Google Smart Campaigns

English Spreadshop
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#1

Hello,
I’ve been trying to set up a google smart campaign.
On the Spreadshirt website there is a page which says: Get More Customers with Google Smart Campaigns

I thought this is great, just what I need, but the link at the bottom, which states “Get Smart”, links to the google ads help page.
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/7652860?hl=en&ref_topic=9024773

If you try to set up a google smart campaign you get the following message:
Missing conversion tracking
To run a Smart Shopping campaign, you need conversion tracking so you can keep track of when your ads lead to sales on your website.

Setting up conversion tracking in a Spreadshop appears to be impossible. I may be missing something!

Please can someone, anyone, somewhere, please, hopefully, explain in simple terms what I need to do to make this work. It is very, very frustrating.

If, as I suspect, this is not possible, please explain why Spreadshirt would allow an article to be posted which just leads us down a blind alley?

Sorry to be so blunt but I recently switched my website from Shopify to Spreadshirt because of the amount of issues I was having with adding google tags, code etc to my site. Shopify is great in a lot of ways but all I want to do is put my designs in t-shirts etc and sell on the web. It seems that simple has been made ridiculously complicated. I thought Spreadshirt would be well integrated for thing like this and take a lot of the frustration out of the equation, if I am wrong, I have to look for yet another website hosting company that will actually allow me to set up google ads properly. I cannot believe after all the hassle of switching my website hosting company that I am now back to square one.

Please help ASAP.

#2

In general Tracking Conversions with the Spreadshop is a no brainer :slight_smile:
To enable Google Analytics in your shop, simply enter your Google Analytics Property-ID into the shop’s admin under Web Analytics (I have explained this in your other thread)

Regards to the smart campaign question (obviously we need to update that blogpost!)
It seems that Google has hidden a very important information. It took me a while to search for it in the very deep depths of their help section.

It says:

> Smart Display Campaigns can only be set up if you have achieved at least 50 conversions at the display network or 100 conversions at the search network within the last 30 days.

This implies that you first need to run a display campaign and gather 50 conversions. Not sure if conversoins from Shopping Campaigns are counted, too.

So here´s what you need to to:

  • Within your GA property, set up a Conversion Goal that your visitors are very likely to achieve
    (e.g. visits at a specific shop page. Do not use purchases for collecting conversions. That’ll take much longer)
    Tutorial // How to Setup Google Analytics Goals - YouTube

  • Set up a Display Network (or Shopping) campaign in Google Ads that targets the page you want people to visit

After you have attracted 50 visitors to visit your page, you should now be able to run Smart Campaigns.

#3

Hello Thomas,

Thanks (again!) for the replies. I think (but again, not 100% sure!) that google makes a distinction between display campaigns and shopping campaigns, so while I understand your reply in relation to Smart Display Campaigns, I think it does not apply to Smart Shopping Campaigns. Please could you have another look at this incase I am right!!
Sorry to be such a pain but I have had a lot of issues with exactly this subject for quite a while now and I really don’t want to go through the whole thing again. Unfortunately, Google Ads is essential for a small business like mine and Smart Shopping Campaigns are supposed to be the most effective for businesses of my size so it’s really important that I get this right and understand fully whether this is something I can do with a Spreadshop website. If not I need to think seriously about whether I am set up with the right company and I really don’t want to have to start from scratch for the 3rd time!

#4

I am fully aware of the struggles you´re going through. I´ve already run smart campaigns for my shops but stopped them, as I am personally a friend of shopping campaigns.
So: yes, it is something you can do with your spreadshop. It´s not a matter of which shop system you are running, but a question of: “Does my shop system support standard e-commerce tracking tools?” And the answer for spreadshop is: Yes.
Even if we are not supporting the Google Ads tag, yet. Collecting tracking data with Google Analytics is already possible.
All you need is to connect bothn, the Ads and Analytics account and follow my suggestion from above :slight_smile:

I´ve done it and you can do it too! :muscle:t3:

1 Like
#5

Hello Thomas,

I’ve watched that you tube video so I’m going to give it a go and see what happens! Thanks for your help. If it works, I’ll let you know!

