Google Shopping is a free platform that allows customers to search, compare and shop for products. Anyone with a website or online retail business can get listed on Google Shopping for free. The goal of the platform is to make product research easier for consumers. 

There are plenty of brands out there but not all are well known. Google Shopping allows companies with great products to gain visibility for free. 

Let’s imagine that you search for a product on Google. Paid ads are on top of the page and also in the middle of the organic results. Organic results come out with Google Shopping. These results include pictures, price tags, competitor brands, ratings, and reviews. 

This allows consumers to compare products. And modern consumers compare products mainly based on quality and price. Price is one of the determinant factors for online shoppers, so it is a good idea to intelligently price your products.

In this blog post, we will explain how Google Shopping works, its benefits and ways to rank higher in Google Shopping results.

Let’s dive in. 

How does Google Shopping work? 

1. Create a Google Merchant Account: Before adding products, create a Google merchant account. Signing up for a Merchant account is easy, you have to add some information about your business.
2. Configure settings and upload your products: Upload your products on Google Shopping. Online shopping is a visual experience. Your products are being combined with competitor brands next to you. 
3. Images are the most important part of your listing in Google Shopping. So, add clear images. Google gives suggestions to you for improving your image quality, such as defining low-quality images.If you try to add a low-quality image, Google will not allow it. Search the competition in images between your competitorsTo compare how your images look to your customers.

Well-defined descriptions and titles that include keywords get more clicks. Add comprehensive descriptions so that both humans and Google understands your product. 

Google gives a lot of value to your titles. Optimize them. The volume of clicks depends on the title. Use the language of your customers, and the words they might use when searching for that product. You can add product videos, and show the product in use. Videos of the product shows give customers a better idea of what the product looks like in real life.

Add your products to the Google product category. Put each product in the individual product category. Then, Google understands what type of product it is. Thus, consumers will get better-matched results.

Make sure you have a strong website that looks good and is mobile-friendly with reviews. Mobile-friendly pages are important because many clicks will be from mobile. Test out how it works on mobile. 

You need to have reviews that will help you to boost your sales. Asking for reviews from your customers after their purchase is a good way to do it. Be sure that shipping options are clear.

• Optimize Google Data Feed: Optimize your Google Shopping listing. Here listing is calling a data feed in Google language. Always add more information to your feed. More information leads more people to reach out. If Google knows more about the product, it will know who to show it to as well. You add your product information to Google’s product data feed. 

Titles need to be clear, well-defined and relevant. Short ones are better. There is no need to repeat words. 

ID is a unique code for a product, be sure that you add it. If not, changing it later causes a re-list of your product, changing your quality score. 

In the description, Google recommends 500-1000 words for describing your product. Explain relevant information and features. Including visual optimized features makes your product gain visibility and more clicks. 

The image link is a primary image for your product. It is very important because that is the first visual image that consumers see. Extra images are also very important. Providing more images is better. Also, high-quality images can correspond to high sales. 

Price is one of the crucial elements of e-commerce. The most important store features driving the purchasing decision (80%) is competitive pricing. 

4. Google Ads: Google Advertisement Statistics for 2021 stated that ‘’Google Ads is currently the biggest provider of search advertising on the market.’’ 

You will be working with the biggest provider. Google Shopping offers you to have shopping campaigns. In the Google merchant center, there is a part called Google Ads. If you don’t have a Google ads account yet you need one. Shopping campaigns are being created in the Google merchant center. But you have to control it from your Google Ads Account. Creating a shopping campaign can be beneficial to your business. You can reach your customers by creating a shopping campaign. 

Forbes stated that ‘’American retailers now spend 76.4% of their search ad budgets on Google Shopping ads. They also generate 85.3% of their clicks there according to the report from Adthena that analyzed 40 million ads from 240,000 advertisers in U.S. and U.K.’’ 

Google boosted its ad revenues by 32.6% year over year to$61.24 billion in Q4 2021. 

This shows that Google ads are being highly used all around the world and can positively affect your business. First, decide on your target customers. This campaign creates product listing ads. Then, your product images are the primary of your listing. If you have clear, high-quality images you may have 2 or 3 times more clicks. 

5. Stay up-to-date: After you set up your Google Shopping data feed keep it up to date. If not, your listings will be lower in the long run.

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The benefits of Google Shopping

Highly Targeted Customers: You will get high traffic to your website. This is depending on your campaign. Your SEO strategy will get the targeted customers to your website. As long as you try related keywords you are good to go.

High Rate of Potential Customers: You can get high clicks via Google Shopping. Let’s imagine that the buyer is looking for your product and they go to your website. The buyer is more likely to buy it. They did not come from the ad and since the buyer has the information such as price, and reviews ratings. Thus, you are reaching higher potential customers.

Easy to manage via Google Ads: Google shopping makes the experience easier and faster. Such as helping sales by using Google ads might be a good idea. To optimize your shopping campaigns, sellers have to make bids that are action-driven. So that they can affect the buyers. 

Better Data and Reporting: You can measure the performance of your website by organic Google Shopping results. In your Google Ads and Search Console account you will be able to view your organic search results alongside the performance for text ads in your Google Ads campaign if you have. 

Ways to rank higher on Google Shopping

Use Google Consumer Surveys: Utilizing Google search in consumer surveys. Having some reviews highlights your products with stars on the result page. Consumer reviews can make your product list in higher rankings. This can be beneficial for your business.

Offer Promotion: Give special offers to your customers. This uses your business and gets more clicks. On the comparison page of Google shopping, consumers can filter ‘’buy special offers’’. By offering special deals you can differentiate yourself and rank higher in results, increasing conversions and boost click through rate. 

List All Your Products on Google Shopping: It’s simple, list all your products. Don’t cut any of your products from Google Shopping. The more products you have the more likely customers visit your website. 

How do you optimize your Smart Shopping Campaigns?

Let’s say that you upload your product feed, then open a smart feed campaign. Google smart shopping auto optimizes your campaign. This happens automated and works with AI(Machine Learning). Auto optimization is showing your products to the right people at the right time. Showing with different channels. Such as Google, Youtube. Google shows your campaign is completely automated. For customers to use your website, you need a mobile-friendly website. So that mobile users can use your website and buy it. 

Let’s talk about tactics for the Smart Shopping Campaign;

• Optimize Your Product Feed: Optimize your product title. A title that includes keywords, and words that people use to find your product. A good description of the product and details about it. Optimize your Google Shopping prices. Prices are one of the most influential determinants for online shoppers. 
• Optimize Your Product Page: Smart shopping campaigns put ads to the right people at the right time. But you need a strong page that is mobile-friendly and trustable. Be sure that shipping information is clear. Customers want to know the delivery details before buying on your website.

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Google Shopping is a great opportunity for ecommerce merchants to get their products in front of their target customers. If you want to get into Google Shopping, you can use the following tips mentioned in the article above to get more traffic and increase your revenue.

Google Shopping helps you reach customers where they are already spending their time. To provide a seamless experience so customers never have to leave Google to buy your products, read about Buy on Google in the Linnworks guide.