What Are Google Shopping Ads & What Do They Look Like?

They allow you to show your products at the top of Google search results for search terms relevant to your products.

Google Shopping ads direct users to your product specific landing pages. There they can find more information about the product and purchase directly from your site.

There’s no easier way to be found by people searching for the products you sell than with Google Shopping. That’s why we recommend all e-commerce retailers start with Shopping ads and why we help them to get started with our Google Shopping Management plans.

What do Google Shopping Ads like?

A Shopping Ad consists of your product title, your branding, an image and your product’s price.

Product Title

The title of your Ad can let consumers know about your product’s specifications i.e the brand, size and colour. Being as descriptive as possible allows you to appear for all relevant searches. Whether or not you show for a search will be down to what’s included in your product title. You can optimise your titles to appear for your desired search terms by adding in all relevant terms.

Image

A picture is worth a 1000 words. It’s also the main difference between Google Shopping ads and Search ads. While you can be as descriptive as possible, nothing will help a shopper understand your product more than an image. They can ‘window shop’ and decide if they’re interested in what you’re offering. If they don’t click, you don’t pay. But you have to remember that the image in your Shopping Ad must clearly show the product you’re advertising within Google’s Specifications.

Website branding

Google Shopping ads associate your brand with your products. Before shoppers even click your ads they’ll know what your website stocks. Those that are familiar with your brand can then identify your business from your competitors.

Price

A Google Shopping Ad also includes the price. This can help filter the people searching for your products. If your product is too expensive for a shopper, they’re unlikely to click on your ad. If your price is competitive against other merchants, they will be more likely to continue to your website.

You only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Pre qualifying with your image, title and price means you’re only paying for relevant traffic.

Where do they show?

Google Shopping ads appear at the top or alongside a Google search results page. As mentioned above, they appear when your product title matches to a search term.

Shopping ads can even be shown to shoppers on the go. They are available on mobile devices and tablets as well as desktops.

Your ads can also be seen when shoppers click on the Shopping tab on the Google homepage. Here, shoppers get a more rounded experience with greater opportunity to compare products and prices.

What are Shopping ads for?

Google Shopping ads are used to target the best possible return for your ad spend. If set up correctly, they can use Google’s Machine Learning through Google Smart Shopping. They target consumers most likely to purchase, showing them the product ads most relevant to their needs.

Users are pre qualified and often further along their purchase journey. That’s why Shopping ads have over 30% higher conversion rates than Search ads.

Google Shopping Ads are for e-commerce retailers of all sizes. If your goal is to sell products online, you need to be on Google Shopping.

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits to Google Shopping ads that you don’t get with other avenues. They allow you to focus on the best possible return on your ad spend. Where Search and Display ads target shoppers at all stages of their purchase journey, those clicking on Shopping ads are more often closer to buying.

You can advertise product images, but, unlike Display ads, you’re appearing for shoppers that show intent to purchase.

Another benefit is the ability to take advantage of Google’s Machine Learning. By creating Google Smart Shopping Campaigns, you get access to automatic Dynamic Remarketing. If a shopper clicks on your Smart Shopping ad, they will be shown the product on the Google Display Network. As such, shoppers could see an ad for your brand and product on any number of websites.

There are a few different considerations for Google Smart Shopping which you can read a little more about in our blog “What are Google Smart Shopping Campaigns?”

How to get Google Shopping ads

As effective as Google Shopping Ads are, setting them up can be complicated. Shopping ads need a Google Merchant Centre account, feeds, shipping details, GTINs and more. You could do it all yourself by setting up a Google Merchant Center account and Google Ads account. Or you could get started with our Ad Platform and Google Shopping Management plans.

We integrate your website with our Ad Platform & optimise your product and category data to match the way that shoppers search, browse and buy. You get Google Shopping ads for every product, category, sub category and variant listed on your website. Every product on your website will have a Google Shopping ad, every product title optimised for relevancy and every ad price adjusted whenever you do.

As you progress, we have full managed Google Shopping management plans to keep up with your business priorities as you grow and scale. We’ll introduce machine learning, multiple campaign goals and expanded search ads to help you reach a predictable revenue growth model through your advertising.

Find out more information about our Google Shopping Management here.

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