Are you running a clothing brand and thinking about starting Google Ads?
Maybe your Meta Ads are already performing well, and now you want to test Google Ads to grow your sales.
This is a common situation for ecommerce and fashion brands.
Recently, I answered a question from a clothing brand owner who said:
“I have a clothing brand with an average order value of $1,500. I want to start Google Ads for the first time. Meta is performing well for us. I am thinking to go for Shopping Ads. What do you suggest? I have never done Google Ads before and need your suggestions as a beginner.”
In this article, I will explain what I recommend for a beginner clothing brand starting Google Ads for the first time.
Should a Clothing Brand Run Google Ads?
Yes, clothing brands can run Google Ads.
But the important thing is choosing the right campaign type.
Google Ads is not just one ad format. You can run:
Search campaigns
Shopping campaigns
Demand Gen campaigns
Performance Max campaigns
YouTube campaigns
Display campaigns
Remarketing campaigns
For a clothing brand, the strategy should be different from a service business.
Why?
Because clothing is a visual product.
People usually want to see the product before they buy. They care about design, color, style, fitting, photos, videos, and the overall look of the brand.
That is why choosing the right visual campaign type matters.
My First Recommendation: Demand Gen Campaign
For a clothing brand, my first recommendation is to start with a Demand Gen campaign.
Demand Gen campaigns can work well because they are more visual.
With clothing, people like to see the product before buying. A customer may not convert just because they read a text ad. They need to see the product, understand the style, and feel attracted to the brand.
Demand Gen campaigns can help you show product images and creative assets in a more engaging way.
This is why I recommend Demand Gen as a strong starting point for clothing and fashion brands.
Why Demand Gen Can Work Well for Clothing
Demand Gen can be useful for clothing brands because:
Clothing products are visual
People respond well to images and videos
Fashion buyers often browse before buying
Creative presentation matters
Brand awareness matters
You can show lifestyle-based content
You can introduce new collections
You can reach people who may be interested in your style
For fashion, visuals can create demand.
That is why Demand Gen can be a good campaign type to test first.
My Second Recommendation: Shopping Campaigns
The second option I recommend is Shopping campaigns.
Shopping Ads are also good for ecommerce brands because they show the product directly.
A Shopping Ad can show:
Product image
Product title
Price
Store name
Product details
This can be useful because people can see the product before clicking.
If someone is searching for a product similar to yours, Shopping Ads can help you appear with your product image and price.
What You Need Before Running Shopping Ads
Before running Shopping campaigns, you need to make sure your setup is ready.
You may need:
Google Merchant Center
Product feed
Product titles
Product descriptions
Product images
Product prices
Product availability
Shipping settings
Tax settings where applicable
Website policy pages
Conversion tracking
A working ecommerce checkout
Your product feed is very important.
If your feed is poor, your Shopping campaign may not perform well.
Make sure your product titles and images are clear and optimized.
Should You Start with Search Ads?
For a clothing brand, I do not recommend starting with Search campaigns in the beginning.
Search campaigns can work in many industries, especially service businesses or high-intent searches.
But for clothing, the customer journey is different.
People often need visual confirmation before making a buying decision.
A Search Ad is mainly text-based. It may not show the product in the same way Shopping or Demand Gen can.
That is why, for beginners in clothing, I would focus on visual campaign types first.
Should You Start with Performance Max?
For beginners, I do not recommend starting with Performance Max immediately.
Performance Max can be useful, but it is more automated and can be harder to control for someone who is new to Google Ads.
When you are starting, you need to understand:
Which products work
Which audience responds
Which creatives perform
Which placements bring results
Which search terms are useful
Which campaigns are profitable
If you start with too much automation too early, it may be difficult to understand what is happening.
That is why I recommend avoiding PMax at the start.
You can test it later once you have more conversion data and a better understanding of your account.
Suggested Campaign Order for Clothing Brands
For a beginner clothing brand, I recommend this order:
Start with Demand Gen
Test Shopping campaigns
Avoid Search campaigns at the beginning
Avoid Performance Max at the beginning
Build website traffic
Launch remarketing after one to two months
Optimize based on conversion data
This gives you a more structured start.
When Should You Start Remarketing?
Remarketing and retargeting are useful, but they work better after you have traffic.
If your website does not have enough visitors yet, your remarketing audience may be too small.
That is why I recommend starting remarketing later.
For example, after one or two months, when you have built website traffic, you can create retargeting campaigns for:
Website visitors
Product viewers
Add-to-cart users
Checkout abandoners
Past customers
Engaged users
People who viewed specific collections
Remarketing is very useful for clothing because customers often browse, compare, and come back later before buying.
