Meta creates demand. Google captures it. I manage both for Shopify stores, starting with the tracking, because a budget split is only as good as the data behind it.
It depends on whether people already search for what you sell.
If they do, Google Ads usually pays back first. Shopping and Performance Max campaigns built on a clean Merchant Center feed, plus search on your highest-intent terms and remarketing to past visitors.
If they do not, or your product needs to be seen to be wanted, Meta ads come first. Video and static creative on Facebook and Instagram introduce the product, and Google then picks up the branded searches that follow.
Most Shopify stores end up running both. With Shift, education-led Meta ads introduced a brand-new product category to cold audiences, and intent-based Google campaigns captured the searches that awareness created.
Paid ads for Shopify fail quietly when the platforms are fed bad data. Before scaling, I check:
That last point is common with quiz funnels and landing page tools. On one account, fixing the link between the landing domain and the Shopify store was the difference between Google seeing the sales and not.
I start with a simple split and let results move it. Prospecting gets most of the budget, because that is where new customers come from. Remarketing stays small, because much of what it claims would have happened anyway. A fixed portion is reserved for testing new creative, so the account does not go stale.
Budgets are reviewed weekly. Spend moves toward the campaigns bringing in new customers at an acceptable cost, measured at store level and not only inside the ad platform.
The best-performing ads I have run rarely came from a studio. For Lina Lennox, creative built around two core brand stories and tested every two weeks, rather than one-off polished shoots, was what cut cost per acquisition by 30%. Consistent storytelling and a steady testing cadence tend to beat one big brand film.
I write the ad copy and direct the creative. For brands in restricted categories, I also build a copy framework that keeps ads inside platform claims rules.
Sometimes I audit an account and the ads are fine. The cost per click is reasonable and the traffic is qualified, and the store still does not convert. In those cases more ad spend is the wrong answer. The fix is on the site or in the inbox: product pages, offer, page speed, or email flows that do not exist yet. I will tell you when that is the case, and I can do that work too. See Shopify growth systems.
Luxury human hair brand
Rebuilt email automation and paid ad creative for a luxury hair brand, growing email revenue 183% and cutting customer acquisition cost 38%.
Zero-nicotine lifestyle pouches
Took over ads, tracking and lifecycle for a zero-nicotine lifestyle pouch brand that two prior agencies had left fragmented, and grew total store revenue 300% in 30 days.
Organic silk bonnets and accessories
Unified creative, paid ads, email and Shopify admin for a women-founded silk haircare brand, growing sales 100% while cutting ad cost per sale 30%.
Start with Google Ads if people already search for your product type, because Shopping and search capture existing demand. Start with Meta ads if the product needs to be discovered. Most Shopify stores eventually run both, with Meta creating demand and Google capturing it.
Enough to give each campaign consistent daily data, and no more than you can afford to spend while learning. I work with stores spending under $1,000 a month as well as larger budgets. Clean tracking and a clear offer matter more than the starting number.
Expect the first few weeks to be about learning: which creative, audiences and products work. Accounts with existing purchase data move faster. New stores with no data need longer, which is why I build email capture at the same time.
Yes, including Merchant Center feed setup, policy compliance and product data fixes, which is where most Shopping problems start.
A 30-minute call. Bring your ad account and Shopify numbers if you can. You leave with a short list of priorities, whether or not we work together.