, including the Merchant Center feed. We report brand and non-brand separately and read results against margin after returns. Zero Fluff is a Google Partner. You can buy it on its own.
Paid media
Problems we fix
This page is about one channel. Splitting budget between Google, Meta and TikTok sits on our paid media agency for ecommerce page.
How we fix it
Brand and non-brand get separate lines.
What you get
Search
Search ads run on keywords: the words and phrases that match your ad to what people search for1. We split branded and non-branded search in campaigns and in reports.
Shopping
Google describes Shopping ads as ads that show product information such as image, title, price and shop name2. They run on your product data, not on keywords.
Performance Max
Google describes Performance Max as a campaign type that runs across Google's inventory from one campaign, with controls such as brand exclusions and negative keywords3. We use those controls. Some of it still can't be seen. Our longer take: Performance Max black box.
The Merchant Center feed
Google Merchant Center holds the product data that Shopping ads use4. Background: what is Google Merchant Center.
Conversion tracking checked before bidding
Smart Bidding learns from your conversion actions. If they are wrong, it learns the wrong thing. See what is Google Ads conversion tracking.
Reporting against margin
Google's numbers next to your shop's orders, new-customer revenue and contribution margin after returns.
For the platform overview, read Google Ads for ecommerce.
Why is the feed part of the job?
Because Shopping and Performance Max run on product data. Merchant Center's product data specification lists the attributes Google reads, such as ID, title, brand and GTIN, and sets rules under which products can be disapproved5. A disapproved product doesn't show. No bid strategy fixes that.
So we check the product feed before we touch the bids. Prices, stock, identifiers and titles that match the site. Feed work is part of this service, not a separate one. A feed fix without the bid and budget decisions is half a job.
How does the work run?
Four steps.
- 1
Problem
Account, feed, conversion tracking and margin. We name what is actually wrong. Sometimes it's the feed. Sometimes it's not Google at all.
- 2
Plan
Campaign split, budget, brand vs non-brand, and the decision each campaign feeds. Before launch, we agree how the result will be judged.
- 3
Execution
We build and run Search, Shopping and Performance Max, fix the feed and keep the conversion data clean.
- 4
Decision
When the data can be read, you hear one of three things: it pays, it doesn't, or the data can't tell yet. Then we scale, change or stop.
Case studies
Rebuilding a growth engine for a recovery-footwear brand
A category-defining recovery-footwear brand had a growing market, a best-in-class product, and a shrinking customer base.
A recovery-footwear brand
- +27.8%
- net-new customers, full year over prior year
- −33%
- cost per new customer, exit quarter vs starting quarter
How do we measure Google Ads results?
Conversions first. Google's help pages describe conversion tracking through the Google tag6. Web conversions can be set up through the Google tag or imported from Google Analytics7. We check which one feeds the bidding and that it counts orders, not page views.
Returns out. Google Ads lets advertisers adjust conversions after the fact, by retracting or restating them8. We use that so returned orders don't stay counted as sales in the data the bidding learns from.
Brand apart. Some people searching your name were going to buy anyway. Brand and non-brand get separate lines. For the organic side of the same searches, see our ecommerce SEO work.
Tests for bigger bets. A holdout test or geo test compares regions or groups with and without the ads. We propose one when the answer could change a budget and your volume can show it.
For ZFD: Google's number is where we start, not where we stop.
“Their performance met and often exceeded our expectations.”
Who it's for and who it's not for
How you can buy it
As part of paid media
Google together with Meta, TikTok or Reddit, with one budget decision across channels.
Start with a free audit
We look at your account, feed and tracking first. Ask for your free audit.
We don't publish prices. Fee terms are agreed before we start.
Tools
Google Merchant CenterSmart BiddingPerformance MaxGoogle tagNegative keywords
FAQ
What's the difference between Shopping ads and search ads?
Search ads run on keywords and text. Shopping ads run on your product feed and show the image, title, price and shop name. You don't bid on keywords for them.
Do we need a Google Merchant Center account?
For Shopping, and for Performance Max with products, yes. Merchant Center holds the product data; the campaigns run in Google Ads.
What is a product feed, and why does it matter?
It's your catalogue in the format Google reads. Product data that breaks Google's rules can get products disapproved, so we check the feed before we touch the bids.
What is Performance Max, and should we use it?
A Google campaign type that runs across Google's inventory from one campaign. For many shops, yes. We report brand and non-brand separately and use the controls Google offers.
How do you measure Shopping and Performance Max?
On new-customer revenue and margin after returns, next to what Google reports. Google's number is the starting point.
Can you run Google Ads for a Shopify store?
Yes. The shop platform matters less than the data. Conversion tracking, the feed and the shop's orders need to agree before the bids can be trusted.
Do you offer feed management as a separate service?
No. Feed work is part of running Shopping and Performance Max for you. The bids and the feed need the same owner.
Are you a Google Partner?
Yes, Zero Fluff is a Google Partner. It's Google's badge. It doesn't tell you whether your campaigns make money, so ask how we measure that.
Can we hire you for Google Ads only?
Yes. Google Ads can be bought on its own, feed work included.
What we don't promise
Who runs this for you?
Senior Google Ads Specialist
Klaudia Szlendak
In marketing since 2020. Budgets of several hundred thousand dollars a month. A ROAS of 20 to 1 makes me suspicious, not happy.
Sources
- Keywords: Definition - Google Ads HelpPrimary source
- About Shopping ads - Google Ads HelpPrimary source
- About Performance Max campaigns (Google Ads Help)Primary source
- Get started with Merchant Center - Google Merchant Center HelpPrimary source
- Product data specification (Google Merchant Center Help)Primary source
- Use the Google tag for Google Ads conversion tracking (Google Ads Help)Primary source
- Set up your web conversions (Google Ads Help)Primary source
- How to adjust your conversions (Google Ads Help)Primary source
Want to know which part of your Google spend pays?
Book a call about your budget decision, or start with a free audit of your Google Ads account and feed.