services / Google Ads
Google Ads
google ads that win new customers for ecommerce brands
We run Shopping, Search and Performance Max for ecommerce brands with one rule: Google gets credit for demand it wins from competitors and new buyers, not for customers who were already typing your name.
if you’re reading this, one of these is probably true
- Google’s ROAS looks amazing, and most of it is people searching our own name.
- Performance Max is a black box. We can’t see what it’s buying.
- Shopping costs keep rising and I can’t tell which products make money.
- Meta creates the demand, Google claims the sale, and I have to split budget between them.
- Our product feed is whatever Shopify exported when we launched.
- I’ve no idea how much of our Google revenue is new customers.
Google mostly captures demand that something else created. The job is capturing the right demand at a price your margin allows.
why does google ads roas look better than it is?
Branded search and returning customers make Google’s numbers look excellent, and many of those buyers would have found you anyway. In a large field experiment, eBay found its brand-keyword ads delivered almost no extra sales because the organic listing caught the same clicks (Blake, Nosko and Tadelis, Econometrica, 2015).
Performance Max and Google’s AI-driven formats blend brand, remarketing and prospecting into one result. Unless you separate them, a campaign can look profitable while doing very little new work.
Shopping is decided mostly by your product feed. Titles, images, prices and attributes are the targeting, and a neglected feed costs more per click on every product. We cover the detail in product feed optimisation.
where google budgets leak
searches counted as acquisition. They inflate ROAS and hide whether non-brand campaigns pay their way.
Performance Max campaign covering everything means one blended number. You can’t cut what you can’t see.
titles written for the warehouse. Google matches searches to what the feed says, so vague titles buy vague traffic.
how we run google ads
Built for ecommerce, where margin differs by product and most searches are someone comparing options.
split the account by job
Brand, non-brand search, Shopping and Performance Max by margin tier, and remarketing, each reported on its own. You see what each one does before we ask for more budget.
you geta structure you can read
fix the feed
Titles and attributes rewritten around how people search, custom labels for margin and stock, supplemental feeds where the platform export falls short.
you geta feed that targets for you
mine search terms every week
Negative keywords and exclusions from the real search terms report, placement exclusions for display and video.
you getless spend on the wrong searches
bid to margin
Targets set for each margin tier. New-customer goals where there is enough volume to support them.
you getprofit-aware bidding
check it against reality
Blended MER and new versus returning revenue from Shopify, read against what Google reports. A brand holdout or geo test when spend justifies one. We explain the approach in incrementality testing.
you geta number you can defend
where google sits in the mix
Google is rarely the headline channel in our case studies. For most DTC brands it turns demand created elsewhere into sales at a sensible price, and we run it to that brief. If your category has strong search demand already, it can lead, and we’ll plan it that way.
your first 90 days
audit
Account, feed, conversion tracking and search-term audit. Brand and non-brand revenue separated for the first time.
rebuild
Structure split by job and margin, feed fixes live, negative lists in place, targets reset.
scale non-brand
Budget moved to the campaigns winning new customers, weekly search-term work, first incrementality read.
where google fits in our results
Google Shopping and Search, tightened with search-term mining and exclusions, plus YouTube demonstrations, catching demand created by the Meta creative.
is this a fit?
- You sell online with a product feed of a dozen or more products.
- You want brand and non-brand performance shown separately.
- You’ll share product margins so we can bid to them.
- You want leads for a local service business.
- You only want someone to keep the account ticking over.
- You judge Google on the ROAS it reports about itself.
frequently asked questions
Should we bid on our own brand name?
Usually, when competitors bid on it, and only as a defensive line with its own small budget and its own report. Where nobody competes for your name, we test turning brand search down and watch total sales, because organic results often catch the same buyers.
Is Performance Max worth it for ecommerce?
It can be, if the feed is strong and brand and remarketing are kept out of its results or reported separately. Run as a single catch-all campaign, it tends to claim sales other channels made.
How long until Google Ads results improve?
In our experience, search-term and feed fixes cut waste within the first few weeks. Growth in non-brand revenue takes longer, usually a couple of months, while the new structure and bidding settle.
Can you manage Google Ads and Meta ads together?
Yes, and it’s the better setup. Meta usually creates the demand Google captures, so one team sees both sides and doesn’t let each platform claim the same sale.
How is pricing structured?
On scope: monthly retainers, project fees or performance-linked incentives, depending on what your team does in-house.
related services
Meta & TikTok Ads
Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, run on creative diversity and contribution margin.
Conversion Optimisation
Product pages, landing pages and offers rebuilt around the reasons people don’t buy.
We'll 3X your investment in us
That's our pinky promise to you! You'll see measurable improvement in results within the first 90 days with better ads and higher conversions.
Keen to have us as your performance marketing partner? Please click the "partner with us" button to see if we're a good fit.