2 Likes
#6

Hello Thomas / Lena
I would really like to know how to get google shopping campaigns to work!
I set up a search campaign and after a lot of searching and reading and trial and error and a bit of cash, I can see an improvement in clicks, CTR, CPC, quality scores but still no sales. I feel like I’m getting somewhere, even if it is painstakingly slow.
However google shopping is another matter altogether. No matter what I try I end up looking at a screen full of zeros. No impressions, No clicks, No conversions, No cost! Nothing. Nothing at all. I don’t understand. Google Merchant Centre and Ads are linked, I’ve divided my products into various groups, I’ve added negative keywords and added some feed rules to the Merchant Centre feed to send google the info it needs (such as descriptions, colour, product type, google product category etc) and still nothing. What am I supposed to do. I keep reading that something like 75% of sales on google are made through their shopping campaigns so I know it’s important. What I don’t understand is why is it almost impossible to understand? I’m fed up and frustrated so any practical help you can give me would be very gratefully received!

#7

How to track the conversions with Analytics so you can use them for Google Ads? I don’t think that this is a no brainer, the question has been asked here many times and never been answered!!! Especially if the shop is running on its own domain that doesn’t work. It is then not possible to use the cart or checkout success as a conversion goal.

#8

Hey there,

please remind that I can´t provide you a walkthrough service for tools like Google Ads, Google Analytics, the Merchant Center. Each of these tools require at least a basic research of how they work, what are the requirements for each. And of course, how to make them work together.

As the thread and wordings in here become quite fuzzy I´d like to take the chance and bring some light into all of the buzzwords and requests.

Let’s start with Google Analytics
The Spreadshop’s GA integration provides all features that are required to get a basic understanding of your user’s interaction within your Shop.
When GA is linked to Google Ads it is even possible to watch single campaign performances.
Important! Two main transactional Metrics are available within GA: E-Commerce Transaction Data & Conversion Goals
First, “E-Commerce Transactions” is tracking monetary values from your shop´s purchases.
(User bought product X, with the value of $12.99)
E-Commerce Data tracking needs to be selected and activated within your property settings manually!
It’s not activated by default.

Second, “Conversion Goals” are required to be set up manually. They are not meant to track monetary values. This is a misinterpretation. (User clicked Button A, visited a landingpage, watched your About us video or downloaded a file) Conversion Goals are “soft goals” that you set up to get an understanding about your user´s interactions within your website. Not your sales!
There’s no need to ask for a Checkout Confirmation Page URL. Even if GA is allowing you to create a conversion goal for finalized purchases, this will not deliver correct values. It´s an urban myth. Even because there is already a dedicated E-Commerce Data tracking available.

Something else to keep in mind:
Link Click Attribution: Google Analytics counts the last click of a funnel as the main conversion driver. Independent from where the click came from or what the user did before.
Please make your self familiar with that.

Google Ads:
You can easily link your Merchant Center and your Google Analytics properties to Google Ads.
This is the basement for creating and tracking ads performances.
Currently we are not offering an unique Google Ads Tag integration for the Shop but it is in discussion.
That circumstance is not a blocker for creating Shopping Ads, Search Campaigns or Display Campaigns (please make yourself familiar with the prerequisites of each campaign model. As well as the Smart Campaign option)

As long as you did not mess with the standard product feed we are offering, running a Shoppping Campaign, called PLA should be the easiest thing.
Set up a new campaign. Choose the Shopping Campaign option, deselect Search Network and YouTube & the Discover Network options, set your CPC and give it a go.
After some days you will see a daily performance change, as well as several new Keywords incoming.
These need to be monitored and sometimes excluded. For example, they don´t match your shop´s criteria or are too common and expensive (Summer Shirt, Womens Shirt etc)

This takes time. A lot of time. Or you need to increase your budget.
PLAs are the easiest Ad format, as they are nearly running on auto-pilot and you don´t need to set up graphics or text templates. All required info comes from your shop’s product feed.
But this simplicity and the visibility at Google Search & Google Shopping has it´s price. And the costs are much higher than for a Display or Search Campaign.
These campaign models, depending on your niche and competition, can be much cheaper in CPC than a common PLA or Google Shopping Listing.

Smart Campaigns. This feature is hidden until you have reached a certain ammount of “conversions”.
(as described above, conversions can be defined very differently and imported via Google Analytics)

Tracking Data in Google Ads
Conversion Tracking by the means of Google Ads is universal and implies Transactional & User Conversions surveillance. There’s several options to get there but I will only describe 2 of them.

