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Connecting Google Ads with your SmartBiz Website

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Introduction

Connecting Google Ads to your SmartBiz website allows you to measure how effectively your ads drive sales by tracking what shoppers do after clicking them.

Once set up, SmartBiz automatically sends customer activity—called events—directly to your Google Ads dashboard. Tracked actions include:

  • Viewing a product details page

  • Adding a product to the shopping cart

  • Initiating checkout

  • Completing a purchase

By viewing these insights on your Google Ads dashboard, you can see how buyers interact with your store and use that data to create targeted ads that re-engage past visitors and boost future sales.

In this article, we will cover:

1. Creating a Google Ads Account:

  1. Go to Google Ads portal.
     
  2. Sign in with your Google email id and password. If you do not have an existing account, please click on 'New Google Ads account'.
  3. Complete the on-boarding steps.
    Note: If you already have a Google Ads account created, skip to step 2

2. Integrating Google Ads on your website:

  1. Open the SmartBiz Desktop App and navigate to the ‘Performance marketing’ tab under ‘Growth’ section on your sidebar and Select Google Ads.
  2. Click on ‘Sign in with Google’. Please use the Google email Id and password on which Google Ads is setup.
  3. You will be redirected to a new page on the browser. Select your google account and Click ‘Continu
  4. You will get a prompt ‘SmartBiz wants to access your Google account’. If you have already given permissions to SmartBiz, click ‘Continue’. If you have not given permission to SmartBiz, select the permissions checkbox and click ‘Continue’.
  5. After successful authorization, you will be re-directed back to SmartBiz with your Google Ads account id displayed. Choose the desired Ad Id you want to link and click ‘Continue’. In case you want to use a different Google Ads account, click on ‘Sign In with a different account
  6. After successful linking, you will get a success message ‘Success! Yay, you've completed the setup '. Your Google Ads account is now setup on your website.

3. Testing your events:

Once you have linked your Google Ads account to your SmartBiz website, it will start tracking events. Visit the Google Ads dashboard to see if your website events are being tracked properly. Most events should reflect within 5-10 minutes on your dashboard, but sometimes it can take up to an hour. If you don’t see any data reflecting on your Google Ads dashboard, try deleting your linking from the website and add it again.
You can now start running ads to drive sales by choosing an event to optimize your ad for.

4. FAQs

Q: What should I do if I get stuck in a redirect loop or authorization fails during setup?

A: Clear your browser's cache and cookies, disable pop-up blockers, and make sure you are logged into the correct Google account. Alternatively, try completing the integration using an Incognito or Private browser window.

Q: Why are no events showing up in my Google Ads dashboard after linking?

A: Allow time: Events usually take 5–10 minutes to appear, but can take up to 1 to 2 hours for new accounts.

Test your site: Place a test order or add an item to your cart on your live SmartBiz site to generate an event.

Check privacy tools: Disable ad blockers or strict browser privacy controls (like Safari's ITP) during testing.

Verify Account ID: Ensure you selected the correct Google Ads Customer ID in Step 5. If wrong, disconnect and re-link the account.

Q: What if I selected the wrong Google Ads Account ID during setup?

A: Go to the SmartBiz Desktop App > Growth > Performance marketing > Google Ads, click Disconnect / Sign in with a different account, and select the correct account ID.

Q: Do I need to manually add a Google Tag (gtag.js) to my website code?

A: No manual coding is required. SmartBiz automatically configures event tracking once your account is linked.

Q: Which events are automatically tracked once Google Ads is connected?

A: Standard ecommerce events are tracked automatically, including Page View (product details page), Add to Cart, Initiate Checkout, and Purchase.

Q: Will linking Google Ads automatically launch paid ads for my store?

A: No. Linking only sets up conversion and event tracking. You must manually create, target, and fund ad campaigns inside your Google Ads account portal.

5. Best Practices and Common Mistakes to Avoid:

  1. Start Small, Then Scale – Begin with a small budget to test what works. Scale up once you see good results.
  2. Focus on Conversions, Not Just Clicks – Track actions like Add to Cart and Purchase to optimize for sales, not just website visits.
  3. Target the Right Audience – Use Google’s targeting features (location, interest, remarketing) to reach people most likely to buy.
  4. Leverage Remarketing – Show ads to customers who visited but didn’t purchase. These often convert better.
  5. Promote Your Bestsellers First – Advertise high-demand or high-margin products for better ROI.
  6. Use High-Quality Product Pages – Ensure your ads lead to product pages with clear images, compelling descriptions, and smooth checkout.
  7. Monitor & Optimize Weekly – Pause underperforming ads, boost the ones driving sales.
  8. Be Patient & Consistent – Ads may take 1–2 weeks of testing before steady results appear.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

  1. Overspending Too Early – Don’t put a large budget into ads before testing what works. Start small.
  2. Ignoring Negative Keywords – Without excluding irrelevant searches, you may waste money on people not interested in your products.
  3. Running Too Many Campaigns at Once – Focus on a few well-targeted campaigns instead of spreading your budget too thin.
  4. Not Checking Performance Regularly – Leaving ads unchecked for weeks can burn budget without results. Review at least once a week.
  5. Sending Ads to the Wrong Page – Always link ads directly to the most relevant product page, not just your homepage.
  6. Skipping Mobile Optimization – Many customers shop on mobile. Ensure your site and product pages load quickly on mobile devices.
  7. Expecting Instant Results – Ads need testing and optimization; don’t pause too soon if sales don’t happen immediately. Overspending Too Early – Don’t put a large budget into ads before testing what works. Start small.