URGENT UPDATE: Google & YouTube App Migration WARNING - Product ID Changes!
CRITICAL INFORMATION - WATCH BEFORE YOU MIGRATE!
Yesterday I published a video about the Google Merchant Center API migration deadline, but I discovered a MAJOR issue today that could seriously damage your Google Ads performance if you're not careful.
If you're planning to migrate the Google & YouTube app for Shopify by uninstalling and reinstalling, STOP and watch this first!
The Problem:
When you migrate the app, your product IDs will change from:
OLD: Shopify_US_12345_67890 (or AU, GB, etc.)
NEW: Shopify_ZZ_12345_67890
This means ALL your historical performance data in Google Ads will disappear. Google treats these as brand new products, and you'll lose:
✗ All clicks and conversion data
✗ Campaign learning and optimization
✗ Performance history
Two Critical Issues Covered:
Product ID Format Changes - The app now uses "ZZ" instead of country codes, wiping your data
Automatic Market Submissions - The app will submit feeds for ALL enabled markets, not just your primary one
The Solution:
Use a feed management app like MultiFeed BEFORE migrating. This allows you to:
✓ Keep your original product ID format
✓ Preserve all your performance data
✓ Avoid weeks of poor performance while rebuilding
Recovery Time:
Well-optimized accounts: A few days
Slower/poorly optimized accounts: Weeks or longer
Important Note: You CANNOT fix this with Google Merchant Center feed rules - product IDs can't be changed in the primary feed.
My apologies for not mentioning this in yesterday's video. I wanted to get this critical update out immediately to help prevent anyone from losing their valuable campaign data.
Need Help? If you've already migrated or need assistance setting up the right solution, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to help you navigate this safely.
Related Video: Check out my previous video on the Content API to Merchant API migration deadline for the full context.
⏰ Deadlines:
Beta Merchant API users: February 28, 2026
Content API users: August 18, 2026