Short answers to the questions people actually ask.
125 of them. No gated PDF, no email wall — if yours is not here, message us and you get the same answer you would get on a call.
Does Google Ads work for dropshipping?
Yes — reselling is explicitly allowed. What Google enforces is whether buyers get what the ad promised.
Do you need a Merchant Center for dropshipping?
No. Search, Demand Gen and YouTube never touch it — only Shopping and the shopping half of PMax do.
How much does a Google Ads agency cost?
Commonly a retainer, a percentage of spend, or both. Ours is 10% of spend with no retainer and no setup fee.
Google Ads is spending but I get no conversions. Why?
In order of likelihood: tracking is broken, the searches are wrong, or the offer cannot convert that traffic.
How long does Google Ads take to work?
A rebuild goes live in days; Google then needs roughly two to four weeks to relearn before numbers settle.
Why is my Merchant Center suspended for misrepresentation?
Usually thin business information, unclear policies, price mismatches or fake urgency — not the product itself.
Is Performance Max good for eCommerce?
Yes, once the account is ready for it — and it will quietly absorb your brand traffic if you let it.
Google Ads or Facebook Ads for eCommerce?
Different jobs: Google harvests demand that exists, Meta creates it. Most scaled stores run both.
What budget do I need to start on Google Ads?
Enough to produce a steady flow of conversions — which depends on your price point and CPCs, not on a round number.
Should I hire an agency or run Google Ads myself?
Do it yourself while the account is small and your time is cheap. Hire when the spend outgrows the attention you can give it.
How do I know my agency is actually doing anything?
Read the change history in your own Google Ads account. Every edit is timestamped and you own it.
What is a good ROAS for eCommerce?
The one above your break-even, which depends entirely on your margin. There is no universal number.
Can I run Google Ads with a brand new store?
You can. It is usually an expensive way to find out whether the product sells.
How do I switch Google Ads agencies?
Wrap up cleanly with the current one first, confirm you own the account, then start. Never run two agencies in one account.
Are my Google Ads conversions real sales?
Compare Google's conversion count against your actual orders for the same window. If they disagree, believe the store.
Does changing my budget reset the learning phase?
Large jumps can. Small, regular increases usually do not.
Is dropshipping allowed on Google Shopping?
Yes. Reselling is explicitly permitted — what is not permitted is misrepresenting the business behind it.
How many products should I advertise?
Fewer than you think. Most catalogues have a small slice that ever sells and a large slice that has never been served.
Why did my cost per click go up?
Usually competition or seasonality — but check whether your own match types or targeting changed first.
Should I bid on my own brand name?
If competitors are bidding on it, yes — cheap defence. If nobody is, test pausing it for two weeks.
What is a good conversion rate for a Shopify store?
Context-dependent and easy to game. A rising conversion rate with falling revenue usually means you narrowed targeting.
Do I need a CSS partner for Google Shopping?
In Europe it affects what you pay per click, so usually worth having — but it fixes nothing else.
Why are my products not showing in Google Shopping?
Three possibilities, and bidding is the last one: disapproved, out-matched, or out-bid.
How often should my agency report to me?
Daily numbers available on demand, a written weekly update, and a monthly conversation. Anything less is a monthly glance.
Can I pause Google Ads and restart later?
Yes, but expect a learning period when you come back — and a short pause costs less than a long one.
What happens to my campaigns if I leave the agency?
If the account is yours, everything stays. If it is theirs, you may lose all of it — check before you sign, not after.
Is Google Ads worth it for a small store?
If people search for what you sell and your margin can carry a click, yes — starting with Search only.
How do I lower my cost per acquisition?
Usually by removing waste rather than by bidding lower — and often by raising AOV instead.
What is a product feed and why does it matter so much?
It is the file describing your products to Google — and in Shopping it does the job a keyword list does elsewhere.
Does Google Ads work if nobody knows my brand?
On Search, yes — people are searching for the product, not for you. On brand terms, obviously not.
How long should I test a product before killing it?
Long enough for meaningful conversion data at your price point — measured in conversions, not days.
Why does Google Ads say "limited by budget"?
It means the campaign could spend more than you allow. Good news if it is profitable, a warning if it is not.
What is Performance Max?
One automated Google campaign that serves across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display and Gmail from a single set of assets.
What is Google Merchant Center?
The place your product data lives so Google can show your products in Shopping ads and free listings.
How do I set up Merchant Center for Shopify?
Claim and verify the domain, connect a feed app, map the fields properly, then fix whatever the diagnostics flag.
