7 Tricks To Help You Supercharge Your Google Shopping Ads

To a retailer, Google Shopping is what Amazon and eBay are to a consumer. It’s an online platform to advertise products and at the same time benefits consumers because it allows them to browse a wide variety of products based on the keywords they type into a search engine.

To marketing experts, not advertising on Google Shopping means you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities.

What is Google Shopping?

Google Shopping is a Google service that retailers pay to be able to advertise their products on the platform. Google Shopping was released in 2002 and was first called Froogle, which simply indexed product information based on certain keywords. Then, in 2012, the service shifted to a paid advertising model that allows retailers to pay to be featured in the search results.

Aside from being a search engine, it’s also considered a comparison shopping engine or CSE because consumers are able to compare prices for the same kind of product and decide where to buy the item they have searched for. Every time a consumer searches for a product on the platform, Google Shopping displays results as thumbnail images, showing various retailers that offer the searched product and their prices.

Why should you use Google Shopping?

When a user searches for “black yoga pants for women,” for example, they type in those words in Google and wait for the search results. Google will then display about 386,000,000 results. But since the user won’t have the luxury of time or patience to scroll through the millions of results, they check out Google Ads instead, hoping that Google has already lined up the best options for them.

Naturally, search engines will automatically include big brands, like Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and Hanes in the lineup. What makes Google Shopping brilliant for businesses of all sizes is that it provides a unique opportunity for smaller vendors to be found by users that search for the products they offer.

With Google Shopping, smaller businesses are given a chance to compete for clicks with global brands. Of course, spending more money on your ad campaigns can help, but optimizing your ads – which means incorporating as many principles of e-commerce search engine optimization (SEO) as possible – can also increase your chances of being seen by shoppers who are actively searching for the products that you’re offering. And since Google is exerting a lot of efforts to keep as many businesses as possible within their ecosystem, there’s no denying the importance of optimizing your feed on such a platform.

How best to optimize your Google Shopping ad campaigns?

To be successful in any kind of optimization strategy, you need to make sure that you adhere to Google’s guidelines.

Here are some tips to help you optimize your Google Shopping feed.

1. Add relevant phrases in ad titles and descriptions

Keep in mind that Google uses titles and descriptions to match your ads to relevant search queries. Aside from that, titles and descriptions provide you a chance to introduce your brand and express your value proposition to your target audience. So, those two things must have the most important attributes of your products. Otherwise, buyers will only skip your ads. This is why it’s important to pack as many important details in your titles and descriptions as possible to help prospects decide whether to click on your ads or not.

2. Use high-quality images

Because shoppers are not able to personally check out products like when they go shopping in-store, they need visual representations instead. This is why you need to use high-quality and optimized images for your ads. This means that you should follow Google’s best practices in terms of format sizes, resolutions, and the like.

Take a look at Google Merchant Center’s minimum image requirements:

1. Images must be smaller than 16MB
2. Images need to display the entire product
3. Images must represent the distinguishing details of every variant of your product
4. Products on the images must take up to 90% of the full image
5. Images must use the highest resolution available

3. Required attributes must be in place

Google requires some attributes to be included in each product in your feed. These include brand title, description, item ID, and availability. You need to fill out these attributes as accurately as possible to be allowed to submit your feed. However, there are optional values that must be considered, too. These include a mobile link, additional image link, availability date, costs of goods sold, sale price, effectivity date of the sale price, and expiration date.

4. Make your feed stand out by using additional attributes

Aside from ensuring that you have optimized and well-written titles and descriptions, as well as high-quality images, you need to keep in mind that the competition is tougher than ever in Google Shopping. You can, however, stand out from the competition by offering additional attributes, such as discounts, free shipping, gifts, rewards, and other attractive selling points. There are certain requirements you need to meet though, especially when it comes to your checkout process, as well as how the discounts are shown in your feed.

5. Eliminate keywords that you don’t want to show up for

These can include keywords for specific variants of products that are not available; searches that are too broad; and keywords that are entirely irrelevant to your business. To eliminate keywords that you don’t want to show up for, you need to check your Keywords>Search Terms report in your Google Ads account. This will help you determine any underperforming search terms.

6. Aim for 5-star Google Seller Ratings

According to Google, you will need to have at least 100 unique seller reviews from the last 12 months for your reviews to be shown in your feed. Data shows that positive seller ratings can equate to a 17% increase in click-through rates. So, make your reviews visible and follow best practices to ensure that you’ll earn the highest ratings from your buyers.

7. Prepare for future e-commerce trends

The e-commerce world is ever-changing, thanks to all the new technologies and privacy regulations added into the equation. This is why it’s important to always be in the know and to watch out for emerging trends so you can find the best solutions to stay competitive. More importantly, you need to find ways to gather as much data as possible and also abide by the laws of Google.

Conclusion

While Google Shopping has made it easier for marketers to stay in the competition in the e-commerce ecosystem, there are still hurdles that you need to conquer to ensure that your brand stands out. The tips mentioned above should help you get a good start in Google Shopping.