Google Shopping Ads Best Practices for Businesses in 2022

Are You Using Google Shopping Ads To Promote Your eCommerce Business?

Did you know that people are 4x more likely to click on ads from Google than any other advertising network?

And, the eCommerce industry has the lowest cost per click of any industry advertising on Google. On average, you’ll spend $1.16! 

If you sell things online and you’re not advertising on Google, you’re missing out big time on website traffic and sales.

Let us show you the best ads to run so you can sell products on Google, and share some other best practices. 

We’re a digital marketing agency that helps small businesses grow, and a lot of those businesses sell products online.

Google is one of the best places to run shopping ads but it can be intimidating to start. 

So today, we’re going to teach you the best Google Shopping ads to run.

Plus, some best practices for making the most out of your campaigns. Let’s dive in!

Before Running Google Shopping Ads: Get Ready

Before you start running ads on Google, there are a few things you should do first to make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row.

This is the foundation that you should build your Google Shopping campaigns (and other marketing efforts) on. 

1. Ensure your checkout process is smooth.
2. Iron out shipping costs, times, and processes.
3. Optimize your product titles, images, and tags on your site – this is the crux of good shopping campaigns.
4. Create a Google Ads Account.
5. Create a Google Merchant Center Account – this is essential to your Google Shopping ads.
6. Create a Google Analytics Account.
7. Connect all of those accounts to your website (Woocommerc and Shopify have easy integrations).

The Cost Of Running Google Shopping Ads

You’re only charged when users click on your ads.

So, it’s important to include as much information as possible so browsers can make an educated decision to click or scroll.

Keeping the price or product info behind the click will just result in you spending more money for less serious customers. 

We recommend budgeting at least $600 a month to your Google Shopping ads campaign if you can.

To learn more on how much do Google ads cost, read this post next.

Where Your Google Shopping Ads Appear

Here’s where you might see your Google Shopping ads and free listings across the web:

• The Shopping tab on Google Search (in some countries)
• Google Search, next to search results (separate from text ads), and Google Images
• Google Search Partner websites (if your campaign is set to include search partners), are not applicable for free listings
• The Google Display Network, which includes YouTube, Gmail, and Google Discover, is not applicable for free listings
  • Note: Local inventory ads don’t appear on the Google Display Network.

Google will do some experimentation with how and where your ads appear.

Here are some of the possible looks, though this can change over time and doesn’t represent every possible location. 

Running Ecommerce Ads On Google 

Shopping ads, which include rich imagery, price, and in-stock status, are served on Google and around the web…

…where current and potential customers can discover your brand.

Consumers are more likely to take action when they get a preview of the products and prices you offer…

…BEFORE they click on the ad (and you only spend money on serious browsers).

On the user side, this means when they search for something your business offers, your ads will appear here.

The customer can look at what you have available, pricing info, and find essential contact details for your business before they decide to click. 

What Are The Benefits of Running Google Shopping Ads? 

• More shopper engagement as they look for info
• Better leads because they’re a warmer audience (got info to help them decide to click) 
• No keywords to manage – use shopping attributes instead
• More real estate – you can have multiple Google shopping ads show up for a search, or a shopping ad and search ad…

…meaning your business gets in front of more people, more often.

They can also show on different Google properties, like YouTube and Image Search. 

• Access all Google data and analytics so you can run better campaigns and promote the products most likely to succeed.

Let’s look at the 2-ish subtypes of Google Shopping ads next. 

1. Product Shopping Ads

Showcase your products to people searching for what your business has to offer with Product Shopping ads.

These are created by Google in the milli-seconds after someone searches, so you’ll need to upload your product data to the Google Merchant Center.

On the user side, this means when they search for something your business offers, your ads will appear here.

The customer can look at what you have available, pricing info, and find essential contact details for your business, before they decide to click. 

Pro Tip: 

If you’re a beginner, use Smart Shopping campaigns (these are being changed to Performance Max Campaigns this year).

These campaigns utilize your Merchant Center Data combined with Machine Learning to make finding the right shopper at the right time even easier.