Why are my products disapproved?
Most often missing identifiers, image problems, price mismatch, or a policy flag on the product text.
What is a GTIN and do I need one?
The product barcode number. If the product has one, Google wants it, and leaving it out costs you visibility.
What are custom labels used for?
Fields you define yourself to segment products into campaigns — usually by margin, season or performance.
Should I use broad match?
Only with solid conversion data and a maintained negative list. Otherwise it is an expensive education.
Exact match or phrase match — which should I use?
Start with exact for control, add phrase as you learn what converts, keep both fenced with negatives.
How many keywords should be in an ad group?
Few. Enough that every keyword in the group can share one honest ad.
Does Quality Score still matter?
As a diagnostic, yes. As a target to optimise, no.
What makes good Google Ads copy for eCommerce?
Match the search, name the product plainly, and put the real differentiator in the first line.
Are ad assets and sitelinks worth setting up?
Yes — they are free real estate and they lift CTR, but they are not a fix for a bad offer.
What is a good CTR for Google Shopping?
It varies too much by category to quote, but a falling CTR on a previously good product is a real signal.
How do I lower my cost per click?
Improve relevance, tighten targeting, and remove the searches you should never have been in.
Should I pause ads at night or on weekends?
Only if the data says so, and only after you have enough of it.
What conversion window should I use?
Long enough to capture how people actually buy your product, which for considered purchases is longer than the default.
Does Google Ads work for B2B eCommerce?
Yes, and Search usually does the heavy lifting because the intent is explicit.
How do I track orders that happen off-site?
With offline conversion imports, or by accepting the gap and reading the trend instead.
ROAS or POAS — which should I optimise for?
POAS, if you can calculate it. ROAS treats a low-margin sale and a high-margin one as identical.
Should I advertise my whole catalogue?
No. Segment it, and let the products that earn take the budget.
How often should bids or targets change?
Rarely, and one change at a time. Constant fiddling keeps an account permanently learning.
Why has my cost per order gone up?
Usually mix, competition or seasonality — but check whether tracking changed before you believe the number.
Can I run Google Ads in several countries at once?
Yes, but separate them. One campaign spanning markets hides which country is paying for which.
Do I need a separate feed for each country?
If prices, currency, availability or language differ — yes.
What is a supplemental feed?
A second file that overrides or adds fields to your main feed without rebuilding it.
How long does a Merchant Center review take?
Typically a few days, sometimes longer — and a failed one costs you more than the wait.
Can I open a new Merchant Center after a suspension?
Usually not a fix, and often makes things worse.
Is "limited by budget" a reason to raise budget?
Only if the campaign is above your break-even. Otherwise it is telling you to fix it, not feed it.
What separates a good Google Ads agency from a bad one?
A good one tells you things you do not want to hear, early, and shows you where to verify it.
What should a monthly Google Ads report contain?
Five things, and one of them is not a metric.
Can I audit my own Google Ads account?
Yes, and the first three checks take under an hour.
Should I bid on competitor brand names?
Legal in most markets, often expensive, and it invites retaliation.
How should budgets change with seasonality?
Move before the curve, not during it — and let the bidding learn at the higher level in advance.
What should I do when a best-seller goes out of stock?
Pause it in the feed and move its budget, rather than letting the campaign spend on nothing.
What counts as an anomaly worth acting on?
A sharp break from the account's own pattern — not a bad day.
What is the fastest way to stop wasting money?
Read the search terms report sorted by cost, and add negatives. Today.
Does site speed affect my Google Ads?
Yes — it affects conversion rate and landing page experience, which affects what you pay.
Should ads point to product pages or collections?
Match the search. Specific query, specific product page.
How much of my budget should go to brand campaigns?
Enough to defend, not enough to flatter. Usually a small share, and always visible separately.
Can Google Ads work with only a few products?
Yes — a small catalogue is often easier, because every product can get real attention.
What is Demand Gen in Google Ads?
Google’s paid-social-style campaign across YouTube, Discover and Gmail, aimed by audience rather than keyword.
Demand Gen or Performance Max?
Demand Gen when you want control over creative and placement; PMax when the feed is strong and you want reach.
Do YouTube ads work for eCommerce?
Yes, when the product demonstrates well and the first five seconds earn the rest.
Does Google have lookalike audiences?
Similar segments and customer match, yes — built from your own data.
Is remarketing worth it for a small store?
Usually yes, and it is the cheapest traffic in the account — but it flatters your numbers.
How big does an audience list need to be?
Big enough for Google to serve it — a few thousand for most list types.
