How to Open a Google Shopping Ads Account丨Complete Step-by-Step Guide from 0 to 1

Want your products to appear in front of customers?​

When someone searches for “blue running shoes men” or “1.8m solid wood desk,” Google Shopping Ads can show your products directly to them. This is the most precise way to advertise!

But beginners often run into two problems: either the account isn’t set up properly, or the product information fails to submit.

This guide will show you exactly how to do it.

What do you need to prepare?​

• An online store that’s been live for at least 6 hours, with a separate page for each product
• A complete product list, which must include:
  • Product name
  • Product ID (unique)
  • Accurate price and stock information
  • Clear product image links
  • Complete product page links
  • Correct product category
  • GTIN or MPN code (if it’s a branded product)

Missing any of these, and your ads won’t run!

How to connect to Google’s system?​

1. First, verify your website in Google Merchant Center (GMC) by uploading a file or adding a code
2. Upload your product information, making sure errors are under 2%, and that prices and stock match your website exactly
3. Link GMC and Google Ads using the same Google account

How to start advertising?​

1. Select the “Shopping Ads” type
2. Choose the correct GMC data feed
3. Set your daily budget (beginners can start from $10)
4. Choose “Maximize Clicks” (simplest for beginners)
5. Pick the countries you want to sell to
6. Product grouping can start with “All Products”

Follow these steps, and within 1–2 days your products will appear on:

• Google search results
• Image search
• YouTube
• Other shopping sites

Three things you must prepare before launching

According to Google’s official data, 65% of account reviews fail due to incomplete or incorrect product info, and unverified websites account for 22%. You must strictly prepare these three key materials:

Product Feed​

• Must include at least 15 attributes (title, ID, description, high-res image links, price, stock status, link, brand, GTIN/MPN, etc.)
• Image size ≥800×800 pixels (lower resolution affects visibility)
• File format must be .tsv/.csv/.xml (export Excel as UTF-8 to avoid garbled text)

Independently verified website​

• Domain must be registered for at least 72 hours (new sites can’t pass review)
• Must have a valid SSL certificate (HTTPS)
• Product pages must include a “Add to Cart” button + clear return policy page (without these, rejection rate exceeds 40%)

Single Google account with both platform permissions​

• Use one Gmail account to operate both Google Merchant Center (GMC) and Google Ads
• Avoid cross-account linking failures (multi-account errors reach 34%)

Product Feed

The product feed is the foundation of ads and must be submitted as a structured data file (manual entry is not allowed). You need to create a standard format sheet with all key fields filled in:

• Product ID (required): Unique code for each product (e.g., SKU#A001), exactly matching your website backend (duplicate IDs cause ad conflicts)
• Title (required): Include core keywords (e.g., “Men’s Non-Slip Trail Running Shoes” rather than “New Sports Shoes”), recommended under 70 characters (longer titles get truncated), first word should be the product noun (“Running Shoes Men” is better than “Men’s Running Shoes”)
• Image link (required): Must be a permanent direct link (e.g., https://example.com/images/shoe.jpg), avoid temporary hosts (like WeChat/Taobao), formats limited to .jpg/.png/.gif, white background images convert 23% better on average
• Price and stock (real-time): Clearly indicate currency (e.g., 199 CNY), stock field filled with in stock/out of stock (if listed in stock but unavailable, cancellation rate spikes 90%)
• GTIN (strongly recommended): International product barcode (e.g., ISBN/UPC/EAN), branded products without GTIN have 58% rejection rate (can fill N/A but must submit brand exemption request in GMC)

Practical Tool Recommendations:

• For small online shops, use a Google Sheets template (free) and automatically sync via GMC > Products > Feed > Import from Google Sheets.
• Shopify/WooCommerce users can install the Feed for Google Shopping plugin to automatically generate compliant formats.

Website

Google requires website ownership verification and technical compliance. Even if your feed is correct, it won’t display without it:

• Domain Verification (takes ~10 minutes): In GMC, choose HTML file upload verification or HTML tag insertion (copy the code into your website’s ). Once verified, it never expires (without verification, you can’t submit feeds).
• HTTPS encryption (mandatory): Use a free certificate like Let’s Encrypt and enable HTTPS site-wide (HTTP pages will be blocked in ads).
• Return policy page (clearly written): A standalone page should include return period (e.g., “7-day no-questions-asked return”), return address, and shipping responsibility (missing this page has a 79% rejection rate).
• Real contact info: Display in the footer registered business name + physical address + support email/phone (must match GMC info 100%).

Common Rejection Cases:

• No clear price on product page → add tag.
• No standalone privacy policy page → generate one using free tools (e.g., Shopify Privacy Policy Generator).