These will be simple to set up and won’t require as much optimization or adjustment as standard shopping campaigns will. 

We’re going to discuss local ads next.

2. Local Inventory Ads

Local inventory ads show to people searching for products near you.

The purpose is to send customers to your physical store location.

But, there is an option to buy online as well (something all businesses could benefit from in this post-2020 world).

Your inventory ad will show a storefront page that will need to be merchant-hosted (like your website) or Google-hosted.

Google will show products to anyone searching for something available in a local store within 30 miles of the store location. 

Local Catalog ads show to viewers of Display ads and showcase the products available at your store.

They show on over 3 million sites and apps (Google properties).

These ads use the information from the feed you set up for your Local Inventory ads.

You can think of these like traditional print ads, where the purpose is to be seen and drive traffic to your stores.

Key Benefits of Local Catalog Ads: 

• Reach mobile shoppers
• Promote store deals
• Act as an extension of print/circulars/catalogs
• Drive store visits
• Appear on the Display network

Additional Best Practices On Running Google Shopping Ads

If you’re going to take the time to create, set up, and run ads on Google, you want to make sure you’ve set yourself up for success.

There are a few additional best practices we recommend all our clients follow when setting up their Google Shopping campaigns. 

1. Capture Shoppers Early On

Use Showcase ads to introduce your brand to shoppers early in their decision-making process.

These will show up as a mobile collapsed ad that users can tap to show more information or an expanded text ad that users can click to visit your website.

These are search ads, so they will only show up on mobile and desktop when your search terms have been entered by a potential customer. 

Showcase ads will highlight your products, collections, and company.

And, it can help lead shoppers into your sales funnel when they’re not sure what they’re looking for yet. 

2. Gather Reviews

Google reviews make it easy to ask for, collect, and display reviews for your products and business.

Reviews can help earn consumer trust and make it easier for a potential customer to choose your business over another business. 

Seller ratings appear on Search ads, in Shopping ads, and on a badge that you can display on your site.

Product ratings are also displayed on ads and search results. These use aggregated data from your website, Google reviews, third-party info, and more.

If you want to learn more tips on how to get reviews, then be sure to read this post next.

3. Use Merchant Promotions

Merchant Promotions is a free feature that allows you to distribute online promotions with Shopping ads on Google.com.

When you add promotions to products that you sell on Google, shoppers see a “special offer” link (e.g., 15% off, free shipping).

This link can increase the appeal of your Google Shopping ads and encourage shoppers to buy.

4. Use Automated Bidding Strategies

Machine learning helps Google decide what bid strategy to use for the person viewing your ad right now. You can use either:

• awareness-based bidding strategies,
• consideration-focused bidding strategies,
• conversion-focused bidding strategies, and
• revenue-focused bidding strategies. 

5. Use the Performance Planner

You can anticipate how well your ads will do in the coming weeks by using the Performance Planner, which is a tool not many digital marketers are utilizing.

This is one of the best ways to determine what budget you’ll need to achieve your goals.

The planner will show you optimal bids and average daily budget allocations across all of your campaigns to help increase the number of conversions.

Google, and ourselves, recommend that you use the Performance Planner monthly to help you achieve your goals.

And speaking of budget, check out this post next to learn more on how to maximize your AdWords budget (Google Ads budget).

Conclusion

If you sell online, you should absolutely be running ads on Google. We recommend clients run Shopping campaigns and Search campaigns.

Your Google Shopping ads can appear on the same page as a search ad, which is just more ways to be found. 

It can take a few months to start to see those results come in so don’t get discouraged and stop too soon.

But, if you follow these best practices, you’ll start to see results and be able to make a strategic plan for success.

If you are a newbie in running Google ads, we have the perfect post for you. Check out our Google ads for beginners post after this.

But if you want expert advice and guidance for your campaigns and ongoing training and support, join our Coaching Program. 

Or, you can also work with our Google AdWords Consultant today! Get in touch with us to get started. 

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