How to Plug Google Ads Into BigCommerce: A Step-by-Step Guide

As an e-commerce business/brand owner, you’ve just launched your shiny new BigCommerce store. Your product pages are slick, your checkout experience is smooth, and your inventory is packed with items people actually want. 

But there’s one problem: Alas, the number of visitors on your site ain’t that great!

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. A lot of e-commerce store owners hit this roadblock. That’s where Google Ads for BigCommerce comes into play. With over 8.5 billion daily searches, Google is the world’s digital megaphone. 

But here’s the catch: setting up Google Ads BigCommerce integration can seem overwhelming if you’ve never done it before. Between conversion tags, Merchant Center, product feeds, and tracking pixels, it’s easy to feel lost.

Don’t worry; we at Mavlers, with 13+  years of experience & expertise in the SEM sphere, have got you. In this guide, we’ll break it all down step-by-step and answer common questions like:

• How do I connect Google Ads to BigCommerce?

• How do I install the conversion tag in BigCommerce?

• How do I track my ad results correctly?

Let’s get you plugged in and powered up.

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Why should you link Google Ads with BigCommerce?

Before diving into the how, let’s tackle the why. Why should you bother linking Google Ads with your BigCommerce store in the first place?

Because if done right, it can literally put your products right in front of shoppers actively searching for them.

Here’s what happens when you connect Google Ads to BigCommerce:

• Your products get automatically listed on Google Shopping.

• You can launch ad campaigns straight from your BigCommerce dashboard.

• You’ll gain access to real-time BigCommerce Google Ads tracking.

• You can measure what’s working and double down on it.

• It saves time and manual effort with built-in sync features.

Step 1: Installing the “Ads and Listings on Google” App in BigCommerce

Let’s start by getting the right tools in place.

BigCommerce makes things easier through its official Google integration app. Here’s how to get it:

1. Inside your BigCommerce dashboard, go to Apps.

2. Click on BigCommerce.com/Apps to open the Marketplace.

3. Search for “Google Ads and Listings”.

4. When the app appears, click on it, then tap “Get This App.”

5. Log in to your store account and click Install.

6. Review the terms, tick the agreement box, and hit Confirm.

Wondering why this app is important?

Well, it’s your one-stop shop for managing product listings, syncing inventory, and kickstarting your Google Ads setup in BigCommerce without needing to touch a single line of code.

Step 2: Connecting the app via Channel Manager

Once you’ve got the app installed, it’s time to hook it up to your storefront using BigCommerce’s Channel Manager.

1. Go to Channel Manager in your dashboard.

2. Click + Create Channel.

3. Under the Ads and Social section, click Add New.

4. You’ll see “Ads and Listings on Google”; click Connect.

You’ll then be asked to select which storefront to sync. Pick the relevant one and hit Continue.

This step ensures that Google can access the right products and data from your store for advertising purposes.

Step 3: Sign into Google and authorize access

Here’s where you plug in your Google accounts:

1. Click Sign in with Google.

2. Choose the Google account you’ll use for managing ads and product listings.

3. Make sure all permissions are checked; this gives BigCommerce access to:

• Your Merchant Center

• Google Ads campaigns

• Site verification

• Product data syncing

Once done, click Continue.

We recommend using a business-managed Google account instead of a personal Gmail as this helps keep things clean, secure, and scalable.

Step 4: Review and confirm Google’s Store requirements 

This part trips a lot of people up, so take your time here.

To advertise on Google, your BigCommerce store must meet specific criteria. The app will prompt you to confirm that your store includes:

• Clear return/refund policies

• A secure checkout

• Valid contact details

• Accurate shipping info

When you click Review and Confirm, a pop-up will guide you to the appropriate settings in your BigCommerce control panel.

Make any required changes and click Confirm after each.

It’s important to know that Google will review your store. If something’s off, your Merchant Center can be suspended, which is a pain to fix. So, it’s better to do it right the first time!

Step 5: Link your Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts

Well, guess what?! You are almost there!

1. Link your Google Merchant Center account (or create a new one if needed).

2. Next, link your Google Ads account; again, you can create one directly if you don’t have it set up yet.

3. Once both accounts are connected, click Activate Channel

Voila! Your BigCommerce Google Ads setup is officially complete.

Now, your products can start appearing in Google Shopping, and you can launch PPC campaigns that drive real ROI.

Step 6: Setting up conversion tracking in BigCommerce

Running ads without tracking conversions is like driving blindfolded — you won’t know what’s working and what’s wasting your money.

Here’s how to install the Google Ads conversion tag in BigCommerce:

1. Inside Google Ads, go to Tools & Settings > Conversions.

2. Create a new conversion action (like “purchase”).

3. You’ll be given a conversion ID and label.

4. Back in BigCommerce, go to Advanced Settings > Web Analytics > Google Ads.

5. Paste the conversion ID and label into the appropriate fields.

6. Save and publish.

That’s it; now you’ve got BigCommerce Google Ads pixel setup complete and all set to role.

Once conversion tracking is enabled, you’ll be able to view key performance metrics like, number of purchases from ads, revenue generated per campaign, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS)

This kind of data is gold, as it helps you make smarter, more profitable decisions.

The road ahead

For getting the most out of Google’s AI tools for your campaigns, we now recommend reading ~ Google’s AI Playbook: The Marketer’s Guide To Effortless Ad Campaign Setup for Maximum ROI.