  • Import Transactions & Conversions from Google Analytics > requires both accounts to be connected
  • Tracking Transactions directly at your website > requires embedded tracking code > currently not supported by the Shop

Until we are offering a Google Tag integration for Shops, you will need to work the imported Data from Google Analytics. This is only needed if you want to run Smart Campaings that learn from the collected Data. Two requirements: You need to have at least regular traffic at your shop AND at least 50 conversions within a certain period of time. (these conversions can be defined by yourself and set up as conversoin goals, e.g. visits to your start page)

If you want to really understand which of your Ads, Website Offers, Social Channel Contents lead at least to a Sale, you’ll need to get familiar with Google Ads Link Attribution. Compared to Analytics they are much more “complicated”: About attribution models - Google Ads Help
Important: Comparing Analytics Goal Conversions and Google Ads transaction tracking results will
always cause huge irritations.

*Example: Some person downloaded a .pdf file 5x times from your webpage and you defined a single download is worth $5.
Your Analytics Conversion Goal tracking states that someone downloaded your file. Which returns as a conversion value of $5.00
Comparing this result with the Ads E-Commerce transactional data you will get a completely different - but accurate value of 5 transactions with the value of $25

grafik

So in the end, Google Ads tracking is a much more precice method, but still a professional tool that needs a certain understanding of conversions, values and campaigning methods.
Yes, more precice data enables your Ads account to run self-learning Smart Campaigns but this is not the only solution to run ads at all.

I suggest to start working with the given set up. Start tracking your user´s behaviors with Google Analytics- That´s all you need for the start.
Google Ads tracking is “nice” but much more a pro-feature.

As a beginner, make yourself familiar with all of the offered Ads solutions. Spend and lose some money with Google Ads and you will definately learn from it. Fact.
Taking these learnings and insights will help you setting up much better campaigns in the future that at least allow your visitors to convert.

#9

I´ve answered this in my post above. You need to clearly define and distinct the kind of data you want to track. Sales, Ads performances or Users behaviors - everything is in place with the Spreadshop-Analytics connection. You’re just commonly ranting here.

Not sure wich set up you are running, therefore I cannot identify a clear issue here.

Answered in my previous post: “ Conversion Goals ” […] are not meant to track monetary values . This is a misinterpretation. […]Conversion Goals are “soft goals” that you set up to get an understanding about your user´s interactions within your website. Not your sales!

  • Examples are:
  • User clicked Button A
  • visited a landingpage
  • watched your About us video
  • downloaded a file
#10

3 posts were split to a new topic: Kampagnenmessung : Analytics vs. Google Ads

#11

Hi, did you ever got it to work for google shopping?

My merchant center has 100% accepted/active products (1000s of products, no blocking errors whatsoever). And the google ads campaign is also complete (100% optimized, no recommendations, campaign eligible, all products active, high daily budget, high max cpc bid, …) I just called google ads support, and those people can’t see anything wrong with it.

But nonetheless …my google shopping campaign is also having 0 impressions. Verrryy strange.

#12

Hi @Toposhirts

are you talking about Shopping Campaigns, or any of these other ad formats?

  • Search Campaign
  • Display Campaign
  • Smart Campaign

I´ve run a very basic & short Shopping Campaign last week and it worked smoothly.

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#13

Hello Thomas,

I’m talking about a shopping campaign (on the three networks: google search, search partners and display network). Target country: US. All products come in via connected Merchant account, from the speadshirt.com account that I have.

I started small, as a test, with a 5 euro daily budget. And max cpc 5 euro (which is way too high to be feasable but I wanted to be sure there was at least some bidding to succeed). As said, even the google adwords people were puzzled as to why it did not work. The only thing they could think of, is that the max cpc is equal to the daily budget. So they advised to make the max cpc lower. I now have a daily budget of 10 euro and max cpc 3 euro. Let’s see over the coming days what the effect is.

I posted it here, because the issue seemed quite similar to the experiences of @Slum_City

#14

mh. I need to confess it´s gonna be like blind guessing to find out why you are not gaining impressions.

Can it be that you serve a super niche that only comes with a few search term? have you tried searches on google with search terms that match your product titles?

At least one day after launching a search campaign, your products should appear up in the PLA section of Google.

Technical set up issues can be ignored, as you said the Google staff has proven your ad set up. :thinking: But as said… it´s wild guessing.

Besides that to get a good start, I would NOT recommend to spend money at the search partner / Display network, when you are already having problems with getting started.

The reason for that: Partner Network can be any page that signed up for Google Ads, even In-App displays are possible. But you have no influence on where your products are beeing displayed AND if the PLA itself makes sense in the context of the page.

For example, if your “tennis shirt” design appears on a random forum page. What do these forum users have in common with your ad? Probably nothing.
It’s like :bow_and_arrow: hunting in the dark and the likelyness of selling a shirt is quite low. But the danger of a higher CPC is rising with each click someone does.

#15

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