How to Use Google Shopping Ads to Help Your Ecommerce Skyrocket

If you are not using Google Shopping Ads to boost your online sales, you’re missing a ton of opportunities. 

According to a Sidecar report, these Google ads, which appear on the right side of the search engine results page (SERP), drive 76.4-percent of all search ad spend. The same report also revealed that Google Shopping Ads produces 85.3-percent of all eCommerce ads clicks on the page. 

Hence, it’s no surprise that the Shopping Ads grew by 29-percent in 2018. In comparison, paid search, which often appears on top of the organic results page, only grew by 13-percent. 

So, what’s the secret behind the success of this new advertising format for Google?

People use search engines when they are on the initial or final stage of their product research. For this reason, you can say that people use search engines with the intent of buying a product once all their questions or doubts have been cleared.

Hence, the search engine has to target the user’s intent and provide a clear answer to turn a lead into a sale. Google Shopping Ads is quite an expert in converting a simple search into a quick visit to a seller’s product page. 

Here is how you can take advantage of this incredible advertisement tool from Google.

How to Setup a Google Shopping Ads Campaign

Since 2014, Google has been prompting online merchants who use their platform to transition to shopping ads. If you are still using Product Listing Ads (PLA), then this post can help you transition into the more productive ad platform. 

When shifting from PLA into shopping ads, you need to have two things first:

• A Google Merchant Account
• A Google Ads Account

After creating an account on both of these platforms, you will then have to link both before you can enable the shopping ads option.

Below is the step-by-step guide on how to create your shopping ads.

Creating a Google Merchant Account

Before you sign up for a merchant account, make sure you already have a Google account such as Gmail. If you still don’t have one, head over to accounts.google.com and hit “Create Account.”

Once you have a Google Account, sign in using your login credentials and head over to merchants.google.com. Once there, make sure you check the box next to the “Shopping Ads” option under the sell products on your website program.

Take note that once it is activated, you need to upload everything, such as the product titles, SKUs, prices, product descriptions, and more in your eCommerce site. Fortunately, there are numerous eCommerce advertising solutions out there than can help you extract this information with just a few clicks. 

Registering a Google Shopping Ads Account

Assuming you already have a Google account, the next step is to log in using your credentials. Then, head over to ads.google.com and enter the website address of your business. 

Once registered, you can now create ad campaigns related to Google, including product listing and pay-per-click ads. 

According to Google Benchmark and Insights, the search engine giants’ display campaigns reach 80-percent of Internet users worldwide. 

Meanwhile, Google Economic Impact Report suggests that businesses usually make $2 in revenue for every dollar spent on Google Ads eCommerce solutions. 

Linking Your Google Ads Account and Google Merchant Center

Once you have accounts on both of these Google channels, the next step is to link them.

On your Google Merchant Center’s dashboard, go to the “Shopping Ads setup” and tap “Link your account” to advance. After this, Google will send a link request which you have to confirm using your Google Ads account.

On your Google Ads dashboard, you will receive a notification about linking your accounts. Open the request by clicking “View” before approving it. 

Once your two accounts are linked, you can start by creating a shopping ads campaign. 

How to Optimize Your Google Shopping Ads

To be successful in your shopping ads campaign, you need to optimize its most essential elements. Doing so will make your ads more attractive and relevant to your potential customers. In the long run, optimizing your ads can get you better conversion rates. 

Below are four of the essential elements of shopping ads that people need to notice:

1. Pictures

The first thing people will notice about your ad is the picture. For this reason, you need to select the best photo of the product. It also doesn’t need to have a high resolution but is clear enough for the viewer to figure out what the picture is about.

Furthermore, shop owners must also select photos that look great over a white background. After all, most search engines usually have a white backdrop on their page. 

It’s also vital that you don’t put any price on the picture as they can easily confuse the customers. Additionally, you don’t want to put other details on the photo, as they will be mentioned later on the ad. 

2. Product Title

Google Shopping Ads can only display 20 characters of the product title. Hence, you need to make sure that the product’s name fits this limitation. Make sure you focus on the product’s brand and its name. 

When you hover your mouse over the ad, the product title expands up to 60 characters. This leaves you plenty of room to be more specific about what the product is about — mention one or two keywords related to the product.

For example, if you are selling running shoes- make the first 20-character limit only about the shoe brand and its model name. For the 60-character limit, you can add its size and shoe type- whether it’s neutral, stability, etc. 

3. Price

You usually don’t have much control over this element. However, when coming up with a price for a product, make sure that it’s accurate. Hence, the price you mentioned over the Google Shopping Ads should also be the price on your landing page and eCommerce store.

Customers can become dubious if your pricing doesn’t match in all your platforms. Furthermore, this doubt can also lead them to abandon your shop and look somewhere else. 

Consequently, the price needs to be simple and straightforward. Round off any cents to its nearest dollar value to prevent confusion. As such, instead of $47.99, why not just mention $48. 

4. Rating and Reviews

The last two bottom lines of your Google Shopping Ads mention two things. First, the website address of the store where the product is listed. Second, the user ratings which are usually on a five-star rating scale and the number of reviews it had. 

If you are selling on Shopify, Square, WooCommerce, and other platforms, make sure to select the best performing platform for you. 

As for user ratings, you need to earn those stars. Often, customers don’t complain about the product itself but on things such as customer service and the delivery time. Thus, always provide the best service you can give to your customers regardless of your product. 

Shopify Advertising Using Shopping Ads

If your online store is currently hosted on Shopify, you can take advantage of their Google Shopping integration. With this, you can edit your target market so that your users only show to your potential customers.

Furthermore, the integration also syncs the crucial details of your product page, such as its description, photos, title, and SKUs. You can even select key categories and identifiers of each product as part of the customization process. 

For example, you can specify to what gender or age group is the product marketed to. Hence, if it’s a men’s running shoe, you can determine that it’s for men. If it’s a toy for small children, you can select for toddlers.

To integrate shopping ads into your Shopify account, simply login to your account using your credentials. Next, look for the Google Shopping app and install it. 

If you want to customize a product listing, follow these instructions:

1. From your Shopify dashboard, go to “Apps.” After this, click on “Google Shopping” and then “Products.”
2. Check the box of the products you want to edit. 
3. Click on “Edit Products”
4. To change the product data of each listing, use the drop-down menu. 
5. Once you are done editing, click “Save.”

There are numerous reasons why it’s more advantageous to use shopping ads than other advertising options. For example, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) is tricky, and funneling your customers is also complicated when you don’t know if they intend to buy or not.

Content marketing is an excellent method to provide answers to your customers and earn their trust. However, there is still no guarantee that an affiliate website or blog can attract enough customers to your site.

You want to attract people who are already near the end of the buying cycle or sales funnel. And this is where shopping ads are good at- drawing in people who are ready to buy a particular product and just finding out which stores are offering them.  

Conclusion

Google Shopping Ads is the next frontier when it comes to search engine advertising campaigns. Its high conversion rates and proven Return on Investment (ROI) record verify that it can deliver an increase in sales. Whether you are a beginner or experienced seller, make sure you are using these Google features to your advantage.