Google Dual Accounts

Use the exact same Gmail account to register and link these two platforms:

• Google Merchant Center (GMC): Address must use legal name on business license (individual accounts use full name from ID). Address and phone must be verifiable (Google may mail a verification code).
• Google Ads account: In GMC > Account Linking, enter your Google Ads customer ID (found in Ads dashboard → Tools & Settings → Account number). The system will automatically link within 24 hours.

If it says “You don’t have permission to link this account”:

1. Log out of all Google accounts and log in with the target Gmail only.
2. In GMC, click top-right tools icon → Business Account Access → Add Google Ads account ID (10 digits).
3. Check Google Ads Tools → Linked accounts → Review status.

Key Two Steps to Fully Activate and Connect

To get Google Ads running, follow the steps strictly in order. According to Google, 72% of beginners fail to launch ads due to GMC verification issues, and 32% lose data due to account linking errors.

Here’s a proven method:

GMC Account Setup

• Complete website ownership verification (HTML file/code insertion)
• Set up tax and shipping templates (missing tax fields will block display in target countries).

Product Feed Upload & Fixes

• Submit .tsv/.csv file for the first time, ensuring error rate ≤5% (over 50 errors will pause the feed).
• Prioritize fixing “image fetch errors” (68% of errors) and “missing price”.

GMC & Google Ads Linking

• Use a single Google account + 10-digit customer ID (found in Ads dashboard) to link.
• If it’s not active after 24 hours, manually check permissions (cross-account linking fails over 34%).

Step 1: Create Google Merchant Center & Complete Verification

1. Register GMC

• Go to merchants.google.com and log in with the same Gmail account.
• Fill in business info:
  • Legal name: Must match business license exactly (individual accounts use full name from ID).
  • Business address: Include street number (Google may mail a verification code).
  • Support phone/email: Ensure reachable (example format: +86 AreaCode PhoneNumber).

2. Website Ownership Verification (Key Step)
​Recommended: HTML File Upload (92% Success Rate)​​

① In the GMC backend, click ​​“Verify Now”​​ → Download the google***.html​ file.

② Use an FTP tool (like FileZilla) to upload it to your website’s ​​root directory​​ (e.g., public_html​ or www​ folder).

③ Go back to GMC and click ​​“Verify”​​ (should complete within 5 minutes).

​​Alternative: HTML Code Insertion​​

① Copy the <meta name="google-site-verification" content="***">​ code.

② Paste it into the ​<head>​ section of all pages on your site (WordPress users can use the ​​“Header Footer Code Manager” plugin​​).

​​3. Set Up Tax Rates and Shipping Templates (Required!)​​

• ​​Sales Tax​​:
  • Required for countries like the US/Canada/India where tax applies.
  • In the backend: ​​Settings → Tax → Add Tax Rate​​ (e.g., select CA + 9.5%​ for California, USA).
• ​​Shipping Template​​:
  • Set by country: free shipping or tiered shipping (e.g., $5 shipping in the US, free for orders over $50).
• ​​Common mistake​​: Not setting a shipping template for China → Chinese users won’t see ads.

​​FAQ:​​

• Website not using HTTPS → Use ​​SSL For Free​​ to get a certificate.
• Uploaded verification file but changes not showing → ​​clear CDN cache​​ (e.g., Cloudflare).

Step 2: Upload Product Feed & Link Google Ads​​

​​1. Feed Submission & Error Fixing (Key within 24 Hours)​​

​​First upload recommended as “.csv” file​​ (best compatibility):

① GMC → Products → Feed → ＋Create Feed​.

② Choose language/country → Name your feed (e.g., Product_Catalog_20240801).

③ Upload the file → Select ​​“Direct Upload”​​ → Set ​​daily automatic updates​​.

​​Review Report (results within 3 hours)​​:

• ​​Passing criteria​​: Errors ≤ ​​5% of total products​​ (e.g., 100 products → max 5 errors).
• ​​Urgent fixes (78% of errors)​​:

​​2. Link Google Ads Account (1-Minute Setup)​​

​​Recommended method: link via GMC​​:

① GMC backend → Top-right tools icon → ​​Merchant Access​​.

② Click ​​＋Add User​​ → Enter ​​Google Ads Customer ID (10 digits)​​ → Set permission to ​​“Admin”​​.

(Customer ID path: Google Ads → top-right help icon → Customer ID).

​​Confirm linking in Ads​​:

① Log in to Google Ads → ​​Tools & Settings → Linked Accounts → Merchant Center​​.

② Status should show ​​“Linked” + “Pending Acceptance”​​ (If stuck at “Pending” >2 hours → click ​​Resend Request​​).
Binding Issue Handling:

• If you see “You do not have permission” → log out of all Google accounts → log in only with the target Gmail and try again.
• Status shows “Linked but no data” → check if both platforms use the same Gmail account (data won’t sync across different accounts).