What impression share should I aim for?
On profitable campaigns, higher. On unprofitable ones, the number is irrelevant.
Why is my ad not showing at all?
Disapproval, budget exhausted, a target set too tight, or genuinely no search volume.
My keywords say "low search volume". What now?
Either nobody searches that, or you have written it too narrowly.
Should I use conversion value rules?
Only once basic tracking is right, and only when you can justify the multiplier.
Can I stop advertising to existing customers?
Yes, with a customer match exclusion — and for one-off products it is worth doing.
Does running Google Ads help my SEO?
No. Paid clicks do not improve organic rankings.
Should I stop bidding on terms I already rank for?
Test it rather than assume. Sometimes you are buying clicks you had free.
Should I use a maximum CPC cap?
With manual or enhanced bidding, yes. With Smart Bidding, it usually strangles the campaign.
A competitor is outbidding me. What do I do?
Rarely by bidding higher. Usually by being more relevant or offering something they do not.
Should I use shared negative keyword lists?
Yes — one maintained list applied across campaigns beats twenty divergent ones.
How often should I add negative keywords?
Weekly on anything that is spending. It is maintenance, not a project.
What is Ad Rank?
The score that decides whether your ad shows and where — bid is only part of it.
Should I apply Google’s recommendations?
Read them, apply few. Many raise spend rather than profit.
Should I turn off auto-apply recommendations?
Yes. You cannot manage an account that changes itself overnight.
How do I set up conversion tracking properly?
One purchase conversion, with real revenue attached, verified against store orders.
Do I need enhanced conversions?
Helpful once spend is meaningful. Not a substitute for correct setup.
How do I know if my product feed is any good?
Compare three numbers: products live, products Google has served, products that sold.
Should out-of-stock products stay in the feed?
Marked correctly, yes. Marked as available, absolutely not.
How often should the product feed update?
At least daily, and faster for price or stock changes.
Is a CSS partner worth paying for?
In Europe it can lower click costs, which makes it worth testing. It fixes nothing else.
Can I run Google Ads without a website?
For eCommerce, no. You need a page that takes the order.
How long do products take to get approved?
Usually a few days for a new account, faster once you have history.
What happens to my ads if I change domain?
Expect a fresh review and a dip. Plan it, do not improvise it.
One Google Ads account for several stores, or one each?
One per store, under a single manager account.
How do I give an agency access safely?
Manager-level access to your account. Never your login, never their account.
What should I do before Black Friday?
Everything structural, six weeks early. Then stop changing things.
Why do sales collapse after Black Friday?
Because demand was pulled forward, not because your ads broke.
Is January a bad month to advertise?
Cheaper auctions, fewer buyers. For many categories it is a good time to test.
What is a Google Ads manager account?
An MCC — one login that oversees several ad accounts without merging their data.
Can I see what my agency changed?
Yes — Tools and settings, then Change history. Every edit, timestamped.
What is a conversion action?
The thing you told Google to count as success — and therefore the thing it will buy more of.
Why do conversions appear days later?
Attribution. The sale is credited back to the click that caused it, which may have been a while ago.
Is maximise clicks ever the right bid strategy?
Briefly, to gather data on a new account. Never as a destination.
When should I use target impression share?
Almost never for eCommerce. It is a visibility strategy, not a profit one.
How do I stop paying for clicks from countries I do not ship to?
Change the location setting from "interested in" to "people in".
Should I let Search campaigns run on Display?
No. Turn it off.
How many ads should be in an ad group?
Two or three responsive search ads, with genuinely different angles.
Does Ad Strength matter?
It is a guideline about asset variety, not a performance score.
Why is one product taking all my Shopping budget?
Because it wins the most auctions, not necessarily because it earns the most.
Can I bid on a brand I resell?
On keywords usually yes; in your ad text and feed, only if authorised.
Does pausing a campaign lose its history?
No. Pausing keeps everything. Deleting is what loses it.
Should I delete old campaigns?
No. Pause them. Deleted history is gone for good.
What is a normal cost per click?
Too variable to quote — compare against your own history and your maximum CPA.
How do I work out my break-even ROAS?
Roughly 1 divided by your gross margin, after all per-order costs.
Why do last week’s numbers keep changing?
Conversion lag. Sales get credited back to clicks that happened earlier.
Can I advertise a pre-order product?
Yes, if the page states clearly that it is a pre-order and when it ships.
How should I handle a price increase in Google Ads?
Update the feed at the same moment as the site, and expect conversion rate to move.
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