Dynamic remarketing shows people ads featuring the exact products they viewed on your site. It’s effective, but setting it up traditionally required installing the Google Ads remarketing tag alongside your existing tracking.
That’s changed. Google Ads now supports dynamic remarketing using e-commerce data from GA4—no additional tag required.
What Changed
Previously, running dynamic remarketing ads meant:
- Installing the Google Ads remarketing tag on your site
- Configuring the tag to pass product IDs and other data
- Connecting your product feed in Google Merchant Center
- Building audiences and campaigns in Google Ads
Now, if you’re already tracking e-commerce events in GA4, you can skip step 1. GA4 sends the product data to Google Ads automatically, and you build your remarketing campaigns from there.
One less tag to manage. Same remarketing capability.
What Is Dynamic Remarketing?
If you’ve ever browsed a product and then seen ads for that exact product following you around the internet, that’s dynamic remarketing.
Unlike standard remarketing (which shows generic ads to everyone who visited your site), dynamic remarketing personalises the ad creative based on what each person viewed.
Someone looked at blue running shoes? They see an ad featuring blue running shoes. Someone browsed winter coats? They see winter coats.
This personalisation typically drives higher click-through rates and conversion rates than generic ads.
Who Benefits from This Change
This update helps stores that:
Already track e-commerce in GA4. If your purchase events, add-to-cart events, and product views are flowing into GA4, you’re most of the way there.
Found the Ads tag setup confusing. The Google Ads remarketing tag has specific data layer requirements that trip people up. Using GA4 data is often simpler.
Want fewer tags on their site. Every tag affects page speed and adds complexity. Removing one while keeping the functionality is a win.
Use Shopify or WooCommerce with GA4. These platforms have apps and plugins that configure GA4 e-commerce tracking. If that’s working, you can now enable dynamic remarketing without touching code.
Requirements
Before you can use GA4 data for dynamic remarketing:
1. GA4 e-commerce tracking must be properly configured
You need these events firing correctly:
view_item– When someone views a product pageadd_to_cart– When someone adds to cartpurchase– When someone completes an order
Each event must include product details (ID, name, price) that match your product feed.
2. GA4 must be linked to Google Ads
In GA4, go to Admin → Google Ads Links and connect your accounts if they’re not already linked.
3. Audience sharing must be enabled
When linking, enable the option to share audiences with Google Ads.
4. Product feed must be in Google Merchant Center
Your product data needs to live in Merchant Center with IDs that match what GA4 tracks.
How to Set It Up
Step 1: Verify GA4 e-commerce events
In GA4, go to Reports → Monetization → E-commerce purchases. Confirm you’re seeing product data. If the reports are empty or missing products, fix your tracking first.
Step 2: Check GA4-Google Ads link
Go to Admin → Google Ads Links. If your accounts aren’t linked, add the connection. Enable audience sharing.
Step 3: Enable data sharing
In the link settings, ensure “Enable personalised advertising” is turned on. This allows GA4 to share remarketing data.
Step 4: Create dynamic remarketing campaign in Google Ads
In Google Ads:
- Create a new Display campaign
- Choose “Sales” or “Website traffic” as your goal
- Select “Dynamic ads” in the ad format section
- Connect your Merchant Center product feed
- Select GA4 as your audience source
Step 5: Build your audiences
Create audiences based on GA4 data:
- All product viewers (past 30 days)
- Cart abandoners
- Past purchasers (for cross-sell)
Google Ads will match these audiences with product data from your feed.
When to Still Use the Google Ads Tag
The GA4 method works for most e-commerce remarketing, but some situations still call for the dedicated tag:
Non-e-commerce dynamic remarketing. Travel, real estate, education, and other industries have dynamic remarketing templates that don’t use standard e-commerce events.
If you’re not tracking e-commerce in GA4. Some stores track purchases differently or haven’t migrated to full GA4 e-commerce tracking.
For specific Google Ads features. Some advanced remarketing options may require the native tag. Check Google Ads documentation for your specific use case.
Checking It’s Working
After setup, verify everything is connected:
In GA4:
- Check Realtime reports while browsing products
- Confirm e-commerce events include product IDs
- Verify the Google Ads link is active
In Google Ads:
- Check that your GA4 audiences appear in Audience Manager
- Confirm audience lists are populating (takes 24-48 hours)
- Preview dynamic ads to see if product images load correctly
Run a test:
- Browse specific products on your site
- Wait a day
- Check if you see dynamic ads featuring those products
Common Issues
Products not showing in ads:
- Product IDs in GA4 must exactly match IDs in Merchant Center
- Check for formatting differences (SKU vs. variant ID)
- Ensure your feed is approved and products are active
Audiences not populating:
- GA4-Ads link may not have audience sharing enabled
- Personalised advertising may be disabled
- Wait 48 hours for initial population
Low match rates:
- Users must be signed into Google for cross-device matching
- Some browsers block remarketing cookies
- This is normal—not everyone can be matched
The Practical Benefit
If you’ve been putting off dynamic remarketing because of tag complexity, this removes the barrier. You’ve already done the hard work of setting up GA4 e-commerce tracking. Now you can activate remarketing without adding another layer of technical debt.
And if you’re already running dynamic remarketing with the Google Ads tag, you can consider simplifying by switching to the GA4 method. Fewer tags, same results.
GA4-powered dynamic remarketing is available in Google Ads as of December 2025.
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