How do I know if I have conversion tracking issues?

Compare your Shopify sales to Google Ads conversions over a week (allowing for 3-day reporting lag). If there's more than a 10-15% discrepancy, you likely have tracking issues.

Can bad tracking data be fixed retroactively?

No, historical conversion data cannot be corrected. You can only fix tracking going forward. This is why regular auditing is important to catch issues early.

How often should I audit my conversion tracking?

Monthly audits are recommended, plus additional checks after any Shopify updates, theme changes, or when you notice unusual performance patterns.

7 Conversion Tracking Mistakes Killing Your Shopify ROAS

Tracking Purchases Only

Many merchants only track purchases, ignoring the rest of the funnel. This gives Google's AI incomplete data to optimize against.

What You're Missing

• Add to Cart signals
• Checkout initiation data
• High-intent user behavior

The Fix

• Track Add to Cart (secondary)
• Track Begin Checkout (secondary)
• Keep Purchase as primary

Why it matters: Full-funnel tracking gives Smart Bidding more signals to identify high-value users earlier in their journey.

Not Using Enhanced Conversions

With privacy restrictions growing, relying only on cookies means you're missing 20-40% of your conversions.

The Privacy Problem

Safari blocks tracking after 7 days. iOS limits data. Ad blockers prevent tags from firing. Without Enhanced Conversions, you're flying blind on a significant portion of your traffic.

The Fix: Enable Enhanced Conversions to use first-party customer data for better matching.

Learn how to set up Enhanced Conversions

Duplicate Conversion Tags

This happens when you have multiple tracking methods active: GTM setup, native Shopify integration, AND a third-party app all firing at once.

The Result

• Inflated conversion counts
• Artificially low CPA
• Bad optimization decisions
• Wasted budget on underperformers

The Fix

• Audit all active tracking methods
• Choose ONE primary method
• Remove or disable others
• Use Google Tag Assistant to verify

Wrong Conversion Value

If your conversion value doesn't match reality, your ROAS calculations are meaningless.

Common Value Mistakes:

Including tax in some transactions but not others
Currency mismatches between Shopify and Google Ads
Including or excluding shipping inconsistently
Using fixed values instead of dynamic order totals

The Fix: Standardize on product subtotal (excluding tax and shipping) for consistent ROAS comparison.

Ignoring Attribution Settings

Google Ads now defaults to data-driven attribution, which distributes credit across touchpoints. If you're expecting last-click numbers, you'll be confused.

Understanding Data-Driven Attribution

A single conversion might show as 0.4 conversions on one campaign and 0.6 on another. This isn't an error—it's credit distribution. Total conversions remain accurate.

The Fix: Understand your attribution model and align your expectations. Use the Model Comparison tool in Google Ads to see differences.

Not Testing After Shopify Updates

Shopify regularly updates their checkout, themes, and APIs. Each update can potentially break your tracking.

Recent Breaking Changes:

Checkout Extensibility migration changing thank-you page behavior
Theme updates affecting script loading
Web Pixel API changes

The Fix: Test your tracking with a real purchase after every major Shopify update. Set calendar reminders for monthly audits.

Relying on Client-Side Only

Client-side tracking (browser-based) is increasingly unreliable. Ad blockers, privacy browsers, and iOS restrictions all prevent tags from firing.

The Reality

Up to 40% of users may have some form of tracking prevention enabled. That's 40% of your conversions at risk.

The Fix: Supplement client-side tracking with Enhanced Conversions or server-side tracking where possible.

How to Audit Your Current Setup

Use this checklist to identify issues in your tracking:

Compare Shopify orders to Google Ads conversions (allow 3-day lag)
Check for duplicate tags with Google Tag Assistant
Verify conversion values match Shopify order totals
Confirm Enhanced Conversions is enabled and recording
Test a real purchase and verify it appears in Google Ads
Review attribution model and understand credit distribution

Stop Making These Mistakes

Manual tracking setups are prone to all these errors. Every Shopify update, every Google change creates risk. That's why dedicated tracking apps exist—to handle the complexity and prevent these mistakes automatically.

Error-Free Tracking with ScaleUp

ScaleUp prevents all 7 mistakes: full-funnel tracking, Enhanced Conversions included, deduplication built-in, correct values, and automatic updates when platforms change.

Install Free on Shopify

7 Conversion Tracking Mistakes Killing Your Shopify ROAS

The Hidden Cost of Bad Tracking