Analytics

Google Ads Tracking for Shopify with GTM : The Only Free 2025 Guide with code

Google Ads Tracking for Shopify : The Only Free 2025 Guide

Hey, what’s up, amazing Google Ads community!

If you’re here, chances are you’ve tried countless YouTube tutorials to configure Google Ads tracking with Shopify in 2025, only to hit a dead end. Most tutorials are now outdated since Shopify removed the ability to add custom scripts at the checkout level for security reasons.

Now, setting up GTM requires hours of research—when all you really want is to launch your awesome Google Ads campaign for your cool Shopify store. But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! I’m sharing free, fully working code that works seamlessly on ANY Shopify store.

If you find this hard work helpful, I’d truly appreciate it if you could give my YouTube video a like or even drop a comment. It means a lot as I’m just starting with Youtube!

Thanks in advance,

Enjoy,
Darius

4/ The full video tutorial

1/ The Shopify client event code for Google Ads Tracking in 2025

Method:

Go to Shopify Settings/Clients Events, Create a new custom pixel and then, change the thickbox this way:

Name it as you want, I named mine :

GTM Checkout Custom Datalayer

Code:

Then copy and paste this code in your new custom pixel:

				
					const event_prefix = '';
const formattedItemId = true;
const gclidWithPageLocation = true;
const GTM_container_url = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com';
const GTM_container_id = 'GTM-WVLVWSBR';


let storeCountryCode = window.localStorage.getItem('shopCountryCode');
storeCountryCode = storeCountryCode || 'US';
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
function gtag() {
    dataLayer.push(arguments);
}

//checkout pages event
if(/.+\/checkouts?\/.*/.test(window.location.href)) {
    // tag manager 
    (function(w, d, s, l, i) {
        w[l] = w[l] || [];
        w[l].push({
            'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),
            event: 'gtm.js'
        });
        var f = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],
            j = d.createElement(s),
            dl = l != 'dataLayer' ? '&l=' + l : '';
        j.async = true;
        j.src = GTM_container_url + '/gtm.js?id=' + i + dl;
        f.parentNode.insertBefore(j, f);
    })(window, document, 'script', 'dataLayer', GTM_container_id);
  
    analytics.subscribe('page_viewed', (event) => {      
        const eventData = {
          event: event_prefix + 'page_view',
          page_location: getPageLocation(event),   
        }
      
        window.dataLayer.push(eventData);
        eventLog('page_view', eventData);
    });
    // end tag manager


    // DataLayer Events
    analytics.subscribe('payment_info_submitted', (event) => ecommerceDataLayer('add_payment_info', event));

    analytics.subscribe('checkout_shipping_info_submitted', (event) => ecommerceDataLayer('add_shipping_info', event));

    analytics.subscribe('checkout_completed', (event) => ecommerceDataLayer('purchase', event));

}


function eventLog(eventName, eventData) {
    const css1 = 'background: red; color: #fff; font-size: normal; border-radius: 3px 0 0 3px; padding: 3px 4px;';
    const css2 = 'background-color: blue; color: #fff; font-size: normal; border-radius: 0 3px 3px 0; padding: 3px 4px;';
    
    console.log(
      '%cGTM DataLayer Event:%c' + event_prefix + eventName, css1, css2, eventData
    );
}

function getPageLocation(event) {
    let pageLocation = event.context.document.location.href;
  
    if(gclidWithPageLocation) {
      const name = '_gcl_aw';
      const value = `; ${document.cookie}`;
      const parts = value.split(`; ${name}=`);

      if (parts.length === 2) {
        const gclidCookie = parts.pop().split(';').shift();
        const gclidParts = gclidCookie.split('.');
        const gclid = gclidParts[gclidParts.length - 1];
        
        pageLocation = pageLocation.includes('?') ? `${pageLocation}&gclid=${gclid}` : `${pageLocation}?gclid=${gclid}`;
      }
    }
  return pageLocation;
}

async function sha256Hash(value) {
    const encoder = new TextEncoder();
    const data = encoder.encode(value);

    const hashBuffer = await crypto.subtle.digest('SHA-256', data);

    const hashArray = Array.from(new Uint8Array(hashBuffer));
    const hashedValue = hashArray.map(byte => ('00' + byte.toString(16)).slice(-2)).join('');
    return hashedValue;
}

async function ecommerceDataLayer(gtm_event_name, event) {  
    let hash_email;
    let hash_phone;
    const phone = event.data?.checkout?.phone;
    const email = event.data?.checkout?.email;