Conversion Tracking Is Essential
Before running any Google Ads campaign, you must install conversion tracking properly.
Do not take conversion tracking lightly.
Even if your Meta Ads are performing well, you still need proper tracking for Google Ads.
Google Ads needs conversion data to understand what is working.
Without proper tracking, you may not know:
Which campaign generated sales
Which product generated revenue
Which audience performed best
Which ad brought conversions
Which traffic source is profitable
What your return on ad spend is
If conversion tracking is not installed properly, Google’s algorithm will not have the correct data.
This can hurt performance.
Conversion Tracking for Meta Ads Also Matters
If you are running Meta Ads and conversion tracking is not installed properly, you should fix that too.
The same principle applies.
Ad platforms need accurate conversion data.
Whether you are running Google Ads or Meta Ads, tracking is essential for optimization.
What Should a Clothing Brand Track?
For an ecommerce clothing brand, you should track important events such as:
Page views
Product views
Add to cart
Begin checkout
Purchases
Purchase value
Conversion value
Revenue
Return on ad spend
For Google Ads, purchase tracking and conversion value are especially important.
If your average order value is high, you should make sure revenue tracking is accurate.
Average Order Value and Budget Planning
In the question, the clothing brand had an average order value of around $1,500.
That is a strong average order value, depending on the currency and profit margin.
But average order value alone is not enough.
You also need to know:
Profit margin
Cost of goods
Shipping cost
Return rate
Payment processing fees
Ad budget
Target cost per acquisition
Target ROAS
Customer lifetime value
For example, if your average order value is $1,500 but your margin is low, you need to be careful with ad spend.
If your margin is high, you may have more room to test campaigns.
Beginner Google Ads Checklist for Clothing Brands
Before launching your campaigns, check the following:
Website is mobile-friendly
Product pages are clear
Product images are high quality
Prices are visible
Checkout works properly
Shipping policy is clear
Return policy is clear
Contact information is available
Google Merchant Center is ready
Product feed is approved
Conversion tracking is installed
Meta tracking is also installed
Budget is realistic
Creative assets are ready
Remarketing audiences are being built
This setup can help you avoid wasting money.
Common Mistakes Clothing Brands Make with Google Ads
Here are some mistakes to avoid:
Starting with PMax too early
Running Search Ads without strategy
Not installing conversion tracking
Using poor product images
Sending traffic to weak product pages
Not checking product feed quality
Not tracking purchase value
Ignoring remarketing
Using unclear offers
Not comparing campaign performance
Changing campaigns too quickly
Expecting instant results
Google Ads needs proper setup, testing, and optimization.
Demand Gen vs Shopping Ads for Clothing Brands
Both can work, but they serve different purposes.
Demand Gen
Demand Gen is useful for visual discovery, awareness, engagement, and demand creation.
It can help introduce your clothing brand to potential buyers.
Shopping Ads
Shopping Ads are useful when users are closer to buying or comparing products.
They show your product image, price, and store name.
For a beginner clothing brand, I like starting with Demand Gen and then testing Shopping campaigns.
Why I Don’t Recommend Search First
Search Ads are mostly text-based.
For clothing, this can be a limitation.
A customer searching for clothing may compare many options visually. If your ad only shows text, you may not create the same impact as a product image or visual ad.
Search campaigns may be tested later for branded terms or specific high-intent keywords, but I would not make Search the first campaign for a beginner clothing brand.
Why I Don’t Recommend PMax First
Performance Max uses automation across multiple Google placements.
It can work well once you have strong tracking, product data, creatives, and conversion history.
But for a beginner, it may be difficult to understand where the money is going and what exactly is working.
That is why I would delay PMax until you have more data.
When to Hire a Google Ads Professional
If you are new to Google Ads, hiring a professional can save time and reduce mistakes.
You should consider hiring a Google Ads professional if:
You are launching Google Ads for the first time
You do not know which campaign type to choose
You need Merchant Center setup
You need conversion tracking setup
You need product feed optimization
You have a high average order value
You want to avoid wasting budget
You need campaign setup and management
At AARSWEBS.com, we help clients with Google Ads audit, setup, and management.
We also help with:
SEO
Google Business Profile
Meta Ads
Shopify
WordPress
Website development
Digital marketing solutions
Final Recommendation
For a clothing brand starting Google Ads for the first time, my recommendation is:
Start with Demand Gen campaigns because clothing is visual.
Test Shopping campaigns because they show product images and prices.
Avoid Search campaigns in the beginning.