3. Enable Product Data Sharing (often overlooked)

• In Ads dashboard → Tools → Product Data Sharing Settings → check “Automatically sync product updates”.
• Check “Include all active products” → enable real-time price/inventory updates (prevents overselling).

Start Running Ads and Track Performance

Running ads successfully ≠ getting orders. Data shows that for the first week, shopping ads need an average click-through rate (CTR) ≥ 0.8% to count as effective exposure (if below 0.3%, optimize immediately), and the conversion cycle usually takes 7–14 days.

To avoid overspending, you must manage three key points:

Budget Allocation

• Suggested initial daily budget: $10–30 (total test spend ≤ $210).
• Control cost-per-click (CPC) at ≤ 20% of product profit.

Product Grouping

• Group by category/bestsellers (e.g., “Men’s Shoes – Running Series”).
• Each group should have ≤50 products (too many lowers traffic quality).

Data Monitoring

• Ensure GMC product status is 100% “Approved”.
• Track Ads key metrics: CTR > 0.8%, add-to-cart rate > 2.5%, CPA < product price.

Step 1: Create Your First Shopping Campaign

1. Basic Settings (affect traffic quality)

• Campaign Objective: choose “Sales” (track orders directly) or “Leads” (drive add-to-cart/sign-ups).
• Budget & Bidding:
  • Daily budget at least $10 (lower may prevent ads from showing).
  • Choose bidding strategy “Maximize Clicks” + set max CPC limit (e.g., $0.5 to avoid overspending per click).
• Ad Networks: only check “Google Search Network” (disable Display Network in the first month, click-through errors can be as high as 42%).
• Location Targeting: narrow to country/zip code (e.g., USA + ZIP 90210, avoid wasting budget globally).

2. Ad Group Settings (determine traffic precision)

• Grouping Logic:
  • By category (recommended): e.g., “Men’s Running Shoes,” “Women’s Backpacks.”
  • By hot sellers: create separate groups for products with more than 50 sales in the last 30 days.
• Product Selection:
  • Click “Product Groups” → “All Products” (start with this for testing).
  • Exclude products with <10 in stock or rating <4.0 (reduce low-performing impressions).

3. Pre-Launch Checklist (Prevent Mistakes)

Beginner Traps:

• Wrong bidding strategy: “Target ROAS” → New accounts have no data, so the system can’t optimize → choose “Maximize Clicks”.
• Not excluding irrelevant search terms → After 3 days of running, add negative keywords in Ads (like “free” or “used”).

Step 2: Monitor Key Metrics in Real-Time

1. Three daily must-check data sources

• Google Merchant Center → Products > Diagnostics: Make sure there are 0 errors (any sudden errors can pause ads).
• Google Ads Dashboard:
  • CTR (Click-Through Rate): healthy if >0.8% (if <0.5%, optimize images/titles).
  • CPA (Cost per Add-to-Cart): formula: Total Spend ÷ Add-to-Cart → Standard <3 USD.
• Website Analytics (e.g., Google Analytics):
  • Check the “Goal Conversion” path: Product Page → Add to Cart → Successful Payment (if <40%, there’s a checkout issue).

2. Prioritize optimization tasks

• Urgent: GMC shows “Product Disapproved” → fix within 24 hours (otherwise ads stop).
• High cost & low efficiency products: CPC > $1.5 and CTR < 0.5% → lower bid by 5% or pause product.
• High-converting keywords: find keywords with conversion rate >3% in Ads “Search Terms Report” → add to priority bid group.

Step 3: Low-Cost Optimization Strategies

1. Product Level: Switch main promoted items

• In Google Ads “Shopping Ads Performance Report” → sort by “Conversion Value / Cost”.
• For products with ROAS > 200%:
  • Create a separate ad group → raise bids to 150% of original CPC.
  • Add key selling phrases to the title (e.g., “Best Seller Top1”, “Limited-Time Discount”).

2. Traffic Level: Filter out useless clicks

Add negative keywords:

① Ads Dashboard → Campaigns → Keywords → Search Terms.

② Filter Spend > $1 & Conversions = 0 → add to Negative Keyword List (e.g., “cheap”, “replica”).

Adjust Time Slots:

• Analyze GA4 heatmap: find peak order times (e.g., 8 PM–11 PM).
• Increase bid by 20% during these hours (Ads settings → Bid Adjustment).

3. Creative Level: Improve CTR

Main Image Optimization:

• Use lifestyle images > plain background (tests show outdoor product lifestyle images lift CTR by 37%).
• Add corner badges (like “-30%”, “Free Shipping”).

Title Formula:

• Core Keyword + Promotion Info + Feature
• Example: Men’s Anti-Slip Hiking Shoes | Limited $79 | Shock Absorbent, Durable, Waterproof

Stick to these steps, and your ads should enter a stable profit phase in 6–8 weeks