How to Choose a Google Ads Agency for E-commerce: A Nordic and European Guide

By Jacob Thyssen, Founder of Thyssen Ads

4 Nov 2026

Short answer: Choose a Google Ads agency that specialises in e-commerce, fixes tracking before it spends, structures accounts around your margins (brand and non-brand separated, Shopping segmented by profit), has proven multi-market experience, and reports transparently on what changed and why. In Scandinavia and the Nordics, look for experience running Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland as separate markets with localised feeds. Ask for case studies with real numbers, check reviews, and confirm who will actually run your account.

Picking a Google Ads agency is one of the bigger decisions an e-commerce founder makes. Get it right and Google becomes a predictable growth channel. Get it wrong and you spend six months paying someone to tell you the algorithm needs more time.

I founded Thyssen Ads in 2022, and I also co-own an e-commerce brand where I invest my own budget into Google Ads every month. So this guide is written from both sides of the table: what I'd look for as a client, and what we hold ourselves to as an agency.

Why e-commerce needs a specialist Google Ads agency

E-commerce Google Ads isn't the same job as lead generation. It runs on a product feed, Merchant Center, Shopping and Performance Max, product-level margins, and seasonality like Black November. A generalist agency that also does Meta, SEO, email and websites rarely goes deep enough on any of it.

That's why we only do Google Ads, and only for e-commerce. Why we only work with e-commerce brands.

9 criteria for choosing a Google Ads agency for e-commerce

1. Specialisation in Google Ads and e-commerce

Ask what share of their clients are e-commerce and what share of their work is Google Ads. "Full-service" is often a polite word for "a bit of everything".

2. Tracking before spend

If an agency talks about scaling before it talks about tracking, walk away. Scaling on bad data just means losing money faster. A good agency checks conversion setup, duplicated purchase events, consent mode and server-side tracking in week one. We have a dedicated tracking specialist who handles every setup. Run a free tracking audit.

3. A clear account structure philosophy

Ask: "How would you structure my account?" Good answers include brand and non-brand separated, one job per campaign, and Shopping segmented by margin and performance. Vague answers about "letting the algorithm work" are a red flag. See our Google Ads account structure guide.

4. Bidding to profit, not just ROAS

Revenue isn't profit. An agency that only reports ROAS may be scaling products that lose money. Ask whether they can optimise to profit on ad spend. More in our POAS vs ROAS guide.

5. Real case studies with real numbers

"We grew sales a lot" isn't a case study. Look for named clients, starting points, what changed and specific results.

6. Multi-market experience

If you sell across the Nordics or Europe, the agency needs to have launched and scaled markets, not just translated ads.

7. Infrastructure advantages (like CSS)

In Europe, every Shopping ad runs through a Comparison Shopping Service (CSS). Most advertisers use Google's default without knowing alternatives exist. An agency with its own CSS can make your Shopping CPCs more efficient without touching your campaigns.

8. Transparent reporting and communication

You should always know where your budget goes and what it brings back. Ask how often you'll hear from them, in what format, and whether reports explain why things changed.

9. Who actually runs your account

Find out whether the senior person who pitches you is involved after signing, or whether you get handed to a junior.

The Nordic and Scandinavian angle

Scandinavian e-commerce brands often sell across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland from day one, and then expand into DACH, the Netherlands or the UK. That brings specific challenges:

• Separate languages and search behaviour. Swedes, Norwegians, Danes and Finns search differently. Feeds and keywords need localising, not just translating.
• Different currencies and VAT. Feeds and conversion values need to be right per market.
• Small markets, limited data. Smart Bidding needs data to learn. Structure has to be simple enough that each market gets enough of it.
• Norway outside the EU. Shipping, pricing and duties affect competitiveness and should affect bids.

A good Nordic Google Ads agency builds one replicable structure and applies it market by market, with local adjustments.

That's exactly what we did for Unsolved. We took over in November 2025 with Sweden as the main market, then activated the Netherlands and Norway, followed by Finland and Denmark, then Belgium. In six months, all six markets were profitable, with Q1 2026 ROAS of 5.70x in Denmark, 4.92x in Norway and 3.48x in Finland, and a record 2.06x POAS. Read the Unsolved case study.

For Hundlands, a Swedish dog brand, we split brand and non-brand, moved to server-side tracking, localised feeds for Germany and added Thyssen CSS. Comparing Aug–Sep 2026 with the same period in 2025, Google Ads revenue grew 808% and ROAS rose 39% while spend scaled more than sixfold, contributing to a 76% rise in total store sales. Read the Hundlands case study.

Questions to ask before you sign

1. What would you change in my account in the first 30 days?
2. How do you check and fix tracking?
3. How do you separate brand and non-brand performance?
4. Do you optimise to ROAS or profit?
5. Who will work on my account day to day?
6. How and how often do you report?
7. Can I speak to a current client?
8. What's the notice period?

Red flags

• Guaranteed results or "10x ROAS" promises.
• Blended ROAS reports with brand and non-brand mixed together.
• Auto-apply recommendations switched on.
• No access to your own account, or the agency owns it.
• Long lock-in contracts with no performance conditions.
• Nobody asks about your margins.

Why e-commerce brands choose Thyssen Ads

We're a Google Partner agency doing 100% Google Ads, nothing else, for e-commerce brands across Europe, the Nordics, the UK, the UAE and Australia.

• €105M+ revenue generated for clients in 40+ countries, on €20M+ ad spend.
• 7 Google Ads specialists, with founder-led strategy on the accounts.
• Our own CSS: up to 20% more efficient Shopping CPCs and up to 3% additional free Shopping traffic, with no campaign or feed changes. Learn about Thyssen CSS.
• Tracking before spend, with a dedicated tracking specialist.
• Biweekly video reports on what we changed, why, and what happens next.
• 4.5/5 on Trustpilot from e-commerce founders.

Clients include Becker.dk, which scaled Google Ads revenue from €100K to €400K+ per month while ROAS went from 6.0 to 9.35, and Accent Clothing in the UK, which went from 1.95 to 8.37 ROAS in five months. See all case studies.

We typically work with brands doing €50K+ per month that are already selling and want Google Ads to become a profitable growth channel. If that's you, get your free Google Ads audit.

FAQ

What does a Google Ads agency for e-commerce do?

It sets up and manages Search, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns, optimises your product feed in Merchant Center, fixes conversion tracking, and allocates budget across products and markets to grow profitable sales.

What is the best Google Ads agency in Scandinavia?

The right one depends on your size and markets. Look for e-commerce specialisation, documented multi-market results across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, clean tracking practices and transparent reporting. Thyssen Ads is a Google Partner specialising only in Google Ads for e-commerce, with documented results across all Nordic markets.

Should I choose a local agency or a European one?

Market knowledge matters more than office location. An agency that has run campaigns in your markets, with localised feeds and keywords, will usually beat a local generalist.

How long before a new agency shows results?

Expect the first weeks to go into tracking and structure. With Hundlands, the first months were slow because many changes went in during low season and new markets had little data. Scaling came once the campaigns had learned.

What is a Google Partner agency?

A Google Partner is an agency that meets Google's requirements for certification, spend and performance. It's a baseline signal of competence, not a guarantee, so still check case studies and reviews.

How much should I spend on Google Ads with an agency?

It depends on margins, market size and goals. A good agency sets the budget from your profitability and scales only where performance justifies it.