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Google Shopping Ads use the Google Merchant Center to pull product information and details that are related to a search query. Google will return a sponsored listing that combines this information with an image of the item. The listing will often be positioned at the top of the page or in the sidebar.<\/p>\n
Types of information that can be displayed in Shopping Ads include:<\/p>\n
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- Promotions<\/li>\n
- Price<\/li>\n
- Company name and website URL<\/li>\n
- Name of the product<\/li>\n
- Image of the product<\/li>\n
- Local inventory information<\/li>\n
- Ratings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In the example below, Sport Chek has decided to bid on keywords in my search (Nike running shoes) and returned the following sponsored ad at the side of the results page:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"Google](\"\/wpe-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Google-Shopping-Ads.png\")
<\/p>\n\u00a0What Do I Need to Run Google Shopping Ads?<\/u><\/h2>\n
Google has some policies in place to ensure that the user experience is as effective as possible<\/a>. First, in order to play, you have to pay. You will need to have a marketing budget and strategy devoted to SEM and you will need to be in a country where Shopping Ads are available. Second, you need a product. The service is best optimised for tangible goods that are safe and reputable such as records, TV\u2019s and apparel. Items like firearms and fireworks are not permitted. Thirdly you require, and must actively manage, the information in Google Merchant Center. Depending on the level of granularity and your target audience you need to ensure that items are categorised correctly and that inventories and pricing are up to date. Finally, the organisation needs to ensure that it fits in with its paid media strategies<\/a> – the infrastructure needs to be in place to support a conversion driven by the Shopping Ad. For example, if the website listed in the ad doesn\u2019t lead to the product page or is out of stock it will limit the effectiveness of the platform.<\/p>\n
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly<\/u><\/h2>\n
Like most things Shopping Ads come with pros and cons.<\/p>\n
Pros:<\/em><\/p>\n
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- Shopping Ads are given priority on the real estate they occupy on the results page without an additional cost. The hierarchy of listings is Shopping Ads, Paid Search Ads, the Local Pack and finally organic results<\/li>\n
- The ad incorporates visuals and shorter text so it is easier for the user to digest and is more stimulating than traditional text-based paid search advertisements<\/li>\n
- Combined, all of these factors lead to higher conversion rates and ultimately a higher ROI<\/li>\n
- Users have the ability to hyper-segment their product offerings by priority, product group etc. to allocate time and capital between different strategies, focuses and goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Cons:<\/em><\/p>\n
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- Managing the data can be resource intensive. Inventory, pricing, product pages and categories need to constantly be updated in order to ensure that the information being delivered to the user is accurate and still applicable<\/li>\n
- As an organisation, you need to have budget devoted to paid search<\/li>\n
- If your Merchant Center is not managed correctly it could negatively impact a brand’s reputation. If the user is consistently redirected to incorrect landing pages or the product is not as advertised it could change a customer\u2019s sentiments and undermine the effectiveness of the listing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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