Avoid Performance Max at the start.
Launch remarketing after you have traffic.
Install conversion tracking properly before spending money.
If you want professional help, you can hire us through AARSWEBS.com.
We are a Google Ads partner company and help clients with Google Ads audit, setup, and management.
5. FAQ Section
Is Google Ads good for a clothing brand?
Yes, Google Ads can work for clothing brands, especially when you use visual campaign types like Demand Gen and Shopping campaigns.
What is the best Google Ads campaign for clothing brands?
For beginners, Demand Gen can be a good starting point because clothing is visual. Shopping campaigns can also work well for ecommerce clothing brands.
Should a clothing brand start with Search Ads?
I do not recommend Search Ads as the first campaign type for a beginner clothing brand because Search Ads are text-based and clothing buyers usually want to see products before buying.
Should I start with Performance Max for a clothing brand?
For beginners, I do not recommend starting with Performance Max. It is better to start with more controlled campaign types and test PMax later after collecting data.
Are Shopping Ads good for clothing brands?
Yes, Shopping Ads can be good because they show product images, prices, and store information directly to potential buyers.
When should I start remarketing?
You can start remarketing after you have enough website traffic, usually after one or two months of running campaigns.
Why is conversion tracking important?
Conversion tracking helps Google Ads understand which clicks turn into sales. Without proper tracking, campaign optimization becomes difficult.
Do I need conversion tracking if Meta Ads are already working?
Yes. Even if Meta Ads are performing well, Google Ads needs its own proper conversion tracking setup. You should also make sure Meta tracking is correctly installed.
What should ecommerce clothing brands track?
Clothing brands should track product views, add to cart, begin checkout, purchases, purchase value, and return on ad spend.
Can AARSWEBS help with Google Ads?
Yes, AARSWEBS helps clients with Google Ads audit, setup, management, SEO, Google Business Profile, Meta Ads, Shopify, WordPress, and website development.
7. Video Transcript
Google Ads, starting Google Ads for a clothing business.
I have a clothing brand with an average order value of $1,500. You did not mention the currency, but let’s assume it is $1,500.
I want to start Google Ads for the first time.
Okay, congrats.
Meta is performing well for us. I am thinking to go for Shopping Ads as a start. What do you suggest?
Never done Google before. Need your suggestions for a beginner.
Okay, for any beginner, I always recommend hiring a Google Ads professional like us.
We are known as AARSWEBS.com. We are a Google Ads partner company and we help clients with Google Ads audit, setup, and management.
But don’t worry. Apart from marketing myself, I want to tell you what to do in case you plan to do it yourself.
I have a few ideas which you can use to start your campaigns on Google Ads for good growth in business.
Let’s get started.
This is one of the default Google Ads dashboard accounts.
What you have to do is simply select the new campaign option.
Once you select the new campaign, you can see a few options over here.
Sales, leads, website traffic, create a campaign without guidance, local store visits, YouTube views, reach, views, and engagement.
For a clothing brand, what you have to do is move on to create a campaign without guidance.
I think a Demand Gen campaign is going to work well.
So, my first recommendation is a Demand Gen campaign.
Demand Gen campaign is good because with clothing, you need more visual stuff.
People like to see before they buy.
Try to understand that the customer psychology is different.
In my opinion, I do not recommend Search campaigns for a clothing brand at the start.
Rather, I recommend Demand Gen campaigns.
The second recommendation is Shopping campaigns.
For Shopping campaigns, you need to have the proper setup, including your shopping account and product feed.
The second option is running Shopping campaign ads.
I do not recommend Performance Max at the start.
No PMax and no Search.
Another thing I recommend is to do a retargeting or remarketing campaign, but you can opt for that later on.
In my opinion, do remarketing and retargeting later after two months when you get some traffic.
It is very important that when you are running ads, you need to have your conversion tracking properly installed.
Do not take it lightly.
Even if you are getting good conversions on Meta, it is very important and essential to have your conversion tracking properly installed so that the algorithm is systemized.
Also, if on Meta you have not installed conversion tracking properly, I highly recommend the same suggestion for Meta Ads as well.
You need to install conversion tracking properly.
I hope I was able to guide you regarding how to start Google Ads for a clothing business.
But if you need professional help, you can hire me and my company through the link in the description.
We are known as AARSWEBS.
We are a Google Ads partner company, and we help clients with Google Ads audit, setup, and management.
We also help clients with SEO, Google Business Profile, Meta Ads, and many more solutions.
For full details, you can click on the link in the description to get started with us.
Thank you for watching.
Take care and bye-bye.
We look forward to working with you.