    if (phone) {
        hash_phone = await sha256Hash(phone);
    }

    if (email) {
        hash_email = await sha256Hash(email);
    }


    const customerInfo = {
        customer: {
            first_name: event.data?.checkout?.billingAddress?.firstName || event.data?.checkout?.shippingAddress?.firstName,
            last_name: event.data?.checkout?.billingAddress?.lastName || event.data?.checkout?.shippingAddress?.lastName,
            email: email,
            hash_email: hash_email,
            phone: phone,
            hash_phone: hash_phone,
            address: event.data?.checkout?.shippingAddress
        }
    }
    dataLayer.push(customerInfo);

    const dataLayerInfo = {
        event: event_prefix + gtm_event_name,
        page_location: getPageLocation(event),
        ecommerce: {
            transaction_id: event.data?.checkout?.order?.id,
            value: event.data?.checkout?.totalPrice?.amount,
            tax: event.data?.checkout?.totalTax?.amount,
            shipping: event.data?.checkout?.shippingLine?.price?.amount,
            currency: event.data?.checkout?.currencyCode,
            coupon: (event.data?.checkout?.discountApplications || []).map(discount => discount.title).join(','),
            items: (event.data?.checkout?.lineItems || []).map(item => ({
                item_id: formattedItemId ? 'shopify_' + storeCountryCode + '_' + (item.variant?.product?.id || '') + '_' + (item.variant?.id || '') : item.variant?.product?.id,
                product_id: item.variant?.product?.id,
                variant_id: item.variant?.id,
                sku: item.variant?.sku,
                item_name: item.title,
                coupon: item.discountAllocations?.discountApplication?.title,
                discount: item.discountAllocations?.amount?.amount,
                item_variant: item.variant?.title,
                price: item.variant?.price?.amount,
                quantity: item.quantity,
                item_brand: item.variant?.product?.vendor,
                item_category: item.variant?.product?.type

            }))
        }
    }

    dataLayer.push({
        ecommerce: null
    });
    dataLayer.push(dataLayerInfo);
    eventLog(gtm_event_name, Object.assign({}, dataLayerInfo, customerInfo));
}

2/ The Shopify snippet code for Google Ads Tracking in 2025

Method:

Go to your Shopify theme code and add a new snippet that you will call data-layer :

Code:

Then copy and paste this code in your data-layer snippet:

				
					<script>
// Initialisation du dataLayer global
window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];

// Event : Add to Cart
document.addEventListener('click', function(e) {
    if (e.target.matches('[data-add-to-cart-button]')) {
        window.dataLayer.push({
            event: 'add_to_cart',
            ecommerce: {
                currency: '{{ shop.currency }}',
                value: {{ product.price | divided_by: 100 }},
                items: [{
                    item_name: '{{ product.title }}',
                    item_id: '{{ product.id }}',
                    price: {{ product.price | divided_by: 100 }},
                    quantity: 1
                }]
            }
        });
    }
});

// Event : Initiate Checkout
if (window.location.pathname.includes('/checkouts')) {
    document.addEventListener('click', function(e) {
        if (e.target.matches('[name="checkout"]')) {
            window.dataLayer.push({
                event: 'checkout_started',
                ecommerce: {
                    currency: '{{ shop.currency }}',
                    value: {{ cart.total_price | divided_by: 100 }},
                    items: [
                        {% for item in cart.items %}
                        {
                            item_name: '{{ item.product.title }}',
                            item_id: '{{ item.product.id }}',
                            price: {{ item.price | divided_by: 100 }},
                            quantity: {{ item.quantity }}
                        },
                        {% endfor %}
                    ]
                }
            });
        }
    });
}

// Event : Purchase (sur la page de remerciement)
if (window.location.pathname.includes('/thank_you')) {
    window.dataLayer.push({
        event: 'purchase',
        ecommerce: {
            transaction_id: '{{ order.name }}',
            affiliation: 'Shopify Store',
            value: {{ order.total_price | divided_by: 100 }},
            tax: {{ order.total_tax | divided_by: 100 }},
            shipping: {{ order.total_shipping_price_set.shop_money.amount }},
            currency: '{{ shop.currency }}',
            items: [
                {% for line_item in order.line_items %}
                {
                    item_name: '{{ line_item.title }}',
                    item_id: '{{ line_item.product_id }}',
                    price: {{ line_item.price | divided_by: 100 }},
                    quantity: {{ line_item.quantity }}
                },
                {% endfor %}
            ]
        }
    });
}
</script>

Now, your Shopify Store is correctly pushing data in the data layers for the Google Tools so let’s dive into GTM