If your Google Ads are barely breaking even, or worse, losing money.. you’re not alone.
Most eCommerce stores waste 30–40% of their ad spend without realizing it. Not because their products are bad, but because their campaigns are built on the wrong foundations.
After running Google Ads for 150+ eCommerce brands, I’ve seen the same mistakes again and again. But I’ve also seen how quickly things can turn around when you fix them.
Let’s go through the 4 principles that can turn your Google Ads from a cost center into a profit engine, the same ones we teach inside the Google Ads Fast Lane Framework.
1. The Google Ads “Fast Lane” Framework
Think of your products like a race.
Some are winning, some are warming up, and some are holding you back.
Most advertisers treat all products the same. That’s where money leaks.
Instead, split them into four lanes:
| Product Type |
What It Means |
What To Do |
| Winning Products |
High ROAS, consistent sales |
Scale budgets aggressively |
| Racing Products |
Making sales but not enough data yet |
Keep testing, 50+ clicks minimum |
| Warming Up |
Few clicks, no data yet |
Give time — increase spend slowly |
| Losing Products |
Spend > Sales |
Pause immediately — test new creatives later |
When you manage campaigns this way, every euro you spend has a job.
No more guessing, no more blind scaling, just clear focus.
Pro tip: Retest “losers” later with new creatives or bundles. Sometimes the product isn’t bad, just the angle.
2. Fix Your Conversion Tracking (Google’s Hidden Profit Leak)
You can’t scale what you can’t track.
In 8 out of 10 accounts we audit, Google is tracking the wrong goal, like phone calls or form fills instead of purchases. That means your ads are being optimized for the wrong outcome.
Here’s how to fix it:
-
Go to Goals → Summary in your Google Ads account.
-
Set “Purchase” as the only Primary Conversion.
-
Change everything else (calls, contact forms) to Secondary.
-
Check that your purchase value is tracked in real currency (€ / $).
Now Google knows exactly what matters.. sales.
One goal.
One signal.
One profitable direction.
When we first implemented this fix for a fashion brand, their ROAS jumped from 1.8 to 3.1 in just 14 days. Same budget, same products, better tracking.
See how we set up conversion tracking for eCommerce brands
3. Exclude Irrelevant Placements (Stop Paying for Useless Clicks)
Google is great at spending your money — especially in the wrong places.
By default, your Shopping and Performance Max campaigns show up on mobile apps, games, and news sites that never convert.
Every click there costs money but brings no results.
Here’s how to stop that leak:
-
Go to Tools → Content Suitability → Excluded Placements
-
Expand App Categories
-
Select All 140 categories manually (yes, all)
It takes 5 minutes — but it can save you hundreds every month.
Once you exclude irrelevant placements, Google spends your money where buyers actually are — on high-intent shopping searches.
Every euro saved here = a euro reinvested into profitable clicks.
Learn how to stop wasting ad spend within your campaign placements
