The Google Shopping Network is used by many online retailers. This avenue is only utilisable for e-Commerce websites, as it consists of displaying products to potential customers.
As with all Google Platforms, some content is prohibited. Google Shopping does not allow anything that does not result in ownership of a tangible product. As Google only allows optimal user experience, other examples of unsupported content include ticket sales, vehicles, immovable property etc.
You can read further on Google’s Shopping policies here.
How does Google Shopping work?
Just like other AdWords platforms, shopping ads participate in an ad auction. When consumers search for products, they are displayed with product listings from a variety of retailers. Consumers can then compare the products and decide which fits their taste based on the image, price etc.
No keywords necessary – Google Shopping campaigns veer off from traditional keywords and text ads and this is why it is important that your product feed is in good shape. Google automatically matches the titles in your Google Shopping feed with searches in Google, your ads then appear when appropriate.
What do Google Shopping ads look like?
When consumers search for your products, there are a number of places where your ad can appear:
- At the top of the search results within the ad area.
- At the right of the search results within the ad area.
- In Google Shopping itself.
All of these ad listings can be displayed on tablets, mobile phones, and desktops.
How might this improve my sales?
Many retailers may be unsure whether this is the correct route for them to go down. Here are a few advantages of Google Shopping campaigns which may be reassuring.
- Your ads are displayed within the ‘spotlight’. You are pushing consumers to purchase your products, even if you are a small business. This helps to get your brand recognised.
- Shopping ads are statistically proved to gain better performance than text ads. An image featured ad leads to a higher purchase intent, resulting in a higher CTR and a higher conversion rate.
- Google Shopping campaigns offer you the ability to view your performance data by product or product attribute.
Optimising and maintaining product feeds to gain optimum performance can be time-consuming – you might want to turn to a Google Premier Partner for this.
