HOW TO ADVERTISE ON GOOGLE SHOPPING: - Trustpilot

 HOW TO ADVERTISE ON GOOGLE SHOPPING: 

Google Shopping is a great opportunity for online retailers who want to advertise their products. Shopping ads are richer in features and tend to reach an audience closer to the purchase decision stage.

That’s why we’ve created this step-by-step guide to placing ads on Google Shopping so you can learn how to use this type of campaign in your advertising strategy.

Introduction to Google Shopping

Before explaining how to advertise on Google Shopping, read the introduction on this topic.

When?

Google Shopping acts as the standard showcase, showing products from stores registered as Google search results. In addition to displaying products on the results page, on the Purchases tab, you can see more results and use filters to refine your search.

How Google Shopping works

How it works?

Google Shopping allows you to create campaigns on the Google Ads platform to promote products according to what people are looking for. The ad format includes an image, product name, price and other information. The goal is for the buyer to know the product before clicking on it, and the advertiser only pays when the user clicks on the ad.

Commercial examples

Google Shopping currently allows you to place ads on Google Shopping for free, in addition to paid ads. This is how it looks to the buyer:

Google Shopping List vs. Free Ads

The main benefits of Google Shopping

Increases traffic to your online store;

This brings in more leads and more conversions;

It’s easy to manage with product feed data and you don’t need to specify keywords;

Increase Presence in Research: Shows Purchases + Research Campaign;

It allows you to control the performance of the product.

If you want, learn more about what Google Shopping is and how it works.

Advertising on Google Shopping: A Step-by-Step Guide

If you need to know how to advertise on Google Shopping, we’ve put together a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to the process.

1. Advertiser requirements

Google Shopping advertisers must meet a few requirements:

Merchant Center and Google Ads accounts must be linked;

Make sure your company, products, promotions and website are in compliance with Google Shopping policies, which differ from Google’s advertising policies.

The product feed data must be updated at least every 30 days and must comply with the specifications established by the Merchant Center.

2. Create a Google Merchant Center account.

If you don't already have a Merchant Center account, follow the instructions to create an account.

To create an account, you will need to access the official website:

Go to the Merchant Center and click start.

Log in to your Google account (using the same email address if you already have a Google Ads account);

Enter your company information;

Determine where buyers should check out (on an e-commerce site);

Complete the registration and accept the terms of service.

3. Check the domain of the online store.

While in Merchant Center, you should check your site:

In the navigation menu, click on the tools icon;

Select "Business information" and then "Site";

Enter the URL of your online store starting with http: // or https: // and click on "Save";

To verify the domain, select the option "I have access to my server";

In "Select method", choose any of the options. We recommend the simplest - "Add an HTML tag to my home";

Copy the code and leave the Google Merchant tab open;

Open another tab, log in to the administration panel of your virtual store and paste this code in the correct field according to the recommendations of your platform;

Go back to the Merchant Center tab and click on "Check URL";

Finally, go to the "Claim a URL" section to get the exclusive right to use it in your Merchant Center account. This process is in place to link the verified website address to your Merchant Center account and create a link between the two.

Only users who have confirmed ownership of the site can claim it.

The confirmation and claim steps are required to set up and use a Merchant Center account.

4. Create a product summary

In the Merchant Center click on Products, then on the bars and click on the "Add" button;

Then, follow the instructions to enter the necessary information: country of sale, language, destination and the name of the main feed.

Choose the input method that works best for you, which can be Google Sheets, Scheduled Search, File Downloads or Site Tracking with structured data;

Then, fill in all the information and continue creating your feed.

4.1 Specification of product data:

For all of these tools to work correctly, it is very important that the product data sent to Google is in the correct format. Because Google uses this information to ensure that the products match the correct queries. Some of these attributes are mandatory and others are optional, but the more information you provide, the more persuasive the product offering will be.

Code [id];

Address [address];

Description [description];

From side to side;

Image link [image_link];

Availability

Price [price];

Promotional price [promotional_price];

Measurements, dimensions and sizes of clothes;

Installment

Google product category;

Brand [brand];

GTIN and MPN codes.

5. Linking accounts

By linking your Google Ads account to your Merchant Center account, you can gain more power from Google’s campaign tools and improve the efficiency of Merchant Center data processing. So, check the steps to establish that connection:

In Merchant Center, click the Linked accounts icon and Google Ads settings;

You can link your "Google Ads account" or "Other Google Ads accounts" using your customer ID. To find the ID, log into your Google Ads account and look for the code at the top;

Then just finish and give a link.

Then, log in to your Google Ads account;

Click on "Settings" and "Linked accounts";

Select Merchant Center and click Details;

Find the account you want to link. The "Status" column will display the status "Your approval is required". Click View query in the Actions column and review the details of the query.

To agree to the link, click I Agree. To reject this link, click Deny. If you want to link these accounts later, submit a new request from Merchant Center.

6.1 In-shopping ads: free ad

In the Merchant Center account, select Growth> Program management;

In the "Free product lists" section, click First steps;

Follow the instructions to activate.

6.2 Shopping Ads: Advertising

Still in the Merchant Center, Growth> Manage Programs, select the option "Shopping Ads";

Preparation of commercial information about the products (if you check the scope and create the feed, the options “Site” and “Products” will already be filled);

If the accounts are already linked, activating this program will be easier and faster.

7. Create a shopping campaign.

Now, the next step to advertising on Google Shopping is to start creating campaigns! To do this, you just need to log in to your Google Ads account, click on Campaigns, click on the + button and set up.

But before that, it helps to know the different Shopping campaign options, which can be standard or smart.

In a standard Shopping campaign, placements are manually specified by an advertiser. You can select products, bid amount, audience, location, and other settings. In other words, you must manually set all properties for this campaign.

In the smart shopping campaign, Google is using machine learning to get the best experience, adjusting the parameters automatically. Therefore, this campaign does not allow customization. The advantage is that Google's intelligence works to achieve the best possible result, showing the best positions, testing audiences to determine what brings the best conversions and automatically setting the CPC to be the most competitive in auctions.

Each type of campaign has its own characteristics and you can use one or both, depending on your business strategy.

Prerequisites for increasing sales with Google Shopping

In addition to understanding how it works and how to advertise on Google Shopping, it is important to know the factors that most influence the results. So, if you want to sell more with Shopping ads, follow these aspects.

Competitive price: As your product will be compared to other competitors, price is a very important factor for the success of your campaign;

High quality image: As it is a very visual campaign, image quality is essential to attract customers;

Product name: The title must contain the most important information about the advertised product. See how the best players usually advertise in their class;

Description: Make sure that the product description is correct so that the buyer can find everything they need to know without leaving the site and searching. Provide as much information as possible.

Website experience: an easy-to-navigate, well-designed, fast-loading website that makes your purchase more profitable. The less difficult it is to close the order, the better!

For those dealing with the tedious task of running an e-commerce, worrying about details like account setup and product feed can seem overwhelming. After all, a manager takes time to devote himself to other areas of the company.

Therefore, we offer a suitable marketing solution for those looking to expand their business in the digital market.

Our team of Google Ads professionals is ready to take care of your campaigns, always focusing on achieving the best possible results! Get in touch with a consultant and learn more!