INTRODUCTION
The goal as an online seller is to attract new buyers at a manageable cost. One way is to reach customers when they are searching for your product, and that can be done through Google Shopping.
According to Jumpshot, 35 percent of Google product searches turn into transactions within five days. With Google’s reach and targeting capabilities, it makes the platform an effective customer acquisition channel.
Here are four ways to use Google Shopping to sell your products.
SET UP SHOPPING ADS CORRECTLY
To give Google all the information you need to sell your products, you’ll need to create a Google Merchant Center account. Using the same Google email account you have connected to your Google AdWords, click the “sign up” button and connect your Google account. You will need AdWords because all Google Shopping listings are entirely paid.
You should connect the Merchant Center account to your AdWords account by locating the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the page by clicking the three dots. Then select “Account Linking” and link the AdWords account that is already linked to your email.
Next step is to verify that you are the owner of the website you are trying to advertise by verifying it on Google Merchant Center. Click on the Business information tab on the left column, select “website,” and click a verification method that works best for you.
You’ll now need to connect your product feed to your Google Merchant Center. Click “Products” on left column then “Feeds.” You can connect your feed manually (e.g. Google Sheets) or connect using a plugin or app. Your product will either be pending, approved or disapproved.
One of the reasons why Google requires so much information is that these attributes will help your product get found from searches and let customers know more about your offerings. More specifically, the success or failure of your campaign depends on how well your shopping feed communicates with the search engine. Secondly, when Google does choose to show your products in its results, they really stick out from the regular text results.
CREATE AN INFORMATIVE LISTING HEADLINE
You should have the right listing headline because Google’s algorithms are looking for keywords in your title to identify if the product advertised is the best match for a consumer search query. According to FindWatt, enhancing product titles resulted in 151 percent more clicks, a 47 percent increase in click-through-rate and a 28 percent reduction in cost-per-click.
Put the important information first because in most cases, only 70 characters will be shown. Also, exclude promotional text in the title, such as “15% Discount” as Google forbids it. When it comes to the structure of the title, Google Shopping recommends using formulas. For example, if you’re selling consumables, start with Brand + Product Type + Attributes (weight, count).
It’s important to keep testing titles. If one doesn’t work, try another until something does. For example, maybe you find that shoppers consistently use descriptive adjectives like “summer” to find and buy a pair of sunglasses from your Google Shopping ads or “light wash” to find a top-selling pair of jeans. Consider adding these words into the product title and product description.
OPTIMIZE YOUR PRODUCT IMAGES
A Google Shopping ad is a highly visual experience, with the product image being the most important part of your listing. Since the platform pulls the featured images from the respective retail sites, it can make or break your ads. When choosing your product images, use ones taken with a professional camera, use a solid white or light-colored background, show photos of real people using products or the products in use and have the correct scale with the image.
ADD REVIEWS
You should have reviews attached to your product since they can help boost your offer as reviews have become something that shoppers expect to see before even making a purchase. Keep in mind, you need a minimum of three reviews (on Google) to get the rating stars under your listing. Ask for reviews/testimonials in other marketing materials such as e-newsletters and through social media to help boost this number.